by Carol Cox
Kate’s throat tightened, and she resolved to make a point of visiting Nehemiah more often. She met Paul’s gaze and knew he was thinking the same thing.
As if reading their thoughts, Nehemiah went on. “Take the two of you, for example. I know better than anybody else how hectic your lives must be, tending to the needs of the folks at Faith Briar. And yet you’re always faithful to stop by whenever you have a chance.”
He blinked rapidly and swiped the back of one hand across his eyes. “And then there’s Millie.”
“Millie?” Kate wished she could have taken the note of disbelief out of her voice before the name popped out of its own accord.
Nehemiah nodded. “That’s right. Millie may have her little idiosyncrasies, but she’s never forgotten me. Why, she’s been here to see me several times just recently.”
Kate tried to swallow her astonishment. “That’s nice, Nehemiah. I’m glad to hear that.”
They chatted a few more minutes before Paul glanced at his watch and said they’d better get going.
As they began the drive back home, Kate asked, “What did you think of that bit of news?”
“You mean about Nehemiah knowing who Casey is?” Paul grinned and shook his head. “That was pretty amazing, if you ask me.”
Kate maneuvered the Honda out of the way of an aggressive driver who wanted to go considerably faster than the speed limit. “It is amazing. But actually, I meant the part about Millie visiting him so often.”
“True,” Paul agreed. “I have to admit that surprised me, but in a pleasant way.”
The conversation trailed off as the late afternoon traffic picked up. While Kate concentrated on driving, she mulled over what she’d learned about Casey...and about the many unpredictable behaviors of Millie Lovelace.
THEY WERE NEARLY BACK to Copper Mill when Kate’s cell phone rang. “Could you get that for me?” she asked Paul as she pulled her car over to the side of the road.
He dug the phone out of her handbag and handed it to her.
“Mrs. Hanlon?” said the voice on the other end of the line. “This is Dr. McLaughlin in Pine Ridge. You’ll never guess what happened. Our mystery girl’s name is—”
“Casey Barnes?” Kate offered tentatively.
“Wh-why, yes,” Dr. McLaughlin stammered. “But how did you know?”
A surge of relief washed through Kate and made her voice waver. “I didn’t until just now. Not for sure, anyway.” She cleared her throat and filled the doctor in on her discovery of the cuff link and what she’d learned on her trip to Chattanooga.
Dr. McLaughlin chuckled. “And here I thought I’d come up with earthshaking news, but you were two steps ahead of me all along.”
“I thought I’d learned who she was, but I wasn’t certain,” Kate reminded him. “I can’t tell you how good it makes me feel to have that confirmation.”
Adrenaline pumped through her body at the prospect of finally learning firsthand how the mystery girl—Casey, she reminded herself—came to be injured. And they would finally be able to contact her relatives. At last, Kate thought, Casey would have the kind of family support she needed.
“But that doesn’t explain how you found out who she was,” she said. “Did she wake up and tell you herself?”
“No, it was the strangest thing. Just a crazy string of coincidences.”
Kate smiled. “More like the Lord working things out, if you ask me.” She could hear the doctor chuckle over the phone.
“I won’t argue with you there,” he said. “It doesn’t make much sense otherwise.”
Kate gazed past thick stands of hickories, ashes, and maples while Dr. McLaughlin shared his story.
“At lunch today, I was talking to my family about this mysterious patient. My daughter Melanie is visiting us and heard the story. She’s a sophomore at Haywood College, so she’s in Chattanooga most of the time. But she came home this weekend to help celebrate her mother’s birthday and decided to stay an extra day.”
Kate’s breath quickened. “Go on.”
“While I was talking about this patient, Melanie became very worked up and told us that a college friend named Casey had left the campus sometime on Friday and hadn’t come back to the dorm by the time Melanie took off on Saturday morning.”
“Really?” Kate pressed the phone tighter against her ear.
“That’s right. The other girls were getting kind of worried about her, but you know how it is at that age. College kids have so much on their minds that they don’t always pay as much attention to what’s going on around them as they should.”
“Mm-hmm,” Kate murmured.
“Melanie said she’d assumed that Casey had come back to the school after she left to come see us, but once she heard my story, she started to wonder. She called a friend in her dorm and found out that Casey still hadn’t shown up.”
Kate gasped. “And they hadn’t reported her as missing yet?”
The doctor gave a grim laugh. “You’ve raised kids of your own, haven’t you? They have this strange idea of protecting one another. They didn’t want to get Casey in trouble, even though they thought she might be involved in something the school might not approve of.”
Kate clicked her tongue. “I know exactly what you mean. So what happened next?”
“I asked Melanie to describe Casey. The blonde hair, slim build, and blue eyes all fit, so I asked her to come down to the hospital and see if she could identify the patient.”
“And it was Casey?” Kate asked in a hushed voice.
“That’s what Melanie says. She has no doubt whatsoever, although she doesn’t know what Casey would have been doing near Copper Mill.”
“That’s wonderful,” Kate said, relieved beyond measure at the thought that someone who knew and cared for Casey was near at hand. “Has Casey woken up yet? Did she and Melanie have a chance to talk?”
“Not yet, but there are signs that it won’t be too long now. She opens her eyes every so often, but she doesn’t respond verbally. In fact, she just closes her eyes again whenever someone talks to her. It’s almost like she’s shutting us out.”
Kate thought this over for a moment. “How long is Melanie going to be with you? Could I come by tomorrow and talk to her?”
“I’m not sure what her plans are. Hold on a moment and I’ll check with her.”
Kate filled Paul in on the story while she waited for the doctor to come back. How she hoped she’d be able to see Melanie the next day! If she couldn’t speak to Casey yet, talking to one of her friends might be the next best thing. Maybe she could get more information on Casey’s background and find out at last why the girl had given the doctor Kate’s name.
“Are you still there?” Dr. McLaughlin’s voice crackled over the line.
“I’m here,” Kate answered promptly.
“Melanie would like to talk to you, but she has a class at nine tomorrow morning. There’s a test she shouldn’t miss, and after taking an extra day off, she doesn’t have room for any more absences.”
“I see.” Kate tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
“But she really wants to see you,” the doctor continued. “If you could come here this evening, the two of you could talk then. She’ll spend the night here and leave early in the morning to make it back to school in time for her class. Will that work for you?”
“It will,” Kate said firmly, fighting back a wave of exhaustion at the realization that the day’s adventures weren’t over yet. “I’ll call you later to get directions to your house.”
Paul gave her a sidelong glance when she handed him the cell phone and pulled back onto the road. “What are you planning now?”
“Are you up for a drive to Pine Ridge?”
Paul’s jaw dropped. “Tonight? What’s going on?”
“Melanie won’t be able to meet with me in the morning. If I want to talk with her while she’s home, I’ll have to go there right away.”
Paul’s forehead creased.
“I promised Sam I’d meet with him this evening. He wants to talk about changing the order of service to add some special-music numbers over the next few weeks. But I suppose I can call back and reschedule.”
“No, I’ve already taken up enough of your day. You go ahead with what you have planned.”
“Are you sure—” Paul began.
“I’ll be fine.” Kate wished she could give him a hug but settled for reaching across and squeezing his arm. “I’ll head for Pine Ridge right after dinner.”
Paul brought her hand to his lips long enough to press a quick kiss against her fingertips. “Have I told you lately that you’re an amazing woman?”
Some of Kate’s weariness melted away at his praise. “You’re pretty special yourself.”
Chapter Twelve
After she and Paul had shared a quick dinner, Kate drove to Pine Ridge and pulled up in front of the doctor’s home. The modest two-story house did nothing to indicate that he’d gone into medicine for the money. His home fit perfectly with what she knew of him: he was a man of deep compassion who genuinely cared about the people in his charge.
Dr. McLaughlin opened the door seconds after she rang the bell and ushered her inside. “My wife’s at a meeting of the historical society,” he told her with a smile. “Melanie is grateful that you gave her an excuse not to attend.”
“I’m glad I could be of help.” Kate smiled, then grew more serious. “I was wondering how much longer Casey will be in the hospital. Do you know?”
The doctor guided Kate through the entry and past a stairway. “Until she regains consciousness and we can determine her condition, that’s hard to say. My best guess is that it will be at least a few more days before I’d be comfortable about letting her go.”
He showed Kate into a comfortably furnished living room and stopped short when he saw the room was empty.
“Where did she go?” he murmured. “I know she was around here just a minute ago.” He raised his voice and called, “Melanie? Mel, where are you?”
“Coming, Dad,” called a muffled voice. Footsteps clattered on the stairs, and a moment later a smiling girl in her late teens bounced into the room with an energy level that made Kate envious.
“Hi! Are you Mrs. Hanlon?” Melanie McLaughlin had dark hair like her father’s, and her sparkling brown eyes held the same look of kindness the doctor’s did.
Kate smiled back at her. “That’s right. Thanks for being willing to change your plans and stay another night so we could talk.”
Dr. McLaughlin hovered in the doorway. “I guess I’ll leave you two ladies to talk. Or would you rather I stay?”
“Dad!” Melanie rolled her eyes, but her affection for him was obvious from the teasing note in her voice. “You don’t have to play host. Go on back to watching your baseball game in the den. We’ll be fine.”
“I knew I raised you to have right priorities.” The doctor grinned and started for the door. “Thanks for coming by, Mrs. Hanlon. I appreciate the care you’ve taken in all this.”
After he left, Melanie turned to Kate and wrinkled her nose. “He really loves his baseball.”
Picking up the conversation where Kate left off, Melanie said, “I was happy to stay an extra night. I’ve heard a lot about you, and I’m really glad to meet you. I’m sorry you had to drive up here this late, but I couldn’t afford another absence after I already took the extra day off.”
“No problem,” Kate said. “It’s important to me to learn as much about Casey as I can, and you’re the only person who can help right now.”
The light in Melanie’s eyes dimmed a bit. “I still can’t believe it. She’s been lying in that hospital room all this time, and we never had any idea she was hurt like that. Someone should have started looking for her as soon as we realized she was missing.”
“True,” Kate replied. “But there’s no way to go back and change that now. What you can do, though, is tell me everything you know. Maybe that will help. And have you notified Deputy Spencer in Copper Mill yet?”
Melanie nodded. “My dad did that as soon as I told him I was sure that it was Casey. Deputy Spencer asked me to come over and talk to him. We had just gotten back from his office when my dad called to let you know.”
“Good,” Kate said. “I’m glad to know that’s covered.” She paused a moment, then added gently, “I’m sure this hasn’t been an easy day for you.”
“No kidding!” Melanie drew a ragged breath and looked away for a moment before meeting Kate’s eyes again. “To tell you the truth, I wasn’t sure it was Casey at first. Her face is so messed up, I mean. It took me a few minutes to make sure.”
“But you’re sure now? Beyond a doubt?”
“It’s her.” Melanie punctuated her words with a decisive nod. “Once I got past looking at the bruising and all the gross stuff, I knew for sure.”
She squared her shoulders. “I know Deputy Spencer is supposed to be looking into this, but you’ve really built up a reputation around here for solving mysteries. What can I do to help you find out what happened to Casey?”
“Let’s start from the beginning,” Kate said briskly. “How long have you known Casey?”
“We both started at Haywood last year. I met her at freshman initiation. One of those things where they make you wear a beanie and sing stupid songs.”
Kate smiled. “And you became friends, is that right? Would you say you and Casey are close?”
Melanie lifted her shoulders in a tiny shrug. “We’re not like sisters or anything, but yeah, I’d say we’re pretty close.”
A source of information at last! Kate’s pulse quickened. “You must have spent a lot of time together, then. What can you tell me about her?”
Melanie paused, and her forehead puckered. “Well, now that I think about it, when the two of us have talked, it’s been mostly about me and things around here, in Pine Ridge.”
Kate frowned. “You mean Casey doesn’t discuss her own life with you?”
“Yeah. She’s a great listener, but she doesn’t talk much about her own family.” Melanie looked shamefaced. “I don’t even know where she’s from. I guess that doesn’t make me much of a friend, does it?”
“You thought of her immediately when your father told you about the girl in the hospital,” Kate reminded her. “And you volunteered to try to identify her, even though the patient might have turned out to be a complete stranger. I’d say that was being a pretty good friend.”
Melanie shrugged again, and Kate thought she heard her sniffle.
“You said Casey doesn’t talk much about herself or her family,” Kate continued. “What do you know about her?”
Melanie stared down at the carpet as if deep in thought. “It isn’t so much what she says as what she doesn’t say, if you know what I mean.” She glanced up at Kate before she continued. “Whenever a bunch of us girls get together to talk up in one of the dorm rooms, Casey sits and listens, but she doesn’t talk much herself. It’s sort of sad, really. Almost like she wants to be part of the group but doesn’t quite know how to belong.”
The smooth skin above Melanie’s nose rippled when she drew her eyebrows together. “Does that make any sense at all?”
“I think so,” Kate said slowly. “It sounds to me like you’re saying that Casey is something of an outsider.”
Melanie’s lips parted, then she nodded. “That’s it exactly. It’s funny how I never thought of it that way before. Casey’s a really nice girl, but she kind of has this way of keeping everyone at arm’s length. She’s always been like that, but during this past semester, she’s been even more withdrawn than usual.”
Kate waited a moment to let that bit of information sink in. In her day, slumber parties and other get-togethers with girls her age led to hours of sharing intimate secrets, both good and bad. She doubted that much had changed along that line over the years.
So why would a young woman avoid talking about herself or her family? Despite her determination to learn th
e truth, Kate’s earlier weariness settled in again, weighing heavily upon her. She stifled a yawn and forced herself to focus her attention on the question she’d just raised.
Crimes are often perpetrated by someone the victim knows. As clearly as if she’d been in the room, Renee Lambert’s voice echoed in Kate’s mind, jolting her into a fully alert state. Maybe Renee’s instincts had been right on target in this case.
“Is there anyone else on campus who might know Casey well? A faculty member, perhaps?” Kate watched Melanie closely as she added, “I did meet Dr. Roger White today. Do you know him by chance? I’m wondering if he might be one of Casey’s professors...”
“Yeah, actually, I do know him. He’s a really popular professor. I don’t think that Casey was his student this semester, but I know she had him for philosophy last fall.” Melanie’s eyebrows drew together. “I guess I don’t see why he’d be able to tell you much of anything—more than anyone else, I mean.”
Kate clasped her hands in her lap and gazed at Melanie. “Okay. I realize that Casey didn’t talk about her family, but did you get the impression that there was anything in her background that bothered her? Do you think there was anyone she was afraid of?”
Melanie jumped as though she’d been stung. She blinked several times in quick succession, then opened her eyes wide. “Now that you mention it, yes! Casey wasn’t just withdrawn lately, she was nervous too.”
“Nervous?” Kate picked up on the word. “Is Casey typically nervous?”
“No, she’s not normally paranoid or anything like that.” A dimple appeared in Melanie’s cheek when she smiled. “We studied things like that in my psychology class this semester. I don’t think Casey was making anything up; whatever happened, she was concerned. In fact, one time recently, she told me someone was following her.”
“Following her?” Kate echoed. She felt her sleuthing engine rev and forced herself to move ahead cautiously so as not to overwhelm Melanie. “Let’s talk about that a bit. Who was following Casey?”
