Stardust A Novel (29 page)

“He told me you would know, some relative of yours being a bigwig in the March of Dimes. It’s only right we get what’s coming to us. And with Rusty gone…” She sniffed. “I’m sorry, all this talk about Rusty is more than I can bear. You don’t know what it’s like to lose a child.”

“I thought Rusty was your nephew.”

“We raised him from the time he was three years old—after his folks was taken in a tornado. He’s our only flesh and blood besides Elmer’s sisters’ kids, and every one of them’s meaner than snakes. Thank the Lord we’ll have Bonnie and the boy to remember our Rusty by.” She sprawled back in the kitchen chair and yawned. “What’s keeping that girl? And the boy? Where is he?”

The decision loomed before me. But the answer was obvious. “I appreciate your coming all this way, but it’s getting late. I could even put you up in one of the cottages tonight, then tomorrow, we’ll contact the March of Dimes.”

“I can’t stay. Elmer’s expecting me home by morning to do the chores.”

“You can use the phone in the office if you need to call someone.”

She frowned and let out a long sigh. “Why don’t you make the call to whoever you need to check with? And find out how I get the money.”

Rosey burst through the door. “Peter says Bonnie is leaving, to come say good-bye.” Tears rolled down her freckled cheeks. Her breaths were ragged as she tried not to sob. Then she saw Mrs. Benning. “Who are you?”

“I’m Bonnie’s aunt, come to take her home with me until her mother gets well.”

Rosey nailed me with a look. “Did you tell her, Momma? About the iron lung and Willie? How Bonnie is sad and we make her feel better?”

“Yes, she knows, but sometimes people leave, sweetheart. Not because they want to, but because they have to. Bonnie needs to be with her family.”

Mrs. Benning was growing tired of explanations, I knew, and while I was comforting Rosey, Mary Frances came in with Willie, followed by Peter carrying Avril.

Mrs. Benning looked at Mary Frances. “Who the devil are you? And where’s the boy? Fiona’s kid.”

Mary Frances smiled. “Right here. The sweetest thing you ever seen. You must be Bonnie’s aunt.”

I was so proud of Mary Frances I could’ve cried. Although I knew it was ripping her apart, she handed the baby over. Or tried to.

Mrs. Benning flinched. “Is this a joke? That can’t be Rusty’s boy. That’s a baby. I assumed Fiona was carrying him when Rusty died serving our country eighteen months ago, and the last time I checked, a pregnancy only took nine months.”

Mary Frances and I traded wary looks, but I spoke. “Mrs. Benning. Perhaps you misunderstood. My aunt is the March of Dimes spokesperson who called you. She said you were under a lot of stress with your husband’s surgery. No one has tried to fool you into thinking otherwise. The fact is, we’re not certain who Willie’s father is, only that Fiona gave birth to him after she contracted polio.”

Mrs. Benning bolted from the chair and knocked on the girls’ door. “Bonnie Fay, come on now. It’s getting late.” She turned to those of us in the room. “You can find someone else for the boy. Bonnie and I are leaving.”

The bedroom door remained closed. I chewed my lip and tried to think of an excuse to delay their leaving.

Peter, ever quiet and observant as he was, wrapped his arms around me. I elbowed him in the ribs. I hated to be comforted when I was frustrated and needed time to think.

He winced, then cleared his throat. “Mrs. Benning, there’s no sense in rushing things. Before we get hasty, let’s give it a day. Never hurts to sleep on an important matter.”

Mrs. Benning slumped back into the chair. “I never expected so much confusion.” She waved her hand in front of her face. “I only wanted to help and take care of Rusty’s girl. The poor thing needs a stable home, the kind Elmer and I can provide.”

Peter went to her. “Your concern is appreciated. I think Georgia can set you up in one of the cottages.”

Mrs. Benning pursed her lips. “It looks like I have no choice.”

Time. We’d bought some time. I hoped it was enough to come up with another plan.

[ CHAPTER 34 ]

W
illie woke for his night feeding at three o’clock. I put the water on to heat his bottle, then changed him while it was warming. He was such a good baby. Even when he was hungry, he only fussed, clenching his egg-size fists and waving them at me to hurry. Already he had a scowl that reminded me of O’Dell and Avril. I took him to the rocking chair in the office and held him close as he slurped the bottle. I’d always loved the girls’ nighttime feedings, when it was only the two of us as the rest of the world slept.

Was it the money Mrs. Benning was after, or was she really trying to help? My gut told me she hoped the profit outweighed the inconvenience of raising a child. And either way, it meant Bonnie and Willie would be separated.

Hopefully, Aunt Cora would start the ball rolling on finding Inez. She’d been having her bedtime chamomile when I’d called and told her things weren’t going well with Mrs. Benning. She assured me she hadn’t mentioned the trust, only that the polio foundation sometimes assisted with family finances in hardship cases. Mrs. Benning had read more into Aunt Cora’s call than she should have.

From my chair, I could see the neon of the Stardust sign through the front window. Nothing worth having was easy, and for a moment, I was glad for the hard work we’d all done. I closed my eyes and rocked and cuddled Willie. When he fell asleep, I tucked him into the portable crib and patted his back until he was sound asleep.

An urge to check on the girls came. I yawned and wanted to crawl back in bed, but I knew I would never sleep until I’d had a peek. I turned the knob and hoped the squeaky hinge didn’t disturb them. I tiptoed to Rosey’s bed and patted the spot where she should be. The bed was empty.

My heart inched up a notch as I turned to see if she’d crawled in with the Avril and Bonnie, but she hadn’t. Their bed was just as empty.

Panic rose in my chest, my face tingling, my arms and legs numb.

Calm down. They have to be somewhere in the house.

I flipped on the light and scanned the room quickly, looking in the closet and wardrobe Doreen had left. I wasn’t even sure I was breathing. A slight movement caught my attention. The muslin curtains hung limp at the window, riffling ever so slightly. The sash had been raised as high as it would go and the screen unlatched. My heart was in my throat, electric fear racing through me.

I leaned out the window and saw nothing in the neon haze. The highway beyond was eerily void of sound and cars.

Mrs. Benning. She took the girls.

My temples throbbed as I flew from the front door and looked toward the cottage I’d given her for the night. Her car still sat in the spot where she’d moved it only hours before. I ran around to the bedroom window, hoping for a clue. I spotted something in the grass near the shrubbery. A cypress knee. The frog Catfish had made for Bonnie. She slept with it like it was a baby doll. Why would she drop it unless she was in a hurry… or someone was forcing her away?

Maybe they went to see Mary Frances and hide from Mrs. Benning. That seemed logical. My feet slapped the sidewalk as I ran toward Mary Frances’s cottage. I pounded on the door. No light came from her window, so I pounded again. She was a heavy sleeper, but if the girls had gone to her, the light would be on.

Mary Frances appeared, her hair in pin curls, her eyes heavy with sleep. “For heaven’s sake, what’s wrong?”

I gave her a quick explanation. “Get dressed. We have to hunt for them.”

“How could they be lost?”

“I don’t know. Either someone has taken them or they’ve run away. Bonnie’s afraid of Mrs. Benning, that’s all I know. Hurry. I’m going to get Peter.”

His door opened before I got there. “What’s going on? I heard you yell.”

My breath came out in huffs as I explained once again. “Quick. Get Sebastian. Maybe he can help us find the girls.”

He looked from side to side on his stoop. “Sebastian. Come here, boy.” When the dog didn’t appear, he whistled. Nothing. “I bet he’s with the girls. Hang on, I’ll get a flashlight and some shoes.”

Malcolm Overstreet had now joined us, along with Mary Frances. I glanced at the office, not sure I wanted to leave Willie alone. “Mary Frances, would you go to the quarters and keep an eye on Willie? And call Sheriff Bolander. Tell him to hurry.”

Bayou sounds echoed as we searched around the fireplace and trees in back. A screech owl squawked and flapped its wings above us. Bullfrogs that usually sang a comforting chorus now bellowed in a frenzy. Fear roared like a lion in my stomach.

Another thought came. The washhouse.

I motioned for Peter to follow me. “You check the shed and the lean-to while I look in the washhouse.”

The door was locked, so I fetched the key from the flowerpot next to it, knowing it was fruitless. The room was dark, nothing disturbed. All the linens stacked neatly on the shelves, the cupboards stocked. But no girls.

Slumping to the floor, I put my hands over my face and let the tears flow.
What if they’d gone to the highway and tried to catch a ride?
Fear worked its way up my spine. With it being the Fourth, there was no telling how many strangers were in town. They could be halfway to Dallas by now.

That’s insane.
No one would pick up three small girls
and
a big dog and drive off, especially in the middle of the night. They would deliver them to the sheriff’s office. Having Sebastian with them was a comfort at least. But where were they?

A momentary thought tried to take root, but Peter’s shadow came over me. He offered me a hand and pulled me up, then held out his arms to hold me.

“Don’t touch me. We have to find the girls.”

“We will. We just have to stay calm.”

“How can we be calm when they could be in danger? They could be hurt. Or lost. Or—”

“We can’t be sure of anything. The sheriff will know how to approach the situation. In the meantime, we’ll just pray they’re all right.” He clasped his hands before him and closed his eyes.

I bit my lip and prayed. “Lord, help us find them. Please.” Fear knotted my throat as my silent pleas continued. After what seemed an interminable time, we heard a car and the crunch of gravel.

I sailed out the door, Peter right behind me.

Sonny had already heard the gist of it from Mary Frances when she called. “Has anyone questioned Mrs. Benning?”

We all looked at each other and shook our heads. The lights in her cottage hadn’t come on, so I assumed she was asleep.

Sonny hitched up his britches. “I’ll talk to her, but first, Georgia, show me the window where they disappeared.”

We looked from the inside, then the outside. He shone his high-powered flashlight on the grass. “This has been trampled on so much, there’s no way to see which way the footprints go. You should’ve called me sooner. Did you hear anything from inside? A car speeding off or one of the girls crying?” He pointed the light in my face like I was under interrogation.

“No. Nothing.” Then I held up the cypress knee I still carried. “This. It’s Bonnie’s favorite possession. I found it out here under the window.”

“I’ll take it, although there’s no chance of getting fingerprints now that you’ve handled it. Have they done this before?”

Another no.

“Any reason they might have run off? Were they in trouble for something and afraid you would punish them?”

“Good heavens, no. You know me, and you know them. They’re sweet girls, and they weren’t in trouble. But Bonnie was afraid to go with Mrs. Benning.”

He went to Mrs. Benning’s cottage and woke her up. I followed to see what she had to say. She was groggy but fully clothed. She’d either slept in her clothes or dressed in a hurry. I suspected the former.

She squinted at the light from Sonny’s flashlight. “What’s wrong?” She glared at me. “Why are you waking me up? Is something on fire?”

The sheriff explained what had happened. “We thought you might know something.”

“Me? Why me?”

“I understand the girl wasn’t too keen on going with you.”

Mrs. Benning stepped forward. “Bonnie’s a shy child. It had been awhile since I’d seen her.” She looked around Sonny at me. “You know what’s more likely is that this woman’s children coerced her for some reason. If the circus I saw in there tonight is any indication, there’s no telling what they’re capable of. A man living with a woman he’s not married to. It’s a den of iniquity. Not something I want my niece exposed to.”

Sonny looked at me, then Peter. “Is that right? You’ve invited your handyman to move in? Your aunt Cora will—”

My face flamed, my insides ready to explode. “Sonny, you know me better than that. I’m tired of your accusations, and we’ve veered way off the point. Three girls are missing. We need to find them. Now.”

Sonny turned back to Mrs. Benning. “You’re coming with me. Bein’ a stranger in town, we’ll want to check your vehicle and ask you some questions.”

Mrs. Benning drew up her shoulders. “You’re arresting me? Because I came to do my family duty and provide a home for an orphan?”