Free A Barricade in Hell by Jaime Lee Moyer

heard from Amanda today? Can you tell us where she is?”
    â€œI … I haven’t seen Amanda since she left on Friday.” She stared at the embroidery abandoned on the side table next to her, as if the piece of pale linen stitched with bright silk threads held the secret of where Amanda was or how to find her. Maddie took a deep breath and looked Jack in the eye. “I knew something was wrong when Amanda didn’t come home. She’s gone off with Archie for a night in the past, but that—that was before he came home from Belgium. Three days without a word isn’t like her.”
    Gabe cleared his throat and leaned forward. “Mr. Baldwin said they went to a lecture together on Friday night. This lecture was being held at a church downtown, but he couldn’t remember the name. Do you know which church?”
    â€œI never heard her say.” Maddie yanked her hand free of Jack’s grip. “But Amanda had a handbill telling the time and place. Give me a moment, the notice should still be upstairs. I’ll see if I can find it.”
    She ran from the room, leaving Gabe and his partner staring at each other in strained silence. Neither spoke until Maddie returned with a well-creased sheet of newsprint in hand.
    â€œThis is it.” Maddie sniffled and brushed a tear from her face. She passed the paper to Jack. “The lecture was in the social hall next to the Lutheran church on O’Farrell. Amanda told me the pastor wouldn’t allow Miss Fontaine to speak inside the sanctuary. Members of the congregation voted to rent the hall out instead.”
    Jack glanced over the handbill and handed it to Gabe. He read it just as quickly, noting the address, dates for more talks over the next few weeks, and the times each lecture was being held. Gabe tucked the handbill into an inside pocket. “Did Miss Poe tell you anything else about her plans on Friday?”
    â€œThey were going to supper first and then over to the church. Amanda was excited that Archie agreed to go with her to hear Miss Fontaine speak. Amanda’s been trying to talk him into attending a lecture with her for weeks.”
    Gabe glanced at Jack. His partner nodded, a signal to go ahead. “So this wasn’t the first time Miss Poe attended one of these pacifist lectures. How often had she heard Miss Fontaine speak?”
    â€œThree or four times a week for the last month. She’s become a devoted follower of Effie Fontaine and her message. Too devoted for my comfort. Amanda often trusts the wrong people.” Maddie sat on the sofa, dragging one of the velvet cushions into her lap and hugging it to her chest. Her eyes glimmered with unshed tears. “The first talk Amanda went to was at a church hall in Oakland the week before Christmas. Miss Fontaine’s message is that God doesn’t want America to enter the war or fight in Europe. Amanda came home bubbling over with excitement, convinced it was God’s will that she keep other men from becoming damaged the way Archie was hurt. That’s all she’s been able to talk about ever since.”
    â€œYou’ve been a huge help, Maddie. This is the number where you can reach me at the station.” Jack ripped a page out of his notebook and scribbled down the phone number for the sergeant’s desk. “Call if you remember anything else or if you hear from Amanda. If I’m not in my office, someone will get the message to me. Captain Ryan and I can see ourselves out.”
    She crumpled the scrap of paper in her fist. “You must think poorly of me for not calling the authorities. But Amanda’s run off before, when she was angry and quarreling with her father. I keep expecting her to come home just as she always has in the past. I keep expecting her to call.”
    â€œThank you, Mrs. Holmes.” Gabe stood. “We’ll let you know as soon as there’s any news.”
    He led the way across the entry