Read Molly Brown for Free Online Page A

“You hear anything, you know ... kids talking in the yard ... anything, will you let me know?” He wrote his cell phone number on the side of the register and turned his back on the Ogre.
    He pulled out his cell phone to call Lizzie as he was leaving the building but was distracted from dialing by the sound of clacking heels on the polished wood floor. The elderly secretary, small, gray-haired and with a pronounced stoop, paused uncertainly and he leaned over to hear what she had to say.
    “Mr. Connell, Miss Rogers would like a private word before you leave.”
    “Miss Rogers?”
    “Molly Brown’s class teacher.”
    Cool. Miss Rogers could see him privately anytime.
    He was reminded of his brother’s wife, Rachel, when he met her. She was pretty, with peachy skin and kind eyes , and he decided that she was probably every kid in the school’s favorite teacher. She was his favorite teacher and he’d only just met her.
    He grinned at her. “You wanted to see me?” How many times had he said that? How many times had he been hauled before t he teacher for some misdemeanor? It seemed like yesterday.
    She smiled back at him and tiny lines crinkled around those beautiful eyes. They hinted at the number of times she used that smile and he was warmed by the notion that little Molly Brown would have experienced the benefit of it.
    “Please take a seat,” she said, and he nodded and sat on a seat designed for someone a fraction of his size. He attempted a nonchalant slouch, which was difficult with his knees under his chin. He noted her amusement and gave up with a shrug.
    “You know something about Molly?” he asked.
    “I know she’s a very vulnerable child and needs to be found as quickly as possible. I understand that’s what you’re trying to do.”
    “Any idea where I should start looking?”
    Miss Rogers closed her eyes while she thought and Connell wondered if she did the same in class. He imagined the mischief the kids would get up to while they were closed and the angelic faces when they were open. He wished he was a kid again, all that fun and no responsibility.
    “I guess Molly’s favorite place would be the library.”
    No surprises there. “Here at school or the public library?”
    “Both. I took the class last year to the public library. I’m not sure whether she would remember the way if she hadn’t been back, and somehow I doubt that anyone else would have taken her.”
    Conn ell nodded. He doubted it too. “What’s the story with the books?” He smiled at the unintended pun and she smiled back.
    “S he likes to read,” replied Miss Rogers. “I suppose she identifies with the characters. It’s a safe world to inhabit. When things get scary, she just has to close the book.”
    “Okay, I get that, but why just one book?”
    “You mean ‘The Wizard of Oz’?”
    “Yeah, she must have over a hundred copies and her sister reckons that’s all she ever reads.”
    Miss Rogers smiled a little sadly. “Most of those will have come from here. We had a series of thefts. I decided not to say anything. When Molly is loved and secure, I’m sure we’ll get them back. Molly’s not a thief but she is desperately sad and insecure. She has no good role models, no father figure, or mother figure for that matter, hence her continuing obsession with Oz, the good fairy and the Wizard.”
    “What about Mr. Brown?”
    “In and out of jail, and when he’s not inside he’s keeping one step ahead of his creditors. The mom is no better. It’s very sad. We’ve let Molly down ... I’ve let her down. I just hope you can find her.”
    “Lydia told me Molly was off to see the Wizard.”
    “I suppose in her mind she is. She’s decided , for whatever reason, that it’s time to leave Kansas.”
    “What do you think would cause her to up and leave like that?”
    “Perhaps if she was scared or unhappy, or maybe she’s just off on an adventure. Sometimes children get mixed up between what’s real and what