“So far the phone number’s our best bet,” Norman said. “I’ll hop on the Internet to see if I can track down that license plate, but it’s a long shot since she didn’t say exactly how they spelled it and we don’t know the state. And if her father’s dead and her mother sold the van or something like that, the plate could have gone back into circulation.”

“I’ve got a theory about her home state,” Hannah told them. “My guess is, it’s not Minnesota. We watched the news last night right before she went to bed, and she wasn’t a bit jumpy.”

Norman gave a nod. “And she would have been jumpy if she was afraid her mother had reported her missing? And they might show her picture on television?”

“Exactly. Not only that; they did a sound bite from the governor’s last speech, and Candy asked me who he was.”

“Then she’s not from Minnesota. Where do you think she came from?” Andrea asked.

“Somewhere in the Midwest, probably no more than a day or two away from Lake Eden on the bus, or by hitchhiking. I could be wrong, but the night we found her, I noticed that her clothes were still clean and her sleeping bag looked almost new.”

“That all makes sense to me,” Andrea told them, finishing her coffee and sliding out of the booth. “I think your idea about the Midwest is right, especially since she doesn’t have an accent. I’ll try the Dakotas first and work my way around in a circle. Where will you be if I get a hit, Hannah?”

“I’m at the shop until six. We’re closing at five, but I want to mix up a double batch of Fudge-Aroons to take to Sally’s Christmas party on Friday night. You’re going aren’t you, Norman?”

“Yes. Will you save me a dance?”

“Absolutely,” Hannah said, hoping her smile wasn’t slipping. Norman was a great guy, but he wasn’t what anyone without steel-toed boots might call an accomplished dancer.

“How about Candy? Is she going?” Andrea wanted to know.

“Of course. I told her it was one of the biggest parties of the year and she’s all excited about it.”

“Does she have a dress?”

“Not yet, but I talked to Claire and I’m taking her over to Beau Monde tomorrow.”

“Don’t forget shoes. She can’t wear tennis shoes with a fancy party dress.”

“I won’t forget.” Hannah was grateful for the reminder, but she wasn’t about to let her sister know that she hadn’t even thought about shoes.

“So you’ll be home at…what? Six-thirty?”

“That’s about right.”

“Okay.” Andrea turned to go, but then she turned back. “What do you want me to say when I find Candy’s mother?”

Hannah thought about that for a moment, and she remembered what Mike had said. Some runaways had a very good reason for leaving home. “If the mother’s not too far away, see if you can get her to come here. Tell her that if I bring Candy back without resolving anything, she’ll just run away again. And the next time she could get into big trouble.”