The families at the tables on either side of theirs seemed a little hushed, as if they were pretending to not listen to the conversations the Dunbars were having with Remi.
Greer wondered if all the families turned out like this on a routine basis or if they’d been ordered to present themselves this evening. He looked around at the gathering. There were several male and female teenagers. Some looked to be middle to older teens. But there were far more children than teenagers.
Sally wasn’t anywhere to be seen.
When supper was over, the kids cleared the dishes and the men dismantled the trestle tables. In the middle of the busy activity, he looked up and saw the girl he’d seen at Remi’s university.
He frowned. Was that one of Remi’s assistants? Had she followed them out here?
Greer leaned over to Remi and whispered, “I’ll be right back. Don’t go anywhere.”
He hurried away from the line of tables being broken down. The girl moved between two cabins. He jogged to catch up to her as she went around behind one.
When Greer stepped into the backyard, there was nothing but a fenced-off vegetable patch that still had the desiccated remains of a long-gone garden.
Behind the other cabin was a mountain of firewood. A man was splitting wood. His ax slammed into the wood, cracking a half-log into quarters. He looked at Greer, then set up another half-log and swung hard.
He paused after that piece and stood silently staring at Greer.
Greer collected himself in time to not look like a fool. “Did you see a girl come this way?”
“You one of the visitors Mayor Dunbar invited for a stay?”
“I am.”
“Well then, I wouldn’t be chasing women here in our community.”
“I’m not chasing women. I saw a girl I thought I knew. Long blond hair. Jeans. I think her name was Sally?” Of course, none of the females in the community wore jeans, he realized. Maybe this guy didn’t even know what they were.
The woodcutter straightened, lowering his ax. “What did you say?” he asked, then glanced behind Greer.
Greer turned to see Mayor Dunbar coming along behind him. Greer smiled a welcome, then fell into benign chitchat as they headed back toward the dining tables. Greer looked back at the woodcutter, who was watching him with feral intensity.
When they reached the table, the women turned to them. Greer smiled at Remi. “Take a walk with me? It’s not often we get to enjoy a quiet sunset. I found the perfect hill while on my tour with Mr. Haskel earlier.”
“No, I need to help with cleanup duties,” Remi said.
“Nonsense. You go with your husband,” Mrs. Haskel insisted. “No place in the world has sunsets like ours.”
Remi stood and reached for his hand. “Well then, lead on.”
“Where are we really going?” Remi asked when they’d gone a little way down the road.
“To see the doctor. I want to know what was up with him earlier.”
“Why did you run off after dinner?”
Greer looked down at her, then away, wondering if what he was about to say sounded crazy. “I saw a blond who might have been Sally. Or someone who looked like her—I didn’t see her face.” In fact, he never saw the girl’s face. Her hair was always in the way, or her back was to him. “Do you have a female assistant or intern?” he asked, watching her. “I thought I saw her at the university, too.”
She shook her head. “Only Clancy, my teaching assistant. Were you able to talk to her?”
“No. She was gone before I could catch up with her.”
“Well, if she is Sally, then at least you know she hasn’t disappeared. She’s here and safe.”
Greer said nothing, convinced of no such thing. How had Sally gotten down to Remi’s university? What was she mixed up in?
They walked the remainder of the way to the infirmary in silence. Dusk was gathering, casting brilliant colors across the sky. Greer picked up the pace, knowing how the village shut down at night. He didn’t want to miss this chance to talk to the doctor without one of the other villagers curtailing their conversation.
The infirmary was a long building made of rough-hewn logs, like most of the other cabins. This one looked like it might have once been a bunkhouse for ranch hands. The front door was ajar. Greer knocked and pushed the door open a little farther.
Motioning to Remi to wait outside, he stepped into the shadowy interior. To the right was a small waiting room with two wooden benches. To the left, a room that looked like a surgery room. Down the hallway were two more rooms—another surgery and a kitchen. Beyond that was the patient area.
Greer got a glimpse of several cots, three with patients who were resting somewhat uncomfortably. He wondered if the other two patients had the same ailment that Mrs. Bennett had.
“Can I help you?” Dr. Robinson came out of the kitchen. He looked beyond Greer, out the main door. “You came unescorted?”
Greer nodded. “I wanted my wife, Dr. Remington Chase, to meet you.” He led the way out of the infirmary and made the introductions.
“Since when does the WKB hire sociologists?” Dr. Robinson asked.
“What makes you think we’re from the WKB?”
“You have the same pugnacious stance. And the WKB are the only outsiders allowed here.”
“My wife is from the University of Wyoming. I’m just here to make sure she comes home safely. A place frequented by the WKB isn’t a safe place.”
The doctor searched Greer’s eyes. Something shifted in his posture.
“And I’m looking for a girl named Sally.”
The doctor’s full attention sharpened on him. “How do you know Sally?”
“She tried to commit a crime while under the influence of drugs. My friends and I took her to a hospital. Her parents, who were from here, retrieved her.”
Dr. Robinson sat on a bench in front of the clinic, dropping as if his legs wouldn’t hold him.
“You know her, don’t you?” Greer asked.
He didn’t respond. “Where is she?”
“I just saw her—” Greer frowned. He had, hadn’t he?