A Tale of Deception

  DAY TWO DAWNED at the estate, just like any other day in this world, except tensions were high, fear of the unknown lingered, confusion held sway, and emotions became weary of the experience. Time dragged on, and no one knew what to expect, just that something was dreadfully wrong.

  Everyone seemed to want to be together on the second day. Meeting in the morning room, they sat together in a group and talk very little. Yet, being in each other’s company seemed to grant some comfort. It gave them a sense of normalcy, they unknowingly sought.

  Nessa wanted her family around her, so she asked, “Emma, do you think we should bring Marty and Jamila back home?”

  Emma thought for a second, and then replied, “No. It would only upset the children and the atmosphere here is so oppressive. Let them stay there until the end of the week, it’s better for them there.”

  Nessa understood, but it was still hard not having the children around.

  After breakfast, Karen took Nessa out onto the patio and set her in a comfortable chair. To take her mind off the events unfolding on the estate, she started reading Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” to her. Mrs. Bower and Faye heard her clear presentation of the wonderful story and quietly sat nearby, transported from the problems of the day, into a world of long ago.

  Emma went upstairs, walked into her daughter’s bedroom, picked up Ann’s Bible, and held it to her heart. Sitting in a chair near the window, she talked to God for the first time, begging him to bring her daughter home safely.

  Softly, willingly, she opened her heart to Him, and tears streamed down her face, not just for her child, but also because something was touching her inside - deeply, profoundly, and unalterably forever.

  Later in the day, the FBI informed the Drummond household Peter Lawrence’s records had been seized. It would be a while before the auditor’s report was ready, but they were working on it around the clock to expedite it. Peter Lawrence was nowhere to be found, and a bench warrant had been issued for his arrest.

  Day two for the estate ended empty, with no word or resolution to the drama that continued to unfold.

 

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