Missing with Bonus Material: The Secrets of Crittenden County, Book One Read Free

asked me was how I found him.” She blinked hard. “You don’t think they’ll come talk to me anymore, do you?”
    “No.” Walker figured if the police started digging around Perry’s past, there was only one person in the Anderson family who they would seek out. And that would be him.
    He was going to have to figure out how to keep that from happening.

Chapter 2
    “When we all heard that Perry was gone, I thought he’d left town. And you know what? I was relieved. I wasn’t the only one to feel that way, either.”
    W ALKER A NDERSON
    L ydia’s hands were shaking by the time the Englischer rose from the bench.
    “I am sorry I’ve frightened you,” he said. “I promise, that wasn’t my intent.”
    Lydia looked down at her hands instead of replying. They still trembled, so much so that she was having a difficult time grasping the edge of her apron like she always did when she felt agitated.
    The detective stepped forward, obviously uneasy. “I don’t want to leave you alone like this. Is there someone who I could take you to?”
    His voice, so terribly kind, made her finally lift her head and meet his gaze. She noticed for the first time that he had green eyes and a scar above his left eyebrow. “I will be perfectly fine here.” By herself.
    He blinked at her cool tone. “All right, then. I’ll be going.”
    She said nothing as he awkwardly turned and limped toward the parking lot. The uneven ground was doing him no favors. It was obvious he was finding the journey painful.
    Well, now they were both in pain, she thought uncharitably. She hadn’t liked his questions about Perry one bit. Nor had she appreciated the way he’d talked to her.
    Or how he’d looked at her like she knew more than she was saying.
    Both his voice and his manner conveyed that he thought she was worldly, that she knew more about what happened outside of the quiet comfort of her home and her town than she let on. As if she was hiding things. Information.
    “Have you ever taken drugs, Lydia?”
    She’d been so taken aback by the question she had hardly done more than shaken her head in dismay.
    “Are you positive? You won’t be in trouble if you’ve tried a couple of things. Pot? Meth?” He waited a moment. “Pills, maybe?”
    “Nee.”
    “You sure? I’m not lookin’ to get you in trouble here . . . I just need to know.”
    Of course, she’d finally found her voice and had told him in no uncertain terms that she had most certainly not taken drugs. Ever.
    But instead of looking at her with a new respect, the detective had only seemed more troubled. Like she’d given him the wrong answer.
    How could that be? Hands still shaking, she tucked them under her black apron. She needed to get control of herself. Had to. If she didn’t, more questions would be asked that she didn’t want to answer.
    “Lydia, you need to get back to work, child. We are open now.”
    Startled, she turned to see her father watching her at the edge of the slate walkway leading to the greenhouses. “ Jah, Daed.”
    Work came first. Always.
    Standing up, she went back into the greenhouse and hastily cleaned up the soil she’d scattered on the floor when the detective had shown up. After claiming the broom hanging on the wall, she deftly took care of the crumbs and went ahead and cleaned off the steppingstones that ran through the middle of the greenhouse as well.
    Lydia had always found it silly to pay so much attention to dirt in the greenhouse when their whole business was dirt and plants. But her mother was a stickler for organization and order. She didn’t want any dirt to settle where it didn’t belong.
    She’d just put up the broom when the door opened and customers entered. “Wilkum,” she said. “May I help you?”
    “Hello, Lydia. We’re looking for some tomato and pepper seedlings,” Mrs. Brown, one of their best customers, replied. “What do you have?”
    “Several varieties of both,” she said with a shaky smile. “The