Dead Woman Crossing J.R. Adler (early reader chapter books txt) 📖

“You really don’t have to bring Jessica here. I’d love to watch her,” Nicole said, making one final plea to Kimberley.

“I know, Mom. But it’s too much to ask of you. You’ll still have her for a couple hours after daycare before I get home from work, and I’m sure you’ll find that exhausting enough,” Kimberley said, walking toward the front door. She was tempted to say yes after having seen the way her mom had bonded so quickly with Jessica. She even thought it’d be funny to tell Emily’s boys that Jessica was also too strong for daycare and wouldn’t be attending, but she wanted her daughter to interact with kids her own age. Besides, taking care of a sixteen-month-old all day was a lot of work, and she didn’t want to burden her mom any more than she already had.

Nicole walked alongside her, a slight frown on her face. “Okay,” she said defeated, while she opened the door for Kimberley to step in.

Inside, Kimberley was met with a front foyer that was set up to look like a waiting area. Chairs had been lined along the wall for visitors to sit, and a table sat in the middle acting as a makeshift check-in desk. A plump woman with curly red hair and a permanent smile sat in one of the chairs holding a clipboard. She immediately rose when she saw Kimberley, Jessica, and Nicole.

“Hi, you must be Kimberley,” the woman said, holding out her hand. “I’m Margaret, the daycare teacher for our toddler program.”

Kimberley nodded, while she shook her hand. “This is Jessica.”

Jessica turned her head away from Margaret and rubbed her eyes.

“Oh, she’s just being shy. Say hi, Jessica,” Nicole said, rubbing her granddaughter’s shoulder.

“Hi,” Jessica repeated with her head still turned away.

Margaret laughed. “Oh, that’s alright, sweetie. You’ll warm up in no time.”

She redirected her attention to Kimberley, while glancing down at her clipboard and flipping through the pages.

“I think over the phone and via email, we got all the logistical stuff squared away—medical form is filled out, emergency contact form is good, scheduling good, payment is set. So, I guess I’ll just show you around.”

“That sounds great. And you have my mother down for drop-off and pick-up?” Kimberley asked.

Margaret scanned the pages. “Yes, Nicole, you’re good to go. If you’d like to add anyone else, you can do that now or at any time.” She nodded and then turned on her foot. “Right, this way.”

Kimberley and Nicole followed behind down a hallway, passing by a couple of colorful rooms. Margaret pointed out each room, noting the age groups. She pointed out where the bathroom was, cubbies for the kids, and a kitchen that only staff used to prepare lunches and snacks.

They entered a large three-season room at the end of the hallway that had been insulated for year-round use and converted into a classroom. It looked as though a rainbow had exploded inside of it, with pastels and artwork adorning every square inch of space. Nearly a dozen children were scattered throughout the room. A couple were coloring at a large table. Some were lying on the massive rug flipping through picture books. There were several beanbags and bookshelves surrounding the rug. A couple of kids were playing with toys near an area that had Little Tikes kitchens, stores, and workshops set up.

Jessica wriggled in Kimberley’s arms wanting to get down, so she set her down and immediately Jessica walked toward two little girls sitting at a table coloring.

“It’s free play right now. We have it for an hour each day to encourage the children to explore their own interests. It’s a nice way to observe the kids as well, to see what they like and how they freely interact with others, which will be noted in the weekly reports,” Margaret said with a smile.

She pulled a piece of paper from the clipboard and handed it to Kimberley. “This details their daily schedules for this week. We’ll also send your little one home with a lunch menu and schedule every Friday for the next week. Jessica will be in great hands here at Happy Trails Daycare.”

Kimberley nodded and gave a tight smile. She couldn’t argue with what she saw. It all seemed wonderful, and Emily had had nothing but amazing things to say about the place on the car ride over. She watched Jessica laugh and giggle as she colored a sheet of paper with a crayon. She and one of the other little girls exchanged a couple of words back and forth as if they were having a full-blown conversation. Nicole walked over to Jessica and kneeled beside her, helping her hold the crayon properly and pronounce some of the words she was trying to repeat from the other little girl.

“Do you have any questions?” Margaret asked with a beaming smile.

“Can I just look around the building?”

“Umm… sure,” Margaret said a little taken back.

“I’m a cop, so it’s a bit of a habit to case a place.”

Margaret opened her mouth slightly and nodded. “By all means, have a look around.”

Kimberley nodded and signaled to her mom that she’d be right back. She left the room, walking down the hallway, passing each of the other daycare rooms again. She wanted to have a clear layout of the house, already considering more than a hundred different things that could go wrong. Kimberley took inventory of everything and double-checked doors, windows, ensuring they all had proper locking mechanisms on them. In one room, she spotted Emily trying to round up her two boys, who were adamant about staying and playing with their friends. Emily waved as Kimberley passed by, saying she’d be out in a minute.

Out in the foyer, Kimberley looked around, specifically at the front door, ensuring it was strong and had several locks on it in case, God forbid, they’d have to keep somebody out. Years and years ago, this sort of worry would have never crossed