“I grew up here,” he says. “You can ask me anything about this city and I can tell you even more than you wanted to know.”

“Good to know,” she says.

I can see that Bailey is totally tuned out so I try to engage him in case any of it will turn out to be useful later.

“You grew up here?” I say.

“Born and raised. I lived here when this was a small town,” he says. “It’s still a small town in a lot of ways, but there are a helluva lot more people and a lot bigger buildings.”

He pulls off the highway and I feel a clinching in my chest as downtown Austin comes into view. I know this was the plan, but looking out the window at this strange city, it all seems so much crazier.

He points out the window, motions toward a skyscraper.

“That’s the Frost Bank Tower,” he says. “Used to be the tallest building in Austin. Now I’m not even sure it cracks the top five. Have you heard of it?”

“Can’t say I have,” I say.

“Yeah, crazy story behind it,” he says. “If you look at it from certain angles it looks like an owl. Exactly like an owl. Might be hard to see from here but it’s wild if you can make it out…”

I open my window and take in the Frost Building—the tiers on top, like ears, the two windows that look like eyes. There is definitely an owl similarity.

“This is a UT town, but the architects all went to Rice University and the owl is Rice University’s mascot. So that’s like a f-you to our mascot and to the Longhorns in general,” he says. “And I mean, some people say it’s just a conspiracy theory, but look at it. The building looks like an owl! How can that be an accident?”

He turns onto South Congress Bridge and I can see our hotel in the distance.

“Are you guys here looking at UT?” he asks. He directs the question toward Bailey, again trying to meet her eyes in the rearview.

“Not exactly,” she says.

“So… what are you doing here?”

She doesn’t answer. She opens the window in an attempt to discourage further questions. I don’t blame her for that. I don’t blame her for not being particularly anxious to explain to a stranger why she is here—in a city she is trying to remember whether she’s been to before, searching for information about her missing father.

“Just fans of Austin,” I say.

“Right on,” he says. “A little vacay. I can get behind that.”

He pulls up to the hotel and Bailey is opening the door before the car even stops moving.

“Wait, wait! Let me give you my number. In case there is anything I can show you guys while you’re in town.”