Enchanted - The Dressing Room Affair [Time Travel Historical Romance Novella] (Entwined Together Forever) Read Online Free PDF Page A

seemed like she just… vanished.
    ~*~

Chapter 4: Saying Goodbye
    ~*~
    Two years later…
    Katie and Chloe sat together in the den with a bottle of wine between them.
    “Happy twentieth, Kate,” Chloe commended with a smile, leaning forward to lay her hand on her best friend’s knee. Kate smiled wistfully. They had spent the last three hours reminiscing about the golden days at the costume shop, sharing stories about their childhood and the wonderful memories of Isabelle.
    Katie had taken over th e running the Enchanted Forest Fancy-Dress Shop , knowing after all this time that there was very little chance of finding her mother alive. Katie wanted to believe differently and constantly struggled not to snuff out the small ray of hope that Isabelle was living somewhere else – comfortable and cared for – with someone who made her just as happy as Katie did.
    Katie stood at the counter of the costume shop, unpacking new merchandise. She pulled her wool coat tighter against the chill in the air. She glanced up when she heard the doorbell chime. A familiar freckled face smiled at her.
    “Hey, Katie,” Inspector O’Shannessy chirped as he crossed the store. “Cold this morning, isn’t it?” he asked, rubbing his hands together for emphasis.
    “Yes it is,” replied Katie as she climbed down from the step ladder. “Seems like winter made itself at home. Just doesn’t want to leave this year. I can’t wait to go for a swim in the river when the weather warms up.” She grinned back at him. “To what do I owe the pleasure, Patty? Any news?” By now, it was merely a rhetorical question meant to pass the time.
    She didn’ t expect him to have anything to report.
    Inspector O’Shannessy turned his head to admire the old clock hangin g on the wall. Katie could see his smile waning, saddening, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He took a deep breath. “I do.” Katie froze. “Unfortunately, the news isn’t good.”
    “What?” Her eyes widened. Ice, the living sort of glacial cold that existed separate from the room temperature, wriggled into her veins. Katie’s heart sank like a stone. She moved closer to the Inspector to hear what he had come to tell her. Patrick removed his hat and gradually slid his hands over the brim, turning it in his fingers.
    “I just came from the Sheriff’s station. T hey told me to inform you that, as of today, they’re… They’re closing your mother’s case.” Katie, stunned, opened her mouth to speak. The inspector beat her to the punch. “Look. I’m sorry. It’s been nearly two years now – two years without a trace. The trail’s gone cold. There’s just nothing more they can do. I’m sorry, Miss Mackenzie. They told me to tell you that you need to come down to the office to confirm her will. She left everything to you. When you’re ready, we need you to finalize the paperwork.”
    Tears were streaming down Katie’s face as she tried to absorb what Patrick was telling her.
    “Patrick… She couldn’t have disappeared into thin air. They have to know that! I can’t just… just give up on her!” Katie exclaimed as she looked desperately at the Inspector.
    ”Katie”, the Inspector tried, extending his hand as though he wanted to touch he r shoulder. Katie quickly jerked her body away from him, ripping the opportunity from his grasp. Anger and fear surged through her.
    If the authorities would not help her, who would? Was there really nothing more to be done?
    “Because of the time constraints of your mother’s terminal illness, the Sheriff knows the chances of her still being alive are slim to none. Think back on her letter to you. Maybe this was what she wanted all along. The Sheriff believes that Isabelle left of her own free will, so that you could remember her as she was, and not as a burden and not a dying woman. Isabelle was a vibrant lady. He doesn’t believe she wanted you to see her deteriorate.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. There was