I answered with a distracted, “Yeah?”
“Odin, it’s Patty at the front office. You’re on the list to pick Wendy up. Her mom hasn’t made it to the school yet.”
I looked at my watch.
Half past three.
“I’ll be there in two minutes,” I said as I jogged to my truck.
Worry coursed through me as I called Constance and got no response.
I called several more times before I arrived at Wendy’s school.
She skipped toward me, elated.
“You made it!” she cried.
I winked. “Of course I did. Sorry I’m late.”
“Mama wasn’t supposed to come?”
I didn’t take any pleasure in lying to her, but I didn’t want her to worry.
“Me, I’m sorry.” I winced.
She nodded. “Where’s Peanut?”
Worry knotted my gut as I spoke with Wendy on the way home.
When we got to the gate, I drove straight up to Israel and Janet’s house and parked.
Israel was on the porch when we arrived.
“Grandpa!”
“Hello, my girl.” He hugged her tight. “Want to come see a baby skunk with me?”
Wendy’s eyes widened.
Janet came out onto the porch, and I jerked my head toward her.
She frowned as she headed toward me. “What’s wrong?”
“Where’s Constance?”
Her eyes clouded with worry. “She’s not…she went hiking today. She didn’t make it, did she?”
“No,” I replied. “She didn’t.”
My phone rang, and I yanked it out of my pocket and put it to my ear before I got a chance to read the readout.
“Constance?”
“No,” Black grumbled. “Not Constance. Psycho got let out on bail.”
“What?” I barked.
“Not joking,” he said. “The mom bailed him out today.”
