Jenna walked into Webb’s, a greasy spoon that had been serving the residents of Hawks Mill since shortly after World War II. Several different families had owned the place, and Jenna remembered going there as a kid, her dad buying her a milk shake and a plate of french fries. She and Celia went there after school for hamburgers at least once a month, and Jenna had never imagined that the smell of fried food and coffee could summon so much nostalgia. The smells and the nostalgia washed over her in waves.
Rick smiled at her from a booth near the back. He faced the door, his lopsided grin almost sliding off one side of his face. The diner was about a quarter full, a mix of high school kids and families and elderly couples just marking time. Jenna walked through them to the back and sat down across from Rick.
“I ordered coffee and a sandwich,” he said. “Do you want something?”
“No.”
“My treat.”
“What do you have to show me?” Jenna asked.
Rick looked hurt, but he recovered quickly. “Can I just shake your hand?”
“Come again?”
“I’d like to shake your hand.” He held his out over the table, his sleeve just above the ceramic mug of coffee.
“Why do you want to do that?” Jenna asked.
“I’ve never met anyone like you,” he said. He took his hand down when he saw Jenna wasn’t going to shake. Again hurt passed across his face, and again it left quickly. “You see, I live in a little town up in Indiana. It’s called Leesburg. Nothing really ever happens there. My dad farmed, but I worked in a factory. I’m retired now.”
“Rick, is this relevant?”
“Now, hold up. You see, I live a little life up there. It’s nice but slow.” He held up his left hand. Jenna saw the gold wedding band. “I lost my wife four years ago, and since then I’ve been spending more time online, looking at missing persons cases.”
Jenna swallowed hard. “Wait a minute. Lost her? Did she disappear?”
“No. Cancer. I’m lonely, so I’m online a lot.”
“Oh.” Jenna felt relief. She didn’t need to hear another sad tale. Not that a lonely old widower wasn’t sad enough. “I’m sorry.”
“What I’m saying, Jenna, is I’ve never met a celebrity before. That’s why I wanted to shake your hand. You’re famous. You’re on TV and everything.”
He looked so sincere and pathetic it was sickening. Jenna held her hand out and they shook. Rick even placed his left hand over top of hers, a two-hand shake. The waitress came by and Jenna ordered coffee and a blueberry muffin. When the coffee came, Jenna poured more sugar in than she needed. But she loved coffee only when it was supersweet. She didn’t understand the people who drank it black.
“Okay, Rick, you’ve got to tell me what’s going on.”
“Right. Sure. So I’ve been following this case ever since I first heard about it. And I’ve read all about the recent events, the things having to do with your son and that missing girl. You know, I’m sorry I didn’t get to talk to him more. He seemed like a nice kid.”
“He has to stay out of this stuff. It doesn’t concern him. Not directly.”
“I didn’t like what Reena said about you tonight. I watched it in my hotel room here. I like her show, but sometimes it seems as though . . .” He seemed to be grasping for the right way to say what he wanted to say. “She has this tendency to turn against people.” He spoke about the TV host as though she were a close personal friend. “She builds people up, has them on the show, and then at some point, she turns against them and tears them down. I guess it’s for the ratings.”
The waitress brought the muffin, and Jenna checked her watch. “About Celia?”
“Okay, I’ve been following the case. She had that affair. And they haven’t found her body. They found that other girl’s body.”
“Holly Crenshaw.”
“Right. And they found this man’s body in the house where he was killed. But people have seen Celia other places, so maybe she ran away.”
“She wouldn’t leave her daughter.”
“I’m sure you know this, Jenna. But Celia’s grandparents used to own a house on a lake up near where I live. Sawmill Lake, it’s called. Her grandparents grew up in Indiana.”
Jenna sat back in the booth. Celia’s grandparents did come from northern Indiana. They had died before Jenna and Celia met, but Jenna remembered Celia talking about family trips up there when she was little.
“How did you know she had family in Indiana?” Jenna asked. “Was it in the news?”
“Now, that’s the funny part. It was someone on the message boards. At first, I thought this person was you because they seemed to know so much about Celia. But then I figured out who you were. To be honest, I just kind of guessed about you. Took a shot in the dark.”
“How exactly did you figure that out?” Jenna asked. “It’s kind of creepy, if you don’t mind my being honest.”