Gingerbread Man

wouldn't see it.
    "It was?" Doris sat up the rest of the way, frowning toward the door. "It was open?"
    "Yeah, it was."
    "Well, of all the... I'm sure it was closed when I curled up here." Then she gave her head a shake and smiled. "Hello, Vince."
    "Hello. Doris. So, you don't know how the door got open?" He came up behind where Holly was crouching. She straightened, suddenly embarrassed by her instant and apparently needless panic.
    "Well, no. I have no idea," her mother was saying. "I... oh, I'll bet I know! It was probably Bethany. I told her she could come by today to finish up the leftover cookies. She must have come while I was napping."
    Holly stiffened. Again, the images played through her mind. The gray van, crawling closer. Ivy being snatched up and pulled inside. The gray van she'd thought she'd glimpsed just now, vanishing around the corner like a shark into the depths. "B-Bethany was here?"
    "Look in the kitchen. She may have just come in and helped herself, you know she thinks of our house just like home."
    Holly turned slowly to look into the kitchen. The lid was off the cookie jar, sitting beside it on the counter. There were some crumbs. An empty glass, with a film of milk coating the inside. She had been here. So had the van. And the front door ...
    "Bethany," she whispered.
    Vince put a hand on her shoulder. "Holly, what—?"
    "I'll be back in just a second." Holly went out the front door, closed it behind her, then she ran across the lawn, her heart pounding. She heard Vince calling after her, but she didn't pause. Not until she was at the Stevens's front door, pounding on it "Bethany! Bethany, where are you?"
    The door opened, and Bethany stood there, looking up at Holly with wide, frightened eyes. Her mother stood right behind her. "Holly? What's wrong?"
    Holly almost wept in relief. Would have, in fact, if she hadn't felt a pair of strong hands close on her shoulders, and a deep strong voice speak from behind her. She tried to stop shaking. Instead, she dropped to her knees, and hugged Bethany as gently as she could manage under the circumstances. "Nothing's wrong," she whispered. "I just... I'm glad to see you, kiddo."
    "You're so silly, Holly." Bethany squeezed her neck, and when she let go, Holly straightened, and hoped her terror didn't show. But Valerie Stevens was looking at her oddly.
    "Mommy bought the material for my Halloween costume today, and the pattern and stuff," Bethany announced.
    "Oh, that's great," Holly murmured. "I can't wait to get started."
    "Me neither."
    "It's... awfully good of you Holly," Valerie said softly. "Sewing has never been my strong suit."
    "I'm glad to help. We're going to have fun doing it, aren't we Bethany?"
    Bethany nodded. "I’ll bring it over later and show you everything."
    "Good, good, I can't wait to see it."
    Vince closed his hand around one of Holly's, and spoke. "Actually the reason we came over was to ask if you had been at Holly's house today."
    "Umm-hmm," Bethany said with a proud nod. "Mrs. Newman said to help myself to the cookies, and so I did." She looked up at Holly. "She was sleepin' so I didn't wake her up. It's okay, isn't it?"
    "Of course it's okay. I just wanted to make sure it was you and not some crazed cookie bandit." Holly bent, and deliberately arched one eyebrow. "Or maybe you
are
a crazed cookie bandit?" She grabbed Bethany's middle and tickled her until the child squealed. Then she let her go. "I'd better get back."
    "Bye, Holly. See you later," Bethany said.
    Holly turned with Vince to leave, but Valerie cleared her throat, stopping her. Val had stepped out onto the porch, and pulled the door closed behind her. "Holly, something frightened you, didn't it?"
    Meeting her neighbor's eyes, Holly nodded. "I thought I saw something."
    "Holly, you don't have to—"
    "She's Bethany's mom, Vince." Holly faced the woman again. "The van, the one that took Ivy away. I thought I saw it, and then my door was open, and then I realized Bethany had been by, and it just all—it brought it all back. I'm sorry. Val, I didn't mean to freak out like that."
    Valerie blinked a little too fast. "Oh, Holly. You sweet girl. Don't you apologize for looking out for Bethany. Not ever. I'm sorry this is still... so hard for you."
    "If you don't mind, can we keep it between us? I don't want to worry Mom."
    "Sure. Sure, hon, that's fine. You take care, okay?"
    Holly nodded, and Val went back inside.
    Vince drew Holly down the steps, turned her back toward