He looked up, his eyes wide with fear. “Is she like five foot tall with kind of ratty red hair and painted-on eyebrows?”

“No.”

“Good.” He exhaled. “What does she want?”

“How should I know?”

“You didn’t ask?”

“I’m a fry cook, not a receptionist.”

“You’re getting mouthy these days,” he said. “Tell her I’ll be just a minute.”

I walked back out. “He’ll be right with you.”

“Thank you.”

The woman picked up an Amway brochure, then slowly paced around the lobby until Gary arrived. From the way he looked at her it was obvious he liked what he saw. “Can I help you?”

She recognized his interest and her voice became honey-sweet. “I sure hope so. I’m Cindy.” She extended her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Gary reached out, eager to take her hand. “Pleasure’s all mine,” he said, wide-eyed.

“So you’re the man in charge here?” She was working him like a rented mule.

“Yes I am.”

Right, I thought.

“I’m from the Granite PTA. You’ve probably already heard that one of our students is missing. Would it be permissible to hang a poster in your establishment?”

Gary just stared at her. I could guess at the battle going on in his head between a request from a pretty lady and the grief Mr. Dick would give him. Mr. Dick would say something like, “What do you think we are, the flippin’ post office?”

The blue eyes won out. “Uh, sure, miss. Just put it on that wall above the newspapers.”

“Thank you kindly.”

As she walked to the wall, Gary leaned over to me. “If Mr. Dick asks, I didn’t know about this.”

“Sure,” I said. What a pansy.

The women took out a Scotch tape dispenser and set it on a table. Then, as she unrolled the poster she turned back. “Would one of you gentlemen mind giving me a hand?”

Gary just stood there.

“I’ll help,” I said. I walked around the counter.

“Now if you’ll just hold it up,” she said, “I’ll tape the corners.”

She lifted the poster. Below a black and white image of Grace in thick block letters, it read:

MISSING
MADELINE WEBB
SIXTEEN-YEARS-OLD
Last seen at Granite Jr. High
If you have information regarding her
whereabouts please contact the police.

It seemed to me an eternity before the woman had the thing hung. The tape got caught on the spool and it took her forever to find the end of it. All the while I stood there face-to-face with Grace. Of course the woman had no idea that she was being assisted by one of the only people in the world who knew where Grace was. When she finally got all four corners taped up, she thanked me and turned back to Gary. “Thank you, sir.”

“You betcha. Anytime.”