“Brock Luepke.” It was obvious that Veronica immediately regretted mentioning him. Hadley kept to herself that she’d met Mr. Luepke personally last night outside of Gus’ Watering Hole.“But Brock is harmless, really. Everyone knows he's a flirt. In all honesty, I forgot that it even happened until I saw him driving through town yesterday.”
“Did Missy seem upset by it?”
“Not really. She laughed it off.” Veronica reached for her purse, but again, she didn’t stand. She met Hadley's gaze, and it was clear she wanted to add something else. Hadley offered a slight nod of encouragement. “My dad said you grew up here.”
“I did,” Hadley responded cautiously, not willing to go down memory lane after having already done so with Elijah. “Why?”
“Do you believe in theThreshing Man?” Veronica didn't wait for an answer. Instead, she leaned forward in her chair and whispered aloud what a lot of residents were afraid to ask. “And if you do, what do you think he did with Missy?”
17
Hadley Dawkins
October 2025
Sunday – 6:57pm
The SUV’s headlights carved a tunnel through the darkness, making the narrow country road appear even more tapered as the edges continually disappeared into shadow. Dense pine and oak trees crowded both sides of the pavement, and their branches created a canopy that blocked most of the night sky.Occasionally, heat lightning flashed somewhere above the treeline, briefly painting the road in an orange tint before surrendering once more to the darkness.
Hadley took another bite of her lukewarm grilled cheese sandwich, the rich flavors of cheddar cheese and butter a comfort she hadn’t had in over a decade. She’d had many over the years, but not from the Blue Plate Diner.
The sandwich, wrapped in parchment paper by the waitress, had been an afterthought. Hadley hadn't realized how many hours had passed since breakfast until her stomach protested loudly enough to interrupt her conversation with the mayor’sassistant, who had been at the festival the night Missy disappeared.
Since Hadley had needed to speak with the diner staff due to Missy’s summer part-time job, Hadley had taken advantage of the interviews and placed a to-go order. While waiting for her dinner, she’d spoken to Shirley Burns, a waitress who had graduated from Whistlerun High a few years ahead of Hadley.
Shirley and the other server had been quick to share some details about Missy Claymont. ‘Sweet girl’ and ‘always polite’ had been their standard phrases, imparted several times over the course of the conversation. When pressed about Missy's demeanor in the weeks before her disappearance, Shirley had simply shrugged and expressed her opinion that everything seemed status quo. The two had never really socialized outside of work.
A piece of the crust fell off her sandwich, and she heard it hit the parchment paper in her lap. She didn’t take her attention off the road, though. There was an upcoming sharp curve, and she eased into it, searching for the reflective eyes of deer or other nocturnal creatures that might dart into her path.
Once the road was on a more straightforward path, she took another bite of her sandwich. The day had yielded frustratingly little concrete information, with the exception of Brock Luepke. Hadley would have stopped in at the police station to speak with Reed, but his truck hadn’t been parked in its usual spot. His cruiser, on the other hand, had been pulled into the small driveway to the left of the house.
Hadley figured Reed and Nora were spending their day off together, and she didn’t want to interfere with their evening plans. Besides, she needed time to organize her thoughts on the direction of the investigation. She finished off half her sandwich before reaching for the napkins she’d tossed onto the passenger seat.
There was one thing that troubled her regarding how easily Missy had been able to hide her guitar lessons with Lucas. Brock had obviously known, but in a town where everyone knew everyone else's business, how had she managed to keep her meetings with Lucas so hush-hush? And more importantly, if she could hide something as innocent as music lessons, what else might she have concealed?
Again, Hadley’s thoughts circled back to Brock Luepke. She didn’t want to get ahead of herself, though. Tomorrow, she would venture onto the festival grounds. There was a good chance some of the carnies who had worked the night Missy disappeared were still employed by the organization.
Carnival workers, food vendors, security personnel…anyone who might have noticed something out of the ordinary. While such interviews had been conducted a year ago, Hadley had learned that asking the same questions a second time, especially after memories had settled, sometimes yielded different answers.
She had just pulled back the other half of the parchment paper to pick up the second half of her sandwich when the music from her Spotify list was interrupted by an incoming call. She checked her speed, easing off the gas slightly while she glanced at the console for a name. Only one wasn’t associated with the caller. Using the napkin one more time to wipe the grease from her fingers, she then pressed the steering wheel button to take the call.
“Dawkins.”
“Detective Dawkins? This is Nora Oliver.” The woman's voice came through the car speakers. “I'm sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if Reed is with you?”
Hadley once again eased off the accelerator, an unconscious response to the unexpected question. The speedometer needle drifted downward even more as she glanced in her rearviewmirror. There was a car about a quarter mile behind her, so she picked up and maintained a constant speed.
“No, I’m sorry,” Hadley replied, curiosity getting the better of her. She couldn’t help but wonder how Nora had gotten her number. “He’s not with me. Is everything okay?”
A long pause followed her question before Nora’s shaky exhale amplified her concern.
“I don't know. We had dinner plans at five o'clock. I went to the store to pick up some celery, but he wasn’t home when I got back. I didn’t think anything of it, but by the time I took out the roast…” Nora allowed her words to trail off, a faint tremor audible in her voice. “I came back downstairs, thinking maybe he’d left me a note, but there was nothing. His phone goes straight to voicemail, which never happens. It's been over two hours now, and I’m really worried that something has happened.”
Hadley placed her half-eaten sandwich in its wrapper on the passenger seat. She then flicked on her turn signal, checking the rearview mirror for the distance between her and the other vehicle. She pulled off the side to allow the car to pass without issue.
“In all likelihood, Reed probably went out on a call,” Hadley surmised as she let the engine idle. “Service is spotty in some of the?—”
“Reed is the most reliable person I know,” Nora exclaimed, frustration building in her tone. “If he says he'll be somewhere at five, he's there at four forty-five. If his plans change, he calls. Always.”
