Sealed with a Kiss, Leeanna Morgan [black authors fiction .txt] 📗
- Author: Leeanna Morgan
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Bella kept running, disappearing into the crowd of people walking along the sidewalk. “Tank, Bella’s gone. I’m going after her.” She threw off her seatbelt, slid across the SUV, and jumped out Bella’s door. She ran around the other vehicles waiting at the lights and hit the sidewalk at a run.
Even though this end of Main Street was less crowded, there were still a lot of people blocking her path. She dodged strollers and preschoolers as she tried to see where Bella had gone.
She crossed the street, slowed down as the slippery road made it impossible to keep moving fast. She made her way toward the craft store. It was still three blocks away. Three icy, snow-covered, blocks.
Bella hadn’t been to the craft store before, but she had been to Angel Wings Café. Rachel had taken her there when they’d been in town.
Her phone started ringing and she pulled it out of her pocket. The callers’ number was blocked. She looked at it again before answering. She hoped it was Tank and not John.
“Where is she?”
Rachel breathed a sigh of relief. “I don’t know. She’s probably heading toward the craft store, but I can’t see her.” Rachel looked at the buildings around her. “I’m just passing Pete’s Emporium.”
“Keep heading toward the craft store. Bella’s got a GPS chip in her coat. I can find her with that.”
Tank ended the call and Rachel stared at the phone. A GPS chip? She had no idea that John had gone to such extreme lengths to keep track of where Bella was. Usually, she’d be mortified, but not today. Bella had disappeared and she had no idea where she was.
It seemed to take forever to get to the craft store. The middle section of Main Street was bursting with people, especially around Tess’ café. With a wide porch hanging over the sidewalk, this part of the street was a popular choice for families to gather. Add in hot coffee and fresh baking, and you had standing room only.
Rachel used her body to push through the crowd, finally making it to the front of Kelly’s store. Tank was standing outside with his phone in his hand. “She hasn’t moved for the last five minutes. Come with me.”
“She’s not in the store?”
“No.”
Rachel hurried after Tank, following him into Tess’ café. She looked at the people sitting at the tables, the line of cold and hungry people waiting to place their orders. She couldn’t see Bella anywhere. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
Tank looked at his phone and nodded. “She must be in the kitchen.”
Tess jumped a mile when Tank suddenly appeared beside her. “Tank? What are you doing behind the counter?”
“We can’t find Bella. Have you seen her?”
Tess shook her head. “It’s been so busy that I haven’t done anything except serve customers. Caitlin, Annie, and Kate are out the back putting orders together. Go and ask them if they’ve seen Bella. Is she okay?”
Tank didn’t bother replying. He pushed open the kitchen doors and strode into the room.
Tess glanced at Rachel before turning to her next customer. They both knew it was the worst possible day for an eight-year-old to go missing. There were people everywhere, it was cold, and the weather forecast wasn’t going to improve.
Rachel followed Tank into the kitchen. Compared to the café, it was a calm oasis of tranquility. Caitlin, a college student who worked part-time for Tess, was busy making toasted paninis. Annie was beside a deep-fryer, churning out hot chips, and Kate was about to take a big order into the café.
“Has anyone seen Bella Fletcher?” Rachel asked. “She’s eight years old, has curly brown hair down to her shoulders and big brown eyes. She’s wearing a bright red jacket and blue jeans.”
Kate balanced her tray on the edge of the stainless steel counter. “No one’s been in the kitchen except us, and I don’t remember seeing her in the café. How long has she been missing?”
“About fifteen minutes,” Rachel said.
Tank moved toward the back of the kitchen. He opened the door to a walk-in storage room, quickly searching the large space. When he couldn’t find her in there, he threw open the back door and walked into the staff parking area.
Rachel followed him outside. The cold air hit her face and made her eyes water.
“What’s up here?” He was already walking carefully up a set of exterior stairs.
“It’s Tess’ old apartment. No one’s living there at the moment.”
He tried the door handle. It didn’t budge. He glanced down at the snow and shook his head. “It doesn’t look as though anyone’s been here.” He looked at the emergency fire escapes attached to the walls of the other businesses beside Tess’ café. “She wouldn’t have been able to reach any of those ladders. We’ll take another look around the café and then I’m calling it in. We need more help.”
The back door opened and Tess walked outside. “Have you found her?”
Tank walked down the stairs. “She’s not here.”
“I’ll ask my customers,” Tess said. “Someone might have seen her come into the café.”
Tank re-checked his phone. “She should still be here.”
“What do you mean?” Tess held open the door as they walked inside.
“Bella’s got a GPS tracking chip in her jacket…” Rachel stopped in the middle of the kitchen and turned to Tank. “What if she took off her jacket? What if her jacket’s here, but she isn’t?”
“Then she’s really in trouble.” He ran into the dining area with Rachel and Tess behind him.
Tess pulled an empty chair out from one of the tables and stood on it. “Excuse me, everyone,” she yelled over the loud conversations. “Can I have your attention, please.”
The chatter came to a standstill. “Has anyone seen an eight-year-old girl with curly brown hair and brown eyes in the last fifteen minutes? Her name is Bella Fletcher. She’s wearing a red jacket and jeans. Can you also look around your tables for a red jacket that doesn’t belong to you?”
A lady at a table at the front of the café held a red padded jacket in the air. “Is this what you’re looking for?”
Tank took the jacket out of the lady’s hand. “It’s Bella’s.”
“Thanks, everyone,” Tess said.
“Do you need help finding her?” A man beside Tess picked up his jacket. “I was about to leave, but I could search some of the other stores on Main Street for you.”
Tess looked at Tank.
He shook his head. “She won’t go to someone she doesn’t know. But thanks for the offer.”
He tapped his phone and walked into the kitchen. The last words Rachel heard before the kitchen door closed behind him were, Bella’s missing.
Rachel walked into Kelly Harris’ craft store with a heavy heart. The last hour had been devastating. The police and John’s security staff were everywhere, looking for Bella. An AMBER alert had been issued. All the airport, train, and bus stations had posted messages and signs, looking for her.
Tess followed her into the craft store. “I just heard from Billy-Rae at the radio station. They’re broadcasting messages between every second song, asking people to look for Bella. He said all of the digital signs across the Interstate have been changed and the AMBER Alert website has been updated with her photo.” She gave Rachel a quick hug. “Everyone’s doing their best to find her.”
Kelly walked out from the back room. “Still no news?”
Rachel shook her head.
“Bella’s photo is on all of the television stations. Someone has to know where she is.” Kelly pulled out a stool from behind the front counter. “Sit down. You look as though you’re about to fall to pieces.”
Rachel sat on the stool and wiped her eyes. “She has to be here somewhere. She isn’t wearing a jacket and it’s freezing outside.”
Tess put her hand on Rachel’s shoulder. “The only thing we can do is pray hard that someone sees her. How is her dad?”
“I haven’t seen very much of him. He’s really worried.” While the police were interviewing Rachel and Tank, John had given the police a recent photo and description of Bella. They were using that information for their website and communication with the media.
John had barely spoken to her as they’d passed each other in the corridor at the police station. She couldn’t blame
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