That had been Lexie at the wheel, though the woman had been so intent on her driving she hadn’t even glanced toward the lavender farm.
Yet the siren on the car hadn’t been blaring.
What was going on?
Jeannette closed the door of the mailbox and shoved back her hair, still damp from the shower.
Should she go over? Offer her help?
Or would that come across as nosy, given her I-want-to-be-left-alone-so-keep-your-distance message to Logan in her kitchen last Saturday?
And if she did want to keep him at arm’s length, she ought to march back into her house and close the door.
As she tried to decide what to do, the other Hope Harbor police car topped the rise down the road and accelerated toward her. It too swerved into Logan’s driveway, Officer Jim Gleason behind the wheel, and disappeared with a crunch of gravel.
This wasn’t good.
No ambulance or fire truck had been dispatched—yet—but two police cars didn’t bode well.
And she couldn’t pretend she didn’t care.
She took a deep breath . . . let it out . . . and faced the truth.
Like it or not, Logan and Molly had managed to infiltrate her heart—and she couldn’t turn her back on them during an emergency.
As for what that meant after the crisis was over?
She had no idea.
But she’d borrow a page from Gone with the Wind and worry about that tomorrow.
Jeannette shoved the mail back into the box and hustled up Logan’s driveway.
The front door was open as she approached—and there was only one word to describe the scene inside.
Chaos.
Toby was barking and playing catch-me-if-you-can with Logan. Mariam was crying. Lexie was on the phone, one hand pressed to her free ear. Jim, leash in hand, was acting as running back for Logan as they tried to corral the beagle.
She scanned the room for Molly.
The girl was nowhere in sight.
A stomach-twisting sense of foreboding enveloped her.
“Jeannette!” Logan lost his focus on Toby for a millisecond, and the pup made his move.
But Jim was faster. He nabbed him and snapped on the leash. “You have a cage for this guy?”
“Yeah. First door on the right down the hall.” Logan’s gaze remained fixed on her as he crossed the room.
Only as he drew close, and the outside light fell on his face, did Jeannette pick up his pallor and the grooves of worry etched on his brow.
“What’s wrong?” She braced.
He pushed through the door to the porch. “Molly and Elisa ran away.”
“Oh no.” She pressed her palm to her mouth.
“Oh yes.” His tone and demeanor were grim. “From what we can gather, based on Susan’s conversation with Mariam, the girls took off while she was outside working in the garden during their nap.”
“You’re certain it’s a runaway situation?” Bad as that was, the alternative was worse.
“Ninety-nine percent. They packed a bag, made sandwiches, and took some personal items.”
“How long have they been gone?”
“No more than a couple of hours.”
“They can’t have gotten far.”
“Unless someone picked them up.”
He didn’t have to spell out what that could mean.
“Does Thomma know?”
“Mariam can’t reach him. He must be out of cell range. She left a message for him to call ASAP.”
“How can I help?”
“The fact you’re here helps more than you know.” He took her hand. Squeezed her fingers.
She squeezed back.
The barking inside grew muffled, and Jim reappeared. “The noise is contained—more or less.”
“Come in.” Logan opened the door and moved aside for her to precede him.
“Jeannette.” The chief shook her hand. “I was about to pay you a visit. Have you been home all afternoon?”
“Yes.”
“I knocked about twenty minutes ago, on my way to check the beach.” Logan arched an eyebrow.
“That must have been while I was in the shower.” She lifted a few damp strands of hair.
“Did you notice any unusual activity or see any strangers in the area this afternoon?” Lexie asked.
“No. It’s been very quiet.”
“I understand you watched Molly a few times. Did she say anything to you that would give us a clue as to why she ran away, or where she may have gone?”
“I know she was having some difficulty adjusting to all the changes in her life, but she never said anything about leaving. Other than telling me about her life in Missouri with her grandmother, and offering a few comments about the months she spent in San Francisco with Logan, she never mentioned any other places.”
“Okay.” Lexie directed her attention to Logan. “I’ve got a call into the Springfield PD, which has a K-9 unit with trailing capabilities, and I left a message with a private citizen in the Medford area who has a well-trained bloodhound and often assists law enforcement in search-and-rescue operations. However, travel time is close to three hours in the first case, three and a half in the second.”
“That’s too long. A ton of bad stuff can happen in three hours.” A muscle twitched in his cheek.
“I know. That’s why we’re going to put together some volunteer search parties to begin scouring the area. We’ve also sent law enforcement in our vicinity the photo and description you provided, and I gave it to Marci at the Herald. She’s sending an alert to the paper’s email list and soliciting volunteers to join the search. As soon as Susan calls me back, I want to ask Mariam a few more—” She pulled her phone off her belt. “Here she is now. Excuse me.”
Lexie crossed to Mariam, while Jim did a walk-through of the house.
“Let’s go outside again for a minute.” Logan took her arm and guided her back to the porch. Once away from all the activity inside, he faced her. “I can’t believe this is happening. I knew she was unhappy, but I didn’t think she was so miserable that she felt her only recourse was to run away.” His voice rasped, and he swallowed.
“I’m sorry, Logan.” She laid her hand on his arm. “And if it helps, I didn’t get the impression she had anything like this on her mind, either. I wonder if Elisa put her up to it? There’s a heavy load of sorrow in that child’s life too. Do you have any idea where they might go?”
His eyes grew bleak. “No. I don’t know enough about how Molly thinks to even make an educated guess. How sad is that?”
“It’s not like you haven’t tried to get her to open up and bond with you.”
One side of his mouth rose in a mirthless smile. “I seem to be batting zero on that score across the board.”
Lexie joined them on the porch, saving her from having to respond. “Jim’s going to give the house and yard a thorough going-over. I’ll head back to town and get the search parties organized.”
“I’ll go with you.” Logan pulled out his keys.
“I know you want to be involved, but someone should stay here in case the girls wander back.”
“I stay.” Mariam dabbed a tissue around her lashes and joined them.
“Logan?” Lexie deferred to him.