"I love you" said Kate Hannah Nickerson
"l love you too" I (Nancy Nickerson) kissed my eight year old daughter's head.
"Can we go to the playground tomorrow after school" Kate asked "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"Maybe" I turned on my daughter's favorite nightlight "Now go to sleep. We'll talk about it in the morning"
On the way to my bedroom, I stopped by my son's room. James Carson was sleeping soundly on his 'big boy bed' as he calls it. The three old was so proud of his boat shaped bed Daddy got him for his birthday.
I walked into bedroom and heard my husband snoring very quietly. I climb into bed carefully not to awaken him. Poor Ned, sometimes watching four children is too much even for him. You are probably confused if you have seen Ned on TV so I will explain. Many of you might know Ned as the MVP from the super bowl a couple of years ago when Green Bay won. Ned retired from playing football four years ago when I found out I was pregnant with James. Ned wanted to spend more time with James and Kate than what his job allowed. He decided one Superbowl ring was all he wanted. If can count you know we only have two children so who are the other two children?
Twelve years ago, some friends of mine Frank and Joe Hardy (brothers), Bess Marvin, George Fayne, and I started a detective agency. We had originally called the agency FHMN, but we quickly changed it after Bess and Joe got married and George left. Now the agency is called Hardy/Nickerson Co. We deal in everything from lost dogs to mobsters and even top-secret government projects. Ned and I were the first to have children and when Kate was born, we had Carson (my dad) watch while I was at work and Ned was playing football. Around the same time Ned retired, Bess and Joe had a set of twins Levi Fenton and Taylor Iola. Ned had an idea because I was pregnant with James and the Hardy's just had twins he would become a stay at home dad to all of the children. I'll explain how Hardy/Nickerson Co. works in the morning.
I woke up around five A.M, the house is quiet and Ned is still asleep. I climbed out of bed to go check on the children. James had rolled so that he was sleeping sideways in his bed. Silly Boy!
I went to go check on Kate. Her door was cracked open and when I looked inside, I didn't see her in the bed.
"Kate" I called quietly trying not wake the rest of the house.
When I heard no response, I yelled again only louder. I then noticed her window was open and we were on the second floor. Terrified that she had fallen out of the window, I ran to it and looked down. There was no body at the bottom to my relief but still no Kate. My relief only lasted a second when I saw that Kate's favorite stuffed animal was gone. The pink giraffe, that Hannah, my old housekeeper gave her, never left her bedroom. Kate was always worried that James would tear it apart. Mothers' intuition and years of experience told me that something was very wrong. I ran to wake up Ned.
"Ned wake up" I shook him awake "Kate is gone"
Ned woke up startled "What do you mean Kate's Gone"
Author Note: Please comment with feedback and let me know if you want me to continue with this story. Thanks