Page 25 of Christmas Past
“I’m going, too,” she said. Even if she had to drive her own car and follow him. “She’s been reaching out to me, Chad. She might not know that. She might not recognize me, but she’ll feel safe with me. You know Gracie, but Camille has never met you, or any of the other agents. If her parents aren’t going to be there, she’ll need me.”
She’d need someone. And Bella was determined that someone would be her.
Whether it was because he wasn’t going to waste time arguing, or because he realized she was right, Bella didn’t know. But in floppy mules, and a hurriedly-donned wool poncho over her sweats and P.J.’s, she traipsed beside him out to his cruiser.
~*~
Chad couldn’t remember a time he’d been nervous pulling up to a potential crime scene. He’d never been personally invested, other than to see to the safety of those he was there to protect. Danger didn’t worry him, for his own sake. When it was his time, he’d go knowing he’d done what he could to make the world a safer place.
As he pulled up in front of Gracie’s house at the end of Main Street, just off from the square, and saw the lights blazing inside, his hands were sweating.
“The fire happened at night,” he said, waiting for the ambulance to arrive before they went in. A dark sedan, with FBI agents inside, was already parked across the street. “The whole family was asleep in their beds. It was an old house, just outside of town. They saidthe firewas caused by a faulty wire. That the heat came on and caused the wire to spark. It started upstairs, where all the bedrooms were. Gracie had been sleeping downstairs on the couch because she’d had a cold and didn’t want her sneezing and coughing to keep her husband up. He had to be at work in the morning.”
He didn’t know what in the heck he was doing, sitting out there, rambling. But he needed Bella to know.
As if it could make a difference.
They had to do this quietly. Calmly. He didn’t think Gracie would hurt Camille, but he just couldn’t be sure. Not if she thought she was going to lose her baby a second time.
The ambulance had been told to approach without lights and sirens, coming up Main Street from the opposite end, bypassing the town square.
“She didn’t even wake up. They said she’d been consumed by smoke inhalation almost immediately due to her cold. And as far as I know, she’s never been asleep when it’s dark out ever again. Every morning, before she goes to bed, she walks down Main Street. And every afternoon or evening, when she gets up, she repeats the process…”
He shook his head.Gracie, what have you done?
He had no idea how the woman had gotten the child out of the diner without Camille alerting anyone. Perhaps Camille had followed the woman out. It was possible they were never going to know. Camille was too young to tell them. And Gracie…if the child was indeed there…would she tell him how she’d done what she’d done? Did she even know what she’d done? Maybe Gracie had enticed the child. Maybe Camille hadn’t realized the nice lady shouldn’t have picked her up. Gracie must have hidden the child in her oversized coat, carrying her away without anyone the wiser. Everyone was used to seeing the woman shuffling oddly about town with her head down. No one looked too closely.
“She needs help, Chad. She won’t be fit for trial. And if she didn’t hurt Camille…maybe she’ll just get the help she needs…”
She’d be sentenced to a hospital for a time, at the very least. He’d like to think there was a possibility she could benefit from that.
But first…
He saw headlights coming up from the distance behind him. The ambulance had arrived.
Opening his car door, he looked at Bella. “Let’s do this,” he said, glad that she was there.
~*~
Camille wasn’t crying. It was the first thing Bella knew as they approached the door. Not so much because she couldn’t hear crying. But because the child felt…momentarily content.
Chad knocked.
“Who is it?” a woman’s voice called out, as though having visitors in the middle of the night was a common occurrence.
Maybe she’d been expecting them. She’d have asked Chad, but knew better than to speak. To distract him in any way.
“It’s Sheriff Chad, Gracie,” he said.
Bella liked the sound of that. As far as she knew, everyone in town either called him Chad, Sheriff Andrews or just plain Sheriff. But she didn’t get out much. So, what did she know?
“Come in, it’s open,” the woman called.
With eyebrows raised Bella looked at Chad. He tried the door. Pushed it open.
And froze.
Bella had never met Camille Posey before, but she knew she was looking at the missing little girl.
