“Well, you nailed it.” He set the hard copy down on his desk. “I guess you can move onto the other article we spoke about.”
I nodded. “I’m heading to the library to speak to Hope about any information or materials she may have as soon as I’m done here. You didn’t exactly say when you wanted the article turned in.”
“Let’s shoot for April first. That should give you the time you need to really dig deep, and it will still give me time to run it on the anniversary of the event. I’d like for you to speak to each of the men who were there with Austin when he went missing.”
“I will. I thought I’d start by reading up on it. Maybe ask Cass if he can get me the missing person’s file, or at least a copy of the file. Then I plan to speak to the four men who were on the trip, and eventually, I’m going to talk to folks who lived in the area at the time of the disappearance but weren’t specifically involved. I’d also like to speak to Austin’s family, but I know they left the area years ago.”
“His father died in a climbing accident maybe ten years ago, and his mother remarried and moved to Florida. I can get her contact information for you.”
“So, you stay in touch?”
“Christmas cards. That sort of thing. Like I said, Austin and I were friends.”
“Siblings?”
“He was an only child, which, in a way, made his disappearance even more tragic. As I indicated the first time we spoke about this, I thought about it and decided to turn this story and this investigation over to you. I really think you might pick up on something that’s been missed. Having said that, I’m more than happy to help you in any way I can. I figured we could meet often and discuss your progress. I may be able to help direct your efforts.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that. And I promise to do my best to get you what you need.”
After I left the newspaper, I headed to the library to meet with Hope. I had to admit to being a little nervous about the fact that Dex was so tied into the story he hoped I would be able to write. I wanted so badly to do a good job for him, and knowing what he had riding on it, seemed to add to the pressure to really come through.
“Morning, Hope,” I greeted after entering the cool dark room. “Why do you have all the blinds drawn?”
“Movie day for the elementary kids. They’ll be here in an hour, so I’m getting the place ready.”
“Movie day? This is a library. Shouldn’t it be reading day?”
She laughed. “It’s both. Last week, we read Cinderella, and this week, we’re showing the animated movie. Showing the movie after reading the book opens the avenue for discussion. I do the same thing with the older kids, using more sophisticated books.”
“I guess it sounds like a fun idea.”
“The kids seem to really enjoy it, and I think I have more kids who actually read the book than I used to when we first started. I got your message about the notes and documents the reporter left behind relating to the Austin Brady case. I probably shouldn’t check them out, but I’m going to trust that you will take good care of them.”
“You know that I will. Have you read through them?”
She nodded. “At one point, I thought I’d take a stab at figuring out the mystery, but I never really got anywhere. I did come up with a few theories, which I would love to discuss with you. Maybe over dinner or drinks?”
“I’m busy tonight and have my training at the shelter tomorrow, and then, of course, the Sweetheart Dance is Friday. If you want to do lunch instead of dinner, I can do tomorrow, otherwise maybe Saturday.”
“Saturday would be perfect. I think I’ll invite Naomi as well. When I was doing my research, I used her to bounce ideas off, and she really had some good insight.”
“I think dinner with you and Naomi sounds fun. Let’s plan on it. And as far as the Austin Brady case, trust me, I can use all the help I can get.”
Hope packed up all the materials she had and sent me on my way. I’d called Cass and confirmed that I would pick up deli sandwiches that we could eat in his office so that he wouldn’t lose much work time. We had plans this evening, and I knew I could talk to him in more depth then, so I was happy with sandwiches sitting at his desk.
Ned answered the door when I arrived at their Victorian style home. I never really thought the house fit in with the woodsy styles that could be found in Foxtail Lake, but somehow it seemed to fit them.
“Gracie sent some cinnamon bread. She knows how much Nora likes it.”
Ned smiled. “Come on in. Nora will be thrilled with the bread.”
“I don’t want to keep you or to bother Nora if she’s resting.”
“She’s in the living room and bored out of her mind. I’m sure she’d welcome a short visit.”
“Okay, if you’re sure it won’t tire her.”
“I’m sure.”
Nora looked tired and thin, but I was happy to see that she still looked like Nora. She had a smile on her face and a fire in her eyes I would never attribute to anyone else.
“You look better,” I said, comparing her overall presence to the last time I’d seen her.
“I feel better. The pneumonia is all but gone, and the doctor is very happy with my last scans.”
“That’s wonderful.” I wanted to hug the woman, but she looked so frail, I settled on a light brush of my hand over her shoulder. “When I walked in today, I thought to myself that you had that old fire back.”
“I still have a way to go, but for the first time in a long time, I really feel like I might actually get out of this in one piece.” She nodded toward her computer. “I’ve even been working on my projects for the past few days.”
“Projects?” I asked.
“Oh, you know. This and that. I like to dabble.”
“What you like to do is poke around in everyone’s business,” I laughed. And then, it hit me. “Nora, are you Ms. Cupid?”
“Now, why would you think that?”
“You are Ms. Cupid.” I was certain of it as I said it. “If it hadn’t been for the fact that you’ve been in the hospital, I would have guessed it right away.”
She blushed.
“Why the big secret? Everyone knows you like to meddle in the most loving way, of course. No one would have batted an eye if you’d announced you were in the matchmaking game.”
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to be in the game exactly. I was bored and lonely after this dang cancer caused me to spend more and more time feeling poorly. I wasn’t ready to tell folks I was sick quite yet since Ned and I were still trying to work out our own feelings about the whole thing, so on the days it would have been obvious to our customers that I wasn’t okay, I simply stayed home rather than going into the store. Then I happened across an ad for one of those dating sites. I remember thinking to myself that I could do so much better than those cold and lifeless sites. So, I created Ms. Cupid. I only matched couples I would have matched anyway. Those folks I didn’t know or didn’t have an appropriate match for, I just left be and never answered.”
“Your success rate has been phenomenal.”
She grinned. “It really has been. Who knew I had the gift?”
“Gift?”
“My mama was a matchmaker. She didn’t have a website the way I do, but she is the one I inherited my need to meddle from.”
“I see. I guess I never met your mama.”
“You won’t tell, will you? I know you’re doing the reporter thing these days, but I really want to keep this to myself for now. I think the anonymity actually makes those I match more receptive to the whole thing.”
“I won’t divulge your secret,” I found myself promising, even though I had no idea what I was going to tell Dex. “I do have a question for you, however. Did you match Lissa Nixon and Dale Conover?”
“Heavens no. Neither of the two is fit to be paired with anyone.”
“That’s what I thought. And Gabby. Did you match her with Gabe?”