Hidden in a Whisper Read Online Free PDF Page B

midst of the ruckus, almost as if the suddenness of it all had stunned her.
    â€œWhat is going on?” Rachel questioned.
    â€œSomeone has stolen Faith’s hairbrush,” Ivy announced.
    â€œStolen it?” asked Rachel.
    â€œYes. It was in her drawer here in our room and now it is missing. In order for it to be so, someone would have had to have taken it.”
    Gwen held up the brush. “Is this it? I just found it here in the hallway.”
    Ivy scowled and Faith expressed glee. “Yes!” Faith exclaimed.
    â€œThat’s it!”
    â€œWhy do you have it?” Ivy asked suspiciously.
    â€œAs I said, I just found it here on the floor when I came to my room.”
    â€œThat makes no sense,” Ivy said, hands on hips. “I believe you took it.”
    â€œBut I didn’t!” Gwen protested.
    â€œNow, wait just a minute,” Rachel interceded. “There is no sense in accusing someone falsely.”
    â€œHow can it be falsely?” Ivy asked. “She’s holding the object in her hands.”
    â€œYes, but she said it was found on the floor. Isn’t it possible that Faith simply dropped it?”
    â€œIn the hall?” Ivy’s voice held a tone of complete disbelief. “Why in the world would Faith carry her brush to the hall?”
    â€œWell, given that the bathroom is at the end of the hall, perhaps she carried it with her when she took her bath this morning,” Rachel offered. The other girls nodded, as this seemed quite reasonable.
    â€œYou’ll have to be more careful in the future,” Rachel told Faith as Gwen handed her the brush. “Now everyone go on about your business and leave off with this nonsense about stealing. We are a family here, and families do not steal from one another. If I should find it to be otherwise, that person would be immediately discharged.”
    The girls went back to their separate quarters, and Ivy smiled to herself as she closed her bedroom door. She had set the stage and placed Gwen at the center. Now she would simply have to look for other ways to draw attention to her dishonest actions. … Perhaps another theft.
    â€œPerhaps a rather large theft,” Ivy murmured softly. “One that can’t be chalked off to a misplacement on the way to the bathroom.”

   THREE   
    THE HARVEY DINING ROOM for Casa Grande bore an air of elegance and refinement that rather startled the senses. Of course, all of Casa Grande was that way. From the artfully crafted brick exterior, complete with sun porches that faced masterfully landscaped gardens, to the rich walnut wood floors and chandelier-lit interiors, Casa Grande was something created from the ancient imaginations of European architects and designers. There was an air of Spanish flavor to the styling of the archways and porches, a presence of French palaces in the lobby and ballroom, and a homey warmth of English manor houses in the fire-warmed library.
    For the dining room, Fred Harvey insisted on the very best furnishings. There were elegant sideboards and dining room chairs along with numerous oak tables that could easily seat ten people, sometimes more. The tablecloths were of the finest Irish linen, as were the napkins, which were nearly four times the size that would be found at any other restaurant. The dishes were china, the place settings silver, and the goblets were crystal. But Casa Grande was nothing special in this area. Fred Harvey insisted that his dining rooms bear the same charm and warmth of welcome no matter where they were located along the line.
    Charmed completely by this elegance, Rachel enjoyed walking through Casa Grande whenever time allowed. The lobby itself declared an opulent wealth that dazzled the eye. No expense had been spared— from the marble colonnades and tiling to the brass fixtures on the walls and cappings on the marble stair railings. There were oriental rugs on the cream-colored floors