Be My Valencrime

by Amy M. Reade

  The story was taking too long. Get to the point, Nikki! Lilly wanted to scream. But she kept her mouth shut and let Nikki talk.

  “Anyway, when I got here all the lights were off and I didn’t smell coffee, so I figured she had slept in. I went upstairs to her bedroom to wake her and she wasn’t there.”

  “Had the bed been slept in?” Lilly asked. She realized she was holding the phone in a vise grip and tried to relax her fingers.

  “Yes. She was sound asleep when I left her last night.”

  “Do you know how she got out?”

  “I think so. The front door was unlocked when I came in, so somehow she must have found the key and let herself out.”

  “The alarm wasn’t on?” Lilly asked. She hadn’t meant for her tone to sound accusatory, but that’s how it came out.

  “No. It malfunctioned yesterday and someone from the alarm company is coming today to take a look at it. When it went off yesterday, it scared your mother so much she started to cry. I’ve never seen her so upset. I decided it would be best not to turn it on last night in case it went off in the middle of the night. And here we were worrying that it might scare her into leaving. It more likely would have scared her into staying.”

  “I would have done the same thing,” Lilly said, as much as she hated to admit it. “Okay. Next step. Have you called Bill yet?”

  “No. I called you first.”

  “I’m on my way to the house right now. I’ll call Bill on the way and have him meet us. Are there any footprints in the snow out front?”

  “No. If she left footprints behind, the wind has blown new snow over them by now,” Nikki said.

  “I’ll keep an eye out for her on my way over. There’s no telling how long she’s been gone.”

  Lilly did a U-turn in the street and sped toward her mother’s house. On the way she called Bill, told him what had happened, and asked him to meet her at Bev’s house. Then she called Harry and asked him to open the store for her and keep an eye on things until she could get there.

  She drove slowly, scanning the sidewalks, yards, and porches for any sign of her mother. Surely if anyone had seen her wandering around, they would have called the police. That gave her cause for more alarm. Where could she be if no one had seen her?

  She slowed the car even more as she approached her mom’s block, hoping she would catch a glimpse of Bev. But by the time she made it to Bev’s house, she hadn’t seen a single soul outside. It was still early in the morning, and people were probably getting ready for work, not paying attention to an old lady who might be walking the streets by herself. And who knew what she was wearing? Lilly hoped she had been thinking clearly enough to put on a coat and gloves.

  She pulled up to the curb in front of Bev’s house and ran up the front steps. Nikki had obviously been watching for her and she opened the door to let her in as soon as Lilly reached the top step.

  “Any word?” Lilly asked. Nikki shook her head.

  “Bill’s on his way. I didn’t see any sign her on the way over here.” Lilly pulled off her coat and paced the living room. “Nikki, can you think of anything she may have said yesterday about wanting to go somewhere?”

  Nikki thought for a moment. “Not that I recall.”

  “Do you remember anything you talked about yesterday? I’m just thinking maybe something jogged her memory.”

  Nikki snapped her fingers. “Your mom wanted to look through old photo albums again yesterday. Maybe she saw a place she remembers and went there.”

  “That’s a good place to start,” Lilly said grimly.

  The front door opened and Bill, in full uniform, stood in the doorway.

  “Fill me in,” he ordered.

  Chapter 26

  Lilly told him about the alarm malfunction and explained that Nikki had gone to look for the photo albums she and their mother had perused the day before.

  “I’ve got every patrol cop looking for her,” Bill said. “Between them and us, we ought to be able to find her.”

  “I just hope she’s dressed warmly,” Lilly said. “Nikki,” she called. “Did you happen to notice if Mom’s winter coat is missing?”

  Nikki came into the living room bearing an armload of photo albums. Lilly recognized some of them from her own childhood, so she knew they were decades old. “No, I didn’t think to do that. I’ll do it now.” She placed the albums on the coffee table and hurried to the front hall closet, where Bev kept her outerwear.

  “The coat’s missing,” she called from the hall.

  “Thank God,” Lilly breathed. “Are her gloves gone, too?”

  “Yes,” Nikki said, coming back into the living room. “So that’s one good thing. She’s warm.”

  “Let’s see what you two looked at yesterday,” Bill said. He sat down on the sofa in front of the coffee table and Lilly sat down next to him. Nikki pulled a chair over to the opposite side of the table and ran her fingers down the spines of the albums.

  “I think we started with this one.” She checked the first page of photos. “Yes, because we went in chronological order.” The album began with photos taken of Bev and a handsome young man with dimples and dark brown hair. It was Bill and Lilly’s father, Daniel.

  As much as Lilly would have loved to take her time browsing through the photos, she needed to concentrate on the backgrounds—not the people smiling for the camera. They were looking for places nearby—places Bev might have suddenly decided she wanted to visit.

  The first several pages of photos had been taken in Mountain Vista, the town where Bev and Daniel had both grown up. It wasn’t that far away, but it wasn’t exactly right up the road, either. It was about thirty miles away. Lilly grabbed a pen and paper and began scribbling down the names of the places they could identify in the photos’ backgrounds. By the end of the first album they had found the first wedding photos of Bev and Daniel and they had a short list of places to check. Most of the places were in Mountain Vista.

  They put the first album aside and began going through the second one.

  Bill looked at his watch. “We have to move this along. She must be frozen out there, even with a coat and gloves.”

  Bill flipped through the pages and Lilly scribbled faster. As soon as they got to the photos taken after Bev and Daniel had moved to Juniper Junction, Bill told Lilly to hold on. He took out his phone and dialed a number. As they turned pages and noted different places around town where Bev and Daniel had been, Bill barked names into the phone.

  “What are you doing?” Lilly asked in a whisper.

  “Dispatch is taking down the names I give them so they can send officers to specific places to look for Mom.”

  Not for the first time, Lilly was thankful her brother was on the police force.

  Before long they came to the pages showing Bill as a newborn. Lilly smiled when she saw his scrunched-up, screaming face, thinking how much Noley would love to see these photos.

  But that would have to wait. They hurried through those photos and soon came to the ones of Lilly as an infant, looking remarkably like her big brother.

  In the fourth album, they came to a stretch of several pages of photos of the small family taken at a park in Juniper Junction.

  “Remember that park?” Lilly asked, pointing to a photo of her and Bill on a swing set. A long, shiny metal slide gleamed in the background. “I haven’t been there since Laurel was a baby.”

  Bill nodded. “That playground is still there. The play equipment has changed, though.”

  “Oh, my gosh!” Nikki exclaimed. Bill and Lilly stared at her.

  “What?” they asked in unison.

  “Your mom talked about that park while we were looking at these pictures. She said you kids had always loved it there. She said she wondered what it looked like now.”

  Lilly looked at Bill. “I’ll bet that’s where she went.”

  Bill had put Dispatch on hold while they looked through more photos, but he spoke into the phone again, tersely stating th
e name of the park.

  “Should we go over there?” Lilly asked him.

  Bill ended his call and thought for a minute. “Dispatch said they had someone in the vicinity of the park, so it won’t be long before we know something. Let’s keep making the list of places in case we’re wrong.”

  They continued looking through the albums and Lilly wrote down the names of places they recognized. She knew, though, that the best chance of finding Bev was in that small park.

  And she was right. About ten minutes after Bill had talked to Dispatch, his phone squawked with the five most wonderful words Lilly had ever heard.

  “We’ve got her. She’s okay.”

  Chapter 27

  Lilly let out a breath as though she had been holding it for the last hour. She slumped back into the sofa as Bill did the same thing. Nikki closed her eyes and her lips moved ever so slightly.

  “That was a close one,” Bill said.

  “We can’t let this happen again,” Lilly said.

  Nikki piped up. “Well, the person from the alarm company should be here sometime soon. Once the alarm is fixed, I’ll go back to arming it every night.”

  Lilly glanced at Bill. “Do you think the alarm should be on all the time? Even when they’re home and it’s daylight?”

  Bill took a moment before answering. “Probably. What if Nikki just has to run to the bathroom or something? We can’t risk Mom taking that opportunity to run off.”

  “She wouldn’t be able to get very far,” Nikki pointed out.

  “That’s true. But we also don’t want her to feel like she’s a prisoner in her own house,” Lilly said.

  “Why don’t you ask your mom and see what she has to say about it?” Nikki suggested.

  Lilly looked at Bill, her eyebrows raised.

  “Okay, we can ask her,” he said. Lilly nodded her agreement.

  The small group chatted for several minutes until they heard a heavy step outside the front door. Bill sprang to his feet. “There she is.” He opened the door.

  Next to the towering police officer, Bev looked tiny. She bustled into the house and turned to invite her rescuer inside.

  “Thank you, ma’am, but I should be on my way,” he said. Bill stepped onto the front porch while Bev hung up her coat and peeled off her gloves.

  “I’m chilly,” she said, rubbing her hands together. She looked from Lilly to Nikki and back again. “What’s wrong?” She went through the living room and into the kitchen, where she plugged in the coffee maker. Lilly and Nikki followed her.

  “Mom, what happened to you?”

  “What do you mean?” Bev asked. Her eyes were wide and innocent.

  Lilly tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice. “I mean, why did you leave? Where did you go? How come you didn’t tell Nikki where you were going?”

  “What are you talking about?” Bev asked. “I told your father I was going to the park. You should have just asked him.” She shook her head as if Lilly were simple.

  Lilly lifted up her hands and let them drop down at her sides again as she shrugged and gave Nikki a frustrated glance. What do I say to that kind of logic? she wondered.

  Nikki went to the refrigerator and opened the door, scanning the contents. She took a container of yogurt and set it on the table. “Bev, why don’t you come over here and have a yogurt? I’ll pour the coffee when it’s ready.”

  “All right, dear.” Bev sat down obediently and took the spoon Nikki offered her. Lilly sat down across from her mother.

  “Mom, you need to tell Nikki when you want to go somewhere.”

  “Why? Your father is perfectly capable of giving her a message.”

  Lilly had to think quickly to come up with a response. “To be honest,” she said in a conspiratorial tone, “Dad doesn’t always have the greatest memory. When you left, no one could find you and no one knew where you had gone.”

  “I’ll have to have a talk with your father. He should have written it down when I said where I was going.”

  “Mom, Bill and I worry about you when you’re outdoors alone.”

  “You’re a silly Lilly and Billy,” her mother said with a tinkling laugh. Lilly fought the urge to retch. “Of course nothing’s going to happen to me outside.”

  “I’m sure you’re right, but would you do us a favor? Please? Will you tell Nikki when you want to go somewhere?” Lilly asked.

  “That way, if Lilly or Bill calls or stops by and wants to know where you are, I can tell them,” Nikki added. She turned and winked at Lilly. Lilly caught the meaning—of course Nikki had no intention of letting Bev go wandering around outside by herself.

  Just then Bill walked into the warm kitchen. “Mom,” he began. “The officer who brought you home—”

  “He was a very sweet young man,” Bev said with a benign smile. “It was kind of him to offer me a ride home.”

  “Mom, do you remember leaving the house earlier?” Bill asked. His voice sounded stern.

  “Billy, don’t use that tone of voice with me.” Bev pointed at him. “I am your mother.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said in a softer tone. “Do you remember what time it was that you left?”

  “Of course I do. It was two-thirty.”

  “Two-thirty in the morning.” Bill repeated the time.

  “No, dear, it was afternoon.”

  “No, Mom, it was two-thirty in the morning.”

  “It was?” Bev’s face wore a worried look for the first time since coming home. “Why did your father let me go out at that hour?”

  Chapter 28

  Bill looked to Lilly for an explanation.

  “She told Dad,” Lilly said with a shrug.

  Bill sighed. “Mom, you can’t do that again.” He gestured toward Lilly. “Lilly and I think that once the alarm is repaired, it should be on all the time to make sure you don’t leave without telling Nikki. What do you think? Does that sound all right to you?”

  Bev looked from her son to her daughter to Nikki. “I told your father I was leaving,” she said in a quiet voice.

  “I know, Mom, but it’s Nikki who needs to know where you are all the time,” Bill said. “She doesn’t want to get in trouble for not knowing where you are.”

  Bev looked at Nikki with concern. “Oh, Nikki dear, I’m so sorry. I hope you didn’t get in trouble because of me.”

  Nikki reached out and patted Bev’s hand. “Don’t worry, Bev. It turned out okay this time. But you do need to remember to tell me if you want to go somewhere. It’s my job to know or to go with you.”

  “Okay.” Bev sat staring at her yogurt like a chastised child. “I just wanted to go to the park. I have such happy memories of that place.” One fat tear rolled down her cheek and Lilly had to turn away so Bev couldn’t see the tears forming in her own eyes. In her peripheral vision she noticed Bill swallowing hard.

  Only Nikki seemed composed, and Lilly was grateful for her steady response to Bev.

  “That’s great, Bev. Isn’t it nice to have such happy memories? Next time you go I’d love to go with you. I wouldn’t bother you. I’d just sit while you enjoy yourself. But, remember, it’s my job to make sure you’re safe.”

  Bev wiped her cheek and looked around at her small audience. “All right. You can come with me. Do you want to go this afternoon?”

  “I would love that, Bev. Let’s get you warmed up. I think you might want to rest before we go anywhere, too. You didn’t get much sleep last night.”

  “I am rather tired,” Bev admitted.

  “What about the alarm?” Lilly asked with a cringe. She hated to bring up the subject again, but it hadn’t been settled.

  Nikki looked at Bev. “What do you think?” she asked. “I know I would feel better with the alarm on. Would you?”

  “I think so, yes,” Bev said.

  “Good. Once the alarm is repaired today, we’ll leave it on all the time.”

  Lilly and Bill stood up to leave. As Lilly was pulling her coat on, she turne
d to Nikki, who had accompanied them into the foyer. “Thanks for everything, Nikki. Crisis averted. I don’t know what we’d do without you.”

  Bill nodded. “We appreciate all you do for Mom.”

  “This isn’t my first rodeo,” she said. “I’ve had experience with this. I just want to keep your mom safe.”

  Lilly and Bill left with a promise to visit the following day.

  The morning was half over by the time Lilly got to work, and she was glad to see Harry waiting on customers in his characteristic folksy manner. He smiled, told stories, and almost always made a sale. And better still, waiting on people gave him something to think about besides Alice.

  When the customers left with their purchases, Harry leaned over the glass counter. “I’m exhausted,” he said. “It’s hard to act happy when I’m not.”

  “It’s good for you, though,” Lilly said. “You worked your magic with those people.” She smiled at him.

  “Lilly, do you think they’ll ever find her?” Clearly, Alice was never far from his mind, no matter what else he was doing.

  Lilly walked over to him and put her hands on his shoulders. She looked straight into his eyes. “Listen to me. Alice is going to turn up, I just know it. I feel it. Do you hear me?”

  Harry nodded and gave her a wan smile. “I wish I had your confidence.”

  “I have enough for both of us.”

  Lilly insisted that Harry wait on the rest of the customers who came in that day. She knew he was tired, but she also knew he needed to stay busy or he would lose his mind.

  Lilly sped home after work that night so she would have time to change her clothes before she and Laurel went out. Laurel was waiting for her when she arrived.

  “Hurry, Mom, the movie starts in an hour.”

  Lilly changed into jeans and a sweatshirt, then she and Laurel headed to a diner just outside town. It wasn’t far from the movie theater. They ordered quickly, wolfed down dinner, and got to the theater just before the lights dimmed.

  A small crowd sat in the theater, and they scanned the seats quickly to decide on the best place to sit. They chose two seats about a third of the way back in the theater. Luckily the row was empty, so they didn’t have to push by people to get to the middle. Lilly held the popcorn while Laurel got comfortable, then she handed it off so she could sit. As she did, she noticed a couple sitting three rows ahead of them. The woman had her head on the man’s shoulder, but it was the man who caught Lilly’s attention. She studied him for a moment from the back, then he turned his face just a little. She could see his profile.