The Mandie Collection (2 page)

“Ready?” Mandie asked, stepping back from the bureau. “Let’s go.”

The girls hurried out of their room and down the hallway toward their meeting place with the boys. Joe and Jonathan were already there.

“What took you two so long?” Jonathan teased.

“I’m sure you two just got here,” Mandie replied.

“No, we have probably been here for about five minutes,” Joe said. “Your grandmother’s maid, Annie, happened to come down the hall while we were waiting and we spoke to her. Guess what she told us?”

Mandie looked at him and frowned as she replied, “Well, what?”

“The night Miss Hope disappeared, Annie was out for a stroll with her man friend and they were passing the church. It was already dark and was also cloudy, but she thinks she saw Miss Hope rush around toward the back of the church.” He grinned at the girls.

“Really? You are not just teasing us?” Mandie asked.

“I’m only repeating what Annie told us,” Joe said.

“Was Miss Hope alone?” Celia asked.

“Yes. Annie said as far as she could tell the lady was alone,” Jonathan said.

“I can’t imagine what Miss Hope was doing out after dark all by herself,” Mandie said thoughtfully. “I wonder if Annie has told this to my grandmother.”

“Not yet,” Joe said. “Annie said she was waiting for an opportunity to tell Mrs. Taft.”

“The church is a good little walk from the school, and Miss Hope was out there by herself after dark.” Mandie mulled the information over. “It certainly doesn’t sound like anything she would do.”

“And around the back of the church in the dark?” Celia questioned.

“I wonder if there was any kind of service going on at the church when Annie went by that night,” Joe said.

“I hope she has a chance to tell this to my grandmother before she goes over to see Miss Prudence tonight,” Mandie said.

“Let’s go on down to the parlor. Your grandmother may be waiting for us down there,” Celia reminded Mandie.

“Yes, and supper could be ready,” Joe added.

“Yes, food,” Jonathan added with a big grin.

When the four got to the parlor, Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton were already there, and Mandie could hear only the end of their conversation as she and her friends entered the room.

“That is just about unbelievable that Miss Hope would be out alone by the church after dark,” Mrs. Taft was saying.

“Do you think there’s a possibility that Annie could have been mistaken about who it was that she saw?” the senator asked. “If it was too dark to really identify anyone, then Annie could have been mistaken.”

“I’ll discuss this with Miss Prudence tonight and see what she thinks,” Mrs. Taft replied.

Ella appeared at the door to the parlor and spoke. “Miz Taft, suppah is ready to serve now.”

“Thank you, Ella,” Mrs. Taft said as she rose from her chair. The maid went back down the hallway.

The four young people stood up, waiting to follow Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton into the dining room.

Mrs. Taft paused to look back as she said, “Come along now, Amanda. If you and your friends are going to the school with us tonight, you need to hurry through supper.” She smiled at Mandie.

Mandie grinned and said, “Oh yes, ma’am, we’ll hurry.” She looked back at her friends as they hastily followed.

She didn’t have to ask to go after all. Now she would be able to hear the whole story from Miss Prudence. And perhaps Mandie and her friends might be able to help solve the mystery.

Supper was a hurried affair. The young people refrained from talking in order to eat more quickly and get on their way to the school. Mrs. Taft very seldom discussed anything during a meal, but she did inform Mandie and her friends, “It seems that Hilda may not be here any time soon. The Mannings have gone on an out-of-town trip and have taken her and their daughter with them. I have not been able to find out when they will return.”

“Did they not know you were coming home?” Mandie asked, sipping her coffee.

“Yes, but I had not let them know exactly when. As you know, this was a sudden decision to return home,” Mrs. Taft replied.

“Thank goodness Polly Cornwallis didn’t come with us,” Mandie said with a deep frown. “But then, the way she acted about the tunnel and the newspaper reporter will probably curtail any visits from her anytime soon.”

“I should hope so,” Mrs. Taft agreed.

“I’m glad your uncle made all that business with the crack in the tunnel confidential information so we don’t have to discuss it with anyone who might have heard of the trouble,” Jonathan said.

“I also ask that you young people honor Miss Prudence’s privacy,” Mrs. Taft said. “I’m sure she will want all information she gives us to be kept confidential.”

“Yes, ma’am,” echoed around the table as the young people agreed.

“I just hope nothing bad has happened to Miss Hope,” Celia said, finishing the last bit of potatoes on her plate.

“How could it not be bad, since the lady just disappeared into thin air, so to speak, and no one knows a single thing about what happened,” Joe told them as he set down his coffee cup.

Mrs. Taft quickly looked around the table and said, “Now, if everyone is finished, we’ll go see Miss Prudence and see what we can find out.” She rose as she spoke and, turning to the senator, said, “Shall we go now, Senator?”

“Yes, ma’am,” Senator Morton agreed.

The four young people quickly stood up and joined them as they led the way out into the hallway.

Ben was waiting with the rig in the front driveway, and from there it was only a short distance to the schoolhouse. Since they had had supper early and the sun was still shining, Mandie and her friends kept watching everything they passed, keeping quiet to listen for any conversation between Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton, but they were silent all the way there.

Ben drove the rig up the long driveway to the front porch of the huge white house that was the school.

“Ben, please wait right here for us. We shouldn’t be gone very long,” Mrs. Taft told him as she and the senator stepped down from the rig.

“Be right here,” Ben promised.

Mandie and her friends followed the adults up to the front door. Aunt Phoebe opened the door as they approached.

“Lawsy mercy, so good to see y’all,” the old woman greeted them. She reached to give the girls a hug. “Miss Prudence is in the parlor, waitin’ for y’all, Mrs. Taft.”

“Thank you, Aunt Phoebe,” Mrs. Taft replied, and with Senator Morton by her side, she led the way to the small parlor off the downstairs hall.

Miss Prudence was sitting on the sofa alone, and when they appeared in the doorway, she stood up and told Aunt Phoebe, “Coffee now, please, Aunt Phoebe.”

“Yessum, right away,” the old woman replied and went on down the hallway.

“Please come in and sit down, Mrs. Taft, Senator Morton, and you young people,” the schoolmistress told them, waving her hands to seats around the room.

Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton sat down next to Miss Prudence on the sofa, and the young people listened to the conversation as they sat in nearby chairs.

“Oh, Mrs. Taft, you can’t imagine how glad I am to see you,” Miss Prudence said in a shaky voice. “To have one’s only sister just suddenly disappear is very unsettling, to say the least.”

“We are here to help if we can,” Mrs. Taft replied. “Now, would you please tell me the whole story about how it happened?”

Miss Prudence cleared her throat, dabbed her lace handkerchief at her eyes, and answered. “As you know, we have our own separate rooms here at the school since we don’t have any other home. We said good-night rather early and went to our rooms for the night. The next morning, Aunt Phoebe came to tell me that my sister had not come to the kitchen for her usual instructions to the servants for the day, which she always did very early, before the girls began moving about the house. Then breakfast was served and my sister had not shown up for that. As you know, we have two sittings for meals because of the size of the school. My sister always likes to sit with the early breakfast and then I would sit with the next group for breakfast.” Her voice quivered and she stopped speaking.

“I’m so sorry,” Mrs. Taft murmured and then asked, “So I suppose you immediately searched the schoolhouse for her.”

“Oh yes, indeed,” Miss Prudence replied, straightening up in her seat. “Her bed had not been slept in; at least, it was all made up. So I asked all the servants, Aunt Phoebe, Uncle Cal, Millie, and the other people who work here, to do a thorough search of the house.”

“But school is not in session right now, Miss Prudence,” Mrs. Taft said. “Do you still have two sittings for meals during this time? I know you have a few pupils who live here year-round because of distance or family situations, but are there enough people this time of the year to have two sittings?”

“Oh yes, ma’am, we stay right with our regular routine to keep things orderly without temporary schedules for the summer,” Miss Prudence explained.

Mandie and her friends were listening. Mandie knew the girls who made this their home year-round. She had always been glad she only had to stay here during the school year.

“Miss Prudence, have you heard the rumor that one of my maids thinks she saw Miss Hope near the church one night after dark, and I believe it was the night Miss Hope disappeared?” Mrs. Taft asked. “Miss Hope was alone.”

Miss Prudence quickly replied, “I don’t believe my sister would be out after dark, and especially not by herself.” She frowned as she thought about this.

“Annie could have been mistaken, but she insists the person looked like Miss Hope,” Mrs. Taft said. “That was on Saturday night last week.”

“Well, that is the night she disappeared, but I don’t believe it could have been her, all alone out there after dark,” Miss Prudence said.

Mandie thought about the possibility of Miss Hope being out after dark by herself. “There could have been some kind of emergency,” she whispered to Celia next to her. Celia nodded.

“I understand you have had a thorough search made of the house daily,” Mrs. Taft said. “And that you have also had the school farm searched. Have you asked for the assistance of the law enforcement here?”

“Oh no, never, that would be too embarrassing to have law men poke into our private home and business,” Miss Prudence quickly replied. “I thought maybe you could help in some way and we could keep this private.”

“But Miss Prudence, everyone in town knows Miss Hope is missing, from what I have heard. And they don’t know any details about it, therefore they are making up all kinds of tales about what happened. Wouldn’t you rather have the true story presented to the public and ask for their help?” Mrs. Taft asked, leaning forward as she glanced at Senator Morton.

The senator added his remarks. “I would think that would be the surest way to find Miss Hope, and that would also put a stop to all the rumors that are going on around this town.”

“No, no, no,” Miss Prudence replied, fanning herself with her handkerchief. “The law enforcement people could not find her any faster than we can. Everyone who works here at the school and at the school farm are out looking for her every day, which is all the law officers could do anyway.”

“But suppose Miss Hope has left the town and the surrounding area?” Mrs. Taft said. “The sheriff’s men could go beyond that in their search.”

Mandie drew in a sharp breath. Her grandmother was right. Miss Prudence was being stubborn and should agree to official help. She looked at her friends, who were agreeing with her as they nodded their heads and made signs when Miss Prudence wasn’t looking.

Miss Prudence emphatically said, “No, Mrs. Taft, I do not want the law people involved in this. I intend keeping it private.”

“But if you are having searches made every day, I don’t know what else I could do to help,” Mrs. Taft said with a frown.

“Perhaps you could watch the streets and stores when you go out shopping,” Miss Prudence said. “I checked her clothes, but I can’t tell whether she took anything to wear with her. The dress she had on that night is missing. If she doesn’t have any clothes with her she will have to purchase more.”

“But she also has to have a place to stay,” Mrs. Taft reminded her. “Have you checked the hotel and the boardinghouses in town?”

“Some of my people have, but no one in those places has seen her,” Miss Prudence replied. “Therefore, I believe she must be staying in a private home somewhere.”

“I just don’t understand why Miss Hope would do all this,” Mrs. Taft said. “Why would she just walk off from the school here, leave all her personal things, and go stay somewhere else in town?”

“Could she just be taking a little vacation time away from the school until the next semester begins?” Senator Morton asked.

“I don’t think so,” Miss Prudence said. “She has never done such a thing before, and besides, as I said, we have some pupils here all summer and we have to keep things orderly and running even if school is out. Perhaps since you know most of the tradespeople in town, Mrs. Taft, you could ask in an offhand way if any of them have seen my sister recently.” She nervously dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief as she took a deep breath.

“Yes, I’d be glad to,” Mrs. Taft replied.

At that moment, Aunt Phoebe came in with the tea cart and began serving coffee. As she finished with the adults and came over to serve Mandie and her friends, she whispered to Mandie, “Sorry, no chocolate cake. Didn’t know y’all would be here tonight.”

Mandie smiled back and said, “Next time.”

Aunt Phoebe nodded and replied, “Next time.” She left the cart in the parlor as she went back into the hallway.

“I appreciate your returning home in order to help me out on this,” Miss Prudence said to Mrs. Taft. “I had no one else I could trust.”

“Thank you, Miss Prudence,” Mrs. Taft replied. “However, I don’t believe there is much I can do if you won’t agree to go to the law enforcement people. I will go shopping tomorrow and ask in the stores if anyone has seen Miss Hope lately. You do understand, though, that probably all of Asheville knows Miss Hope has disappeared and they will only give me their ideas of where she went and what happened. Unless I run across someone who has actually seen her, this won’t accomplish anything.”

“You might happen across someone who really does know where my sister went, or has seen her, and they wouldn’t be likely to tell that information to the people who work here who have been asking around for her.”

When the coffee was finished, Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton stood up. “I am tired from the long journey, Miss Prudence. I’ll go home, get some rest, and see what I can do tomorrow,” Mrs. Taft said.

As everyone moved toward the door to the hallway, Mandie stepped over to Miss Prudence and asked, “Is there anything I can do to help find Miss Hope? My friends here will be visiting for a few days and they could help, also.” She indicated Celia, Jonathan, and Joe.

“Thank you, Amanda, but I’ll leave it up to Mrs. Taft. If you all can assist her in any way, that would be fine,” Miss Prudence replied as she walked on with Mrs. Taft and Senator Morton to the front door.

Mandie whispered to her friends as they followed, “At least she didn’t forbid it.”

On the way back to Mrs. Taft’s house, Senator Morton said, “I don’t understand the lady’s resistance to having the law enforcement people come in.”

“Neither do I,” Mrs. Taft replied. “I didn’t say this to Miss Prudence, but I plan to discuss the matter with Mayor Hodges. He might have some ideas as to how we can investigate this matter.”

Mandie and her friends heard that remark and smiled at each other as Ben turned the rig into Mrs. Taft’s driveway.

Ella, the maid, opened the front door, and once inside the hallway, Mrs. Taft turned to Senator Morton and said, “If you will forgive me, I need to retire now so I can be up early and prepared for the task of searching for Miss Hope.”

“I was going to suggest the same thing, except that I would like to read a little in the parlor to relax before I retire. So have pleasant dreams, and I will see you in the morning,” the senator told her. He headed toward the parlor, and Mrs. Taft walked on toward the staircase.

Mandie quickly whispered to her friends, “He is going to read in the parlor. Let’s go to the back parlor.” She called after the senator, “Good night, Senator Morton.”

Her friends quickly added their good-nights.

“Sleep well, all of you, see you in the morning,” Senator Morton replied as he went on into the parlor.

Celia, Jonathan, and Joe followed Mandie to the back parlor. Snowball was there, curled up on a chair. He opened one eye to look at his mistress, then went back to sleep.

As her friends sat down, Mandie asked, “What can we do to help find Miss Hope?” She sat on the sofa by Celia.

“We could go with your grandmother to see the mayor if she will allow us to,” Jonathan suggested.

“She probably will let us go if we promise not to let Miss Prudence know,” Mandie said.

“We could ask the people who work in the stores if they have seen Miss Hope,” Celia suggested.

“Don’t forget that Annie claims she saw Miss Hope by the church that night,” Joe said. “We could find out whether there was anything going on at the church then and if there was someone who might have seen Miss Hope.”

“Yes,” Mandie agreed. “But what could we do on our own? Y’all must have some ideas. Maybe we could check out the school attic.”

“But someone has already done that,” Celia said.

“Yes, but remember, we know that attic better than most people, after all those searches up there for Hilda,” Mandie answered.