Miss Julia to the Rescue by Ann B. Ross Read Free Book Online Page A

deputy has his phone, he won’t be calling her. Let’s see if she’ll come over for supper.”
    “Good idea,” Lloyd said.
    Lillian nodded and opened the silverware drawer. “ ’Least she won’t be settin’ home stewing all by herself. Onliest thing is, though, we ought not be talkin’ ’bout Mr. Pickens when she get here.”
    “That’s right. There’re plenty of things we can talk about, and of course the babies will keep us all entertained, too. And Latisha will be here, so a lot will be going on, which is exactly what Hazel Marie needs to keep her mind occupied.” I thought for a minute, then went on. “I wish I had something to occupy mine. All I’ll be thinking about is what Coleman can find out.”
    Well, not exactly all I’d be thinking of. There was Sam still in an airplane miles above the earth with nothing but ocean under him—that was preying heavily on my mind. I declare, you let anybody you care about go traipsing off on their own and no telling what can happen. I liked my chickens all under my wing, and now I had two off and gone to fret over. To say nothing of the one who would soon be leaving, too.
    “Lloyd, why don’t you go ahead and check in with your mother? Tell her we’re expecting her for dinner, but don’t say anything about Mr. Pickens. Unless she’s heard from him, of course. And in that case, let me know so we can tell Coleman to stop looking for him.”
    “Yes, ma’am, I will. And I think I won’t call. I’ll just go over there. That way I can help her with the babies and we’ll all come back together.” Lloyd started out the door, then turned back. “But if you hear anything from Coleman, call me and let me know. We can, maybe, speak in code or something so Mama won’t know what’s going on.”
    “You can speak in code if you want to since she’ll be able to hear you. But I’ll tell you straight out, probably no more than ‘He’s all right,’ or ‘You all better get over here,’ or something like that.”
    He nodded agreement, a serious look on his face as our eyes met. We were of one mind as we usually were. My heart skipped a beat as I wondered how long that would last as he grew away from me.

Chapter 8

    As soon as Lloyd left, I found myself staring at the telephone, willing it to ring. I wanted to hear from Mr. Pickens or from Coleman, or I’d even take that West Virginia deputy—anybody who could let us know what was happening. The phone just sat there like a stump.
    “Lillian,” I said, tapping my fingers on the table, “do you think Sam’s cell phone would work in an airplane?”
    “Law, Miss Julia, I don’t know. Look like it be too long a reach. But you don’t wanta be callin’ him, ’cause what can he do, half-way ’round the world? No’m, I wouldn’t do that. It jus’ make him sick with worry not being able to stop that plane an’ get off.”
    “Well, you’re right. I ought to at least wait till he’s on the ground, where he can get another plane to come home. If he needs to, that is.”
    “Now, you jus’ quit ’spectin’ the worst,” Lillian said, walking over to the table and pulling out a chair. “That’s what you always do—’spect the worst an’ sometimes you get it. Of all the folks we know, Mr. Pickens the best at lookin’ after hisself, so you jus’ think of something else ’stead of all them what-ifs goin’ ’round in your head.”
    “That’s good advice, Lillian,” I said gratefully, “which is what you always give. So all right, here’s something we can think about while we wait. Have you ever heard of Agnes Whitman? According to Mildred, she lives out in Fairfields on a big estate, so it sounds as if she’s wealthy. I think she’s fairly new in the area.”
    Lillian frowned at me and, for a minute, I thought she wasn’t going to answer. “Widder lady?”
    “I don’t know. Either that or divorced, maybe. Mildred didn’t mention a husband. Seems, though, that she’s mixed up in some sort of