Loving Madison

Thirty-Three

Madison was not a patient woman, especially when it came to her visions and trying to help others. Then again, this particular case had already waited so many years, and she didn't think it could wait a moment longer.

She shouldn't bother Cameron while he was confessing to his superior, so she tried to remember what Alice had told her about the case of the missing child the elder Mr. Westland had been working on and couldn't solve. Apparently, the mother, Lady Hanover, had been shopping in town. Her daughter had been tired, and so went to lie down in one of the back rooms. That was the last time they'd seen the girl.

Having no idea which shop to visit first, Madison walked from building to building, asking questions. None of these places had been around for many years, and they hadn't heard anything about Lord Hanover's missing child.

The middle of the afternoon's sun shone brightly, and not even a slight breeze could disturb the lovely day. No clouds hid the perfect powdery blueness of the sky. To those people in town, Madison probably looked like a woman who was just enjoying a leisurely stroll, and yet, her leisure was a bit hastier than the others doing their shopping this fine day.

A delicious scent wafted through the air from the nearby shops. It smelled like sticky buns. Her stomach rumbled slightly, and her mouth watered, anticipating the taste of the cinnamon. Unfortunately, she couldn't stop for refreshment. Not until she found some answers.

She entered a clothing shop and glanced around the opened space. An older woman moved around behind the long desk in the back as she folded yards of cloth. A man—who looked to be around the woman's age—sat in a chair with his head leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, mouth opened as light snores escaped him. There were only two patrons in the shop, but they were closer to the window.

Madison strode toward the older woman with pure white hair. When the woman noticed her, she smiled, which brought more wrinkles to the corner of her eyes and around her mouth.

"Good day," the woman greeted.

"Good day to you." Madison smiled. "I hope you can help me with something."

"I would be delighted." She left the yards of cloth on the long desk and walked toward Madison. "Is there something special I can show you today?"

"Actually, no. But if you don't mind, I need to ask you a few questions."

"All right."

"First, I'm wondering how long your shop has been here."

The smile on the woman's face withered slightly as her expression turned to confusion. "We have been in business about ten years. Why do you ask?"

"I'm trying to find a place that has been in business for a long time. You see, I'm trying to track down a missing person that was taken from a shop many years ago. I'm sorry I don't have a specific year this happened, but I know the girl was taken from a shop, and that there was a room in the back of the building where she'd been kidnapped."

The woman's eyes rounded and she gasped. "Are you asking about Lord and Lady Hanover's missing daughter?"

Madison wanted to shout in relief that this woman remembered. "Yes, that's the one. What do you know of this?"

"Well, I don't know as much as my sister, Gretchen. She owns the Millinery shop across the street. That was where the little girl was taken."

Excitement rushed through Madison, and she clapped her hands. "That is wonderful! I shall go there posthaste. I thank you for giving me directions."

"Best of luck, my dear. My sister's getting on in years, and so her mind roams quite often, but I'm sure she will remember about Lord and Lady Hanover's daughter."