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Dottie yawned. She was tired as she sat in a large Queen Anne recliner next to Margaret’s bed. The evening had lasted forever. Beau had returned home from work a little after six o’clock, and within a few minutes or so, two of Richmond’s finest appeared at the door to take the missing person’s report on Allison. Several hours of questions followed; from very personal questions about habits, drugs, boyfriends, and behaviors as well as mental stability. Margaret had dissolved into tears. Dottie and her maid had walked her to her bedroom where no amount of sherry, Xanax, or Valium could console Margaret.
Margaret wept constantly. “Something awful has happened to her, Dottie. I know it, I can feel it in my bones,” she wailed over and over.
Dottie sat by her friend’s bed and held her hand feeling about as useless as her royal title. Finally, they both dropped into a restless sleep.
Around midnight, Margaret’s son, William Massie IV, and daughter-in-law, Helen, arrived home from Europe via Dulles. Dorothy gave William and Helen a huge hug and tried to offer them reassurance and hope about Allison but wasn’t sure she was successful.
“Dottie, you look exhausted,” Helen said, looking Dorothy over from head to toe. “I’ll sit with Margaret a while. It might be better if you got some rest. You know she’ll need you a lot in the next few days.”
Dorothy nodded, her face gray with fatigue. “Thank you, Helen. I know you are tired and jet lagged, but I believe I will rest. I think Margaret’s out for a while. She was doing pretty well until they filed the missing person report. I suppose it became very real to her then.”
Helen’s blue eyes filled with tears. “Dottie, what do you really think? I don’t think any of this has truly registered with me. It seems like a bad dream. I can’t believe that some dentist would in any way harm Allison. She’s just a beautiful, young woman who needs a chance to live. She has her entire life ahead of her.”
Dottie patted her hand. “Remember, my dear. We don’t know anything at all. It’s only been a real case for a few hours. I know Michaela is on top of it and checking in downtown. She’ll find out what’s going on, and as soon as she does, I’ll let you know. I promise.”
Helen’s shoulders shook gently as she struggled to hold back her tears. She covered her face with her hands. “Thank you, Dottie. It’s just that I’m so worried about her, particularly with her diabetes. If she doesn’t get her insulin soon, it could be catastrophic.”
Dottie’s mouth fell open, “Allison has diabetes? I’d forgotten all about that. I don’t think Margaret’s put together her need for insulin. How long can she go without her insulin?”
Helen thought for a minute. “A while. Maybe eighteen hours or so. Her condition is a bit better now since she had that pituitary tumor removed several years ago.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“Now she’s on insulin, and if she doesn’t get it in a timely manner, her blood sugar goes up, and she can go into a coma, just like any other diabetic.” A look of horror registered on Helen’s face. “Oh my God, Dottie, she could go into a coma and die.” Helen collapsed on the bed, tears streaming down her face.
Dottie’s stomach dropped to her toes and alarm flashed through her body. “We need to let the police know this immediately. It’s critical to the case. Be sure William tells Beau so he can communicate it to the detectives in charge of her case.”
Helen nodded and gave her a grateful smile. She answered in a shaky voice, “I will. Off to bed with you.” She looked over at her sleeping mother-in-law and added, “It looks like she’s out for a while. I’m going downstairs to talk with Beau and William. Do you need anything before I go down, Dottie?”
Dottie shook her head. “No, my dear, not a thing. Try to get some rest while you keep an eye out for Margaret.” Dottie patted Helen’s shoulder. “Things will turn out fine, I promise.”
“I will, and I want you to as well. Do you promise?” Helen’s eyes held those of the older woman for several seconds. Helen knew Dottie very well and was aware of Dottie’s reputation as an armchair sleuth. She also was aware of how much Michaela valued Dottie’s insights and opinion.
“I will.” Dottie crossed her heart. “I promise.”
“Seriously, Dottie. We need you to help us, so we need you to have a clear head. Get some rest,” Helen begged as she reached up and hugged the older woman.
“Scout’s honor,” Dottie smiled as she left Margaret’s room, her heart heavy with concern and her feet swollen from her long day. She felt a little short of breath as well and hated to admit it, but the doctor was probably right. She did have a problem with congestive heart failure and it bothered her sometimes, but she kept it under control most of the time
Dottie lay in the well-appointed bedroom on the second floor of Margaret’s mansion. Sleep evaded her. What had she missed, what could she do to help Mic find Allison? She knew the first twenty-four hours were the most important, and those were over. She missed the comfort of her Monument Avenue home. It reminded her of her old neighborhood in Vienna, where she’d lived part-time as a child. Dorothy closed her eyes and remembered her many trips to Vienna as a young girl. Vienna, the birthplace of music, art and romance. She’d met her husband there, the Count Umberto Borghase, and they’d spent many nights at the opera and at Chamber music concerts. They had walked hand-in-hand through the beautiful gardens of post-war Vienna. As she thought of her husband, her heart fluttered. She still missed him desperately, even though he had been dead for over forty years. They had had a magical life and a perfect, storybook marriage. The cont had made her feel like a princess, and in truth, she’d lived like one. Dottie closed her eyes and remembered her years with Rome’s “Italian Stallion” as Umberto was known. Umbie had been proud of her and supported her career as a young Olympian in post-war Europe. He’d patiently followed her around the globe until she retired from competitive swimming, and they’d moved to Villa Borghase in Rome. She smiled to herself. Ah, yes, Vienna. The Austrian city was chiseled into her bones, and its memories locked in her heart forever. Vienna was the story of her youth and her love. She sighed contentedly and drifted off to sleep.