Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96641 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 483(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
My knees wobbled. At least the note showed that she hadn’t been kidnapped. But why had she run? “Yara? Do you have any idea what’s going on in her head? Has she had a chance to meet with a counselor yet?”
“No.” Yara threw up her hands. “We haven’t made an appointment yet, but I wasn’t worried. She was quiet for a couple of days and then snapped out of it. I figured she was just worried about the judge. Once we decided to meet up here and see the judge in a normal setting, she seemed fine. I just don’t know what could’ve happened. I thought she was having fun learning about basketball from Aiden.”
I looked toward the concession stand. “Everyone stay here for just a second.” I headed back to talk to the blonde. “Hi. I need to ask you about the note you gave to me from the blue-eyed girl. Do you go to school here in Timber City?”
“Yeah,” she said.
I tried to look calm. “My name is Anna. I’m a friend of Violet’s—that’s her name. What’s yours?”
“I’m Kami. I’m not in trouble, am I?” The girl’s eyes widened.
I gave her my most reassuring smile when all I felt was pure panic. “Not at all. I’m just wondering about Violet. She used to attend school here in town before moving to Silverville. Is there any chance you recognized her?”
“No. Sorry. I’m just a freshman, so I don’t know a lot of the older kids. Is she in trouble?”
“No. Something spooked her for some reason, and I’m trying to help her.” I wanted to run outside like a wild woman and scream Violet’s name. “When she gave you the note, how did she seem?”
Kami frowned as if trying to concentrate. She had a rounded heart-shaped face with light blue eyeshadow glimmering under the fluorescent lights. “I don’t know. I guess she seemed kind of stressed, like she was in a hurry and didn’t have time to find you to give you the note.”
Where in the world would Violet need to go?
The outside door opened, and I turned, hoping against reality that Violet had returned. Instead, my cousins Rory and Bosco Albertini hurried into the building, tall, broad, and looking grim. They reached their mother, towering protectively over her. It struck me then how much they looked like Buddy. He nodded at his boys, all business.
“I’ll be right back, Kami.” I hustled toward my family. “Everyone follow Uncle Buddy’s instructions. I’ll finish talking to the girl at the concession stand, and then Aiden and I will drive over to Violet’s former apartment.” I didn’t think there was any way she would return there, but sometimes people stressing out needed to return somewhere familiar, and since I’d had her creepy former landlord arrested, she might feel safe there.
The group nodded.
Nick hesitated. “If we have a runaway, we need to report it.”
“We don’t know that yet,” Yara protested, paling. “It’s been ten minutes. Maybe twenty. We know she left on her own because of the note, so let’s try to find her on our own, okay?”
“Until midnight,” Nick agreed.
Everyone dispersed.
Aiden looked down at me. “Want me with you?”
I looked back at Kami. “I might have a rapport with her. If I need your charm, I’ll signal.” I headed back to the quiet concession booth. “Sorry about that.”
She looked toward the now empty doorway. “Everyone seems kind of stressed out. Is that Violet chick in trouble?”
“No,” I said. “But I am worried about her. Did you see anybody talking to her before she gave you the note?”
Kami tilted her head. “No, but she kept looking toward that side of the bleachers.” She pointed to the Clumsy Penguin’s side. “I don’t know if she was looking at anybody in particular, but she glanced there a few times before handing me the note and phone and running out the door.”
I turned toward the bleachers and didn’t see any obvious threats. “Did anybody follow her out?”
“I don’t think so, but I didn’t really watch,” Kami said. “The hotdogs needed to be turned, so I was concentrating on those.”
“All right. Is there anything you can add to help us find her?”
Kami shook her head. “Not really, except she bought about forty dollars’ worth of food to stuff into her backpack. Mainly chips and things.” She winced. “But I don’t want to get her into trouble. Junk food isn’t that bad.”
“Okay, thanks.” I hurried into the restroom again to look for any clues, but there was nothing. Finally, I met up with Aiden, who was scrolling through his phone. “What are you doing?”
“Getting my team on alert in case we need them.” Concern glittered in his too-blue eyes. “Besides her old place, I have no idea where to have them search.” He took my hand. “Let’s go, Angel.”
I nodded, my nerves jangling. We had to find her.