“I can see you’re really trying,” he encouraged. “And I know finding anything new is a longshot.”
“I know most folks think Austin simply got turned around and lost his way, but what other theories were passed around back then?” I asked. “There must have been a lot of talk and speculation at the time. I lived in Foxtail Lake when he disappeared, but I was just a kid, so I don’t remember much.”
He shrugged. “Like you said, most figured he wandered off and became disoriented, which caused him to lose his way, others figured he woke early and went fishing, only to somehow be pulled into the lake, where he drowned.”
“Pulled into the lake? By what?”
He shrugged. “Maybe a really big fish or perhaps some sort of lake monster. It was a pretty out-there theory to begin with, so who knows what whoever suggested it was thinking. Again, there were a lot of theories being tossed around, but most were pure nonsense.”
“I guess. And I agree that a lake monster sounds a bit out there. What other sorts of things did people theorize?”
Dex leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, resting them on his slightly protruding belly. He was a tall man who looked to have been in excellent shape at one point, but it was obvious that he could use some time in the new gym in town too. After a moment, he answered. “There were theories having to do with animal attacks, kidnappers, and even alien abduction. Like I said, the ideas were filtering through the community at a crazy rate, but to this day, no one seems to know what actually happened on that long-ago spring night. As you know, Logan Pond was dredged, the forest searched, and almost every stone in the area overturned, but the guy was just gone.” He looked me in the eyes. “How can someone just be gone?”
“I don’t know, but I do plan to do everything in my power to figure it out. I have interviews set up with the surviving boys next week. Maybe one of them noticed something they may not have even realized they noticed. If there is a new lead out there, I’ll find it.”
“Thank you. I appreciate how seriously you’ve taken this whole thing. I guess I don’t need to tell you to walk softly with Colin and Bobby. I’m not sure what Larry’s stance about the incident might be at this point since I haven’t seen him since shortly after Austin went missing, but I do know that both Colin and Bobby are prickly about the whole thing.”
“I’ll move slowly and take it easy. I’m not sure I’ll be able to coax much out of them that isn’t already known, but I’ll try. You said you have a couple other assignments for me this weekend.”
He nodded. “I do. The Nottaways are teaming up with Connie Denton from the diner to do a fundraiser for cancer research. Nottaway General Store is donating a bunch of cool stuff for a raffle, and Connie is going to close the diner for an evening and do a ten dollar a ticket spaghetti dinner to benefit the charity. I told Nora I’d chip in with free advertising and a feature or two to get everyone on board.”
“I’d be happy to write an article.” Nora Nottaway was battling cancer, and while she had a tough spell back in February, she seemed to be doing really well now. “Do you want me to talk to anyone in particular?”
“I told Ned you’d be in touch. I guess Nora has prepared some things she wants in the article, and you can add the personal touch after you speak to her.”
“Okay. And the other assignment?”
He nodded. “The new wellness center north of town is taking out a series of half-page ads over the next six weeks. I told them I’d throw in a human interest piece or two along the way.”
“That’s actually perfect. I planned to head there when we were done here to check the place out.” I glanced down at my own thin yet flabby frame. “It’s been a while since I adhered to a regular workout routine. I suppose the time has come to at least attempt to get back into shape.”
“You look great, but I know what you mean about falling out of shape. It’s so easy to do. I thought you could talk to the owners and maybe a couple of the members for your first article. I’m looking for something that will make working out sound like a fun and worthwhile thing to do. Something to get folks to try it out. Maybe play it up as the new social scene in town.”
“Got it. Anything else?”
He shook his head. “No, that will do it for now. I may have a couple more articles for you come Monday, but we can talk about them then.”
“Is Monday okay for the finished product for these two articles?” I asked.
“Monday works fine.”
I stood up. “Okay. I’m going to go get started. I’ll check in with you on Monday. Maybe I’ll even have something new relating to the Austin Brady story by then.”
“I guess we can hope all your hard work will pay off in the end.”
After I left Dex’s office, I stopped in the bullpen to chat with Gabby King, the newspaper’s receptionist. She’d recently been romantically matched with her one true love, Gabe Crawford, by local legend, Ms. Cupid. Gabe worked part-time delivering newspapers to the merchants who carried it, but his main source of income was from the bowling alley that he owned.
“How’s it going?” I asked, pausing to lean a hip against her desk.
“So good,” she gushed.
“Based on your huge grin, I’m going to assume that things are going well with Gabe.”
She nodded. “Better than well. Ms. Cupid is a genius. He really is the perfect guy for me.”
I was one of the few people who knew that Ms. Cupid was actually Nora Nottaway, who’d decided to distract herself after her cancer diagnosis by matching up eligible individuals in town.
“I’m glad things worked out with Gabe. He’s a really great guy. I’m sure the two of you will be very happy.”
“I know it sounds crazy to be talking long term plans so early in the relationship, but Gabe and I have had some pretty serious conversations about where we might want to live once we marry, how many children we’d like to have, even names for both male and female offspring that appeal to us. We aren’t formally engaged or anything, but I think that formality is only a matter of time.”
“I really like Gabe, and I do think the two of you make a good pair, but you’ve only been dating for two months.”
She shrugged. “I know. But when something is right for you, you know it.”
I supposed that might be true. I’d spent my life intentionally avoiding situations where I might meet and fall in love with my soulmate, so I really knew nothing about the sort of connection Gabe and Gabby obviously had, but when I looked at the joy in her eyes that hadn’t been there a few months ago, I found myself wondering what exactly I might be missing out on.
“I guess I should run,” I said, shaking myself from my somber mood.
“Do you have to go? We could get coffee,” she offered.
“I’d love to get coffee with you, but I really do have a million things to do before my volunteer shift at the shelter. Rain check?”
“Sure. Anytime. You know where to find me.”
“I do,” I smiled. While I tended to pop in and out of the newspaper office, Gabby was there eight to five Monday through Friday.
After I left the newspaper, I headed to the post office. Aunt Gracie had asked me to mail a package for her as I was walking out the door this morning. Wilma Goodwin was at the counter, so I stopped to ask her about the golden retriever she’d adopted this past February.
“So how’s Maggie doing?” I asked as Wilma weighed the package.
“Really well. I really do think we’re perfect for each other.”
Maggie was a mature dog who’d become available for adoption when her elderly owner was forced to move into assisted living and couldn’t take her. Maggie was well trained and liked to go on walks. She was used to a quiet home, so we’d been looking for someone without small children.