Providence joined Taitiann in the spare bedroom in the search for the missing nutcracker doll. Astrid said the last place she had it was in their bedroom but that had been searched more than once now.

The room was dim, lit only by the glow of the gas limp which reflected off the apricot walls turning the room into a glowing forest fire. Breakfast rested on the rug flipping his tail and purring for attention.

On the wall opposite the bed with about three feet of space between it and the footboard was a dark wardrobe. Her uncle had won the old piece of furniture at a live auction in Jacksonville in Duval County. It was said to have survived the fire of 1901 being abandoned in the streets when the owner could no longer carry it. On its right side was a Victorian chair that Selene had cut fabric for and Beatrice had reupholstered. On its left was an urn with dancing geese and on the perpendicular wall was the slightly ajar window.

"Is Astrid sure she didn't have it outside the house?" Providence asked as she checked behind the pillows.

Taitiann got up from the floor with a sigh. "It would seem our jolly little nutcracker has walked off on his own," she said. "We've searched the whole house over and not seen hide or hair of him."

"I've checked the bags," Providence said. "And I don't think Birdy or Sacha would have walked off with him."

Taitiann shook her head. "I would hate to have to tell Astrid that it's lost," she said. "I just don't understand how it could simply disappear."

"That's because you're looking at it wrong," Alifair said as she walked into the room.

"What are you talking about, Alifair?" Taitiann asked.

"You think the doll is misplaced," Alifair said. "But I've given it a little thought and I say it was taken."

"Taken?" Providence asked with a frown. "Taken by whom?"

"Just think," Alifair said crossing her arms. "Wasn't there someone who disliked him? Wasn't there someone who was afraid of him; someone who would be glad to see him gone?"

Taitiann and Providence looked at each other. "Hannah!"

"She hated him!" Alifair said.

Taitiann sucked her teeth. "Oh, Alifair, I know Hannah can be naughty but I don't think she'd take Astrid's doll. She isn't cruel."

"Hannah broke my toys before," Alifair said. "And she was never sorry."

"But that was when she was a little baby," Taitiann said as they left the room. "I'm sorry but I just can't believe she would hurt Astrid that way."

Alifair turned to Providence.

"I don't know what to think," Providence said. "We can't blame her without all the facts. I need to get caught up on my medical book. Do you want to go to the pavilion afterwards?"

Alifair shook her head and watched them go downstairs. "Fine," she said to herself. "Don't believe me, you worry about you medical books and I'll prove that Hannah did take that nutcracker doll."

After Providence and Wysteria had gone to the pavilion Alifair abandoned her sampler and approached Ottaline who was playing hopscotch on the dirt road. "You'll soil your pinafore quick that way."

Ottaline picked up her stone. "I'll wash it twice," she said.

"Ottaline," Alifair said before she started hoping again. "You like mysteries don't you?"

"Miriam says I'm over enthusiastic," Ottaline said.

"Well I have a mystery for you," Alifair said and Ottaline gave her full attention. "The mystery of Astrid's nutcracker."

Ottaline shrugged. "There really aren't any clues," she said. "I think maybe Sacha carried it off."

"I have a suspect," Alifair said and Ottaline's brows went up. "But you have to help me. Come on I'll show you."

Ottaline dropped her stone in her pocket and ran after Alifair. Alifair never played her games so Ottaline took her suspicions to be of the serious nature as Alifair was. They went into the backyard and ducked behind the paddock fence. Missy was in her paddock and Dove was cooing on a post. Yonder, sitting on a blanket serving tea to dolls was the culprit.

"Dadadadadadadada, pow, here come the confederates! Come on men, we've got to save the country. Oh no it's the Yankees eeeeeek, arm yourselves. Help me; I'm just a little old lady. Not the Yankees!"

Ottaline frowned and Alifair returned the gesture. "What sort of sick game is this?"

"It's Hannah," Alifair said. "She loves nothing more than her dolls and playing soldiers." They watched as the tea party participants fled from the much smaller led soldiers. "I just know she took that nutcracker doll."

"Have you asked her?"

"You can't ask Hannah if she did something wrong, "Alifair said. "You have to catch her in the act."

"How do you plan to do that?" Ottaline asked.

"I was hoping you had an idea," Alifair said. "You're the one who's good at this."

"Let me think," Ottaline said. "Hm, we'll have to put pressure on her. If we can fool her into believing that we know what she did she might try to move the doll to a different hiding place."

"How do we do that?" Alifair asked.

"You just leave it to me," Ottaline said as a shadow appeared over them.

"Hello, ya'll!" Hannah greeted.

Ottaline and Alifair jumped back and fell on their bottoms.

Hannah giggled. "Are ya'll hiding from Providence?"

Ottaline got up and dusted herself off. "We'd love to play hiding games," she said. "But unfortunately we don't know any good hiding places. Oh if only we were all nutcracker dolls then we'd never be found." She swept her hand to her forehead and looked at Hannah from the corner of her eye.

Hannah laughed nervously. "Well too bad for him," she said. "If only he hadn't been so ugly." She turned away and went back to her dolls on the blanket.

Ottaline turned to Alifair. "You know what, I think you're right. I think Hannah just may have taken that doll."

"She'll never tell us," Alifair said.

"That's all right," Ottaline said. "I have another idea. We can track him down be his scent."

"Does that work for nutcrackers?" Alifair asked.

"It has too," Ottaline said. "They have scent don't they? We just need something he's touched and then we need a dog with a good nose."

"I've got Birdy!" Alifair said. "And Astrid used to keep the nutcracker on her pillow before it went missing."

"You get the dog I'll get the pillow," Ottaline said and the girls raced in opposite directions.

Hannah looked over her shoulder at them. Could they possibly be up to what she thought they might? She watched Alifair retrieve Birdy as Ottaline ran back inside the house. Abandoning her dolls she escaped into the skirt of the woods to the place she had buried the nutcracker. When she saw the disturbed dirt and the empty hole she gasped. Something must have dug him up unless...he got out on his own and was coming to get her. "Oh this is terrible," she lamented. "For surely now I shall be haunted." When she heard Ottaline and Alifair returning she scampered out of sight.

"All right, Birdy come here," Ottaline said holding out the pillow. "Get a smell of this and find Astrid's nutcracker doll."

Birdy stuck her nose into the pillow and wagged her tail. She turned back to Alifair and sniffed her pinafore.

"Come on, Birdy find the doll, girl!" Alifair said as the dog gave the pillow one last sniff before skipping off. Alifair held tightly to the leash as Birdy began to run. "Come on, Ottaline keep up!" She shouted over her shoulder. The dog ran up the porch and through the workshop then up the hall. "Come on!" Alifair shouted then lost her footing as they went out the front door and onto the porch.

"Alifair let go of the leash!" Ottaline shouted as Birdy dragged the screaming girl across the front yard. The cry made Hannah come running as the dog drug her out to the road and over Ottaline's hopscotch game.

"Birdy, heal!" Alifair shouted.

"Alifair let go!" Ottaline shouted.

As Birdy neared the pasture fence yonder Alifair let go of the leash and came to a stop as Birdy leapt between the planks. Alifair got to her feet and watched the dog cross the pasture into the woods beyond.

"Are you all right, Alifair?" Ottaline asked coming to her side. When the girl turned to her she gasped at the amount of sand and dirt that covered her face and clothes.

Hannah put her hands over her mouth and giggled. That would teach Alifair for a while.

The three girls went around back and Alifair stuck her head under the pump while Ottaline worked it. When Alifair's hair was soaked she sat up and pushed the water from streaming down her face as Ottaline gave her a rag to dry off with.

"You should have seen yourself, Alifair," Hannah laughed.

Alifair narrowed her dark eyes. "I'll catch you yet," she said. "I know you took Astrid's nutcracker doll and I'm going to find it and prove it."

Hannah's eyes went wide. If she opened her mouth now, denial would not be what came out. "Oh fiddle sticks!" she cried. "Fine I took the stupid doll. I couldn't stand to see him staring at me with those gray eyes and those scary teeth. I'm guilty! I had to do it, I had to."

"Stop your winning and tell us where the doll is!" Alifair said with her hands on her hips.

"Uh...about that," Hannah said twiddling her fingers.

"What did you do?" Alifair asked.

"I buried him at the edge of the woods there," Hannah said. "But now he's gone."

"Is this the truth?" Alifair asked.

"Of course it is!" Hannah said. "Come one I'll show you." She led the way in a run. At the edge of the woods she pointed out the place the doll had been buried. "And look, I broke his jaw off and here it is. Oh please don't tell Astrid."

Alifair took the jaw. "I'm not going to tell Astrid you are," she said. "You took her doll and now it's lost. You should give her one of yours."

Hannah nearly fainted at this. The thought of parting with one of her dolls would send her to the grave. "Never!" she shouted and ran back into the yard to her blanket. When she reached it she paused then screamed in horror. "Where's my princess doll? She was here a minute ago and now she's gone. Oh the horror, the misfortune, the sorrow!"'

"Be quiet," Alifair said. "It looks to me like someone has made off with your doll."

"It was the nutcracker!" Hannah said. "I know it! He's punishing me."

Ottaline shook her head. "You probably just left it inside," she said.

"No I had her right here before ya'll went running after Birdy," Hannah said. "Now she's gone and I shall never see her again."

Alifair put the wooden jaw in her pocket. "Well now you have a taste of what Astrid feels," she said crossing her arms.

"Oh, but you must help me," Hannah said. "Please, Ottaline, Alifair. You have to help me find her. I'll cooperate and I'll pay all the ransom to the evil nutcracker but you must help me."

Alifair and Ottaline looked at each other. "Fine, we'll help you," Ottaline said. "But we're going to need to know everything about the day the nutcracker went missing."

Hannah nodded her head. Just the thought of her precious princess being held ransom by that hideous nutcracker made her want to burst into tears.