by Clare Revell
Agent Debone looked at him. “My car’s outside. Tell me where to go and I’ll collect Vianne on the way back to your place.”
“Thank you. She’s at the manse. Adeline knows where that is. I’ll let Cassie know you’re coming.”
****
Adeline stood at the sink in Nate’s kitchen, peeling potatoes and carrots for dinner. She was actually looking forward to the baby-sitting.
Vianne wasn’t a bother and was old enough to get on with stuff without help. Take now, for example. Vianne sat at the table going through the pack of crazy bands she had bought on the way home from school.
Agent Debone sat reading the paper. He seemed the type of man who expected meals to appear and dishes to clean themselves, before neatly piling themselves back in the cupboard again.
Ben nudged Adeline’s leg, and she glanced down at him before looking over at the table.
Vianne smiled at her. “How long are you staying here for?”
“I don’t know. Just a few days I hope. It depends when the police say I can have my house back.”
“OK.” She tugged the dappy hat down further over her ears and looked at Agent Debone. “Is there something wrong with your house, too?”
“Something wrong with my house?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?” He put the paper down and tilted his head at her.
“Cos you’re living here, too.” She pointed to his ring. “Did you have a fight with your wife?”
“Oh. Nothing’s wrong, just staying here for a few days.”
“Why?”
“Because Miss Monroe is staying here.”
“You’re not her boyfriend because you’re married, so it must be something else. Why?”
“Because your daddy asked me to stay.”
“I don’t have a daddy. This is Uncle Nate’s house. Why did he ask you?”
Agent Debone heaved a huge sigh, his shoulders shaking. “You ask too many questions.”
“That’s because I’m a cop’s niece.”
Adeline laughed as much at Vianne’s response as the look of outrage on the MI5 agent’s face. “That you are. Who told you that?”
“Miss Pringle at school. She says I’d make a good cop ‘cos I never know when to shut up.”
“That’s not a very nice thing to say.” Agent Debone turned back to his paper.
Vianne tugged at her hat again. “She hates me. They all do.”
“I’m sure they don’t hate you.” Adeline added the potatoes to the pan of water.
“Yes, they do.”
Adeline tilted her head. “Why’s that?”
“‘Cos I’m weird.” Vianne flicked the pile of bands across the table.
Adeline put the knife down and sat next to her. “Who says that?”
“They all do.”
“Just the kids?” Adeline helped pick up all the bands.
“Not just them, the teachers, too. It’s because of my hats. They say I have no right to be there. That I should be in a special school for weird kids.”
“I used to be called weird too, because I wasn’t like them. I couldn’t hear, therefore couldn’t do music and movement, or sing or play with them in the playground. But I happen to like your hats. Especially this one, it’s bright yellow, and that’s my favorite color. It’s quirky.”
Vianne tilted her head at her. “What’s that mean?”
“It means original or individual. Something special only to you.”
“So, a good thing?”
“Yes, Vianne.” Adeline smiled. “A very good thing. Tell me something. Does Jodie think you’re weird?”
“No. She’s my friend. She was sad today ‘cos her mummy died.” Vianne started crying. “I didn’t know what to say to make her feel better.”
Adeline hugged her. “Sometimes you don’t need to say anything. Just being there or giving her a hug will do. She’s going to need her friends. Especially one like you.”
“Is that ‘cos I don’t have a mummy, either?”
“Yes, you know how she’s feeling.”
“I can show her that people still love her and that it’s OK to cry. Plus she still has her daddy and her sister.”
“And you have Uncle Nate.”
“Who do you have?” Vianne gazed at Adeline intently.
“I have my brother. He’s in the army. And my mum and dad. They’re on holiday on a big cruise ship at the moment.” She straightened Vianne’s hat. “Why do you wear the hats?”
“The hat keeps me safe.”
“Doesn’t Uncle Nate keep you safe?”
Vianne pulled the hat crooked again. “Yeah, I guess so.”
“But…?” Adeline grinned at her.
“He’s not always here. He works a lot.”
“He’s a policeman. He works to keep you safe.”
Vianne sighed. “He gets hurt sometimes. Like his nose or he gets bruises. He got shot once in the arm. Then he was in hospital and I had to go stay with Nanny. That was no fun.”
Adeline thought for a moment, praying for the right words. “Being a policeman can be dangerous, but you know what? Jesus looks after him while he’s at work. All the time. Keeps him safe and if something really bad did happen, Jesus would be right there with him. Just like He was with Auntie Jas. So being scared is OK because we’re never alone.”
“That’s good. I love Uncle Nate lots.”
“He loves you lots, too.”
“Like Jesus does?”
“Just like that. And because Uncle Nate has to work over the summer holidays he’s asked me to look after you. So if you like, you can come to work with me during the week. Help take care of the dolls.”
“Can I be Nurse Vianne? And have a uniform and everything?”
“That is a brilliant idea. How about we text Uncle Nate and ask him to pick one up on his way home? The party store in the precinct should have one. Can you pass me the phone?”
Vianne beamed and passed over the phone. “Cool.”
Adeline texted Nate. Not a normal phone, all she could do on this was text. But it would do as a temporary replacement. “Now we need to finish dinner, or it won’t be ready.”
“Is he coming to the doll hospital, too?”
“Agent Debone? Yes, he is.”
Vianne scrunched up her nose in thought. “What’s he going to be? Because if you’re the doctor and I’m the nurse, he needs a job, too.”
Adeline looked at Agent Debone. “He does. That’s a very good question. What job could we give him?”
He kept a straight face. “I’m going to be the chair leg.”
Vianne laughed, holding her sides, her face wide with delight. “That’s silly.”
Agent Debone did his best not to smile. “I always said I’d be a chair leg when I grew up. This is my chance.”
“People can’t be chair legs. You could be the man who pushes the patients to x-ray.” Vianne giggled.
“A porter?” The horrified expression on his face was priceless.
Adeline wished she had a camera.
“Yeah.” Vianne agreed. “A porter.”
Adeline laughed. “Sounds good to me.”
He folded his arms and frowned. “Wait till they hear about this back at the office. I’d rather be a chair leg.”
11
Nate sat on the bed next to Vianne as she finished saying her prayers. Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead. “Night, pumpkin. See you in the morning.”
He was almost at the door when she spoke again. “Uncle Nate, are you going to die like Auntie Jasmine did?”
Shock resonated though him. He sat beside her. “No, honey, nothing is going to happen to me.”
“But you can’t be sure of that. You chase bad guys every day. One of them may have a gun or a knife or you could get in a car crash when you go really fast.”
He pulled her to sit on his knees and wrapped his arms around her. “I promise to be careful. God willing, nothing is going to happen to me for a very, ve
ry long time.” He moved a hand though her hair as she clung to him, not saying anything. “What happened to Auntie Jasmine was horrible. But it doesn’t mean it’ll happen to me.”
“It happened to Mummy and Daddy. And they were on a plane and meant to be safe.”
Nate closed his eyes tightly. “Yes, it did.” He struggled to find the words to comfort her. Even though I still miss Pete, and Jas died in such a horrible way. Lord, help me explain to her so that she’ll understand.
Calmness and peace filled his spirit and he opened his eyes. “You remember the story in the Bible about the sparrows and how God loves them and that He knows every single one of them by name?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, He loves us way, way more than the sparrows. He knows how many days He wants you to live here on Earth, before He calls you home to heaven to live with Him. I don’t know when that will be for you or for me, but it won’t happen a minute before God wants it.”
“Even in a bad way?” Vianne whispered.
He hugged her securely. “We can’t choose how we die, but in that instant, we’re not alone. And the second it happens, we’re with Jesus in heaven. I miss your Daddy, but I know he’s home, and I’ll see him again one day. He’s just living in a different country now.”
“Like Australia? That’s a long, long way away and they have to live upside down. Do they even have electricity there?”
Nate’s grin turned into a chuckle. “Yes, they have electricity in Australia. They don’t need it in heaven, though.”
“Nope, ‘cos Jesus is there. Are you scared cos the bad man’s still out there?”
“Maybe a little.”
Her wide blue eyes stared up at him. “It’s OK to be scared a little. Adeline said so, cos you have Jesus right next to you.”
“Yeah, we do. And that’s a good thing.”
Vianne hugged him tightly. “A very good thing. And He’ll love us and look after us, right?”
“Right. You all right to sleep now?” She nodded, and he kissed her forehead. “In that case, good night. Sleep tight. Don’t let the bed bugs bite. And if they do…”
“Squish ‘em,” Vianne shrieked with delight. She leapt off his lap and snuggled down under the covers.
Ten minutes later, Nate carried a tray of coffee into the lounge.
A soap opera played on the TV in the corner, the closed captions at the bottom of the screen. Despite that, the volume was louder than he’d normally have it. Probably Agent Debone making a point. He set the tray down and grabbed the remote, hitting the volume minus button a couple of times.
“Here’s the coffee I promised about half an hour ago.” He handed one to Adeline and another to Agent Debone. “I hear Vianne is restaffing the doll hospital for you.”
“Thank you. Yes, she is. She’s the nurse, and Agent Debone here is the porter.”
“I tried chair leg, but she wasn’t having any of it. I’m never going to live porter down in the office.”
Nate laughed. “Chair leg might be a bit harder to write in the report.”
“True. But porter?”
“It could be worse. She could have made you tea lady and told you to wear a maid’s uniform.”
The agent choked and sprayed coffee down his shirt.
Nate pulled a handful of tissues from the box on the coffee table and handed them to him. “Are you OK?”
Agent Debone nodded his thanks and set the cup down, mopping up.
Adeline sipped her coffee. “Did she tell you that she also wants me to put one of those barrels onto Ben’s collar in case the dolls get thirsty? I guess we should be grateful she thinks they carry juice and doesn’t realize it’s whiskey.”
Nate grinned. “He’s a King Charles Spaniel, not a Saint Bernard.”
“Try telling Vianne that. As far as she is concerned, a dog is a dog. They come in two sizes, big and little. But just like a woman can do a man’s job, so a little dog can do the same job as a big dog. Her words not mine.”
Ben sighed, his head on his paws, one ear alert, the other folded down. His tail thumped gently against Adeline’s leg.
She reached down to pet him. “You’ve taught Vianne equality for women almost too well, Nate.”
Nate’s shoulders raised in a shrug. “I don’t want her growing up thinking she can paint herself like a doll, bat her eyelids, and play men for what she can get. A woman is an equal partner, not a possession. Same goes for a bloke.”
“Are you saying that you don’t believe in protecting someone you love?”
Rivers of energy poured through his already taut body, tightening it like a bow string. If only they were alone just for a few minutes so he could show her how he felt about her.
“I’m not saying that at all. To protect someone I love, I would carry her over puddles, give her my coat in a rain storm, open and close doors, give up my seat on the bus or train. Then there’s making cocoa, the occasional dinner…” He answered her grin with one of his own. “And lay down my life for them if that’s what the situation calls for.”
“Them? Just how many women are you in love with, Nate?”
Nate glanced down at his cup. Stupid… how do I get out of this one?
“Well?” She wasn’t going to let it drop.
“Well, there’s Mum, my cousin Judy, Vianne.” He held her gaze and switched to sign language to finish, “and you. You have no idea how much I love you.”
Her smile lit her eyes and melted his heart even further. “Love you, too,” she signed back.
A cough from across the room reminded him they weren’t alone and that Agent Debone didn’t understand what they were saying.
Nate raised his cup towards his mouth then paused midair. “Though Vianne might be a little miffed to discover she’s only third on the list.” He returned to speech.
“Better third than not on the list altogether,” Adeline teased. “But we won’t tell her.”
“Good, because if she found out, she’d probably make me the man who scrubbed the floors with a toothbrush, or cleaned the toilets, or something equally nasty at the doll hospital. Or tea lady.”
“Don’t give her ideas,” Agent Debone chimed in. “She may change my job to any one of those when she realizes I’m not going anywhere. I’ve been told to protect her as well.”
Nate swung around sharply, coffee threatening to spill onto his lap. “What?”
“Just a precaution, nothing more.”
He struggled to get the words past the lump in his throat. “Are you saying Vianne’s in danger?”
“Nothing of the kind. You know what the powers that be are like.”
“Oh, yeah.” Nate took a long drink, trying to will his racing heart to return to its rightful rhythm in his chest. “So I don’t have anything to worry about as far as my niece is concerned?”
“You don’t. If you did, then I’d tell you out of professional courtesy if nothing else.”
“Thank you.”
Adeline shifted in her seat. “This is my fault. I’m putting you all in danger. I should leave. Perhaps Mark can deliver on his promise and find me a room on his army base or something.”
“You’re not going anywhere.” Nate spoke sharply and emphatically. He knew there was no point as she couldn’t hear him, but did it anyway. It relived the tension filling him. “I have fought tooth and nail to get permission for you to stay here. And you’re not going anywhere until we catch the killer.”
“Just until forensics have finished with my house.”
“Until the Herbalist is locked up,” Nate repeated, signing at the same time. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”
“Thank you.”
“And once your house is handed back to you, I’ll help you redecorate the hall, and change the carpet if that’s what you want.”
“Thank you. That would be good.”
****
Over the course of the next week, Adeline settled into a routine. Nate went to work leaving her
, Vianne, and Agent Debone in the house. She would go into work, taking Vianne and Shadow as Vianne insisted on calling the agent, with her. Vianne sat either at the desk coloring or by the dolls’ beds reading to them, while Agent Debone followed Adeline’s every move. It was tiresome, but she could see the reasoning behind it.
One thing she did enjoy was spending every evening with Nate. Going to bed, knowing he was sleeping just down the hallway made her sleep better than she had since this whole nightmare began. But the best part happened on her first morning. She’d gotten up early to read her Bible in the kitchen over coffee as was her habit. Nate found her and asked if he could join her. They had spent an hour in reading and prayer every day since.
On Sunday Nate drove them all to church. Agent Debone hesitated at the door. “I might just keep watch from out here. There’s only the one door, right?”
“There are fire exits at the back, and the three doors you can see here, but I thought you were supposed to keep me in your line of sight at all times.”
“Miss Monroe, this would be the best way to proceed. Sgt. Holmes can go in with you, and I’ll watch the road. I can call him if something happens.”
“My phone is on silent,” Nate told him. “But I’ll change it to vibrate.” He led Adeline inside. His hand was warm around hers, and the sensation of his skin against hers sent ripples of pleasure through her.
Mark stood on the door greeting people, and raised his eyebrow as he shook Nate’s hand. “Morning, Sergeant. Is hand holding something you do with everyone you’re protecting?”
Nate grinned. “Only your sister. I have a vested interest in protecting her. And it’s Nate, please. We’ve known each other long enough to dispense with the formalities.”
Mark hugged Adeline. “I wondered how long it’d be before you both figured it out, sis.”
“Agent Debone isn’t happy about it. Nate’s boss won’t be, either.” She signed rather than spoke. “So please don’t say anything to anyone just yet.”
Mark mimed locking his lips and throwing away the key. “Agent Debone won’t come in, then?”
