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“John’s not going to like it. I’m sorry, but the answer’s no.”
Rachel thought fast. Bella really needed the supplies and she knew that this would be their last chance to do anything in town. “I know John wants us to be careful. I wouldn’t have suggested the store if I didn’t think it was safe. What if I went into the store and you stayed in your vehicle with Bella? I could phone ahead and order what we want. It will be twice as quick. All I’ll need to do is pay for the scrapbook materials and leave.”
Tank looked at Bella. She used her big brown eyes, silently pleading her case better than any adult Rachel had ever seen.
Tank glanced at Pastor Stevens, then back at Rachel. “Okay. But if we get there and it doesn’t look safe, we leave straight away. Where is the store?”
“On Main Street, beside Angel Wings Café. It’s called Crafty Crafts.”
Tank raised his eyebrows. “You’re kidding me?”
“It’s a great name.” Rachel had known the store’s owner, Kelly Harris, since eighth grade. She was a good friend and loyalty ran deep in Montana. “Kelly turned a musty old building into the prettiest craft store in Bozeman. Scoff all you like, but a lot of people buy their supplies from her. But craft supplies aren’t the only thing she sells. She has the best selection of local artists’ work in Bozeman, and she runs workshops teaching people how to paint.”
“She sounds like a saint,” Tank grumbled.
“She’s better than a saint.” Rachel walked across to her bag and took her cell phone out. “She sells what we need. You’ve just made one little girl very happy.”
“The only thing that matters is that Bella’s daddy is happy when we get home. Otherwise, both of us might be looking for new jobs.” Tank looked across at Bella and his hard-as-nails face softened.
Rachel couldn’t think about John at the moment. Kissing him last night had been the most reckless thing she’d done in months. And recklessness, she’d learned, always came at a price.
She turned her phone on and searched through her contact list for Kelly’s number. “How did you know that Walmart was busy?”
“I have my sources,” Tank said as he pulled his own cell phone out. “I just hope my sources can get across town before we arrive at the craft store.”
Rachel held her phone to her ear and waited for Kelly to answer. Buying the scrapbook supplies was important. Bella wasn’t creating a run-of-the-mill Christmas present. It was a heart-wrenching, emotional present that might make John realize how his daughter felt about him.
And if that didn’t work, Bella could always bake him his favorite cake and hope for the best.
***
“It’s a parade,” Bella screeched from the back seat of Tank’s SUV. “It’s the Christmas parade. Look…there’s Santa!” Bella pointed to the merry man in red.
“There’s no way I’m going to be able to park close to the store,” Tank said. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
Bella stopped craning her neck for long enough to understand what Tank was saying. “You can’t go back on your word. I need the craft supplies for dad’s present.”
“I’m sorry, Bella. But a deal is a deal. I told you before we left Pastor Stevens’ house that if this didn’t feel right, Rachel wasn’t going inside for your supplies. It doesn’t feel right, so we’re going home.”
“I don’t want to go home. If we follow the parade down Main Street, we’ll drive straight past the craft store. The floats are going so slow that you wouldn’t even need to find a park. Rachel could jump out and then run along the sidewalk and catch up with us.”
“Rachel would slip feet first into the gutter if she ran along the sidewalk. We’d end up in the hospital with a concussed teacher who should have known better.”
Rachel glared at the back of Tank’s head. “The so-called concussed teacher now has everything clearly spelled out. Thank you, Tank.”
“Don’t get angry with me. I’m just telling you that no one is going anywhere.” Tank stopped at a set of traffic lights.
Rachel watched the people on the side of the road. They were huddled in their jackets, with scarves and hats firmly attached to their bodies. The Christmas parade was a big deal in Bozeman. Most families made sure they were standing on the side of the road to see the long trail of floats moving down Main Street.
Tank was going to have to take a left-hand turn up ahead if he wanted to go anywhere. Main Street had been closed to vehicles and judging by the number of floats she could see, it would be a long time before it opened.
Before Rachel could think of another craft store they could visit, Bella had unclipped her seatbelt and jumped out of the car.
Rachel made a frantic grab for her jacket, but her seatbelt locked her in place. “Bella! What are you doing?”
Bella kept running, disappearing into the crowd of people walking along the sidewalk. “Tank, Bella’s gone. I’m going after her.” She threw her seatbelt off, slid across the SUV, and jumped out of Bella’s door. She ran around the other cars 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 had been 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 families waiting to place their orders. She couldn’t see Bella anywhere. “Are you sure this is the right place?”
Tank looked down at this 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 in here that I haven’t done anything except serve customers. Caitlin, Annie, and Kate are out the back putting orders together as fast as I send them through. Go and ask them if they’ve seen Bella. Is she okay?”
Tank didn’t bother replying. He pushed the kitchen doors open 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 was 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 wasn’t taking any chances with where Bella might have gone. 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, making her eyes water after the warmth inside the café.
