“No.” I shook my head. “He isn’t declaring himself—didn’t declare himself.”
“Well,” Father said, his voice gruffer than usual, “if he intends to, he must speak to me first. No man will declare himself to my daughter without my permission.”
I wanted to roll my eyes, but I refrained, knowing it would disrespect him. Though I valued his beliefs, a lot of young people were starting to make their own choices about love and marriage, without their parents’ permission. If Lewis was serious about me, and if I’d given him any hint of encouragement, he would honor my father and speak to him—but not before he told me.
The smell of roasted chicken filled the air as we stepped into the house. Ingrid had lunch on the table for us, so we washed up and took our places.
After Father said grace, he lifted one of the newspapers off the corner of the table where Ingrid had placed it. He rarely read the newspaper in the morning before church, but almost always looked at it as soon as we sat down for Sunday lunch. He didn’t even read the front page as he opened it.
My attention immediately caught on the large headline:Rogers and Barker Suspected in Grocery Store Heist, Lakeville.
“What is that?” I asked my father. “On the front page.”
He closed the newspaper and looked at the headline, frowning. “It’s only rubbish. If they didn’t give gangsters like Rogers and Barker so much attention, they’d go away. They’re only doing it for the fame.”
“They held up a grocery store? In Lakeville, Minnesota?”
“It appears so.”
“When?”
Father looked closely at the article. “Last evening.”
My heart began to hammer. Annie Barker was in Minnesota—and if she’d been in Lakeville, just twenty miles south of the Twin Cities, it might mean she was on her way to Saint Paul. But Lewis had told me that Annie and Lloyd often camped out for days aftera burglary. What if she was camping somewhere between here and Lakeville? Could I find her? Would there be enough clues to track her down? Surely if the police couldn’t do it, I probably couldn’t, either. But I had to try.
My appetite was gone, though I forced down the food and tried to remain calm as we finished our meal. Mother and Father often napped on Sunday afternoons, so Father was fresh for his evening radio broadcast. If I took the family car to Lakeville, I could speak to the grocery store owners about Annie and see if there was anything I could discover about her and where she might be staying. I would have to get back to Minneapolis by six, when Father would need the car to get to the broadcast—and because I was supposed to sing the opening hymn. But that would give me four or five hours, enough time to learn something.
We were just finishing our meal when the doorbell rang.
Ingrid volunteered to answer it as I wiped my mouth, and a few seconds later, I heard Lewis’s voice.
Mother tried to hide a pleased smile, while Father attempted to look stern.
“They’re just finishing lunch,” Ingrid said. “Won’t you come in?”
The three of us left the table, since we were done eating, and met Lewis in the parlor.
“It’s nice to see you again so soon,” Mother said. “Won’t you have a seat?”
“I’m not here to visit,” Lewis said, his gaze landing on me. “I’m here to see if Caroline would like to go for an afternoon drive.”
I studied him, trying to determine his motivation. Was it romantic? Or was he there to tell me about Annie?
“Do you mind?” I asked my parents.
“Of course not,” Mother said.
“Just have her home in time for the broadcast,” Father admonished.
“I will,” Lewis promised.
I found my hat and purse on the hall table where I’d left them and said goodbye to my parents before following Lewis outside.
“Is something wrong?” I asked as we made our way down the porch steps and to his vehicle.
“Did you read the headlines this morning?”
“I just saw them when we sat down to lunch. Is that why you came for me? Do you know where Annie is?”
