Buried (Bailey Roberts Trilogy #1) Editing

11: Who Knew [3rd draft]

Monday. January 24h, 2011

The piece of English muffin Bailey had bitten into turned tasteless as the news from the television sunk in. Reaching for her glass of orange juice she took a sip, washing down the food before reaching over to turn the volume up.

"Oh dear," Gale mumbled, bringing her slightly damp hand to her chest, leaving the bleach stained rag she'd been cleaning the counter with. A small gasp escaped again, like what was happening hadn't fully registered as she watched the flat screen on the kitchen countertop. "She goes to your school, Bailey. Did you know her?" she asked.

Bailey licked her dry lips, trying to work around the cotton feeling in her mouth. "Not well, but her party was the first one I'd gone to. Remember? When I taped my chest?"

Gale paused, shaking her head in disbelief, "That poor girl, poor mother. I'll bet Wes is beside himself with calls," she continued, almost as an afterthought.

Bailey nodded. "He'll be so upset. He's gonna think it was his fault."

Gale sighed. "That man needs to separate himself from his job sometimes."

"I don't believe he thinks it's a job."

Sherriff Lambert had been with the town for three years, and two of those years as acting Sherriff, according to Gwen, who seemed pretty taken with the older man. The town trusted him, more importantly his actions spoke louder with how many successful cases that had crossed his path, and Wes Lambert was very, very good at his job. Good would be an understatement, seeing as it wasn't a job to Wes, he loved his town, and protecting the people of it. With this kidnapping people would be depending on Wes for results, but Bailey knew this would hurt him.

"You should cook the Levy's something and bring some to the Sherriff. And coffee, they're all going to be up all night," Bailey finished whispering the last part. "This is kind of surreal," she mumbled. "I never thought it could happen here."

"I'm talking to Wes about getting you a stun gun."

"Mother!"

"And mace. This is not going to happen to my baby. I'll be speaking at the town council meeting about this as well. We need to make our girls ready for anything now. I better call Mel," she spoke swiftly, determined, the wet stained rag completely forgotten as she went to the cordless phone.

Melissa Atherton and Gale had become pretty close in the time they'd been living in Haven. They were the exact opposite of each other, Gale, slightly crazy and eccentric, Mel, a little up tight, sometimes snooty too, but Bailey assumed that it started because of the almost instant friendship between their daughters.

She picked up the phone and started dialing, while continuing to speak with Bailey. "Where is your brother?"

Shrugging, Bailey glanced down at the food in front of her, her appetite suddenly diminished. "I don't know. I think Grayson and Damien knew Samantha."

Gale turned towards her daughter, visibly wincing at the new bit of knowledge. "Well, the Sherriff is going to find her," she assured giving Bailey a small smile before turning her back to her. "Mel! Have you seen the news?"

Adjusting the jacket to her school uniform before Bailey swiveled in her chair to call out to her brother. "Mattie! Better start movin' it!"

She turned her attention back to the television as she heard the gallop down the stairs indicating he was coming for food. She flipped the off switch. Matt didn't need to know about this.

Bailey liked to tease him about scary things when they didn't actually happen, but when they did, and he found out about it, his sleep walking got worse.