Дмитрий Леонтьев – Terrible (страница 9)

“Thank you very much,” Charlie took her hand. “Well,” he said after a short pause, “I must be going.”

“Be careful,” Emma warned him and went to the front door to see him off.

“Bye,” Charlie shouted and left.

Like the day before, Emma rushed to the window in the guest bedroom downstairs to look at Charlie and wave him goodbye.

Charlie got in the car, caught a glimpse of his wife waving at him, smiled and waved her back. Then he started the engine and began to slowly back out of the driveway. Soon he was already driving on the highway.

Emma stepped back from the window, hesitated then walked towards the kitchen to make oatmeal for the children for breakfast.

In about 40 minutes, when Emma had already cooked the cereal, she heard some noises coming from upstairs.

Right away, Emma ran upstairs to check on the kids thinking, “What could have happened again?” With the same words she opened their bedroom door and entered.

“What happened?” she repeated.

In the room, she saw Christina sitting on her bed crying.

“What is wrong, Christina?” Emma asked.

“My Lucy got lost,” Christina was crying wiping her tears on the blanket.

“What do you mean ‘lost’?” Emma asked and began looking for the doll.

“I don’t know but yesterday, before I fell asleep, she was here next to me and today, when I woke up, she was already gone,” Christina sobbed.

“Christina, I think it is somewhere in the room, maybe it is lost under your blanket?” Emma supposed and raised the blanket hoping to find the doll underneath.

“It must be alive,” suddenly Danny said.

“Danny, don’t be silly!” Emma cut him short and bending kept searching Christina's bed for the doll.

“I am afraid it might be true,” Danny spoke and stared at his mother.

“Enough,” Emma stopped him. “Better tell me where that doll is, otherwise Christina won’t stop crying,” she added nervously.

“For the whole night I could hear it walking around the room,” Danny sounded scared. “And I was really afraid, I was sleeping with a blanket over my head.”

“Nooo! You are lying!” Christina didn’t believe him. “My Lucy is the best doll I’ve ever had.”

At that moment Emma guessed something. She stood up and went to Danny’s bed. She looked under it but didn’t see anything. After that she started searching silently under Danny’s blanket.

“I thought so!” she uttered at last and pulled out the doll from the foot of Danny’s bed.

“You are a liar,” Christina blamed her brother when she saw the doll in mother’s hands.

“Mummy!” Danny protested. “It is not true,” he added looking surprised. “I didn’t do it! It came to me.”

“Danny,” Emma told him disapprovingly. “Please, tell the truth! Why did you take the doll from Christina’s bed?”

After such accusation, Danny couldn’t hold back his tears and burst out crying.

Instantly, Christina ran up to his bed with the words, “Never! Never touch my Lucy again! She doesn’t want that.”

Emma gave the doll to Christina and sat down on Danny’s bed to comfort him.

“Danny,” she said. “I know that you both like this doll! But to steal it from your sister is an awful idea.” she added.

“Mummy! I didn’t do that. Please, believe me,” he said through tears.

Emma started stroking him on the head and finally said, “Would you like a new toy car?”

Danny wiped his tears and took a deep breath. Wiping his nose, he said, “Yes.”

“Good boy,” Emma told him and kissed him on the cheek. “Don’t cry, sweetie,” she added and gave him a hug.

“But! I swear that I didn’t do that! It came to me by itself,” he insisted.

“Lucy couldn’t have done that because she loves only me,” Christina said and went out of the room.

“At the weekend, we will buy a new toy car for you,” Emma promised Danny and kissed him again.

“Mummy!” he called.

“Yes?” Emma asked.

“Can I sleep in my room now?” Danny asked.

“Well,” she said, “If you think you want this, then, yes, you can! But only yesterday you told me that you were scared of cockroaches…” she continued.

“I want this,” he sounded determined. Then he hugged his mother back.

CHAPTER 15

Charlie parked his car in front of the hospital. He looked at himself in the rearview mirror, smoothed his hair and straightened the tie.

“Hello, Mr. Brown,” Charlie heard and turned his head to the left.

“Good morning, Thomas!” Charlie said cheerfully.

Without hesitation Charlie got out of the car and greeted his boss.

While they were shaking hands they exchanged the usual “How are you doing?”

“I am fine, thanks! Ready to begin work,” Charlie answered promptly.

“Let’s go then, Charlie,” Thomas said and added, “I have some news for you.”

“I am all ears,” Charlie replied smiling radiantly.

Charlie was sure that the news Thomas was going to break would be good. But it appeared that he was wrong.

“So, Charlie,” Thomas started when they entered his office.

“Yes?” uttered Charlie with a questioning tone in his voice.

“Remember you asked me about Lara Evans the other day? The one who used to work here and, unfortunately, went missing under strange circumstances?” Thomas asked sitting down in his office chair.

“Sure,” Charlie replied intrigued and also took a seat. “What did you find out?”

“Well, the local police put out a search for her and her daughter Brenda,” Thomas began to explain.

“And?” Charlie interrupted anxious to hear the end of the story.

“So,” Thomas kept telling, “Yesterday, in the middle of the night, she was found.”

“It is good news,” Charlie interrupted him again.

“I wouldn’t be so certain about that,” Thomas responded.

“Why? What happened?” Charlie asked.

“I am not really sure I should tell you… But I’m afraid it may have an impact on you and your family,” Thomas hesitated rubbing his forehead.

“So what happened?” Charlie asked again.

“So, she, to be more exact, her body was found at the cemetery,” Thomas finally blurted out.