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one. “But I thought you’d be pleased. His nephew is in this class. I’m a bit surprised at your reaction.” His words cut into her, proving she had accomplished the opposite of what she had intended.
    Her shoulders slumped and she brushed the hair from her face. “I’m sorry, Mr. Denby. Officer O’Neill and I have a history. One I’d rather forget.”
    “You two have a personal history? I would have never guessed. Well, that could be awkward.”
    “No, no. We were never . . .” She gulped again. “Personal.” She picked up her bags and placed them on her desk. “On second thought, it’s nothing to worry about. It’s my issue. It’ll be fine.”
    He nodded. “Good. I’m sending out an email to the school so that all the teachers can adjust their plans. Glad I caught you before you left.” He smiled and clapped his hands together. “Between the two officers, they should be able to cover the building throughout the day. Have a good weekend.”
    With a sigh, she watched him leave. That cup of tea and book appealed to her even more now. Madeline looped the heavy canvas bags onto her arms and checked her desk one last time to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything.
    It was then that she noticed the picture frame was missing. The one from her mother. She peeked around the desk. The frame wasn’t on the floor. Madeline dumped the bags she was holding back onto her chair. She crouched down to peer under the desk. Not there either.
    She ran her fingers through her hair. That’s weird, she thought. Where could it be? And then she remembered what Mr. Denby had said about missing items in other classes. Was it happening in her classroom, too?

Chapter 4
    Arriving at the house she shared with her Uncle Mark, Madeline balanced the bags on one arm while fumbling with her keys in the other. Distraught over her missing picture frame, she unlocked the front door and swung it open, still unable to block the idea that one of the students at the carnival must have taken it. It had to be the same kid or kids that Principal Denby was concerned about. They must have snuck into her class during the carnival. Maybe they did it as a prank.
    She didn’t think it was funny.
    Rusty, her mixed-breed companion, a cross between Border collie and poodle, charged up and greeted her, his tail swishing against her legs. “Hello, baby, did you have a good day? Did Uncle Mark walk you and spoil you rotten?”
    A few months prior, Madeline had found the rangy dog roaming the neighborhood. She had brought him to the shelter where she volunteered, but didn’t have the heart to leave him because the other volunteers had convinced her that she and Rusty had formed an unusual bond. If Madeline hadn’t known better, she’d swear the shelter volunteers and the dog had managed a conspiracy, and if she were of a suspicious nature, she would have been certain that her uncle had somehow played a key role in Rusty’s situation, too. But in the end, it all worked out for everyone. Her uncle especially enjoyed the dog’s company. A retired factory worker, he took Rusty for a long walk once in the morning and again in the early afternoon each day while Madeline was at work.
    Madeline picked up the front paws of the mid-sized dog and kissed his nose before putting him back down. “I think you need to go on a diet, my friend. No excuses. We’re going to the park tomorrow for a run.”
    She threw her keys down into a bowl on the entry table where her uncle had left a note informing her that he had gone to the senior center. Then she noticed her message machine on the home phone was blinking, reading two new messages. The first was from her dentist’s receptionist reminding her that she had an appointment tomorrow at nine a.m. She blew out a deep breath on hearing the confirmation. As if she would have forgotten.
    She checked her red datebook three times a day to make sure she didn’t forget anything. A parent/teacher conference, a staff meeting