Hot on the Trail Mix

by P. D. Workman

  She walked into the tiny library and looked around. It was pretty quiet. At the counter, the librarian was scanning books from a bin of returns and placing them on a cart. She looked at Erin as she came in and smiled. Erin didn’t go up to the desk to talk to her. It wasn’t like she needed help finding a book. And she suspected that if she asked too many questions, the Ryders and others in the homeless community would avoid her. She had to be more discreet than that.

  She wandered over to the children’s books but didn’t recognize any of the children looking at books or playing on the computers. None of them reminded her of the children she had seen with the thin woman.

  Erin made a quick circuit around the library. The woman and her family were not there. There was a man in a baseball cap sitting in one of the chairs with a book open in his lap. He was wearing a baseball cap and watching Erin. She drifted closer to him.

  “Hi.”

  He looked away from her and didn’t say anything.

  “I’m looking for someone,” Erin said, not trying to meet his eyes. She let her gaze wander over the interior of the library and the other people there. “The Ryders. Have you seen Mrs. Ryder and her children around here?”

  “What makes you think I know them?”

  “Maybe you don’t. I was just wondering.”

  “There isn’t any Mrs. Ryder.”

  “Rip Ryder’s wife?” Erin prompted. What did that mean, there was no Mrs. Ryder?

  “They ain’t married.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry. What does she go by, then?”

  “Dunno her last name. First name is Genevieve.”

  “Genevieve. Has she been around today? I wanted to get a message to her.”

  “Nope. Haven’t seen her.”

  He didn’t offer any other way to get in touch with Genevieve or the best place to look for her.

  “Do you know where she’s staying? Where I might be able to track her down?”

  “Seems to me you don’t really know her. Not if’n you don’t even know her name.”

  “No. I ran into her the other day. I don’t really know her. But I wanted to tell her something.”

  He shrugged.

  “Do you know where I might be able to find her? Or how I could get a message to her?”

  “Nope.”

  Erin suspected that he could have given her a lot more. But he didn’t know her and might suspect her motives. A stranger poking her nose into a homeless person’s business wasn’t necessarily helpful or welcome.

  Pushing him any harder wasn’t going to get her the answers she wanted. So Erin just nodded graciously as if he had told her everything she wanted to know. “Thank you for your time.”

  He grunted and dropped his gaze to the book in his lap. But his eyes didn’t move back and forth like he was reading. He would watch her all the way to the door. Make sure that she wasn’t going to cause any kind of trouble.

  And maybe if he saw Genevieve, he would tell her that someone was looking for her.

  Chapter 18

  Erin got back into the truck. “No luck there. Apparently, her name is Genevieve and she was not actually married to Rip Ryder.”

  Terry nodded at this. Something that he had already known, but not been at liberty to share? Or was he mentally filing the information safely away for later?

  “Do you know her last name?” she asked Terry.

  He shrugged with one shoulder, not looking at her. Erin wasn’t sure whether that meant he didn’t know, or that he wasn’t going to tell her. It came out to the same thing either way.

  “Where to next?”

  Erin looked out the window. “The grocery, I guess. Just… check around it. Maybe stop in the parking lot and I’ll check back behind.”

  “I don’t think you should be wandering down deserted alleys or confronting someone back there that you don’t know.”

  “You don’t think the alleys are safe? I thought you said there weren’t any homeless people here.”

  “I don’t think you’re going to find who you’re looking for, but you never know who you might run into back there, out of sight. It isn’t like we’ve been completely crime-free in the time you’ve lived here.”

  “You’ll just scare anybody hanging around here away. Would you feel better about it if I took Vic with me?”

  Terry considered. He looked over his shoulder at Vic, then nodded grudgingly. “Better than you being alone. At least one of you can run for help if the other runs into trouble. Are you carrying, Miss Victoria?”

  Vic hesitated, unsure what answer to give him. Which clearly meant that she was, but wasn’t willing to tell him so.

  “Fine, go,” Terry said.

  Erin and Vic got out of the truck. Erin glanced over at Vic. “At least he didn’t insist on frisking you.”

  Vic laughed. “I’d give it up before that. But I think he wanted me to be armed.”

  “I think so. And it wouldn’t normally be a problem, except…”

  “No, I still don’t have my replacement carry permit card. But that doesn’t mean I’m not licensed, just that I don’t have proof of it on me. Technically, the sheriff did tell me to leave it at home until I had my card.”

  Erin shrugged. Terry hadn’t objected to Vic carrying her handgun. He probably would have preferred it if Erin, too, were armed. So far, she hadn’t been able to bring herself to buy a gun, even though she had been in several situations where it might have been helpful. She was more worried about it provoking a violent reaction from someone who would not have hurt her had she been unarmed.

  They circled around the grocery store, watching through the big windows in the front for the thin blond woman and her little family. Erin didn’t see anyone who wasn’t at least familiar to her. They went around the side and then the back. Erin looked up and down the alley. It was deserted. After Terry’s anxiety over her safety, it was a bit of a letdown. No one lurking in the shadows.

  “Let’s just go down there and check the dumpsters.” Erin motioned.

  Vic walked with her. “Check the dumpsters for what?”

  “Just see if there is anyone in there.”

  “Why would they be in the dumpster?”

  Erin rolled her eyes. “To get food. Have you ever tried to feed a family with no money?”

  Vic seemed to think it unlikely that anyone in Bald Eagle Falls would resort to dumpster diving for food, but she walked with Erin and checked each dumpster. Plenty of cardboard and rotting produce, but no sign of anyone going through them. Erin looked farther down the alley toward the restaurant dumpsters but still couldn’t see any sign of life. She hadn’t really expected to stumble across Genevieve and her family immediately. Still, she had thought that she would see other people there. She could ask them about Genevieve like she had at the library. But not if there were no one around.

  “Okay, let’s go back to the truck,” Vic suggested.

  Erin nodded and they returned. Erin racked her brain for where to look next for the mother and children. If they weren’t whiling away their time at the library or foraging for food, where were they? Staying with friends or family? All crammed into someone’s guest room or basement?

  “Is that it?” Terry asked. “Ready to go home?”

  “No… what about the park?”

  “What park?”

  “The playground over by the school.”

  Terry nodded. He put the truck back in gear and drove a couple of blocks to the elementary school. Erin could see before they rolled up to it that there were children on the playground equipment. She watched the children. By the time they reached the playground, she could see that it was the family that she had met on the street. She was out of the truck, feet hitting the ground, almost before Terry had pulled to a stop.

  She tried to make herself walk slowly. She didn’t want to frighten them. They would think she was some predator or crazy lady if she jumped out of a truck and ran at them. She looked around for the mother and found her sitting on a bench
nearby, watching the children and nursing her infant. Erin approached her, trying to look casual and non-threatening.

  The woman’s eyes narrowed as she watched Erin’s approach. She looked around for an escape, but there was no way for her to disappear quickly with the children. Erin knew what it was like to try to get children out of a playground. They would complain and negotiate. Even if they had been trained to leave when they were told to, it would still take time for them to finish what they were doing and pull themselves away from the fun.

  The woman didn’t call them to her. Erin sat down on the bench next to her.

  “Why are you here?” the woman demanded. “Just because you gave my children granola bars once, that doesn’t make you my best friend. You don’t get some special status for that.”

  “No. I was just… I’m looking for someone, and I thought…” She didn’t know whether to say she was looking for the woman herself. Should she pretend she didn’t know? That she was just making initial inquiries? “I wondered if you might know where I could find her.”

  “Who?” The question was clipped.

  “Genevieve. Rip Ryder’s wife. Or… partner.”

  “Why do you want her? What business do you have with her?”

  “I just wanted to talk to her.”

  The woman shrugged. “I don’t know where she is.”

  “I thought… you might be her.”

  “Why? You think we all look alike? Everyone who is… fallen on hard times?”

  “No. You match her description. That’s all. You have a young family. I didn’t know either one of you. I hoped…”

  “I’m not Jenny.” The woman looked down at her nursing infant, then adjusted her position.

  Erin looked down at the baby’s face. A tiny thing, probably not more than a couple of weeks old. It was hard to believe that the woman’s thin frame could have supported a baby. She must have looked ungainly, with a basketball belly and her stick-thin arms and legs.

  The baby rooted around, unsatisfied. His face had been resting peacefully, but he grew agitated. He didn’t have the chubby round cheeks that the Foster baby had. Erin wondered whether the woman had enough milk, and whether she was able to supplement if not. Would she have the money to buy formula? Would she be able to qualify for any government benefit programs if she didn’t have a fixed address?

  “He’s cute. What’s his name? Or hers?”

  “Sarah.”

  “How old?”

  “Three months.”

  Erin thought Sarah very small for three months. Maybe she had been premature.

  “I’m Erin,” she introduced herself again.

  She knew the baby’s name, the woman knew Erin’s name, it was only right that the woman would give her own name. It wasn’t the first time that they had met. They were sitting together.

  The woman looked at her for a long few moments. “Adrienne,” she said finally, sighing. “But don’t go spreading that around. You don’t know me.”

  Erin nodded. “I know. It’s just nice to be able to call you something.” She watched the children playing on the climbers. Terry and Vic were waiting for her; she couldn’t sit there visiting for too long. She had so many questions that she wanted to ask Adrienne. If she were on her own or was married. If she had been in Bald Eagle Falls for long. Where she was living. But none of that was her business, and she didn’t want Adrienne to push her away when they had just started to get to know one another.

  And what she was really there for was to find Genevieve. Jenny, Adrienne had called her.

  “Jenny has a baby too?”

  Adrienne hesitated, then nodded. “Younger.”

  “What about your other kids? Do you both have kids the same age?”

  Adrienne looked at her, then away again. She switched Sarah to the other breast and tried to convince her to latch on, but the baby just fussed. Adrienne eventually did her shirt back up and put the baby to her shoulder, patting her back and trying to get her to settle.

  “Why do you want Jenny?”

  “I have something I need to tell her. I really can’t talk to anybody else about it.”

  “Something about that no-good husband of hers?”

  “Someone said they weren’t actually married.”

  “What does it matter? The only difference is a piece of paper. Having to pay a fee to the judge.”

  Erin shrugged. She didn’t know enough about the legal implications to answer the question. She knew that a lot of people had religious compunctions, but that wasn’t an issue that bothered Erin.

  “It is about Rip,” she said finally.

  “I hope the guy stays away and never comes back.”

  “Was he… not good to her?”

  “Any guy who abandons his wife and children like that doesn’t deserve to have them. He’s off on a drunk or a gambling binge, and he won’t be back until he’s blown every last cent. If I was her, I wouldn’t be taking him back!”

  Erin nodded. But Jenny wouldn’t have that choice. “You don’t think… he could be off on a job? Something good for the family?”

  “If he was, he would be calling her to tell her about it. No man hides his accomplishments. Just his failings.”

  “Do you know where I could find her?”

  “No. I don’t know where she went.”

  Erin sighed. “Okay. Do you think… you could call me if you hear anything about her?”

  “I don’t have a phone.”

  “Not even—” Erin bit back her response. If Adrienne said she didn’t have a phone, she didn’t have a phone. Erin had no idea what kind of life she was leading. If Erin had to choose between buying a phone and feeding her kids, which would she choose? A phone was a luxury, something children could survive without. Or could they?

  “Well… you know where to find me if you hear something.”

  “The bakery.”

  “Yes. Auntie Clem’s Bakery.” Erin looked over at Sarah, falling asleep on Adrienne’s shoulder. “And look, I always have leftovers at the end of the day. I have to bake enough that we won’t run out, and if I do that, it means that there’s always something left over at the end. I put stuff into the freezer and then when there’s enough, I take it into the city for the shelters there. I’d rather help people in Bald Eagle Falls if I can.”

  “I told you I’m not taking charity.”

  “If you’re ever trying to pull dinner together at the end of the afternoon and need some bread or rolls, or even something sweet for dessert, then come by and see me. I can’t stand to throw it out, and taking it to the city is a waste of gas and time if there are people in Bald Eagle Falls who could use it.”

  Adrienne was silent, thinking about that.

  Erin wanted to say, “It’s not charity,” but she didn’t want to push her luck. It probably was charity. She didn’t really know. But she wanted to help the little family and others in Bald Eagle Falls who were in need. She hated to think of them going hungry while she tried to figure out what to do with her overage at the end of the day.

  “I guess… I’ll be going. You know where to find me if you hear something about Jenny.”

  Adrienne gave a brief nod. Did that mean she would tell Erin if she heard something? Or just that it was time for Erin to leave and she didn’t want to hear about it again?

  Erin got up and headed back toward the truck. A couple of the children peeled away from the climbers and ran toward her, laughing and shrieking.

  A tousle-haired little girl grabbed her by the arm, hiding half-behind her, like Erin was the ‘safe’ place in a game of tag. “I know you!” she declared. “You’re the lady with the food!”

  “Yes, that’s right.” Erin smiled down at her. “Good memory. But I’m afraid I don’t have any today.”

  “That’s okay,” the little girl declared cheerfully. “We’ve had something to eat today.”

  Erin patted her on the head, choking back an answer. She forced another smile for the little girl and shooed th
em both back toward the playground.

  There was a lump in her throat as she climbed into the truck.

  Chapter 19

  Terry seemed to sense Erin’s mood when they got home and didn’t engage her in conversation, letting her just work things through on her own.

  As much as Erin wanted to help, she couldn’t do that unless people were willing to be helped. And if Adrienne was a representative sample, not everyone was going to accept help.

  She could invite Adrienne to work at the bakery and help her that way, only what would she do with the children while she was working? Especially Sarah? She wasn’t in any position to take on a job.

  She must have a husband or some way to make a little money. The children had eaten, so she found some way to feed them. And they were living somewhere, even if it was just a tent or a car. What more could Erin do for them?

  “Where are you going to look next?” she asked Terry.

  “Me? You’re the one who seems to have taken on this search for the Ryders.”

  “I just thought… if it was the family that I had seen once before in Bald Eagle Falls, I would be able to find them again. But I don’t have any idea where to go next.”

  He nodded as if saying that had been his point in the first place.

  “But you have to do the death notification. How are you going to find her to do that?”

  “Hopefully, we’ll be able to find a way. If she’s in the area, she’ll turn up sooner or later. Even the people who live in the bush have to come into town at some point, even if it is only every few months. So she’ll surface again at some point. With kids depending on her, it’s even less likely that she’d be able to stay away from town for any significant amount of time. Kids need food, visits to the doctor, all of that.”

  “So you’re just going to wait? You’re not going to look for her?”