Bill and Nell and the Mystery of the Missing Children

"Mom, can I have a sleepover for my birthday?" Nell asked while helping her to prepare lunch.

"If that''s what you want," Mother said, "but first we need to clear the recreation room as that''s where you''ll be sleeping."

"Great!" Nell said. "We can watch videos and play games down there and won''t be bothering anybody."

While racing for the phone in the study, she yelled, "I''ll call my friends and invite them right away!"

Mother called after her, "You do understand, Nell, that your friends will need to have someone bring them to the door.  They''re not to come by themselves, you know, even if they live close by.  Just two weeks ago another child came up missing in this town!"

"I don''t think she disappeared like the others," Nell said, "Actually, I think her real dad kidnapped her.  At least that''s what people are saying.  I just wish you wouldn''t worry so much, Mom."

"I''ll try not to," Mother said.  "I''ll try to keep from imagining what it would be like if you and Bill should come up missing some day."

Two days later Nell eagerly waited for the doorbell to ring, signaling that another of her friends arrived, each chaperoned by an adult.  On leaving, they would give them a last reminder not to start out in the morning until someone came for them.

Several hours later found eight little girls in pajamas, sprawled out on the floor, laughing their way through a video while munching on popcorn.

In the meantime, Mother and Father decided since everything was seemingly under control, they would go to bed.  Just as Mother was about to climb in, the phone rang.

"This is Mrs. Jones, Trixie''s mother," a voice on the other end said.  "Trixie forgot her cough medicine this evening when she left for Nell''s party.  I don''t want her to keep the girls awake all night with her coughing, so I''ll slip over in a few minutes and drop it off."

"I''ll be looking for you," Mother said, then quickly slipped on her robe and headed for the door.

In a matter of minutes, Mrs. Jones arrived with the cough medicine and, after a brief conversation, left, saying, "We''ll pick her up in the morning."

Mother then called down to the recreation room, "Nell, could you come up here a minute?  I have some cough medicine for one of your friends."

Nell came bounding up the stairs, giggling, "We''re having so much fun down there, Mom!  Thanks for letting me have a sleepover."

Mother handed her the bottle, saying, "Trixie forgot her cough medicine tonight.  Her Mother was afraid she''d keep everyone awake with her coughing, so she brought it over."

She turned to leave and as she was closing the door behind her, noticed Nell still standing on the top step looking bewildered.

"Why are you looking like that?" Mother asked, frowning.

"Mom," Nell stammered, looking wide-eyed and scared,  "Trixie''s not down there!"

"What!" Mother gasped, pulling Nell into the hallway and closing the door.  "What do you mean, ''Trixie''s not down there?''"

"When I called to invite her yesterday, she wasn''t home, " Nell said, "so I called her again this afternoon and she said her mom and dad were still shopping and that she would have to wait for them to get home before she could leave.

Nell then looked at Mother with a hint of fear in her eyes and said, "I waited for her till the party was ready to start and when she didn''t show up, I called her again.  This is what she said, ''Dad and Mom aren''t home yet, so I''ll just scribble off a note and tell them I''m at your party and that I’ll run real fast to get there.''" 

Then, after staring at Mother a long moment, Nell mumbled, "The last th