30. Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty
When David and Mary returned from Mrs. Irving’s office, he had news for Jane. “I was able to remove the lock from the telephone.” He then related his conversation with Mildred. “Eddie left to drop off the cookies, and she’s made a point to guard the phone every minute since we’ve been gone. Still no word from Jacquelyn.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jane said, and she truly was. She felt responsible. Why had she agreed to switch clothing? Worse yet, why did she even get in the car? There’d been so many points at which she could have fixed this problem just by speaking up sooner, but she’d been too spineless to do so. “We’ll have the girls pray for her safe return home.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Mary stepped forward. “Sir, are you going to return the lock to the telephone before you go? ”
His brow furrowed. “I hadn’t planned on it. In fact, I think you’ll need to use it to call me if my sister comes back here. Why do you ask?”
“It’s just that Mrs. Irving will be so angry with us if it’s not the way she left it,” Mary explained.
David gave her a comforting look. “Don’t worry about that, Miss Howard. If Mrs. Irving has any objections, have her talk to me.”
“Yes, sir.” And then she added, “And please call me Mary.”
“Very good, Mary.”
Jane suppressed a smile. She’d never seen Mary look so smitten. David was nice and handsome, with movie star looks, so she understood the appeal. Still, to her mind, nothing about David compared to the inexplicable pull she felt for Eddie and his boyish charm. Even now she could recall his impish grin, as if he was letting her in on a secret. There was just something about him.
What David said next interrupted her thoughts. “If you could keep listening for the phone, I’d appreciate it. Call me immediately if you see or hear anything about Jacquelyn.”
“I will,” Mary said. “I’ll go back right now and sit by the phone.” She extended a hand toward David as if to shake. In return, he took it and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. When she left the room, it was with a meaningful glance backward.
“I can’t thank you enough,” David said to Jane. “I’ll call when we know where she is. And now I’d better drive back. I’ll be watching for her along the way, of course. If she’s not back by nightfall, I’m calling the police. ”
“I hope you find her safe and sound,” Jane said.
“I do too,” he said. “I’ll be relieved once she’s home, but part of me suspects that wherever she is, she’s furious right now. She doesn’t like it when things don’t go her way. But if listening to her complain is the price for having her safely home, I’ll gladly pay it.” He pulled on his gloves. “As long as she’s back and with us for Christmas, that’s all that matters.”