Miss Polly had a Dolly (Emma Frost #2) by Willow Rose Read Free Book Online Page A

something. On a dune in the
distance, we spotted a woman talking to one of the Officers. She was sitting on
a stretcher belonging to an ambulance parked right next to her. Sophia and I
looked at each other, then decided—without speaking a word—that we
had to get closer to figure out what was going on. Luckily one of the officers,
Morten Bredballe, came towards us just as we started descending towards the
beach area. Sophia knew him since he had often helped her contacting the father
of a few of her children that still lived on the island, when he didn't pay his
child support.
    "What's going on here?" she asked.
    Officer Morten looked at her perplexed. "A
child is missing. A little girl."
    I gasped thinking about Helle's story.
"Could she have drowned?" I asked.
    The officer sighed. "That's what I would
have usually thought, but this is different."
    "Why is it different?" I asked.
    "Well the woman you see over there, is the
girl's governess. She was down here with her, when she disappeared. She saw her
talk to someone, then walk off with that person willingly. The woman tried to
run after them and stop them, but fell and hurt her leg. She couldn't get up
again on her own.
    "So she saw who it was?" Sophia asked.
"Can't you just find that person then?"
    "She didn't see the face. She doesn't even
know if it's a man or a woman. All she saw was someone with a dog, dressed in a
heavy raincoat walk up to the child and talk to her. Then the girl took the
person's hand and they walked off. Disappeared between the dunes over
there," Officer Morten said and pointed to our right. A small trail went up
through the dunes and into the grass. The place was packed with summer cabins
behind it. "Do you think the girl might be in one of the cabins?" I
asked.
    "That's where we're going to look now.
Knock on every door there is," he said with a deep sigh. "I hate when
it's kids, you know?"
    I nodded. That had to be the worst part of the
job as a policeman, when it was an incident that involved children. "Who
wears a raincoat when the sun is shining?" I asked.
    The officer shrugged. "That's what I would
like to know. The governess first thought it was harmless for the girl to talk
to the person and the dog and that she would eventually come back. So at first
she didn't do anything. Plus she was on the phone with the kid's father. Well,
it's all a mess right now. All I want is to find the girl before this evolves
into a bigger problem. It might just be some deranged old man or woman, maybe
even someone senile who thinks it was his or her daughter or something. Maybe
they offered her some candy. Hopefully whoever it is will let her go back home
soon."
    "We'll keep an eye out for her as
well," I said. "What's her name?"
    "Her name is Josephine Gyldenstjerne.
They're visitors to the island, but come here every year."
    I looked at the officer. "Gyldenstjerne? As
in the Count and Countess Gyldenstjerne? Is she their daughter?"
    Officer Morten sighed again. "Yes, she is.
That's why we're a little nervous that this isn't a coincidence. This might be
a kidnapping for ransom."
    "I see."
    "How old is she?" Sophia asked.
"We need to know what we're looking for in case we do see something."
    "She's six years old. Has long blonde hair
and blue eyes. Slightly chubby. She's wearing a white dress. That's all I know.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go."
    "Of course, officer. We'll keep an eye out
for her," I said and let him walk past us.
    As Sophia and I walked back towards our own
neighborhood I couldn't help think that Helle's daughter had also been six
years old when she disappeared.
     

Chapter 14
April 2013
    Josephine
walked inside the old lady's house and followed her
into the living room. She had stopped thinking about Ms. Camilla and her
parents. All that was in her head was the spectacular doll and she really
wanted to see all of them. Ms. Camilla had to wait. Josephine knew she would be
in trouble for this, but she was already in deep trouble for