‘It’s Lyndsey Carne, Miss Grey. I need to ask you a favor.’ She held her breath and finally the door cracked open a few inches. Before the old woman could berate her, she rattled off the story of Theo’s disappearance. ‘I’d like to walk around the outside of your property, if that’s all right?’
‘The boy won’t be here. He don’t say boo to a goose when he runs by,’ she scoffed. ‘Frightened of me, I s’ppose.’
‘He’s a bit . . . troubled these days, and isn’t the chattiest at the best of times.’ Lyndsey added her nephew to the list of people who might help to alleviate this woman’s appalling loneliness. ‘So do you mind if I check?’
‘You’ll do it anyway, so I might as well say yes.’
It amused Lyndsey that the old lady had the measure of her and realized she wasn’t a walkover. ‘Thank you.’
‘I’ll come along. Make sure you don’t do any damage.’ The door creaked open further and Ruth Mae hobbled out, leaning heavily on her walking stick. As usual, she was dressed in another old-fashioned rust-black dress. To Lyndsey, the outfits always looked as if they’d arrived with the original pioneering Grey family.
She slowed her stride to match Miss Grey’s halting steps and found herself talking about Theo and his problems.
‘Being somewhere you’re not wanted ain’t much of it.’
The unexpected sympathy for her errant nephew touched her. ‘Is that how you feel, surrounded by all these new people who’ve moved onto what was your family’s land?’
Ruth Mae gazed off into the distance and said nothing.
‘Perhaps you’d like to come over for a cup of coffee one day and meet them all properly? They may not be Greys, but they’re good people.’
The old woman turned away. ‘I’m tired. I’m goin’ in. You can search the back by yourself. I hope you find the boy.’
‘Thank you.’ On impulse, Lyndsey touched her arm, shocked at the frailty of the bones under her fingers. ‘I’ll be sure to let you know when we find Theo, and I won’t forget about that coffee, either.’
‘Don’t drink the stuff. Water straight out the tap does for me.’
She kept a straight face at the sly acceptance. ‘We’ve got that, too.’
As soon as Miss Grey shuffled off towards the house, Lyndsey headed around to the back. This part was in even worse condition; the couple of sheds, a chicken coop and a small barn she spotted were all on the verge of falling down. Determined to do a thorough job, she checked them out and emerged covered in spider webs and decades of accumulated dust and dirt. She couldn’t help smiling at the idea of Theo — another neat freak — coming in here.
At first she thought the buzzing noise she heard was bees, and glanced anxiously around. When it clicked that it came from her phone, Lyndsey yanked her phone from her pocket, hopeful for good news.
No luck. I’m heading back your way soon.
Griff’s terse message made her spirits fade.
* * *
Griff parked outside the Adamsville Grocery and hurried inside. He’d kill two birds with one stone and ask if anyone had seen Theo while he picked up a cold Coke to slake his thirst.
‘Hey, Buddy, how’s it going?’ he greeted the grizzled old man who’d run this place forever.
‘Could be worse.’ Buddy ambled out from behind the counter. ‘Haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays. Mind you, I did hear you were in with a cute little ole girl the other night though.’ He winked. ‘Missed that, didn’t I? I were at my sister’s in Leiper’s Fork for supper.’
‘I brought a friend to check out the music,’ he mumbled.
‘You could do with a good woman.’ Buddy tugged off the faded orange baseball cap he was never without and scratched his bald head before settling the hat back in place. ‘My Martha Lou kept me in line.’ His smile dimmed. ‘Fifty-one years we were wed, and there’s not a mornin’ now that I don’t wake up and miss the ole girl.’
‘It must be hard.’
‘ “Hard” don’t begin to cover it, son.’
They stood silently for a moment.
‘You didn’t come in to hear me piss and moan.’ Buddy straightened up. ‘What’re you after today?’
‘Two things. First a cold Coke, then you might be able to help me with something. I know you keep your ears open and hear folk talking.’ More than a few locals used him as a combination of therapist, police officer and minister.
