Sour Grapes

catch up with her parents.
    Hm-m-m, Savannah thought as she watched the little family walk away. Maybe she needed to revise her opinion of Sister Louise. Perhaps she wasn’t an ugly duckling after all. Considering the intelligent gleam in her eye and the smile on her face when she had expressed her opinion that her sister might be in trouble, Savannah decided that Little Louise might be more rat than duck.

    Once again Savannah attempted to go upstairs and question Francie, but, just as before, she was intercepted in the gallery. This time it was Catherine Whitestone-Villa who demanded her attention.
    Villa Rosa’s first lady came running up to her, her pale cheeks flushed as though she had raced all the way from the house on the hill. She had changed into a simple white-cotton sheath that complimented her slender figure and her blond hair was coiled into a bun at the back of her neck and held with a tortoiseshell comb.
    But Catherine Villa looked tired. Apparently, it had been a long night for everyone.
    “Have you found her yet?” the lady asked. “Please, tell me you have.”
    “No, I’m sorry.” Savannah hated being the bearer of bad tidings—especially when she felt responsible for the news. This had happened on her watch... and that made it her responsibility.
    Catherine passed her hand over her eyes and pressed her fingertips to her temples for a moment, as though she had a headache. “I was afraid of that,” she said. “I just saw her parents and sister leaving. They looked so upset Did you tell them everything?”
    “Almost. I didn’t mention the blood on the bed. Since it wasn’t human, I thought I would keep it from them for a while. They’re worried enough already.” Catherine sighed. “I just feel so sorry for them. I’m a mother myself, and I can’t imagine how I’d feel if one of my boys was missing. Are the police here?”
    Savannah nodded. “Detective Coulter has been here all night, as we have. And two more members of my agency arrived this morning to help us. How about your employees? Are they still searching?”
    “Of course. And we won’t tell them to stop until she’s found. But what if she isn’t even on our property? After all, she’s a teenage girl. Maybe she left with a boy or just ran away.”
    “It could be something like that,” Savannah said. “It could be any one of a hundred things. We’ll just have to wait and see.” She glanced around. “Where is Mr. Villa this morning? I haven’t seen him since last night’s dinner.”
    “Anthony is working,” Catherine replied, a note of resentment in her voice. “With harvest coming and his campaign gearing up, he’s working day and night. I don’t want him bothered by this unfortunate circumstance. So, if you just deal with me directly, Savannah, I’d be grateful.”
    “Certainly.” Savannah gave a tight smile. “We ladies have to look out for our menfolk, don’t we?”
    “Far more than they realize. Without us they’re really quite helpless.”
    Savannah thought about the men in her life, their courage, resourcefulness, and that endearing streak of protectiveness that they all showed toward the people they loved. And Savannah considered herself fortunate to be one of those privileged to be inside their circles of protection.
    “Helpless?” she said thoughtfully. “I suppose some are. But I certainly wouldn’t say most .”
    Catherine gave a delicate, aristocratic sniff. “Well, I suppose in your line of work you meet more macho types. The males I know can’t function without a woman dictating their every move.”
    Savannah looked into her eyes and saw a coldness that made her feel a bit sorry for those men within Catherine’s circle. “Please excuse me, Mrs. Villa, I really must get busy.”
    “Of course. I don’t want to keep you from your work. I—”
    The front door opened, and Dirk hurried into the gallery, followed by Ryan and John. Savannah could tell from the looks on their faces that something was wrong. “What is it?” she asked. “What did you find?”
    She rushed over to Dirk and met them in the middle of the gallery. Dirk held out something that was wrapped loosely in a couple of tissues. Carefully she folded back the comers and looked inside. A tangled mess of crushed, gray plastic and wires confused her eyes at first. Then she realized what she was seeing. “A phone, a cell phone?”
    “We found it at the far end of the parking lot,” Ryan said.
    “It appears someone