found a nearby Burger King that was already filling up with the lunchtime crowd. He sat Brian down in front of a hamburger, fries, and a shake, and pulled out his phone. No unidentified callers. He realized he’d never asked Ari what last name she was using. He didn’t know much of anything. Some investigator you are. He got online, checking Facebook and Google. If Randy was one of the half-dozen local Randys, he didn’t use his picture as his avatar. No wonder. Several of the accounts were friends only. The street address didn’t link to a last name.
When Brian got up to order seconds, Nick called Charlie.
His call was answered right before it went to voicemail. “Yeah? Hey, Nicko. Any news?”
“We Found her. Brian did.”
“Wow, that’s so cool. Is she okay? Have you talked to her?”
“She’s… all right. We didn’t get to say much before her husband came home. Her, like, fifty-year-old husband.”
“Mm.” Charlie’s hum was noncommittal. “Did he give you a bad feel?”
Did he? Other than his age, not really. He’d seemed pretty low-key. Ari’d been the one ordering him around. “Not yet, but come on. Old guy like that, married to a twenty-one-year-old? And she has a kid. He’s five, Charlie.”
“So there’s a story. Don’t go off half-cocked until you know what it is.”
“Me?” He tried to infuse scorn into the word.
“You. We both know you’re Batman, eager to right the wrongs of a dark and troubled world.”
“Huh? Do they have you on medicinal weed? That makes no sense.”
“You know what I mean. Don’t jump to conclusions. Be glad she’s okay.”
“I am.” Reaction suddenly hit him, making his head swim and loosening all his muscles. Ariana’s alive. She’s okay, not hurt, not starving, safe. After all these fucking years! The world tipped, and he gripped the edge of the table, dropping his phone to the floor.
Before he could pick it up, Brian set down a tray and grabbed his arm. “Nick, you look pale. Eat some of these fries.”
From the phone, Charlie’s voice came distantly. “Hey? Nick? You all right?”
Brian bent for it, and when Nick held out his hand, Brian shook his head and pointed at the food. “Eat.” He clicked the phone to speaker and set it on the table between them. “Hey, Charlie, we’re good. Nick dropped the phone.”
“Brian! My man, I heard you came through like a champ. Are you feeling okay?”
“Fine. Better now I ate.” Brian added, “Tell Nick he needs to eat too. He’s been feeding me and I don’t think he’s had anything.”
Charlie said, “Eat, Nicko. Listen to your boyfriend.”
Nick tapped the phone off speaker fast, and grabbed it to mutter, “Dammit, we’re grabbing fast food in Beatrice, Nebraska. This is not the place to shout that out loud.”
“Sorry.” Charlie sounded more subdued.
Nick took a quick look around, but none of the crowd of locals scarfing lunch seemed to be interested in them. “No harm done.” He tipped the phone toward Brian but didn’t put the speaker back on.
Brian mouthed, “Ask about Luger.”
Obediently, Nick said, “How’s our furry beast doing? Has he eaten the neighbors yet?”
“He’s fine. Sticking close to Lori, actually.” Charlie laughed. “She says he’s a nuisance, but I think she likes him.”
“Good. That’s real good.” He knew Brian had worried about leaving the dog, but Luger had been friendly with both Charlie and Lori. Nick had pointed out the spontaneous road trip would be much more complicated with eighty pounds of guard dog cramped in the back seat.
“Are you coming home now? It’s gotta be tight to get back for Christmas, unless you’re letting Brian take turns driving.”
“You think I can’t drive twenty-some hours flat out? What kinda wimp do you think I am?”
“Forget I said anything.”
“Damned straight.” Nick glanced at Brian. “I hope we’ll make it back for Christmas morning, at least, but I want to talk to Ari one more time. To fill in the blanks.” Just in case.
“Got it. I’ll tell Lori.” Charlie paused. “For what it’s worth. I don’t know if she cares if Brian’s here or not. Damn, that woman’s hard to read. I can’t tell if she loves Christmas, hates it, or has started celebrating Kwanzaa.”
“Probably some of both,” Brian said, loud enough for Charlie to hear. “Except for the Kwanzaa bit.”
Nick said, “I’m gonna get off the phone. Thanks for the dog sitting.”
“Let me know when you’re heading back?”
“Will do.” Nick set the phone on the table, where he couldn’t possibly miss seeing a text come in. He dug his