"Tra-la-la, tweedle-dee-dee-dee!

There's peace and goodwill.

You're welcome as the flowers

on Mockingbird Hill."

Lynn had been trying hard to keep her mind occupied with the songs she was singing rather than the fearsome reality. The doorbell's shrill ring stopped her mid-verse, and she raised her hands from the keyboard. She sat there and listened for a few seconds, not entirely convinced her mind hadn't been playing tricks on her. The sound came again soon, and Lynn shot up from her seat and hastened to the hallway. Grateful for any kind of distraction, she pulled the door open, and stared at the cheerful face in front of her.

"Hello, Lynn!"

Lynn gave a brief smile and replied, "Good morning, Mr. Hanley. Won't you come in, please?"

"Thank you," Bert Hanley said, and entered the fairy house, taking off his fedora. "Is Blanche still asleep?" he asked with innocent curiosity, eyeing the deserted living room. He turned to look at the young woman by his side and was surprised to find her gaping at him with stunned disbelief. "What's the matter?" Bert enquired, perplexed. "I told her I'd drop by sometime this week. I realize I should have called ahead, but I figured she wouldn't be out."

"Well, you figured wrong," Lynn replied bitterly.

"Really?" Bert glanced over into the gallery and at the faraway door of Blanche's bedroom. "I was so looking forward to seeing her." He sounded mildly disappointed, although it didn't much affect his naturally cheery manner. "Where has she gone off to then?"

Lynn studied his guileless expression for a long moment. Could he really not have heard? "You really don't know, do you?" she asked carefully.

Finally Bert seemed to notice the desolation in Lynn's demeanour. "Know what?"

Lynn frowned in suspicion. "Don't you read the papers?"

Bert shook his head. "I've been out of town these last few days," he explained.

Whatever suspicions Lynn had had were dismissed in a moment. He really had no idea. Briefly Lynn even envied him for it—Bert was free from all the heartache and worry. She even considered sparing him by not telling him. She reconsidered quickly, however, for he would find out from the papers anyway—it was better if he heard it from her.

"You'd better stay for a little while," Lynn said after a long moment of serious contemplation. "I'll tell you about Miss Blanche. I wouldn't want you to read it in the papers." Bert gave her a curious look. "I'll make some tea. I'd offer you a proper drink, but I don't think Miss Blanche keeps any alcohol in the house. She's not very fond of it."

She led Bert into the living room.

"And that's the whole story," Lynn finished in about a half an hour with a disheartened sigh. She looked over to the man sitting opposite of her at the end of the dining table. "I know it's a lot to take in. But, Bert, I don't think you've said one word in ten minutes."

Ever since she'd reached the part about the woman and her daughter who had seen Blanche in the car, Bert had been staring thoughtfully into his teacup. Lynn couldn't be certain if he'd even been listening to everything she'd said afterwards. Now Bert slowly raised his eyes to meet Lynn's, and the girl was surprised by the seriousness and worry in the usually merry man's look. He even came off as a tad frightening.

"Can I use your phone?" Bert asked unexpectedly, his firm voice startling Lynn in the short silence that had befallen the house. When Lynn nodded her head blankly, he stood and walked over to the kitchen counter. Lynn turned in her chair to follow him with her eyes.

"What are you doing?" she asked when Bert started to dial a number. His determined expression gave Lynn just the slightest spark of hope, which was more than detective Parrish had provided her with these last couple of days. It was so refreshing to see someone who knew what he was doing.

Bert raised his eyes from the telephone only momentarily to look at Lynn. "I have a nasty suspicion that I know someone who knows about this," he said, raising the phone to his ear.

"Who?" Lynn immediately inquired, but someone had already picked up the phone at the other end of the line, and Bert addressed them.

"Is Lanie there?"

Bert turned back towards Lynn. "Do you have another telephone?" When Lynn nodded again, still fairly confused, Bert tried to give her a look that would say, "Go pick it up."

Lynn understood instantly. She bolted from her chair and hurried into Miss Blanche's bedroom, where she picked up the phone. At the other end a girl's voice was saying, "Hello, uncle Bert! Mary said you wanted to talk to me."

"Yes, babykins," Bert replied sweetly. "Remember when I was at your place this morning and you told me about the woman you saw? The one in the car?"

"Oh, yes!"

Lynn gripped the phone tightly in her hands and held her breath.

"Tell me about that again, darling," Bert continued. "It looks like it might be very important."

"Why, I didn't see that much, uncle Bert."

"I know, honey, but tell me anyway."

"All right. Well, like I told you, it was five days ago, I think. I was just tidying up in daddy's shop a little before school when I happened to look out of the window. And there was this black car standing at the traffic light just outside the window. I could see a woman in the back seat with a strip of tape across her mouth. I tell you, at first I thought I was seeing things! She looked awfully scared! I'm still not entirely sure if it was real or maybe the light was playing tricks on me. But anyway, the traffic lights changed colour and the next moment the car was gone! I'm telling you, I was so upset that I couldn't concentrate at all at school."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Bill said softly. In the morning the story had only intrigued him a little. Now that he knew the woman his niece had seen was Blanche Hudson, he felt awful for not paying attention to the story right away. He could only guess how Lynn must have been feeling all this time. "You didn't catch the licence plate number, did you, Lanie? I know you have an incredible memory."

"Oh, the car left so quickly, I didn't see it… At least not all of it." Lanie fell silent for a moment, thinking. "Well, it started with CLV-3… I'm sorry, uncle Bert. I couldn't see the rest. Was it important?"

"Well, darling, I think so. The woman you saw was definitely real, and what you saw might turn out to be a very important piece of information. It might help the police find her."

Bert finished the call soon after, and upon hearing not a sound from where Lynn had gone to listen in on the call, he walked over to the bedroom. He found Lynn still grasping the telephone in her hands and shaking all over with a mixture of fear and anger in her eyes.