“Do you believe me now?”
Audrey jumped as her daughter spoke from behind her.
“Don’t sneak up on me like that, Leslie. You scared me to death.” She turned around but continued sorting through a box of scented candles. “I didn’t hear the bell at the front door ring when you came in. I guess my mind is on other things.”
Seeing the look of resignation on her mother’s face, Leslie asked, “You haven’t heard yet, have you?”
“What?”
“There’s another girl missing.” Leslie’s brown eyes were bright with excitement.
Audrey put the box of candles on the counter and leaned against the edge.
“Mom? Did you hear me? There’s another girl missing. The police will believe me now. Everyone will believe me.”
“Leslie!” Audrey hissed. “Lower your voice, will you please?”
Leslie’s thin face darkened. “Well, I thought you might be happy for me, Mom. Don’t you see? This proves I was telling the truth.”
“Of course I’m relieved that you will be vindicated, dear.” Audrey reached out to stroke her daughter’s fine brown hair, noticing it had lost some of its sheen. “But, honestly, it’s hard to be happy at some other poor girl’s expense. Who is she? Do I know her?”
“I doubt it. But she’s a waitress at Nagle’s, and she’s the one Shawn’s been going out with.”
“Dear God,” Audrey exclaimed. “Another girlfriend of Shawn’s disappeared? The police must be looking into that. Well, God help her, and God help her family,” Audrey said softly, thinking about what she and her husband had just been through. “I think we should do something to help them, Leslie. Maybe we should volunteer our storeroom again as a community search headquarters.”
Audrey could almost see the wheels spinning in her daughter’s mind before she answered. “Yeah, I guess that would be okay. And I’ll come in to help. I want everyone who doubted me to have a chance to tell me how wrong they were.”