The Red Onion Restaurant was behind the inflatable Disney castle with its flock of laughing kids, which was why they had missed it earlier. When they stepped through the doorway, a blast of cool air hit them. Abby sighed in relief and vowed that no matter what was on the menu, she was staying as long as possible.
A waitress smiled and said, “Sit anywhere you like.” John held the door for a pair of ladies coming in after them, and the waitress’s smile super-sized. One lady had white hair permed high and wore a turquoise T-shirt adorned with rhinestone-studded birdhouses. The outfit looked like one the Old Dears would favor, and Abby smiled to herself.
“You want sweet tea, Bernice, Alma?” the waitress asked as she hurried past, the wooden floor creaking under her feet.
“You read my mind, Shireen,” the birdhouse woman called after her. “We’re parched.”
The place was nearly full, but Ryan led the way to an empty booth near the back. He stood while Kate slid in next to the wall, and Abby and John followed their lead. The artificial wood grain was nearly rubbed off the tabletop, but the seats were comfortable. The tall ceiling overhead was of vintage pressed tin and gave the room a quaint charm.
Abby looked around with interest. Three guys in matching work shirts and John Deere caps glanced her way but turned, almost shyly, back to their meal. She smiled at the young woman at the table next to theirs, who nodded a return greeting and went back to dealing out french fries to her three small children.
Kate handed everyone menus from the rack in front of her. Studying the selection, Abby made a bet with herself that Ryan would choose the chef salad as the least objectionable item.
“Oh, they’ve got corndogs,” Kate said. But when the waitress returned, she ordered the chef salad after a regretful look at Ryan.
Abby went for the cheeseburger, and John chose a catfish sandwich.
“How can you eat that?” Ryan asked. “Do you realize catfish are scavengers, bottom feeders?”
John just rolled his eyes and smiled apologetically to the waitress while Ryan continued to frown over the menu. The waitress shifted from one foot to the other until Ryan finally looked up and said, “I’ll have the chef salad also. With vinaigrette dressing. Only please bring the dressing on the side.”
Abby awarded herself ten points.
“What are you smiling about?” John asked.
“I’m just happy,” she said.
“Miss?” Kate said, “I wonder if you could help us?”
“Why sure,” the waitress answered. “I’d be glad to if I can.”
“I’m trying to find some relatives of mine. Do you know of any Greenfields around here?”
Putting her pen and pad back in her apron pocket, she cocked her head and thought for a moment. “I don’t think so. Not in town anyway. You could ask Chief Logan. He knows pretty nearly everyone out in the hills.”
“We already did,” Abby said.
“Mayor Windham may know.”
When the waitress left, Ryan scanned the restaurant with a sneer barely disguised as a smile. “Can you believe these hoosiers wearing their gimme caps indoors? Obviously no one taught them manners.”
“Do you really think so?” John asked.
Kate seemed to be wearing blinders when it came to Ryan. Or maybe she was not the real Kate at all. Maybe all those stories about alien abductions were true. In any case, the Kate Abby knew and loved would never condone disparaging others.
“You might want to try the style yourself, Ryan,” John said. “A cap covers a multitude of sins.”
“What do you mean?” Ryan worriedly ran his hands over his hair and then rose suddenly. “Excuse me, Kathryn, Abby. I’ll be right back,” he said, heading toward the rear of the restaurant.
“John!” Abby said. “What is wrong with you?”
“Please don’t tease him about his hair,” Kate said. “He hates it if it gets messed up.”
John made a face. “I know, I know. I’m sorry for acting so juvenile.”
But it was hard to be too annoyed with John, since his comment had made Ryan leave. “So anyway, Kate, you asked where John and I were. Well, we managed to do a little time-surfing in the Methodist Church while you and Ryan were making goo-goo eyes.”
“So it’s working? Did you find Ned?”
“Yes, it’s working. No, we did not find Ned. But we did hear Hickory Hill mentioned.”
“The thing is,” John said, “A guy named John Granger owned it—at least he did at one time.”
“We saw the famous General Lawler too,” Abby said. “He was related by marriage to Granger.”
“We would have surfed more to see when the Greenfields lived at Hickory Hill, but Reverend Henderson came in and we had to leave.”
“Quiet,” Abby said. “Here comes Ryan.”
“But what are we going to do next?” Kate whispered.
“I don’t know. John and I will think of something. And, John? Try to behave, will you?”
“I promise. To try.”
“Ryan, you got back just in time,” Kate said. “Here comes our food.”
Ryan picked all the ham out of his salad, and Abby wondered how he ever got enough protein to survive. Her burger was wonderful, much better than the one at McDonald’s earlier, and she learned a new adjective to describe it when one of the cap-wearing customers thanked the waitress and told her his burger was “larrapin’ good.” She made a mental note to look that up and add it to her list of interesting words when she got home. She studied the chalkboard on the wall across from them where someone had listed the desserts. She was torn between chocolate pie, peach cobbler, and apple crumb cake.
Ryan dabbed at his lips, folded his napkin precisely, and placed it next to his plate. “So when do we set up the computer?”
Abby struggled to find an answer that wasn’t a lie and finally settled for, “It’s still a little too early for that.”
“Why? We’re getting nowhere without it,” Ryan said.
“It’s not exactly working right,” Kate said, “But Abby and John found a clue about Hickory Hill. We need to do some more asking around.”
“Is it working or isn’t it, Kathryn? Because if it’s not, there’s no use sticking around here. Give me your keys and I’ll drive. You can nap on the way home.”
“Home? We’re not going home,” Kate said, making no move to hand over her keys. “And I’m not tired.”
“Obviously, the day has been a complete waste,” Ryan said. “And if the library and courthouse are as hoosier as everything else around here we won’t find—”
“Well, I’m not going home until I’ve tried,” Kate said.
“So, we’re going to hang around here all day tomorrow doing what?”
“Asking about Ned Greenfield and Hickory Hill. Besides, it’s picturesque. Think of it as a vacation.”
“Why didn’t we think to ask Patty Ann or her grandma?” John said.
Abby smacked the side of her head. “Duh. It didn’t even occur to me.”
Ryan heaved a sigh and got out his wallet. “Okay, let’s go see if we have any better luck finding Mayor Windbag Windham than we did the library.”
In spite of Abby and Kate’s efforts to go Dutch, the guys insisted on paying. As they left Abby gave one last longing look at the list of desserts and followed them out onto the hot sidewalk.
“Y’all come again now,” the waitress called after them.
The sun was lower in the sky than Abby had expected it to be. They’d have to get busy if the day wasn’t to be a waste.
“You know, I think I’d better use the restroom before we go,” she said.
“Okay,” John said. “We’ll wait for you here.”
Abby willed Kate to look up, but she was smiling all gooey at Ryan again, probably trying to pacify him. So she cleared her throat and said, “Kate, are you coming?”
Kate snapped out of it and immediately got the message. “Oh. Yeah. Me too. I’ll be right back.”
Ryan heaved a sigh and looked at his watch. “All right. Try to hurry.”
Abby and Kate hurried back into the Red Onion and edged past diners to the ladies’ room in the back hall. As soon as the door shut behind them, Kate grabbed her arms. “Okay, what do we do now?”
“You take Ryan and ask around about Ned Greenfield and Hickory Hill. See if Mayor Windham’s still around. John and I will try to get back inside the church. We’ll meet up with you as soon as we can at the square.”
“All right, but, Abby?”
“Yes?”
“I don’t know how long I can hold off telling Ryan. I won’t lie to him.”
“I’m not asking you to do that. Just try not to give it away, okay?”