Ruth shook her head. “I knew of him. His brother Tyler was in my class, but everyone in Prairie Creek is talking about it.” Sabrina Delaney, a local veterinarian, was engaged to marry Colton Dillinger, one of the heirs to a huge local cattle ranch. It was the sort of event that sucked up the resources of local bakers and florists and sent women driving to Jackson in search of a decent dress. She knew her father would be pleased to be rubbing elbows with the wealthy Dillingers. Many of the local churches would be happy to have Rob McFerron as a resident preacher if he could draw wealthy patrons to the collection plate. “That’s great, Dad. You must feel honored.”
“Actually, I’m not even sure I’m doing it. There’s a moral dilemma here. I’m not sure I want to have someone with the scant morals of Colton Dillinger in my congregation.”
“What?” Ruth paused, miffed by the fact that her father would accept a creep like Cal Haney but reject Colt Dillinger. “You’ve always liked the Dillingers.” Translation: sucked up to them. Dad liked the Kincaids too, though it was never an easy task to straddle the breach between those two rival clans. Still, for the promise of generous tithings, the Reverend Robert McFerron made the effort.
“It’s about Colton’s son, Rourke.” Bev swiped at her brow with the back of one hand. “You know. Born out of wedlock,” she whispered.
“Oh, really?” Ruth tried to keep her annoyance with her father’s rigid views out of her voice. “It’s a life, Dad. Isn’t that what you’re always campaigning for?”
“Not out of the sanctity of marriage.” Rob McFerron pursed his lips. “This puts me in a compromising position.”
“Because two people want to get married?”
“I can’t condone the sins of the past.”
“But, Dad, who are you to judge?”
“I am a minister of the Lord Jesus Christ, and don’t take that tone with me.”
“But—” Ruth had to stop herself from lashing out against her father, who had always enjoyed goading her into these infuriating conversations. “I’m just saying—I don’t know how old this Rourke kid is, but if he lives in this town, I hope you’re nice to him. None of this is his fault.”
“As if I’m ever anything but nice.” He took a long swallow of lemonade. “Now that we’ve heard from liberal California, what’s the plan for dinner, Bev? I’m leading the men’s Bible study at seven.”
“And I’ve got to get the girls to dinner,” Ruth said, grateful for a reason to duck out. “Thanks for watching them, Mom.”
Forty minutes later, Ruth was relieved to step into the cool air of the diner, where Cordelia, the no-nonsense waitress, let the girls take the last available booth. Before leaving with the girls, Ruth had spent a few minutes explaining her confrontation with Cal Haney to Fiona, and Jessica’s mother had shared her sense that there was something off about the man.
“I’ll lay down the law,” Fiona said. “Jessie is never to go there again.”
Ruth had also gone over the need to stay close to the house and use caution around strangers. This time, both girls had listened quietly and promised to follow the rules. Now, as she sank onto the cool vinyl upholstery and sipped her ice water, Ruth looked over at her daughter with pride. The incident this afternoon could have been worse if Penny hadn’t been cautious. She was a good kid, and she deserved the simple, wholesome childhood that Prairie Creek had to offer.
“How are you doing tonight, Cordelia?” Ruth asked the waitress when she came to take their order. Cordelia greeted most guests with a deadpan look, though she seemed to have a soft spot for Penny.
She shrugged. “I’ve had better nights. Everyone here’s feeling the strain right now.”
“Too hot for you?” Ruth asked, noticing that the usually animated restaurant did seem a bit subdued tonight, with diners murmuring in low, doleful voices. An elderly woman across from Ruth frowned down at her plate as her husband stared off sadly, hands tucked under his chin.
“It’s not the weather as much as the bad news. We got one girl missing and another one . . .” Cordelia nodded toward the girls. “I don’t want to ruin anyone’s meal.” She poured water into three glasses on the table. “It’s a real heartbreak.”
“I heard about Addie Donovan,” Ruth said, trying to stay calm. “Do you know her?”
“She’s been in here with her family. A good kid.”
“I hope they find her.” Ruth tried to sound positive.
Cordelia nodded, pressing the bridge of her nose as if to stave off tears. “She was just out riding, and her horse came back without her.” She looked away. “Her parents, Deb and Jeremy, were freaking out last night, and now, with this other girl . . .” She took a calming breath. “It doesn’t look good.” The waitress walked off, replacing the water pitcher at the service stand.
Something was wrong . . . very wrong. Now Ruth noticed the subdued voices at the tables around her. Bad news had obviously hit the diner, one of the centers of town gossip. What was the story with the “other girl”?
She checked Penny and Jessica to see if they were curious, but they were pointing out items on the dessert menu, making big plans. Scooting out of the booth, Ruth stepped away from the table and followed the waitress toward the kitchen.
“Cordelia,” Ruth called, pulse pounding. “Who’s the other girl you mentioned?”
“Oh, they found a kid who went missing years ago. You just moved here, so you wouldn’t know her.” Cordelia didn’t realize that Ruth had attended high school in Prairie Creek.
“My parents have lived here for years. Did they find one of the girls who disappeared fifteen years ago? Is she all right?” The look on Cordelia’s face said it all, and suddenly Ruth knew. They hadn’t found a girl. They’d found a corpse.
“One of the deputies found the remains of a young woman up on the ridge near the Tate land this afternoon. They said she might be Courtney Pearson.”
Chapter 14
Ruth didn’t know how she made it through dinner that night. The tacos seemed leathery and tasteless, and the hot sauce started a burn in her throat that lasted throughout the meal and beyond.
One girl dead and another girl missing . . .
Actually, Courtney Pearson wouldn’t be a girl anymore. Older than Ruth by a couple years, she would have been in her early thirties had she lived. Memories of that summer long past consumed Ruth. Thank goodness Penny had Jessica to keep her occupied, because her mother was about as responsive as a zombie.
She couldn’t stop thinking of Courtney Pearson. Although Ruth’s family had been living in Prairie Creek for only a year or so when Courtney went missing, the girl’s disappearance had made an impression on Ruth because of the way so many people had written her off. Granted, the girl was no angel, but she caught everyone’s attention in the hall at school or when she walked in town. With her trampy clothes, big hair, multiple piercings, and loud laughter and shrieks, Courtney filled a room.
When she first disappeared, most of the kids at school thought that a larger-than-life person like Courtney couldn’t have been hurt, that she had simply left town and hitchhiked her way to excitement in a city like Denver or Vegas. People like Ruth’s father passed judgment in a different way, claiming that Courtney deserved whatever happened to her because of her bad behavior. That condemnation had seemed wrong back then. Now, Ruth knew it was deplorable. Today, a kid like Courtney was exactly the kind of girl Ruth wanted to reach.