“On any given day, we normally see between a hundred and a hundred and fifty people. Unless he was a regular, it’s hard to say.” He had a strong voice to match his confident demeanor. I was hooked—he had my vote for sexy mature man of the year.
“Do you have a last name? Maybe we could ask some of the clients. Bob is a bit generic,” the little blonde holding the bags said. Next to the pile of bags, she had a clipboard with names. She looked out of place and way too young next to everyone else. I wondered why she wasn’t working or at school.
“Unfortunately, I don’t. Maybe I could talk to the people who stopped by, if you guys don’t mind.” Why hadn’t I ever asked Bob his last name? Oh, yeah—because I never thought he would get kidnapped.
“Sure, but most of our clients are gone. We’re getting ready to close. They know anything special is passed out early,” the last lady in the room said. She was in charge of passing out the entrees. The lady was in her early seventies, maybe older. She had that grandma look that was kind but stern. I had no idea why she was still there. She looked as if she should be home resting.
“That’s true. Thank you anyways.” I was getting ready to leave when the handsome man spoke up again.
“What happened to your friend, if you don’t mind my asking?” He looked as if he was used to being in charge and having people listen to him.
“We think he was abducted. He’s been missing since Sunday.” I felt a lump in my throat form.
“Oh, Lord help him,” I heard the lady by the coffee whisper. The elders did the sign of the cross, but not the blonde. Interesting—a non-Catholic volunteering at a Catholic shelter. That was really unusual for this area.
“Have you checked the library? A lot of our clients hang out there. Maybe somebody has seen him there,” the blonde said. She was very helpful and actually looked concerned.
“Thank you. That’s a good place to start. I’m sorry to have bothered you all. Have a great day.” I walked toward the back door. The flow of the place was one way; you came in one door and left through another. As I said, very efficient.
Outside, I was standing on a ramp at the side of the Blue House. A picnic table was set by a large tree, and a few people were still waiting around. I took a deep breath and headed their way. Their conversation stopped as soon as they saw me. There were three men, ranging from midtwenties to early fifties; at least that was my best guess. They all looked as if they’d had rough lives and had been exposed to too much sun. Their skins were leathery-looking. As I got closer, I realized they were probably younger.
“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you gentlemen, but could you help me? I’m looking for a friend of mine.” The military had done a great job training me in saying sir and ma’am. A little respect goes a long way, especially if people aren’t used to receiving it.
“Yes, young lady. How can I help you?” the oldest of the three, a tall black man, asked. The other two looked at him in shock.
“Who made you king? She said ‘gentleman.’ She was obviously talking to me,” the youngest man, in his twenties, a blond boy with hunting eyes, said.
“I’m the wisest out here,” the older man said with a devilish grin.
“Wise, wise my ass. You’re just old,” the middle one, a Latino guy in his thirties, said.
“Thank you, Juan. You tell him,” the blond said.
I was staring at Texarkana’s own United Nations. One thing I had learned from the military was that when you stopped looking for differences in people, you were always surprised at how alike everyone truly was. At the end of the day, a poor person was a poor person regardless of race. These three men understood that and embraced it. I wanted to hug them. Instead I just smiled.
“Don’t be jealous. You’ll get there one day,” the black guy said. By the look of their postures, they were ready to banter all day.
“Sorry. Maybe all three of you could help me. I’m looking for a friend of mine. He’s been missing since Sunday.”
The three men suddenly got very quiet. They all looked around, worried.
In a hushed voice, the black man told me, “You look like a smart girl. Stop looking around and asking questions. Bad things are happening to those who ask questions. If your friend is missing, I’m sorry, but he’s not coming back. Go home and get away from here.”
Before I could say anything else, they all got up and left. They headed north toward Seventh Street. I really sucked at this investigation gig.
Chapter 14
It was not meant to be that I would make it to work at a reasonable time this week. The library was a total bust, in more ways than one. The Texarkana Library was on the Texas side of downtown, with the entrance on Third Street. It sat in the center of the block. If you parked on Oak Street, as was my custom, you got to enjoy the unique design. One wall was made of glass, and it curved around itself almost in a semiarch. From Oak Street, you had to walk down a flight of stairs to reach the library. It had parking spaces on almost all sides.
The library was a favorite location for a lot of people, especially those whose resources were low.
