The Precipice by Penny Goetjen Read Free Book Online

of the wine glass by placing it on the table next to Rashelle’s. She pressed her hands together as if about to pray and wedged them between her legs near her knees. She looked expectantly into Rashelle’s eyes.
    The creaking wooden foyer floor announced the arrival of Amelia and Anthony into the lobby. Amelia bid goodnight to her head chef as he headed out the front door and she headed toward the sitting room. Kurt must have left through a different door. “Well, girls, it’s getting late. I’m going to turn in. You might think about doing the same.”
    “We will, Nana. We’re almost caught up.” Elizabeth didn’t dare look at Rashelle. They both wished Amelia a good night. After watching her ascend the carpeted stairs to the left of the front desk, they turned and looked at each other.
    Elizabeth spoke first. “Okay…Go on,” she pressed her.
    “Oh, Elizabeth. I don’t know if I should—”
    “What! You’ve gone this far. If she asks, just tell my grandmother that I dragged it out of you. Now, spill.”
    “Okay, okay. The worst of it…is that the fourteen-year-old daughter of one of our guests is missing. The parents didn’t say anything right away because they thought she had taken a longer walk around the grounds than expected. When she didn’t show up for dinner last night, they thought she just made other plans. By noon today, they asked to speak to Amelia. She called Chief Austin who was tied up and didn’t show up until dinner time. He left just before you got here. He had his men searching the property, walking through the woods, but couldn’t accomplish a lot in the waning light. He said he’ll come back in the morning. Just between you and me, I think the parents are afraid she ran away.”
    That wasn’t the only possibility of what could have happened to her around here.
    There were many other possibilities, including getting swept off the rocks by the lighthouse by a rogue wave. Elizabeth recalled a story that surfaced periodically about a little girl and her father who were swept away by just such a wave. It’s not all that common, yet warnings are posted near danger areas, such as the Pennington Point Lighthouse, specifically for the unsuspecting tourist. The tragic story of the little girl and her father must have happened quite a while ago because Elizabeth didn’t remember it happening; only the stories people have told since. Of course, as a lot of stories go, the details change along the way. Sometimes it was a little girl and her mother. Either way, it was a tragic story.
    Elizabeth sank back in her chair and took a deep breath. This was all Nana needed. The daily stress of running the inn was taking its toll, but the latest couple of developments could prove to be too much for her. The last thing she needed was the bad publicity from a police investigation. This could also feed into this attorney’s intentions.
    They finished off the bottle of wine well after midnight and decided to call it a night. Elizabeth thought she had never felt this tired before. It took everything she had to hoist herself out of her chair. Hopefully things would look better in the morning light.
    Elizabeth headed to her car out in front of the inn to retrieve her belongings. She was not going to bother moving her little Z4 until morning. The only thing she could think about right now was getting some much needed sleep. When she reached in from the driver’s side she noticed her cell phone on the passenger seat next to her overnight bag. “Shit!” She had forgotten to call Vera. Somehow it had never crossed her mind during the long drive up. Picking up the phone, she noticed that she had missed two calls. They were probably both Vera. Well, she would have to deal with her in the morning.
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    With the strap of her overnight bag slung over her left shoulder, Elizabeth eased open the door to her great aunt’s room. She paused in the doorway and peered into the dark room, fully expecting to