A Country Catastrophe: A Jane Carter Historical Cozy (Book Five) (Jane Carter Historical Cozy Mysteries 5) by Alice Simpson

Author:Alice Simpson [Simpson, Alice]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Published: 2018-07-11T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

All the windows and the door of the shop locked, and I did not know how to free the imprisoned child. However, as I considered the problem, Sam McKee appeared on the porch of the cottage.

“Good morning,” he greeted me pleasantly.

“Oh, Mr. McKee,” I said. “Did you know there is a child locked inside your shop?”

“A child? Bless me! How can that be?”

“I don’t understand how she got inside, but she’s there. Officials of the Greenville Orphans’ Home have been searching for Amelia Hanover since last night.”

“Wait until I get my key. I hope you don’t think I locked the child inside the shop intentionally.”

Knowing Mr. McKee as I did, I entertained no such thought. I waved encouragingly to Amelia through the window while I waited for the old man to return.

“I locked the door about eleven o’clock last night,” he explained, fumbling nervously with the key. “The little girl must have stolen in there sometime between six o’clock and that hour.”

The old man’s hand shook so that he could not unlock the door. Taking the key, I did it for him. Amelia, her hair flying wildly about her face, stumbled out of the shop.

“I’m hungry,” she sobbed. “It was cold in there, and a big rat kept running around. Why did you lock me inside?”

“Bless you,” Mr. McKee said. “I never dreamed anyone was inside the shop. How did you get in there?”

“I went inside last night and hid,” Amelia explained in a calmer voice. “It was cold outside, and I had to have some place to sleep.”

“You never should have run away from the home,” I said. “Why did you do it?”

“Because I don’t like it there,” the child answered defiantly. “I’ll never be adopted like the other children.”

“Why do you believe that no one will adopt you?” I asked.

“Miss Crismond says I won’t be—I heard her tell the matron. It’s on account of a nervous ’fliction. I’m afraid of things, ’specially cars.”

“Being afraid of cars is very natural, everything considered,” I said, remembering the story Miss Crismond had told me. “I’ll take you to the home.”

Amelia drew away, and as if seeking protection, crowded close beside Mr. McKee.

“I’m never going back, even if I freeze and starve!” she announced. “I’ll find me a cave and live on berries. It would be more fun than being an orphan.”

I gazed despairingly at the old bell maker. With a chuckle, he took the child by the hand and led her toward the cottage.

“We’ll have lunch and talk things over,” he proposed. “How will that be?”

“I’m awful hungry,” Amelia admitted, smiling up at him. “But you won’t give me any old boiled potatoes, will you? We have ’em every single day at the home.”

“No potatoes,” Mr. McKee promised. “We’ll have the very nicest things I can find in the icebox, and maybe a stick of candy to top it off.”

While Mr. McKee pottered about the kitchen preparing a warm meal, I washed Amelia’s face and hands and combed her tangled hair.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.