The Innocent. Amanda Stevens

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СКАЧАТЬ complained loudly. He turned around and glared at Sara Beth.

      “Stop what? I didn’t do nuthin’,” she defended.

      “You didn’t do anything,” Miss Sheridan, who seemed to appear from nowhere, corrected.

      “I know,” Sara Beth agreed solemnly. “I didn’t.”

      “She did, too! She pulled my hair!”

      “Did not.”

      “Did, too!”

      “Liar, liar, pants on fire!”

      Miss Sheridan took Sara Beth by the arm and pulled her aside. She knelt, until her face was even with Sara Beth’s. “What seems to be your problem? I heard you were acting up in class again today.”

      “Is anything wrong?” Miss Wilder, Sara Beth’s kindergarten teacher, came up behind Miss Sheridan.

      The director turned and said sharply, “Everything is under control, Miss Wilder. Perhaps you should tend to the rest of your students.”

      A brief frown touched Miss Wilder’s features, then she glanced down and gave Sara Beth a soft smile before returning to the other students.

      The way Miss Sheridan spoke to Miss Wilder made Sara Beth angry. Miss Wilder was her favorite teacher. She was young and pretty and she wore blue jeans and funny T-shirts to school. Sometimes she sat with Sara Beth at recess and told her stories about when she was a little kid. About being lonely. Sara Beth wasn’t sure she understood everything Miss Wilder talked about, but the time they spent together always made her feel good inside. Made her forget about all the fights her daddy and mama had been having lately.

      “Don’t fidget while I’m trying to talk to you,” Miss Sheridan warned when Sara Beth strained to catch a glimpse of the younger teacher. But Miss Wilder had already gone back inside.

      “Sara Beth,” Miss Sheridan said in a low voice. She glanced around, as if she didn’t want anyone else to hear her. “Do you know what happens to bad little girls who misbehave in school?”

      Sara Beth shook her head, although she did know. Your daddy got called, and then your daddy got mad…

      “They get taken away. Just like Emily Campbell.” Sara Beth’s eyes darted to Miss Sheridan’s. For a moment, Sara Beth thought she’d heard her wrong, but there was a funny look on the woman’s face, a tiny smile on her lips.

      Sara Beth’s heart began to pound in fear. Emily Campbell had got taken and she was a good little girl. She never acted up in class. If Emily got taken, what chance did Sara Beth have?

      Miss Sheridan leaned toward her. “You don’t want to end up like poor little Emily, do you?”

      Sara Beth shook her head.

      “All right. Go get back in line and see if you can behave yourself until someone comes to pick you up. It’s Wednesday, so you’ll be the last one here, I expect.”

      She was right. Sara Beth didn’t see her daddy’s car until long after everyone else had gone home. She and Miss Sheridan were the only ones remaining on the sidewalk.

      And even then, it was Miss Plimpton who came for her and not her daddy. Sara Beth didn’t know whether to be glad or upset. Miss Plimpton worked for Sara Beth’s daddy, but she was also his girlfriend and she didn’t like children, at least not Sara Beth, although she tried very hard not to show it around Sara Beth’s daddy.

      Miss Sheridan took Sara Beth’s hand and led her over to the car. “I’m Lois Sheridan, the school director,” she told Miss Plimpton. “I know you’re on the list of people authorized to pick up Sara Beth, but I’ll have to see some identification anyway. After that terrible tragedy on Monday, we can’t be too careful.”

      Miss Plimpton nodded and reached into her purse.

      She held up a card for Miss Sheridan to check. “Such an awful thing. Has there been any word?”

      “None. It seems the poor child vanished without a trace.” Miss Sheridan flashed Sara Beth a knowing glance, as if to say, You’re next, Sara Beth Brodie, you bad, bad little girl.

      “Well, I hope she’s found soon,” Miss Plimpton said in a soft tone. “I can’t imagine what the child’s poor parents must be going through.”

      “It’s just her mother. There’s no father around.” Miss Sheridan’s voice lowered, the way it had when she’d talked to Sara Beth. Her mouth got all thin looking. “They live on the east side of town, out near the highway. Not really the sort of background we encourage at Fairhaven….” She trailed off, glancing at Sara Beth again.

      “I see.” Miss Plimpton drummed her red fingernails on the steering wheel. “Well, I’d better get Sara Beth over to her father. I’m sure he’s anxious to see the little darling.” She smiled over her shoulder at Sara Beth, but the dark glasses she wore hid her eyes.

      They drove away from the school, and Miss Plimpton turned on the radio. There was a man talking about Emily Campbell and how she’d gotten kidnapped. How the police were still out looking for her. Miss Plimpton switched the station to one with music and started humming along with the song.

      After a few moments, she pulled into a parking lot. “I have to run into the drugstore and get a prescription filled, Sara Beth. I can’t leave you in the car, so you’ll have to come inside with me. You behave yourself, you hear me? You start acting up like you did last time, and I’ll tell your daddy on you.”

      “Can I get ice cream?”

      “And have it melt all over Curtis’s new car? I don’t think so.”

      They climbed out of the car, but Miss Plimpton didn’t take Sara Beth’s hand the way Mama always did. She let Sara Beth trail along behind her.

      It was hot outside, but the drugstore was cool and dim. Kind of like a cave, Sara Beth thought. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around.

      “You can go look at the coloring books if you promise not to wander off,” Miss Plimpton said. She headed toward the back of the store.

      Sara Beth found the rack and stood gazing up at the coloring books. Oh, goody, she thought happily. They had Blue’s Clues. She was so tired of all that Pokemon stuff.

      The door opened and someone came inside, but Sara Beth didn’t look around. She reached for the coloring book with the little blue puppy dog on the front.

      “Sara Beth.”

      Her name was called softly, and Sara Beth glanced over her shoulder. Miss Plimpton was nowhere in sight.

      “Sara Beth, over here.”

      There was something about that voice—

      Sara Beth looked around for Miss Plimpton again. She even started to call out, but a hand clamped over her mouth. She was jerked off her feet, and before she even had time to struggle, she was whisked toward the front door.

      “It’s okay,” the voice said in her ear. “I won’t hurt you.”

      Sara СКАЧАТЬ