18

Saturday morning Chris was at the Dip ’n’ Dine even earlier than usual. Saturday was always busy, and he couldn’t afford to close it up for the day just to get ready for his big night. He felt bad about hauling Olivia out of bed hours before sunup, but with his Jeep parked right out front where he could keep an eye on it, she was curled up in the back with her pillow and blanket, still asleep.

He flipped on the kitchen light and took a clipboard off a hook by his desk. Rita had presented it to him with a checklist attached, and he had to admit it was a system that worked. He leaned against the desk as he went over it. They were closing off the parking lot at noon, and shortly after that, the canopy that would cover it and the stage for the band would go up. They were bringing the tables over from the church fellowship hall sometime this afternoon. Rita had a crew coming in to set tables and decorate, and Carlos had a crew of nieces and nephews coming in to serve. Now all Chris and Carlos had to do was keep the food coming.

Chris looked up and smiled as the back door opened and Carlos came in. At least the kitchen would have a team of pros, even if they did spend the whole evening jostling for elbow space.

“Hey, boss. You’re here early.” Carlos hung his hat by the door and reached for an apron.

“Big day.” Chris tossed the clipboard on his desk and headed for the dining room.

“I don’t see Olivia.”

Chris stopped at the door. “She’s still sleeping out in the Jeep. I’ll get her up just before we open. And Elizabeth Cooley invited her to spend the day, so I’ll run her over there after breakfast.”

“How’s she doing with all this school stuff?”

Chris shrugged. “Olivia? Well, we’ve got two days gone and Monday to go. She’s not looking forward to going back, I can tell you that.”

“No, I can’t imagine she is.” Carlos shook his head. “I think it’s pretty rough, kicking a little kid like that out of school, especially just for pushing somebody down. I used to get in fights every other day when I was a kid. They’d just pull us apart and make us sit on a bench till recess was over.”

“Yeah, well, times have changed, Carlos. They have a thing they call ‘zero tolerance’ when it comes to any kind of physical violence. No second chances.” Chris pushed on into the dining room. Behind him, he could hear Carlos muttering something about “zero sense.” It didn’t change anything, but it felt good to have an ally, anyway.

The breakfast crowd swelled to capacity around midmorning, then ebbed until lunchtime, and the diner stayed pretty full for the rest of the afternoon. Juanita usually didn’t work Saturdays, but she had come in so Chris could spend more time in the kitchen. Things had been pretty cool between Chris and Juanita since the incident at the school Wednesday. Chris didn’t blame Juanita for what happened. That was all on Olivia. But he sure wished Juanita had just minded her own business for once and let Olivia and Emma meet at school on their own terms.

“Chris, I need to say something. And I need for you to listen to me.” Juanita had come into the kitchen behind him and stood with her arms crossed. He automatically checked behind her to see who in the dining room might be able to hear her thunderous whisper, but for once it was full enough and loud enough that he did not think she would be overheard.

“All right. Here I am, listening.”

“Well, the first thing is, I couldn’t be sorrier about Olivia getting suspended and all. She’s got a lot of rough edges, I think anyone can see that, but she did not deserve to be suspended and Emma Anderson not even get a slap on the wrist.”

Chris didn’t know what he had expected Juanita to say, but it wasn’t this. He shrugged. “Well, those are the rules. Any student who lays a hand on another student is automatically suspended.”

“I still don’t think it’s right. And I intend to tell Sarah Cooley that the next time I see her.”

“No. Don’t.” Chris held up his hand. “It’s not her rule. It’s not even Mrs. Martinez’s rule. This came from the school board.”

Juanita shook her head at the injustice of it all, and just when Chris thought she had nothing more to say and was about to turn away, she stopped him with a hand on his arm. “One more thing. I haven’t seen Olivia since Wednesday, but would you give her a great big hug and tell her it’s from Miss Juanita? And tell her from me that she’s not the first child to be suspended from that school, and she won’t be the last, but she needs to march back in there on Tuesday with her head held high, determined to get with the program and not let anyone throw her off track. Would you tell her that for me?”

“I’ll do that.” He was going to have to figure out exactly what she meant, but he would do his best to pass on Juanita’s message.

“Good.” She patted his arm. “Now, I’m going to go out there and start putting checks on tables. These folks need to get on with their day so you can get on with yours.”

The last part of the plan fell into place about four in the afternoon when the door opened and Rita led a group of five men into the Dip ’n’ Dine.

“Lookie who I found.” Rita seemed as pleased as if she alone were responsible for the band turning up.

“Tom!” Chris crossed the room and clasped the hand of the leader. “Hey guys, I can’t thank you enough for coming all the way down for this.” He shook the hands of the rest of the band in turn.

“Wouldn’t miss it.” Tom grinned through his Yosemite Sam mustache. “‘Hot Chile and Cool Jazz,’ huh? Nice.”

“You guys hungry?”

“Nah. Thanks anyway. We found a Blake’s on the way down and had a burger. We just thought we’d stop by and look things over before we checked in at the motel.”

“I’m going to run them over and check them in right now.” Rita was clearly ready to get the schedule back on track. “I’ll be back in ten minutes, tops.”

“Be sure to be back in time to eat before you go on. I’ve got something really special I’m introducing tonight. Chicken breast in a green mole sauce.” Chris walked the band to the door.

“Or you can have the best enchiladas and rellenos you’ve ever put in your mouth.” Carlos had appeared in the window to the kitchen and jerked his chin in greeting. “Hi. I’m Carlos. Glad you made it.”

Tom paused in the doorway to look from Chris to Carlos and back. Finally he grinned. “Chris, I’m sure your mole is truly outstanding. But Carlos has me where I live. See you in a couple hours.”

He raised his hand in a wave and followed Rita and the rest of the band outside. Chris glared at Carlos, who gave a “don’t blame me” shrug and turned back to his stove.

The last half hour before the dinner was to begin was the hardest. Everything was done. The kitchen was organized with the precision of a military operation. Tiny lights twinkled up in the canopy that covered the parking lot, while underneath it long, family style tables decorated with chile ristras and votive candles stretched in rows from one end to the other. The band had finished eating and gone out to set up. Chris’s stomach was tied up in such knots that he thought he might be sick. This was it. This was what could turn the Dip ’n’ Dine from Fayette’s diner to his own restaurant. And Carlos was even on board.

He went out the back door of the kitchen and sat on the step. The day had been unseasonably warm for early October, and as the sun went down, a light breeze had sprung up. The night was going to be perfect. He closed his eyes and held his face up to the cooling breeze. Deep breath. It’s all going to be good.

The back door opened and Carlos stuck his head out. “Showtime, boss.”

Once guests started arriving, Chris had no more time to worry. He and Carlos were spinning like windmills just to keep up with the orders, which ran about three to one in favor of Carlos’s enchiladas. When he did have a minute to catch his breath, he took that time to go out and walk between the tables visiting with the diners.

Olivia had come with Elizabeth Cooley and her family and was sandwiched between Elizabeth and Lainie Braden, who sat next to her husband, Ray, who sat next to Sarah. Chris was delighted to see Lainie again. As hard as it had been to get his feet on the ground at the Dip ’n’ Dine, he didn’t know if he’d have been able to do it at all without Lainie. She had run the place for Fayette when Fayette was in Albuquerque with her son in the hospital. Then, after Chris bought the diner, Lainie had stayed on for the transition.

“Chris, this is amazing!” Lainie gestured with her fork at the mole chicken. “Have you added it to the menu?”

“Not yet.” Chris noted with satisfaction that everyone in the Cooley-Braden party had ordered his mole chicken, even if someone had scraped all the sauce off Olivia’s portion and put the chicken on a clean plate. “Maybe if there’s enough popular demand.”

“Well, where do I sign the petition? This is terrific.”

“Thanks.” Chris got Lainie’s promise that she’d come into the diner for a meal before she and Ray headed back to Santa Fe, dropped his hand on Olivia’s head, and moved on down the table. It didn’t escape him that Olivia hadn’t looked up the entire time he had been standing next to her.

Finally, a party of diners left and there wasn’t another waiting to take their spot. The tables gradually began to empty. With just a few diners left lingering over their flan and coffee, Tom and the band played their last number and started to pack up.

“Chris, we did it!” Rita came inside and held up her hand for a high five.

For Chris, who towered head and shoulders over the motel-owning mayor, it was more of a medium-five, but he accepted her congratulations with a wide smile.

“I mean it,” Rita continued. “There hasn’t been anything this big in Last Chance for I don’t know how long. Not since I’ve been mayor, anyway.” She turned to the band, who had come in behind her. “And you gentlemen were a big, big part of it. I know people out there tonight who don’t even think ‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ is done right unless Waylon Jennings or somebody sings it, and you just had them eating out of your hands.”

“Yeah, you guys were great. I can’t thank you enough for taking your weekend and coming down for this.” Chris shook hands with each of them.

“There’s something I haven’t told you.” Rita looked from Chris to Carlos, pausing to build suspense. “I contacted the food editor for Western Home and Garden magazine, and he came. He was out there, and he was having a good time too. I could tell.”

“Why didn’t you say something? I would have stopped to talk to him.”

“You did talk to him. You made him feel as welcome as you made everyone else feel. He had to leave, but he said he’d call you in a few days if he had any questions.”

“What did he eat?” Carlos had joined the conversation.

“Sorry, Carlos, but I think he had the chicken.”

“Aw, man.” Carlos turned back to the kitchen. “Now Western Home and Garden’s gonna think we don’t even know what color mole’s supposed to be.”

“Chris? Sorry to interrupt.” Sarah stuck her head in the door. “We’re getting ready to leave, and Gran wonders if you’d like her to take Olivia home with her. It’s getting late, and you could pick her up on your way home.”

“No, I appreciate the offer, but you all have done way more than your bit today.” Chris smiled his thanks. “I won’t be much longer. Just send her on in.”

“She’s not in here?”

Chris looked around. “No. The last time I saw her was when I stopped by your table.”

Sarah looked over her shoulder into the nearly deserted dining area under the canopy and back at Chris. Her face was twisted with apprehension. “She got antsy about half an hour ago and said she was going to come inside and color. You haven’t seen her?”

Chris stood stone still a moment, trying to make sense of what she was saying, then pushed past her as he ran out the front door. “Livvy? Olivia?” His voice grew more frantic as only silence answered him. “Olivia! Olivia!”

His shouts caught the attention of a few diners walking to their cars, and they turned back to see what the problem was. Carlos went out the back door, Sarah checked the restrooms, and soon everyone had fanned out calling for Olivia.

Finally Elizabeth stated the obvious. “She’s not here. I’m calling the sheriff.”

A few minutes later, she turned from the phone. “Ben wants to talk to you.”

Ben Apodaca’s questions were terse and few. When was the last time anyone had seen Olivia? What was her exact height and weight? And most gut-wrenching of all: Had Chris, or anyone, noticed anyone watching Olivia or talking to her? Finally, he told Chris to just sit tight. He’d get this information out there and be right over.

“You know, nine times out of ten in cases like this we find the kid has just found a good spot and gone to sleep,” Ben said. “You check every inch of the diner, and I’ll swing by your place to make sure she hasn’t got herself home somehow. I’ll see you in about fifteen minutes.”

Nine times out of ten, Ben had said. But what about that tenth time? Chris headed for the door.

“Chris, wait, I’m coming with you.” Sarah ran to catch up with him. She put her hand on his arm and looked up into his face. “We’re going to find her, and she’s going to be all right. Have faith.”

Someone had come up with flashlights and he could see their beams sweeping over the vacant lots and reflecting off the darkened windows of closed stores. Ever so often, he heard Olivia’s name called off in the distance, but there was never an indication of any answer.

Ben pulled up in his patrol car about ten minutes later, and Chris met him when he opened his door. Ben just shook his head. “Let’s go inside.”

Once they did, he continued. “Okay, we need to know who was here tonight. Do you have a list or something?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a reservation list. I’ll go get it.” While Chris went into the kitchen for his list, he could hear Rita talking to Ben.

“I made a point of talking to every single guest. I wanted to find out how they heard about us and why they decided to come. I bet I can come up with their names too, if I see that reservation list.”

Chris handed her the list, and while she and Ben went over it, he went and stood in the doorway and looked out into the night. It was so dark. And Olivia was so little. Where was she?

As if she could read his mind, Elizabeth stood beside him. “You know, Chris, wherever Olivia is right this minute, God has his eye and his hand on her. She’s not lost. We just need to pray for her protection.” Chris nodded soundlessly, and Elizabeth prayed.

Time just seemed to stop. Chris could not have said whether minutes or hours had passed. Ben left, saying he’d stay in touch. One by one the flashlights went out as it became painfully clear that wherever Olivia was, it wasn’t here. Lainie prepared a big pot of coffee and made sandwiches as if she had never left the Dip ’n’ Dine. And Chris paced. Then he sat on the edge of a chair and bent his head over fists clasped so tightly his knuckles were white. Sarah sat next to him, hand lightly rubbing his back, praying with him.

The phone rang just before midnight. Chris, pacing by the front door again, froze. Carlos, who was closest to the phone, answered it. He listened for a few minutes, said a word or two, and then hung up. He smiled at Chris and gave a big thumbs-up. “They found her. She’s okay. She hid in the backseat of some folks who came over from Deming. They didn’t even know she was there till they got home. She about gave ’em a heart attack when she sat up. Ben has gone to get her. He’ll bring her to your place, so I guess we can all go home now.”

Without realizing he was even doing so, Chris looked for Sarah, and when his eyes found hers, he opened his arms and she walked into them. She all but disappeared in his embrace, and while he struggled to control his tears, Sarah didn’t even try, and he could feel her sobbing in his arms.