by Kathi Daley
“I remember they searched the woods, dredged the lake, and still never found a body or any remains.”
He nodded. “I’d like you to do a follow-up piece. A real investigative piece. Talk to the folks who were around back then. Josh Underwood died in a vehicle accident when he was seventeen, but Colin Woodford, Larry Lakewood, Bobby Brighton, and Toby Wallis are all still alive and kicking.”
“I didn’t realize that Toby Wallis was one of the boys who’d been along on the trip when Austin went missing.” Toby was a ranger for the National Park System and currently based in Glacier National Park. He was married to a woman I went to high school with named Natalie, who, interestingly, went on to become a wildlife veterinarian.
“He was the youngest in the group. I think around four years younger than the others. To be honest, I’m not sure why he was even there. He might have come along with Josh Underwood. Josh’s mom used to babysit Toby when his mother was out of town.”
“So, you want me to do a story for the anniversary?” I decided to bring the conversation back around to the point.
“I do. Like I said, I want a real investigative piece. If you happen across new evidence or even a new theory, all the better. The anniversary of Austin’s disappearance is in April. This is February. I wanted to give you time to really dig into things. Maybe you can see if Cass can use his law enforcement connections to help you get the details you’ll need.”
Ah. Cass. I suspected that my relationship with Cass was the real reason Dex had assigned the piece to me and not Brock, but I’d take it. “Okay. I’ll get right on it. After, I finish the article you need by Thursday, of course.”
“There might be some documents in the library that might help as well. I know that a year or two after Austin went missing, some reporter came by and took a stab at figuring out what happened. He never did find his answers, but I’m pretty sure he turned all his notes and theories into a journal of some sort. If it’s still around, Hope will probably know how to get her hands on it.”
“Thanks for the lead. I’ll talk with her. Did you know Austin?”
He nodded. “I was supposed to go on that fishing trip, but my dad found out about my plans to cut school and put an end to things. At least he put an end to things for me. I often wonder if things would have turned out differently if I’d been there. Probably not, but I do wonder.”
“Since you knew Austin and were close to everyone involved, are you sure you don’t want to write the anniversary story yourself?”
He slowly shook his head. “No. I’ve already tried to find the clues that would lead to the answers we all need to make peace with the situation and move on. If you have questions I can answer, I will, but I really think the situation needs a fresh pair of eyes, and so far, I’ve been very impressed with your natural instincts.”
“Thank you. I can’t promise I can figure out the answer to a twenty-five-year-old cold case that no one else has been able to figure out so far, but I’ll do the best I can to provide you with an in-depth look at the situation.”
“That’s all I can ask for.”
I had to admit the story relating to the mystery of Austin’s disappearance had me intrigued. I’d only been seven at the time of the disappearance, but I could still remember the terror everyone felt when the boy went missing. When the sheriff was unable to find a single clue as to what happened to Austin, all sorts of tales and stories sprang up. Some said he woke early and went fishing, only to somehow be pulled into the lake, where he drowned. Others suspected he’d simply wandered away from the camp during the night and got lost. There were theories having to do with animal attacks, kidnappers, and even alien abduction, but to this date, no one seems to know what happened on that long-ago spring night.
Chapter 16
Wednesday
By the time Wednesday rolled around, some things were settled, and some things weren’t. Lissa had been arraigned and was awaiting trial. Cass had tried again and again to get her to recant her confession and tell him what really happened, but she flat out refused to cooperate.
Cass and I discussed the fact that the person who killed the men, assuming it wasn’t Lissa, would have to have been someone close to Lissa. Otherwise, why bother to protect this person?
Gabby was over the moon excited about her date tonight, and I was over the moon excited for her. I planned to head over to the bowling alley and play a few games around the same time Gabby had been told to show up. I figured I could watch the meeting of the matched pair from a distance, which would provide me with details for my story without actually becoming part of the story.
Cass agreed to go bowling with me, providing he didn’t have urgent business to attend to. Things had been quiet since Frank’s death, and I knew everyone in town was hoping it would stay that way.
“Morning, sweetheart, how’d you sleep?” Gracie greeted when I went down for breakfast.
“I slept really well, which is good since I have a busy day ahead of me.”
“I have fresh cinnamon bread to go with that coffee if you’d like.” Gracie offered as I poured my first cup of the day.
“That sounds amazing.” I glanced toward the kitchen counter. “It looks like you made enough to last weeks and weeks.”
“I’m planning to give a loaf to Paisley to take home when she comes over today, and I wanted to drop a loaf off for Ned and Nora.”
“How is she doing?” I’d been worried about the poor woman who simply couldn’t seem to catch a break.
“She’s doing better. A lot better, in fact. I spoke to her yesterday, and she seemed almost back to her old self.”
“That’s good.” I sliced off a piece of the bread. “I’m heading into town to take care of some errands. One of those errands is to stop by the library and talk with Hope about a new assignment I’m working on. I can drop off the bread for Ned and Nora while I’m there if you want.”
“Thank you, dear. That would be very helpful. You can take a loaf for Hope as well.”
“I’m sure she’ll appreciate that.”
“Will you be able to pick up Paisley from school?”
“I should be. My plan is to head into town this morning and do what I need to do. I’m going to pick up Paisley after that, and then Cass and I are going bowling this evening.”
“Sounds fun. I haven’t been bowling in years, but I go along sometimes and watch when Tom goes.”
“It’s for a story I’m working on, but it does sound fun.”
“The place used to be a bit of a dive, but the new owner has made a lot of upgrades.”
“New owner?” I asked.
“Gabe Crawford. He bought the place this past fall, and he’s already put in new ball returns and electronic scoreboards.”
“I know Gabe. He delivers newspapers to the merchants in town. I didn’t realize he owned a business.” I suspected that Gabby didn’t either.
“He told me that he’d worked at the bowling alley for a number of years, but he also had a part-time job in the mornings when the bowling alley was closed. The extra income allowed him to save for a down payment so he could buy the business from his old boss, and once he had that, he used the extra cash to make the upgrades on his list.”
Well, how about that? Maybe Gabe and Gabby were better matched than Gabby thought. I suspected Ms. Cupid knew that as well.
After I showered and dressed for the day, I headed into town. My first stop was the newspaper to drop off the article on the development issue, which was not only a day early, but pretty darn thorough if you asked me. After that, I planned to head to the library to meet with Hope about the groundwork for the Austin Brady article, and then I’d drop off Nora’s bread, have lunch with Cass, and still get to the school in time to pick up Paisley.
“This is exactly what I was looking for.” Dex grinned. “Darn, if you aren’t turning out to be one heck of an excellent reporter.”
“Thank you so much.” I beamed. I hoped he’d like it, but I wasn’t exp
ecting this. “I really tried to give you what you were looking for.”
“Well, you nailed it.” He set the hard copy down on his desk. “I guess you can move onto the other article we spoke about.”
I nodded. “I’m heading to the library to speak to Hope about any information or materials she may have as soon as I’m done here. You didn’t exactly say when you wanted the article turned in.”
“Let’s shoot for April first. That should give you the time you need to really dig deep, and it will still give me time to run it on the anniversary of the event. I’d like for you to speak to each of the men who were there with Austin when he went missing.”
“I will. I thought I’d start by reading up on it. Maybe ask Cass if he can get me the missing person’s file, or at least a copy of the file. Then I plan to speak to the four men who were on the trip, and eventually, I’m going to talk to folks who lived in the area at the time of the disappearance but weren’t specifically involved. I’d also like to speak to Austin’s family, but I know they left the area years ago.”
“His father died in a climbing accident maybe ten years ago, and his mother remarried and moved to Florida. I can get her contact information for you.”
“So, you stay in touch?”
“Christmas cards. That sort of thing. Like I said, Austin and I were friends.”
“Siblings?”
“He was an only child, which, in a way, made his disappearance even more tragic. As I indicated the first time we spoke about this, I thought about it and decided to turn this story and this investigation over to you. I really think you might pick up on something that’s been missed. Having said that, I’m more than happy to help you in any way I can. I figured we could meet often and discuss your progress. I may be able to help direct your efforts.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. And I promise to do my best to get you what you need.”
After I left the newspaper, I headed to the library to meet with Hope. I had to admit to being a little nervous about the fact that Dex was so tied into the story he hoped I would be able to write. I wanted so badly to do a good job for him, and knowing what he had riding on it, seemed to add to the pressure to really come through.
“Morning, Hope,” I greeted after entering the cool dark room. “Why do you have all the blinds drawn?”
“Movie day for the elementary kids. They’ll be here in an hour, so I’m getting the place ready.”
“Movie day? This is a library. Shouldn’t it be reading day?”
She laughed. “It’s both. Last week, we read Cinderella, and this week, we’re showing the animated movie. Showing the movie after reading the book opens the avenue for discussion. I do the same thing with the older kids, using more sophisticated books.”
“I guess it sounds like a fun idea.”
“The kids seem to really enjoy it, and I think I have more kids who actually read the book than I used to when we first started. I got your message about the notes and documents the reporter left behind relating to the Austin Brady case. I probably shouldn’t check them out, but I’m going to trust that you will take good care of them.”
“You know that I will. Have you read through them?”
She nodded. “At one point, I thought I’d take a stab at figuring out the mystery, but I never really got anywhere. I did come up with a few theories, which I would love to discuss with you. Maybe over dinner or drinks?”
“I’m busy tonight and have my training at the shelter tomorrow, and then, of course, the Sweetheart Dance is Friday. If you want to do lunch instead of dinner, I can do tomorrow, otherwise maybe Saturday.”
“Saturday would be perfect. I think I’ll invite Naomi as well. When I was doing my research, I used her to bounce ideas off, and she really had some good insight.”
“I think dinner with you and Naomi sounds fun. Let’s plan on it. And as far as the Austin Brady case, trust me, I can use all the help I can get.”
Hope packed up all the materials she had and sent me on my way. I’d called Cass and confirmed that I would pick up deli sandwiches that we could eat in his office so that he wouldn’t lose much work time. We had plans this evening, and I knew I could talk to him in more depth then, so I was happy with sandwiches sitting at his desk.
Ned answered the door when I arrived at their Victorian style home. I never really thought the house fit in with the woodsy styles that could be found in Foxtail Lake, but somehow it seemed to fit them.
“Gracie sent some cinnamon bread. She knows how much Nora likes it.”
Ned smiled. “Come on in. Nora will be thrilled with the bread.”
“I don’t want to keep you or to bother Nora if she’s resting.”
“She’s in the living room and bored out of her mind. I’m sure she’d welcome a short visit.”
“Okay, if you’re sure it won’t tire her.”
“I’m sure.”
Nora looked tired and thin, but I was happy to see that she still looked like Nora. She had a smile on her face and a fire in her eyes I would never attribute to anyone else.
“You look better,” I said, comparing her overall presence to the last time I’d seen her.
“I feel better. The pneumonia is all but gone, and the doctor is very happy with my last scans.”
“That’s wonderful.” I wanted to hug the woman, but she looked so frail, I settled on a light brush of my hand over her shoulder. “When I walked in today, I thought to myself that you had that old fire back.”
“I still have a way to go, but for the first time in a long time, I really feel like I might actually get out of this in one piece.” She nodded toward her computer. “I’ve even been working on my projects for the past few days.”
“Projects?” I asked.
“Oh, you know. This and that. I like to dabble.”
“What you like to do is poke around in everyone’s business,” I laughed. And then, it hit me. “Nora, are you Ms. Cupid?”
“Now, why would you think that?”
“You are Ms. Cupid.” I was certain of it as I said it. “If it hadn’t been for the fact that you’ve been in the hospital, I would have guessed it right away.”
She blushed.
“Why the big secret? Everyone knows you like to meddle in the most loving way, of course. No one would have batted an eye if you’d announced you were in the matchmaking game.”
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in the game exactly. I was bored and lonely after this dang cancer caused me to spend more and more time feeling poorly. I wasn’t ready to tell folks I was sick quite yet since Ned and I were still trying to work out our own feelings about the whole thing, so on the days it would have been obvious to our customers that I wasn’t okay, I simply stayed home rather than going into the store. Then I happened across an ad for one of those dating sites. I remember thinking to myself that I could do so much better than those cold and lifeless sites. So, I created Ms. Cupid. I only matched couples I would have matched anyway. Those folks I didn’t know or didn’t have an appropriate match for, I just left be and never answered.”
“Your success rate has been phenomenal.”
She grinned. “It really has been. Who knew I had the gift?”
“Gift?”
“My mama was a matchmaker. She didn’t have a website the way I do, but she is the one I inherited my need to meddle from.”
“I see. I guess I never met your mama.”
“You won’t tell, will you? I know you’re doing the reporter thing these days, but I really want to keep this to myself for now. I think the anonymity actually makes those I match more receptive to the whole thing.”
“I won’t divulge your secret,” I found myself promising, even though I had no idea what I was going to tell Dex. “I do have a question for you, however. Did you match Lissa Nixon and Dale Conover?”
“Heavens no. Neither of the two is fit to be paired with anyone.”
“That’s what I thought. And Gabby. Did you match her with G
abe?”
She winked. “I guess you’ll have to wait until tonight to find out.”
“I suspect that Gabe is the one for Gabby. I should have realized that those long stares when he comes in to get the newspapers were more than a simple appreciation for his rather fine butt.”
Nora chuckled. “The man does have some perfectly formed parts, that’s for certain. I was glad when you decided to have Gabby apply as research for your series. It gave me the chance to open that girl’s eyes and allow her to see what has actually been right in front of her all along.”
“Gabby doesn’t know about the bowling alley. She thinks Gabe is a slacker.”
“Exactly. She’s been attracted to him for months, but during all that time, she never took the chance to get to really know the guy.”
“Do you have reason to believe that Gabe is attracted to Gabby as well?” I asked.
“I do. I think the two will be very happy once Gabby puts her preconceptions aside.”
I lifted a corner of my mouth. “I think so as well. Cass and I are going bowling this evening so we can have a front-row seat for the date.”
“Now, there’s a pair that should be matched.”
I frowned. “Gabe and Gabby?”
“You and Cass. I know it, you know it, he knows it. Sometimes you have to set aside what you think you know and open your heart to what could be.”
Chapter 17
I had Nora’s words on my mind as I headed to Cass’s office with our lunch. Open your heart to what could be. Sounded nice, but a dead husband in the prime of his life, wasn’t a risk I was willing to take no matter how perfect Cass might be for me.