Missing and Endangered (Joanna Brady #19)(74)

“I’m too mad to be scared,” Beth answered. “Mad at him for doing it and mad at myself for being so stupid.”

In a way Jenny didn’t quite understand, the interview that she’d expected to undermine and diminish Beth had instead invigorated her. Somehow Agent Norris’s gentle questioning had put at least a few of Beth’s broken pieces back together.

“What do you want to do this afternoon?” Jenny asked.

“I want to walk over to the food court and have lunch,” Beth replied. determinedly, “and I’m not going to wear a bag over my head either.”





Chapter 32





Kendall was asleep when the doorbell rang the next morning. She waited to hear if Mommy would go to the door. When she didn’t, Kendall was torn. If the person at the door was a stranger, she wasn’t supposed to open it, but what if it was Grandma Puckett? That was what she wanted more than anything—for Grandma to come back. Finally, unable to resist, Kendall slipped off the bed and went to answer.

When she opened the front door, no one was there. She was about to close it in disappointment when she saw a glass dish of some kind sitting on the front porch. Aluminum foil covered the top, and a small envelope was taped to the foil. Kendall tore open the envelope and found a note inside.

The class misses you. Hope you will be back soon.

Mrs. Baird.





The note made Kendall’s eyes mist over with tears. When she lifted one corner of the aluminum foil, she found a miracle hiding inside. The whole thing was full to the brim with macaroni and cheese topped by a thick layer of crunchy bread crumbs and bacon bits. It smelled delicious, and when she picked the dish up, it was still warm.

Kendall turned to find Peter standing in the open doorway behind her, sleepily rubbing his eyes. “What is it?” he asked.

“Breakfast,” she told him, “macaroni and cheese.”

It was a feast. They both ate two whole helpings. When they were done, Kendall put what was left in the fridge and loaded the dishes in the dishwasher. Mommy didn’t like to get up and find a mess in the kitchen. They watched cartoons for a while and colored, too, but the day seemed to drag.

“Why can’t we go to school?” Peter asked.

“Because of Daddy,” Kendall told him.

“Will we ever be able to go to school?”

“I hope so.”

“When?”

“I don’t know. Grandma Puckett told us that the funeral is on Friday, so maybe next week.”

“I’m bored,” Peter said.

“So am I.”

At lunchtime they had another serving of macaroni and cheese. They were just finishing up when the front door opened and Mommy walked in. All morning long Kendall had assumed that their mom was just sleeping late in her room, but clearly she hadn’t been home at all. Now she was, but she was also drunk and angry. Kendall recognized the symptoms.

Mommy staggered up to the table and pointed down at the partly empty glass dish. “What’s that?” she wanted to know.

“Macaroni and cheese,” Peter answered, although it was pretty obvious what it was.

“Where’d it come from?”

“Mrs. Baird brought it over.”

Mommy was instantly irate. “You let someone into the house when I wasn’t here?” she demanded.

We didn’t know you weren’t here, Kendall thought. She said, “I didn’t let her in. She left it on the front porch.”

“People should mind their own business,” Mommy grumbled. “And clean all this crap up when you’re finished.”

With that she staggered off down the hall, slamming the bedroom door behind her.

“What’s wrong with her?” Peter asked. “She was walking funny.”

Kendall didn’t want to tell him the truth. “She’s probably just tired,” Kendall said. “She’ll be better after she has a nap.”

They still had some of the DVDs that Daddy had left behind, so they watched Frozen and Guardians of the Galaxy. Kendall was in the bathroom when the doorbell rang again. She hurried to get there, but by the time she did, Peter had already opened the door.

“Is your mom home?” a woman’s voice was asking.

“She’s asleep,” Peter said.

Kendall was getting ready to slam the door when she realized that the woman wasn’t a stranger at all. She was Mrs. Walkup, their next-door neighbor, and she was holding a dish.

“I’m so sorry about your father,” she said, “but I brought over a casserole. It occurred to me that you’re probably having company visiting from out of town, and it’s the least I can do.”

Mrs. Walkup looked like she expected to be invited inside, but Kendall didn’t think that was a good idea. “Thank you,” she said, reaching out to take the dish. “I’ll tell Mom you were here.”

She closed the door and carried the dish straight to the kitchen, with Peter trailing along behind. “Is that what we’ll have for dinner?” he asked. “What is it?”

Kendall lifted the lid and looked inside. She couldn’t tell what it was, exactly. Some kind of meat-and-tomato dish with black olives scattered on top.

“Why are people bringing us food?” Peter asked.