24

“Have you been watching me, Fred?” She asked after a short pause in the conversation.
“Not really. I saw yur brother earlier; he said yur father had been lookin’ for ya since last night. And your brother is town watchman, he’d’ve known if you’d come back yet. But here ya are; returnin’ home from a walk. So I put two and two together.”
“And what you’ve come up with is that I left last night and haven’t returned yet.”
“Exactly.” Fred smiled, plsed with himself.
“Why was my father looking for me?” Connie asked, changing the subject slightly.
“Well that wasn’t the clearest. Fence said yur father’d come back from work in a hot mess, and was all; ‘Have ya seen yur sister? Somethin’s outta balance’ But I don’t know what that means. Neither did yur brother evidently.” They were nearing the hill where her brother’s tower was now. Connie and Fred both looked up to him as he shouted down at them.
“Oy! Fred! Didn’t mean for ya to go off and find ‘er, What! Where ya been Florence? Come back ta put pop’s world back in balance have ya?” He laughed at his own wit.