Excerpt: VIRTUALLY LONDON, Neighborlee, Ohio, Book 3
A funny little hitchsocked me in the chest, when I looked at Doni and realized something. AuntLenore was dead, but in all the fuss of Doni showing up and getting hersettled and being so furious on her behalf, that little fact had slipped rightpast us. Who was going to tell my mother that her sister was dead? Had anybodythought of that yet?
I felt about twentyyears older all of a sudden, and tired. Tragedy sure created a lot of work anda lot of things to think about. Even if--maybe especially if?--that tragedy wasfour months old.
What was wrong withthose Hallidays, that they couldn't be bothered to call and say, "Oh, bythe way, your daughter is dead. We don't want her daughter. She's on herway"?
Doni turned andlooked at me with those big, sad eyes, and I shuddered at a new thought: Maybeit wasn't that they didn't care about her. Maybe they hopedsomething nasty would happen to her. Then there would no one to claim whateverinheritance she had coming to her, so they could take it over.
Of course, thatbegged the question of just what these people had done to Doni in the fourmonths since her parents died. Why had they held onto her all that time, andonly now cut her loose?
"Hey, Doni, howlong after Aunt Lenore and Uncle Thad...well, after they had theiraccident--"
"There were alot of government people and protective services people and lawyers." Hereyes got bigger and full of shadows, but there was no feeling in her voice.That was kind of scary.
Mr. Zephyr gave herthat look I had seen him and Police Chief Tanner use when someone tried tosnatch a little girl from the playground at the middle school back in March. Themiddle school was next to the high school, and I was trying out for the trackteam with Miss Lanie when it happened. Someone screamed. Miss Lanie vanished, likeshe flew from the running track to the playground. Then she was back, holdingthat little girl, who was so scared she didn't start crying until Miss Lanietold us what happened and sent someone to call school security. The kidnappergot away, though.
Suddenly there were peoplecoming from every side of town. Police and teachers and Mr. Zephyr and PastorRocky. They got those sad, determined looks on their faces, just like he hadnow. Nobody ever said what happened, but there was a big time gap between when theycaught up with the kidnapper on the edge of the Metroparks, and when he showedup at the police station.
That kind of look canbe scary, but make you feel really safe, all at the same time.
