“But it is taking longer for them to get back to us. It took so long for Robin to get back, I am sure it's because the kidnapper is watching them closely. She only has the two left now, so she will be guarding them carefully.”

  “True,” Nora rubbed her hands thoughtfully. “Let's just hope it does not occur to her to replace the ones she lost while the Dolls try to rescue Jason and Trisha.”

  “Not likely,” James said. “The DeSoto Times is not the only one covering the kidnappings. The station has taken tips from Horn Lake, Memphis, and even a few from across the Mississippi. Children all around are being watched with extra care, which means the kidnapper will most likely want to hold on to her remaining captives.”

  “I just wish we could go with the wagon and find them.”

  The couple nodded their agreement.

  “But the Dolls are very effective,” Marcia pointed out.

  “Absolutely,” her fiancé concurred. “Much more than I thought they would be.”

  “So we are in accord,” she continued. “The pair will go out together.”

  “I hate being the one to say this each time,” Nora interjected. “But what if they fail? How will we know?”

  “Just like we deduced before, it takes the supply wagon about an hour to get here from Horn Lake and about two days to get here from Memphis. Given that they have come back within three days of leaving here, we were right to think the kidnapper lives between here and Memphis, or even in the city.”

  “Robin took almost four.”

  “Which confirms what we feared, they are being guarded more carefully. So there is no time to waste. When the next supply wagon arrives, I have to be sure both Dolls are on it before it leaves.”

  Meeting the wagons was simple.

  Everyone had something they were waiting for, so there was always a crowd waiting when they arrived. From stock for the stores to medicine for the clinic, to even general items for families who ordered special, such as seamstresses and potters, there was more than enough business to keep the wagons returning for now. Being there with the understanding of picking up material she had previously ordered was no problem. It was making sure to get there after almost everyone else had picked their own items and putting the Dolls in a place that would not be readily seen by adults but undoubtedly seen by children without being caught that was more difficult.

  Still, as always, she managed to plant the Dolls.

  They had been wound up, their keys attached to their waists, told what they needed to know and to watch the route–which they probably had memorized by now.

  After the wagons left, all that remained was to wait.

  The first day was not so bad. Correspondence with families in Horn Lake confirmed the wagons had been there and then gone to Memphis. It was not knowing in the days that followed that rankled.

  The second day the trio really did not expect to hear anything, but when the third day passed with no sighting they began to worry.

  The fourth day, Marcia began to wonder if her Dolls had finally failed.

  The evening of the fifth day was thick with rain, dampening their spirits even further.

  When the knock sounded on the door, both Nora and Marcia nearly jumped out of their skins.

  “Were you expecting James tonight?”

  “No.”

  “Wonder who it could be then?”

  “Perhaps it is the young master Michael,” the blonde teased. “Wondering if you have an answer for him.”

  “He would have to be desperate to come calling on a night like this,” the brunette said.

  Her gasp at opening the door drew the other woman from her reclining position.

  Standing on the steps were two small children, looking very frightened, and clutching two familiar looking Dolls.

  “They said we would be safe here,” Trisha said through trembling lips.

  “Oh my dears!” Nora cooed as she led them in and shut the door.

  Marcia had already grabbed some blankets to wrap around them and to help dry them. As she hugged them and tried to calm them down, Nora disappeared into the dining room – presumably to go to the kitchen to get them something to eat and drink.

  “Are you alright?”

  “She is after us!” Jason squeaked.

  “Who is, sweet one?”

  “The wicked woman,” the little boy said. “She wouldn't let us leave.”

  “Where's momma?” the girl asked piteously.

  “We will find her right away,” Marcia assured her. “First we have to take you to the police. They can get your mommas.”

  The children's eyes lit up expectantly.

  She wanted to ask where they had been kept, but dared not, lest it start them crying. She was not sure if she could manage getting them to the police in the rain while they were hysterical. Best to try and keep them calm for the time being.

  When her roommate arrived with the refreshment, she blessed her aloud and gave the children their snack. The two set upon it like ravenous wolves, totally ignoring good manners. The women did not correct them, only watched over them. Nora motioned to Marcia to meet her in the hallway.

  “Here,” she said, pushing something to her when she met her.

  It was the duplicates of Ecaterina and Farr.

  “You take them to the station, the officers know you.”

  The tacit agreement was made that it was imperative they get the little ones to safety quickly, Marcia and Nora bundled them up again with reassurances they were going to be reunited with their families. Taking each of their hands, she went out into the rainy night. Luck was still with them as she was able to hail a carriage to the station.

  Marcia was near exhausted when she returned a few hours later.

  The officers were befuddled yet grateful when she arrived with Jason and Trisha. Once again the Dolls were the focus of much curiosity, but she had managed to switch them in the carriage ride. The ones with the clockwork were in her valise while the duplicates were held tightly by the frightened children. They insisted she stay until their parents arrived, and Marcia did not have the heart to deny them.

  Knowing they were the last ones, these two told everything.

  “She took us because she thought we were hers...lost her children to the Fever she said...said the others would be punished if we told...lived in a cabin off of the main highway near Robco Lake….”

  They still believed she had followed them here, and clutched at their parents when they arrived.

  The adults were thankful to her, though a bit curious as to why they went to her house and not to a way-station. The only thing they would say is that the Dolls said it was safe there. The way-stations were no place to wait in a storm with a madwoman on their trial.

  “Heavens above,” the doll-maker sighed as the carriage stopped in front of her house. “What a night.” She needed a good long soak, but not until she made sure her little Dolls were in good working order.

  She was delayed from checking them when she opened the door and heard Nora talking. Had Mr. Smith come by after all? Unlikely, especially at this time of night. Perhaps James then?

  When she entered the front room she saw a strange woman sitting with her friend, sipping tea, and looking a little worse for wear. Seeing her there, the women rose and Nora indicated to the woman.

  “Here she is! Ms. Hyle, this is the seamstress I was telling you about. You can discuss your ideas with her directly.”

  “How do you do,” the lady said as she curtseyed slightly.

  Marcia returned the gesture, but there was something off about the woman. She did not trust her. There was an oddness to her eyes, they seemed wild.

  “Is your errand done?” Nora asked.

  “Yes,” she said taking off the wet coat and hanging it up in the hallway. She set her valise, half open, down in a chair closest to her. She appreciated Nora using euphemisms. “The delivery went smoothly. Everyone was happy.”

  “Delivery?” Ms. Hyle looked at them quizzically.

  The women exchanged an uncomfortable look. “We had an unexpected arrival that had to be delivered immediately.”

  “What arrived?”

  The woman was being uncharacteristically nosy. “It was to the wrong address,” Marcia tried to hedge off any more questions. “So I took it to the right address.”

  “It...”

  “Well, it seemed important.”

  “You mean 'they'.”

  Both women froze.

  The visitor's face began to distort as her control slipped. “You took my children.”

  The friends were flabbergasted.

  “They came here,” she was rushing her words. “I saw them come down this street. I saw you put them in the carriage.”

  The room seemed to darken. Nora was frozen, and Marcia went to her. The women started at the teapot that was hurled at them as they tried to escape to Nora's study. They huddled together by the rear wall, their eyes on the grief-stricken madwoman panting before them.

  “I lost my babies,” she was saying, “and found them again. Here, by the water. The water cleansed them of the Fever and brought them back to me.” Her eyes locked hatefully on the women gaping at her. “And you... You. Stole. My. Children!”

  With a resounding shriek, the woman lunged at the two women, grabbing Nora and pulling her from Marcia's grip. They were so shocked they had little time to react. Nora was literally thrown into the adjacent wall, colliding with a decorative table and knocking it over. The woman pursued her, grabbing a flower vase from a decorative shelf, and smashing it down on the brunette's head as she tried to rise. Her friend crumpled to the floor.

  Not thinking, Marcia rushed the intruder, grabbing her hair and pulling for all she was worth. Ms. Hyle hollered as she grabbed at Marcia’s head and then further back toward her wrists. She tried to turn and face her, but Marcia was not letting go. They stumbled about the room, bumping painfully into furniture. It was like holding on to a devil, one that she was sure would kill her if she let go. The woman was clawing at her wrists, spouting curses, and doing what she could to get free. Her fingers felt like they were being bent in unnatural angles and her wrists were on fire, but she was not letting go. If anything, she hoped the noise would disturb the neighbors enough that they would send for the police.

  Unexpectedly, the woman pushed backwards. Surprised at this, Marcia was taken off-balance. Her feet tried to compensate, but pain shot up her leg as one foot went sideways, and she tumbled into the rear wall, forced to let go.

  Marcia sat, dazed, as the wretched woman advanced on her.

  “You think you can take my little darlings from me and not pay the price?” the maniac snarled at her.

  She tried to back away from the palatable anger emanating from her opponent, but the wall between the front room and Nora's study kept her from going any further. As she pushed her feet against the floor, a sharp pain advised her that her ankle was in no condition to bear any weight. Whether it was broken or just sprained, she could not say. She hoped her friend was in better condition. As she heard a groan to her left, she breathed a sigh of relief. At least Nora was still alive, she wanted to check on her but she dared not take her eyes off of the crazed figure.

  “They were my children!”

  “No,” she argued, finally finding her voice. “They were not.”

  “There were mine!” she screeched as she picked up the nearest object to hurl at the prone lady. “Mine!” she repeated as she threw the book.

  She threw up her hands to protect herself, only the blow never came.

  There was a strange thump, a crash, a pressure on her upper legs, and then a terrible silence.

  She lowered her hands to see the book beside her, and next to it a shattered vase. Looking up, she saw the kidnapper was gazing at the two objects in a stupor. As one, they both heard movement above the injured women–among the book shelves. Simultaneously, their gazes followed the sound.

  Two Dolls were standing on different shelves. Ginger-haired Farr in his medieval garb stood proudly on a shelf almost directly above her while blonde-haired Ecaterina stood demurely yet somehow defiantly on a shelf close to her roommate. Farr had an open space next to him. It took a few heartbeats for her to realize that it was where the vase, now sprawled next to her, had sat. Was it possible that her tiny knight had thrown it to intercept the missile?

  Stealing a glance at the mess, she knew it was.

  “Impossible,” the crazy witch breathed.

  The Dolls scaled down with impossible grace, and advanced toward their towering adversary the moment their little feet touched the floor.

  “No!” she squeaked as she backed away.

  “They cried,” Ecaterina said in her tinny voice.

  “No!” she denied as she continued to retreat.

  “They called for their momma,” the miniature princess continued. “When you answered they cried harder.”

  “No!” she repeated.

  “The children wanted to go home,” Farr added in his own tinny voice.

  The kidnapper placed her hands over her ears, even as her terrified eyes could not tear away from the fantastic sight in front of her.

  “No matter how much you tried,” he said as he moved, “they never thought of you as home.”

  She was chanting now, saying how she was imagining this.

  “You stole them,” the Dolls proclaimed in unison.

  “NO!” she shouted her denial at the small accusers, tears finally falling.

  She was at her weakest.

  The little soldiers ran towards her, miniscule hands out and clawing at her as they wailed, causing her to cry out in terror and turn to escape.

  She ran blindly towards the window. There was a terrible crash as she lunged through it, presumably to run across the street beyond. Afterward there was a scream from a horse and an even more horrific shriek. The shocked hollering that followed pulled Marcia from her daze.

  The Dolls returned to their Maker and wordlessly sat beside her.

  She just watched them in amazement. It was one thing to make them, give them instructions, and then send them on to their tasks. It was another thing entirely to see her creations work. Moreover, they had protected her! The barely audible clicking let her know that their clockwork was winding down. Before they went into stasis, she knew she should say something.

  “Thank you,” was all she could manage.

  They looked up at her, and she could swear she saw them smile.

  James arrived shortly after his fellow officers, and she was overjoyed to see him. He was dressed in his gentleman's attire as he entered the room, walked directly for her, assisted her to a nearby chair, and sat beside her. He held her hand while she dictated her statement to another officer. Nora had been helped to the couch, where she now lay with a cool cloth over her head, not because of vapors, but because of the head injury and the resulting headache. She would add her own statement when Marcia was finished. They would both conveniently leave out the parts about the Dolls, who made them, and why the woman had ransacked this house. Without needing to discuss it, both tacitly agreed to make it look as though she had come here looking for any information the police had on her and the visit had gone horribly wrong.

  Once the officer was satisfied, he excused himself and exited. After a minor bout of chaos, the room was finally empty and the couple embraced. For a few moments, Marcia just held him. She did not know how much time passed before her heart stopped pounding. Even while the officers were present, she was afraid the crazy woman would re-enter the room and begin her tirade once more. It was not until the visiting medic assured her that the kidnapper would not be bothering anyone anymore that she relaxed. It was terrible to be relieved by someone's demise, but the idea of that woman still being at large was even more horrific.

  “Remind me next time not to offer tea to wild-eyed strangers,” Nora said from the couch.

  They chuckled as they separated and looked at her.

  “I think I will take the job,” she went on.

  “The one with the University?” James asked.

  She attempted to nod, and then grimaced. “Somehow I think translating will not be as dangerous.”

  Marcia felt her heart sink. “I will miss you.”

  The brunette looked at her fondly. “Don't think you will be rid of me that easily,” she teased. “I'll write. Visit. And, of course, attend your wedding.”

  “With the dapper young University man?” she asked playfully.

  Her friend grinned. “Maybe,” her lips pressed together as she sat up, took a breath, and then stood slowly. “For now I think I'll retire. Goodnight.”

  After her roommate was gone, James knelt down in front of her and took her hands.

  She smiled at him, even though she suspected what he was going to say.

  “Maybe it is time to stop.”

  She shook her head. “We have helped so many children get home.”

  “Yes, but...”

  Smiling as she watched the array of emotions cross his face, she squeezed his hands. “I'm all right.”

  “Hardly.”

  “Not that I want to admit it, but it could have been worse.”

  His grim expression made her heart ache. “I should have been here.”

  “To protect me?”

  He nodded.

  “I wasn't alone.”

  He regarded her curiously.

  She pointed over to where Farr and Ecaterina still sat on the carpet by the wall.

  He looked at them for only a moment, and then turned to her. “You don't mean...” he began incredulously.

  “Don't question good fortune,” she cautioned him. “They were built to rescue children. The clockwork brains in those two have done it so many times, perhaps they did develop a bit of a protective nature.”

  “That cannot be possible...”