Unending Devotion (Michigan Brides #1)(26)
She hoisted the equipment bag higher on her arm. The warm light from the pantry door at the back of the kitchen beckoned her.
Of course, she’d only wanted to see him to tell him she was glad he’d done the right thing by confronting James Carr and helping bail Frankie out of trouble. That was it. After all, it was past time for him to start taking a stand against the evil that plagued the town.
She stepped onto the wooden plank that led into the pantry and pushed open the door with her hip.
The tangy scent of overripe apples wafted over her, along with the stinging bite of onions that had gone to seed. A glance down the cellar steps revealed the dim light from Oren’s oil lantern against the dampness of the small underground cavern that he’d converted into his darkroom.
“There you are,” Vera called from the kitchen. “Hurry up now and come get some dinner before it gets cold.”
Lily deposited the camera equipment at the top of the stairs and then made her way past the crates that lined the floor, dodging a mound of dirty bed linens awaiting washday. She reached the doorway of the kitchen and stretched onto her tiptoes to peer beyond Vera’s bulky form through the opposite door into the dining room.
“Any snow yet?” Vera asked. “My left foot hurts. That always means snow.”
“Oh, of course there’s no snow.” Lily’s gaze swept the eating area. “Your foot must be lying to you. It’s been another gorgeous day.”
She was only looking for Frankie, she told herself. She most certainly wasn’t trying to see if Connell was already at his corner spot busy with his ledgers. But when she caught sight of his blond head and the unruly strand that fell across his forehead, her heart dipped with expectancy.
If she sat in her usual place, she’d leave him no choice but to sneak peeks at her while he attempted in vain to continue working. A ready smile touched her lips. She enjoyed watching him pretend he was laboring over his books when she knew very well he wasn’t.
Vera stepped away from the smoking stove and raised an eyebrow at her.
Lily pulled back. “So how’d Frankie do today?”
Vera’s other eyebrow quirked. “I thought Frankie was with you.”
“Of course not.” Lily eyed the dining room again and the assortment of men seated around the tables, but she didn’t catch sight of Frankie. An odd, feathery worry tickled her insides. “I told you we were leaving Frankie here. It would cause too much trouble to take her into the camp with us.”
Vera pushed a pan of half-browned potatoes to the back of the stove, away from the heat. The lines in her face tightened. “I haven’t seen her all day. So I thought you changed your mind and took her with you.”
Lily’s heart clattered to a stop. Had Frankie stayed in their room all day? Maybe she’d been too scared to come out by herself.
But even as Lily clomped through the kitchen and dining room and made her way up to the room she had gladly shared with the young girl, the tickle of worry turned into a twist of dread. Over the past two days, Frankie had proven herself to be a hard worker, jumping in and helping Vera with any chores that needed doing.
In fact, Lily had been secretly hoping the Hellers would decide to keep Frankie there, give her employment, and make her into the child they’d never had. If they didn’t, she knew Molly May down in Midland would take her. But she’d wanted her rescue efforts to benefit both the Hellers and Frankie.
Lily did a quick search of her room. Frankie’s carpetbag was there and her personal items still neatly arranged among the disarray of Lily’s belongings.
After scouring the hotel from top to bottom, the yard, stable, and every possible corner and closet, Lily finally returned to the kitchen.
“I can’t find her anywhere.” Panic had begun to stiffen each muscle in her body. “And nobody has seen her all day.”
Vera paused above a tub of murky water, a tin plate in one hand and a greasy rag in the other. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
“Bad feeling about what?” Connell strode into the kitchen, his dirty dishes stacked into a perfect pyramid. He looked from Vera to her. And the concern that radiated from his eyes calmed the wild pattering of her heart.
“Frankie disappeared.” Maybe Connell would be able to help her find the girl.
His brow furrowed. “Did anyone see James Carr around here today?”
Lily recoiled at the mention of the man’s name. “You don’t think Carr came back to get her? Not after you paid him?”
“I wouldn’t put it past the man.”
Vera shook the water off the plate in her hand and added it to the stack that had already received a dunking in the dishpan. “I didn’t see Mr. Carr, but I had to give Jimmy Neil a good scolding this morning for showing up in the dining room half drunk.”
Lily held in a shudder at the thought that Jimmy had dared to step foot inside the Northern Hotel. What reason could he have had for coming back?
Connell crossed the kitchen and dumped his dishes into the washtub. They sank past pork chunks, soggy bread crusts, and a scattering of half-smashed beans.
“I hate to say it,” Connell said, “but I’m betting Carr came back and took what he thought was his.”
When he lifted his eyes to hers, the regret she saw did nothing to reassure her. He wasn’t planning to give in to Carr, was he? Not now. Not after they’d already stood their ground. “If you think Carr has her, then we best be on our way up to the Stockade to get her back.”