Here We Come (Aggie's Inheritance) (116 page)

“Get
your
bikes
in
the
van.
Let’s
get
home.
No,
we’ll
stay
here,
but…
yes,
put
them
in
the
van
anyway.”

“Are—”

“Just
do
it,
Vannie!”
Aggie’s
eyes
closed
slowly
and
she
swallowed
hard.
“I’
m
sorry.
That
was
wrong.”

Vannie
didn’t
answer
but
threw
her
arms
around
Aggie
instead.
Laird,
however,
made
the
highly
helpful
comment
of,
“That’s
ok,
Aunt
Aggie.
Everyone
gets
snappy
when
they’re
scared.”

“Laird!”

“What!
They
do.”

The
cell
phone
rang
before
Aggie
could
interject
any
kind
of
response.
“Luke?
Do
you
have
Ellie
with
you?
I
don’t
care
what
surprise
is
ruined
;
I
need
you
to
be
absolutely
truthful
with
me.
I’m
about
to
call
William.”

The
answer
was
evident
before
Aggie
said
another
word.
Vannie
had
read
often
in
books
of
people
“going
white”
upon
receiving
bad
news,
but
until
she
saw
the
pallor
of
her
aunt’s
face
as
Luke
obviously
told
her
he
did
not
have
Ellie
with
him,
Vannie
had
imagined
it
was
merely
a
literary
device.
Now
she
knew
it
was
real.
Too
real.

Tears
welled
in
Aggie’s
eyes
, and
she
fought
to
gain
control
of
herself.
She
stared
at
Vannie
for
several
seconds
before
whispering.
“The
bikes.
Get
the
bikes.”
Her
fixation
on
bicycles
made
no
sense
to
Vannie,
but
she
hurried
to
help
Laird
anyway.

As
they
closed
the
van
doors,
Laird
and
Vannie
watched
as
Aggie
punched
just
three
numbers
into
her
phone.
“Why
isn’t
it
on
speed
dial?”

“After
she
thought
Ian
called
a
million
times
with
the
house
speed
dial,
do
you
think
she’d
risk
it
on
there?
It’s
just
three
numbers
.
Should
we
go
over
there
or
stay
here?
”

Vannie
slid
her
eyes
sideways
to
see
the
expression
on
her
brother’s
face.
When
had
he
started
thinking
like
a
man?
It
was
evident
from
his
stance,
his
eyes,
even
the
way
his
fingers
twitched,
that
he
was
anxious
to
do
something
to
fix
the
situation.
“Let’s
go.
She
can
send
us
back
if—no,
she
probably
had
us
take
the
bikes
so
we
wouldn’t
hear
the
conversation.”

The
hesitation
ended
as
Aggie
shoved
her
phone
in
her
pocket,
her
shoulders
shaking.
The
two
young
Stuarts
rushed
to
see
what
she’d
heard
and
try
to
offer
some
encouragement.
It
didn’t
quite
seem
possible
that
it
could
be
anything
too
serious.
“Aunt
Aggie?”

“It’ll
be
ok.
They’ll
find
her.
They
will.
”
Aggie
sounded
as though
she
was
trying
to
convince
herself
rather
than
them.

Laird
listened
for
a
moment,
and
then
steered
both
of
them
toward
the
van.
“It’s
cold
out
here.
We
can
wait
in
the
van
until
Luke
and
Deputy Markenson
get
here.
They’ll
take
care
of
it.
You
know
they
will.
Why
do
you
think
God
brought
both
of
them
to
us?”