business, but do you have any idea what happened to these other girls?”
“Two of them had boyfriends and we can’t find them, either, so my hunch is that they ran off together. As to the third young lady, we have no idea what happened to her. She wasn’t a minor and she was reported missing by her landlord, but for all we know, she could have moved away.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“You said on the phone that this girl Callie you’re looking for…she’s sick? And that you need to find her family?”
“If we can.”
“Why did you think you might find her here?”
I told him the whole story, watching as he seemed to soak in every word. I had the sense that he was the kind of person who could surprise you with his intuition.
“That’s not much to go on,” he commented when I was finished.
“That’s what Natalie said, too.”
He looked to her then back to me again. “She’s a smart one. You should think about keeping her.”
If only, I thought.
If only I could.
* * *
The sheriff’s department was in Cleveland, Georgia, about twenty minutes from Helen. It was a much more imposing building than the police department in Helen, which made sense since it was responsible for a larger geographic area. We were ushered into the office of a deputy sheriff, who had likewise compiled the information we’d requested.
In total, nine people were missing, which included the three from Helen. Of the remaining six, two were males. Of the remaining four, only three were Caucasian, and only one was a girl in her teens, though it wasn’t Callie.
On our way out, Natalie turned to me. “Now what?”
“I’m working on it.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’m missing something. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s there.”
“Do you still think she’s from around here?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “But the answer is here somehow.”
We climbed into our rental before Natalie spoke again. “I have an idea,” she finally offered.
“What’s that?”
“If Callie is from here, she probably went to school, right? And you think she might be sixteen? Or seventeen?”
“That would be my guess.”
“High schools have yearbooks. Some middle schools do, too. I have no idea how many high schools there are in the county, but there can’t be that many and I’d bet that none of them are very big. Assuming there are yearbooks in the school libraries, maybe we could find a name.”
I wondered why I hadn’t thought of it. “That’s brilliant.”
“We’ll see,” she said. “It’ll be after five before we get back to Helen, so it’s probably too late to start today. So first thing tomorrow?”
“Sounds like a plan. How did you think of that?”
“I don’t know. It just came to me.”
“Impressive.”
“Aren’t you glad I’m here?”
Yes, I thought, absolutely. But perhaps not for the reason you meant.
* * *
Back in Helen, we checked into our hotel. As I spoke to the clerk at the front desk, I sensed Natalie’s relief at the fact I’d reserved two rooms, even if they were adjacent. The clerk handed us magnetic key cards and we headed for the elevators.
Though sunset was still more than an hour away, I was tired. As much as I’d enjoyed spending time with Natalie, it was a strain to keep things entirely professional and pretend I wasn’t in love with her. I told myself to simply accept what she was offering, without expectation—but some things are easier in theory than in reality.
In the elevator, I pressed the button for the third floor.
“How do you want to do this?” she asked. “Do you want to look up the schools or should I?”
“I can do that. As you pointed out, there can’t be too many.”
“What time tomorrow?”
“Breakfast at seven here at the hotel, and maybe hit the road by eight?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
By then, we’d reached the third floor and we stepped into the corridor. Our rooms were on the left, not too far down.
“What are you doing for dinner tonight?” she asked as I unlocked my door.
“I was thinking the Bodensee. ‘Authentic German cuisine.’ I saw a review when I was finding hotels. Seems pretty good.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had authentic German cuisine.”
Was that a hint?
“How about I get reservations at eight for the two of us? I’m pretty sure we can walk, so meet downstairs at a quarter till?”
“Perfect.” She smiled. “See you then.”
* * *
In my room, after making the reservation, I took a quick nap, showered, and spent some time googling schools in the area on my