Tomorrow's Promises (Bellingwood Book 7) by Diane Greenwood Muir Read Free Book Online Page B

asked.
    "If it were me, I might call him first. And all of this information is available on the internet. You could have found it, maybe paid something for the search. Just call and ask if the girl is there."
    "I suppose that wouldn't hurt," Polly said. "If he doesn't know who she is, he'll tell me."
    "Exactly. Unless he's done something wrong, I don't think you want to get the police involved yet. I'm glad to help you get this far, but ..."
    "I get it. No problem. This is awesome." Polly checked the time, it was only eight thirty. "I think I'll wake him up."
    "On a Saturday morning? You probably will unless he's working."
    "You don't have that information, do you?"
    Anita chuckled. "I do. He works at an auto parts store." She gave Polly the name and number of the shop and they hung up.
    Polly entered the home phone number in her telephone and hovered over the screen, trying to decide if this was the right thing to do. She could just give the information to Curt Locke and let him deal with it, but it would be horrible if he screwed it up in his panic to find his daughter. She swiped the phone and took a breath. All she could do was try.
    The phone rang three times and a groggy voice answered, "Hello?"
    "Is this Dennis Smith?"
    "Yea, who's this?"
    "My name is Polly Giller. I'm looking for Jessie Locke. Is she there?"
    "Why do you want to know?" He was starting to wake up and got defensive.
    "Could I speak with Jessie?"
    "No."
    All of a sudden, Polly was listening to dead air. He'd hung up.
    "Well, damn," she said out loud.
    "What's damn?" Henry asked. She turned her head and looked at him. He was so handsome. She smiled. He wasn't drop-your-jaw gorgeous like Mark Ogden, but he'd definitely do. His shoulders and upper body were well-defined from working construction all day long and even though his arms and face were much darker than the rest of him, he made her heart beat a little faster when he took off his clothes.
    "Damn, you're a good looking man," she said.
    "Well, thank you!" He did a little pirouette and the towel he'd wrapped around his waist nearly fell off. To ensure his cool factor, he stumbled at the end of it and grabbed the towel before it hit the ground.
    "Yeah, that's my man," she said. "Suave and debonair."
    "I try," he said and tossed the towel back into the bathroom. "So what were you swearing about?"
    "I talked to Anita and she gave me a phone number of a Dennis Smith in Oelwein. I called him and he hung up on me."
    Henry took a deep breath and then pursed his lips. "You're going to get involved in this, aren't you?"
    "Maybe?" She tried a flirty smile and realized it wasn't going to work. He knew her too well.
    "What are you going to do next?"
    "First I think I'll call him back. Let's see what he does with that."
    She re-dialed the number and waited. It went to voice mail. She tried it twice more and the third time he answered.
    "What in the hell?" he asked.
    "I'm sorry to bother you, but I really am looking for Jessie Locke. Is she there?"
    "I told you no. Leave me alone."
    "Look, I'm just trying to find this girl and her friend gave me your name." Polly heard movement and then the sound of his footsteps.
    "She's not here," he said. His voice sounded muffled as if he were covering the phone with his hand.
    "Was she there?"
    "She left. I kicked her out. She's gone."
    "Gone? Is she still in Oelwein?"
    I don't know."
    "When did she leave?"
    "Last week. She got all weepy about her mama and I told her to get over it. Now leave me alone."
    "Wait!" Polly said. "Does she have a phone number or a job in town? Where's she staying?"
    "I don't know. I'm not responsible for her."
    "Do you have a phone number for her?"             
    "No. Now get off my phone, bitch."
    "Yeah. That's helpful. Do you talk to your mother with that mouth?"
    "My mother doesn't ask me too many questions."
    He hung up again and Polly put her phone down on the desktop. "Well, now what?"
    "What's up?"
    "He said that Jessie left and