“Wow.” Josh was so swamped in admiration that he just stared happily at the sheriff.
Missy sent Josh an impatient look and clicked her pen, drawing the sheriff’s gaze. She blurted out, “What was your favorite class?”
“Chemistry. I was good at it, too, although I never took another chem class after that.”
Missy scribbled his answer in her notebook.
Josh took over once again, asking for the sheriff’s favorite teacher, what sports he played, and if he approved of the changes that had been made to the field house over the years.
“This is so interesting.” Missy took a deep breath and then blurted out, “You dated Kristen’s mom for a while, didn’t you?”
Kristen winced, as Missy’s voice had gone from “slightly weird” to “super weird.”
The faint smile on the sheriff’s face stayed the same, but his gaze narrowed yet again. “That’s an interesting question.”
“And?” Josh’s pen hovered over the paper.
He and Missy leaned forward, obviously hanging on the sheriff’s every word. Kristen sent them a warning glare, but they didn’t notice.
The sheriff’s gaze moved from them to Kristen, a considering look on his face.
Her face, already hot, heated yet more.
“No,” he said. “I never dated Kristen’s mother. Julie was a good bit older than I was.”
“How old are you?” Missy asked.
Amused, the sheriff raised his eyebrows. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know.” Missy shrugged. “Forty?”
His smile disappeared. “Forty?”
Missy bit her lip. “Thirty… seven?”
He frowned. “Good God.”
Kristen cut a warning glance at Missy and hurriedly stepped in. “If you didn’t go to high school with my mom, why did you sign her yearbook?”
He cut her a hard look. “I didn’t.”
“You did! You wrote a poem. I saw it.”
“And I signed it, too? Blake McIntyre?”
Kristen frowned, trying to remember. She’d paid more attention to the poem than the signature. “I think… I think it just said Blake.”
“That was probably Blake Reed. They were about the same age. You wouldn’t know him. He went to college and never came back.”
Oh no. Kristen could feel the weight of Missy’s and Josh’s accusing gazes. She shot them a self-conscious look. “I saw Blake and I only knew one, so—” She winced and mumbled, “Sorry.”
Missy’s shoulders dropped. “How about later? Maybe you dated Kristen’s mom after you graduated?”
“Nope.”
Missy frowned impatiently. “You’re sure about that?”
Oh boy…
“I’m very sure,” he said with a hint of impatience. “Julie moved away, and I didn’t see her again until she came back years later. Kristen, you were what then? Six? Seven?”
“Six,” Kristen said, trying to maintain her smile and knowing she was failing miserably.
That was that, then. Sheriff McIntyre wasn’t her father, and their only hope was Jack Lind, a man Kristen didn’t know at all. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how much she’d been hoping she’d know the man who was her dad at least a little.
The sheriff’s dark green gaze stayed on Kristen. “I’m looking forward to seeing this new section in the yearbook. I usually get my copy the week after it comes out.”
Oh no.
“You get a copy?” Josh’s voice cracked on the last word.
The sheriff cut a hard look at Josh. “The town always orders three of them. One goes into the library for the town archives. Another one ends up in the mayor’s office. It’s left out in the waiting room as reading material for people waiting to pay their tax bills. The last one ends up here. It’s a useful tool for identifying juveniles when we get a complaint.”
Missy stiffened. “You use the yearbook to identify us for crimes?”
The sheriff grinned. “It’s public record, so why not. I’m just following standard police practice. They did it for years before I got here.”
“That’s just wrong,” Josh said, obviously infuriated. “That’s the last time I let them put my picture in the yearbook.”
Sheriff McIntyre laughed. “Just don’t commit a crime, and it’ll be a nonissue.”
“I think we’ve asked all our questions now.” Dragging her disappointment with her, Kristen backed a step toward the door. “Thank you for your time, Sheriff. But we’d better get going.”
“Yeah,” Missy said. “We’ve got homework and stuff.”
The sheriff pushed himself from the desk. “Sure. But before you all leave, I have a few questions for you.”
Oh no. Kristen exchanged looks with Missy and Josh.
Josh squared his shoulders. “Sure. What do you want to know?”
The sheriff’s gaze slid from Josh to Kristen. “What does Kristen’s mom have to do with the yearbook?”
Kristen opened her mouth, her mind racing to think of an answer, but she couldn’t think of a thing to say. Of all the questions they’d expected the sheriff to ask, this wasn’t one of them.
Josh muttered something under his breath, but apparently he was just as trapped by surprise as she was, because he never said anything out loud.
“Wait! I know!” Missy gave an excited hop. “Kristen’s mom is sort of famous, so we thought we might mention her, too. Did you know she’s had pictures in museums and… and other places?”
“Just like every other person in this town, I did know that,” the sheriff said in a flat tone. “But that doesn’t explain why you all asked if we’d ever dated. Nor does it explain why you asked that exact same question of Nate Stevens when you interviewed him. So… what does Julie Foster’s dating history have to do with the yearbook?”
Missy’s smile faltered.
“It’s just for me.” Kristen struggled to keep her voice even. “I… I was looking at my mother’s old yearbooks and noticed some of the signatures. The things Nate, the other Blake, and some others wrote seemed sort of romantic, so…” She shrugged. “I was just curious. I guess I’m trying to collect as many memories of Mom as I can before Grandma Ellen makes me move to Raleigh.” Kristen hated pulling the sympathy card, but tough times called for tough moves.
The sheriff’s gaze remained on her face as he absently rubbed his chin. “That makes sense, I guess.” He dropped his hand back to his side. “What was in this poem Blake Reed wrote to your mom that got you guys so curious?”
Josh answered. “He called her ‘Hot Stuff.’ ”
“Ah.” The sheriff chuckled. “That doesn’t mean what you think it does. When Julie was a freshman, she and some girls were joking around in chemistry class and some beakers got knocked over. I don’t know what was in those things, but there was an explosion.”
“No way!” Josh said.
“Oh yeah. There was a fire and everything. They closed the lab for a whole semester. Everyone in Dove Pond called her ‘Hot Stuff’ after that.”
Well, that explained that.
Josh shook his head. “You guys had a lot more fun than we do.”
“We didn’t have nearly the number of rules. Which is why we lost more fingers and have more scars.” Sheriff McIntyre’s gaze moved back to Kristen. “You know your mom was the one who painted the mural in the gym?”
Kristen blinked. “The big one? Over the bleachers?”
He nodded.
Missy’s eyes had gone wide. “No one ever told us that. We see that mural almost every day.”
Kristen couldn’t stop a sudden, instant smile. It wasn’t the Wonder Kristen mural, but it was something, and it was her mother’s. Kristen wondered why Mom hadn’t mentioned she’d painted the mural in the gym. Mom must have decided it wasn’t up to her standards. She was way too critical of her own work. The next time Kristen went to school, she’d take a closer look at it. “Thank you, Sheriff. I appreciate you taking the time for this.”
“No problem.” The sheriff went back to his chair behind the desk, although he didn’t sit. “If you think of any more questions, stop back by. I’m right here.”
Missy grabbed her book bag and shoved her notepad into a pocket. “Thanks for your help.”
Josh closed his notebook. “When you have the time, I’d like to hear more about those fire drills.”
“Sure. By the way, tell your dad I said hello.”
“Will do.” Josh and Missy headed for the door.
Kristen followed.
She was almost there when the sheriff’s voice rang out behind her. “Just a minute, Foster.”
Uh-oh. She watched with longing eyes as the door swung shut behind Josh before she turned back to the sheriff.
He’d crossed his arms again and now he rocked back on his heels, his gaze laser sharp. “What’s going on? And I mean, what’s really going on.”
“Nothing. It’s just like we said. We’re doing a section for the yearbook.”
He shot her an exasperated look. “It’s pretty obvious this has nothing to do with the yearbook.” He waited, but when she didn’t speak, he sighed. “Fine. Let me tell you what I think you guys are doing. Ready?”
She didn’t answer.
He seemed to take that as a yes. “You’re trying to find your dad.”
Oh no. Kristen cast another longing look at the door, but it seemed much too far away. Great. Just great. She forced herself to face him. “Maybe.”
“There’s no maybe. There’s yes or no. Which is it?”
That sounded so much like something Grandma Ellen would say that Kristen had to fight a scowl.
He sighed. “Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head.
“Fine.” He eyed her for a long minute. “Look, I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m sure you have enough people doing that right now, and trust me, lately I’ve grown to understand how horrible that can be.”
She wondered if he was talking about the situation with Ava and Sarah, but before Kristen could ask, he continued, “Just promise you’ll exercise some caution.”
What did that mean? “Caution?”
He nodded grimly. “I don’t know why your mom didn’t include your dad in your life, but it’s possible she had a good reason.”
Kristen had already thought of that. What if he’s mean? Or an alcoholic? Or— She halted her spinning thoughts. She could think of so many bad things.
Aware the sheriff was still watching, Kristen said, “I’ll take that into consideration.”
“Good. And if you ever want to talk about things, or—and this is just hypothetical, you understand—but if you need to find out if someone is safe, let me know. I might be able to find out if they have, say, a long rap sheet or a history of violence or anything like that. So long as we stay within the letter of the law, I’m here for you.” His deep green gaze locked on her. “You understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Good.”
That was more than she’d hoped for. A lot more. She wondered how much she could trust him. Do I really have a choice?
She took a calming breath. “There’s only one man left on my list. Do you know Jack Lind? He does property management or something like that.”
The sheriff smiled. “I know him well. His family and mine are close.”
“And?”
“He’s a good one. And yes, he was close to your mom at some point. I don’t know their timeline, but I suppose anything is possible.”
That has to be it, then. Jack Lind is my dad. She waited to see how she felt about it, but other than an odd flicker of dread, she had no reaction. Shouldn’t I be excited? At least a little?
“Are you going to talk to him soon?” Sheriff McIntyre asked.
She nodded.
“That’s going to be some conversation. If you want someone to go with you, call me. Like I said, I know him and I’m here if you need me.”
“Thanks. I think I’ve got it, though.” The sheriff was being kind, which she appreciated, but she was stretched so thin that she feared that if she tried to smile one more time, her face would crack.
Still, she felt as if she should reciprocate in some way. So before she left, she said, “Can I tell you something?”
His gaze narrowed, some of his smile disappearing. “About?”
“Ava.”
His mouth hardened. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“I understand. And look, I don’t know what happened. The rumors are… well, they’re stupid.” She shrugged. “I haven’t seen Sarah, so I don’t know about her. But I see Ava every day, and I can tell that whatever happened, she regrets it.”
“Kristen, don’t—”
“Please. You did me a favor. So now I owe you one. I know Ava really well. I’ve worked for her for over two whole years. People are canceling tea and landscaping orders, and she’s devastated. I doubt anyone will come to the tearoom when it opens now. She’s not sleeping and hasn’t been for a while. She was talking on the phone today, and her voice was shaking so bad that I worried she might…” Kristen stopped, out of breath from talking so fast. “I’m worried about her.”
As she spoke, the sheriff’s gaze had dropped to the top of his shoes. He was quiet for a long time. Finally, he sighed. “Fine. I’ll talk to Dylan and see what’s up. He’s there most days, so he’ll know.”
“He’s worried too.”
“Great.” The sheriff raked a hand through his hair. “She still shouldn’t have done what she did.”
“Whatever it was, I’ll bet it was an accident or a mistake or something like that.” Kristen shrugged. “I’d hate to be judged just on my mistakes.”
He managed a smile. “It’s not that easy.”
“Nothing is,” she replied honestly. “Life sucks.”
He laughed and threw his hands up. “Okay, okay! That’s dark, but I know where you’re coming from. Thanks for telling me about Ava. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with the information, but I appreciate your honesty.”
“You’re welcome.” She waved and, feeling as if she were escaping an interrogation, she left. As she walked out into the cold, she was suddenly so exhausted that she felt as if she could sleep for a hundred days.
She found Josh and Missy waiting beside the car.
“What did he want?” Missy asked.
Josh’s gaze searched her face. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah.” Kristen rubbed her face with both hands. “He was just checking on me.”
Josh muttered, “He blew our cover. I hate that.”
Missy cut a hard glance at Kristen. “You never mentioned that signature didn’t have a last name.”
Kristen’s face grew hot. “He’s the only Blake I know.”
“I would have done the same thing,” Josh said staunchly.
Missy shrugged. “I guess I might have, too. Just to be clear, though… Mr. Lind did sign his last name, right?”
Kristen had to swallow a sharp retort. She couldn’t blame her friends for being upset. What a stupid mistake. “It was definitely him. I remember because he looped his L like crazy. By the way, Sheriff McIntyre knows Mr. Lind and says he and Mom had a relationship of some sort.”
Missy brightened. “That’s good news.”
Missy could pretend all she wanted; Kristen knew better. There was no good news.
Her dismal thoughts must have shown, because Josh sent her a worried look. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“I’m tired. I hadn’t realized how much. Everything’s happening so fast and… it’s hard.”
Missy slipped an arm around Kristen’s shoulders. “Why don’t you come spend the night? Mom and Dad would love to see you.”
Kristen would love to see them, too. She longed for some normalcy, and Missy’s home had lots of that. “That would be nice. We can study for the physics quiz tomorrow, too.”
Missy rolled her eyes. “I was t
hinking we could watch a movie, but if you need to study, we can.”
Kristen wasn’t the one who needed to study, but she said, “I’ll run home and grab my things and meet you there. I can drive us to school in the morning, too, if you’d like.”
“Perfect. We can—” Missy’s phone buzzed. “That’s Mom now.” Her thumbs flew as she texted. “I’m telling her you’re coming over. She’ll be happy to hear that. She worries about—” Missy’s phone buzzed again, and she smiled. “She says you’re always welcome.”
“Great. I’ll see you there. Bye, Josh.” Kristen headed to her car, surprised when Josh fell into step beside her.
He slanted a glance her way. “So.”
“So?”
“So this Lind dude is likely to be your dad.”
“Maybe. We could have been wrong about the whole thing, too.” Was that better? Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know anything right now.
Josh’s dark gaze flickered over Kristen’s face. “You think the sheriff will blab to your grandmother about what we’re doing?”
“I hope not, but there’s no guarantee.” She sighed. “I guess we’ll have to talk to Mr. Lind as soon as he’s back.”
“Sure. And listen, if it’s not Mr. Lind, we’ll keep looking. We won’t stop until we find your dad.”
Josh seemed so determined that she managed a real, if thin, smile. “Thanks. That means a lot.”
He flushed, looking so pleased that her fake smile softened into a real one. “You and Missy have been great,” she said.
He shrugged. “You’d do the same for us.”
That was true. “Still, I really appreciate you all. See you tomorrow?”
He nodded, and so with a wave, she climbed in her car and drove away, leaving Josh on the sidewalk, watching her go.
CHAPTER 16 Ellen
Her Noir Epi agenda tucked under one arm, Ellen stood in the doorway of Julie’s bedroom and eyed the colorful madness within. As of late this afternoon, she’d met all her benchmarks for freshening up the downstairs. She’d cleaned out a large portion of the endless fribble Julie had kept on every available surface and packed it away. She’d also thinned out the excessive number of rugs, tchotchkes, and art that had been stuffed into almost every corner and had it ready to be hauled off to a storage facility.
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