The coffee was served in matching NASCAR cups. Laura Farrow looked only slightly more rested than when Dani had seen her at the high school gymnasium. The deputy fidgeted on the living room sofa, doing her best to look natural in her too-yellow dress. She kept telling herself she looked like a banana, that she should have worn jeans and a T-shirt. Better yet, she should have disobeyed her uncle and worn her uniform.
“You all right, Deputy?” Laura asked after watching Dani adjust and readjust on the floral sofa over and over again.
“She’s fine,” Uncle Otis said. “She’s just not used to wearing anything that don’t come with a gun belt.”
Dani smiled. “Coffee’s good.”
Laura nodded. “I make enough of it. I should be able to brew a decent cup by now.”
Otis sipped from his cup and then said, “Mrs. Farrow…”
“It’s Miss Farrow. There is no Mr. Farrow. In fact, just call me Laura.”
Otis smiled. “Fine. Laura, I’m not exactly sure what it is I can do about your girl, but Dani here was filling me in, and I was just curious to hear more.”
Laura choked up. “You’ll have to excuse me. I ain’t never had the law say they was curious to know more about Kate. Don’t nobody want to hear nothing from me.”
“I understand you’ve felt ignored by Sheriff Rucker…”
“Hell, I’d be happy if he’d ignore me. He comes just short of threatening me when I ask him about the case.”
Otis sighed and said, “That is disappointing to hear. Stan and I have had a lot of dealings over the years, and other than him being a tad full of himself, I had thought him to be a committed law enforcement officer.”
“Laura,” Dani said, “I talked to Sheriff Rucker after we spoke and he stated that Kate’s case is closed, has been for almost four years.”
“What?” Laura sounded shocked. “Why would they close the case?”
The deputy hesitated and mapped out her next question carefully. “Did the sheriff ever have a conversation with you concerning an accident…with a train?”
“Train accident? No. What does that have to do with Kate?”
Otis jumped in. “Nothing as far as we can tell, Miss—I mean, Laura.”
A knock came at the door and Laura excused herself.
Otis leaned over and whispered, “No need to bring up the train business. You and me both know it’s bullshit.”
Six women of various ages filed through Laura’s front door. They all wore the same desperate expression. Otis and Dani stood and smiled politely.
“I hope you don’t mind,” Laura said. “After you called last night, Deputy Savage, I invited some of the other mothers to come talk to you this morning.”
Dani furrowed her brow. “Other mothers?”
“Mothers of missing girls. Girls no one’s looking for.”
Otis’s stomach tied in knots. “I don’t understand. You all have missing children?”
They all nodded, and Laura added, “Girls. And there are more. These were the only mothers I could get ahold of on such short notice.”
Otis and Dani shared a look. He then held out his coffee cup. “Laura, you got anything stronger you can add to this coffee? Ima need a little something to help me process all this.”