In the Clearing (Tracy Crosswhite #3)(21)

“I am. Just a few months.”

“Welcome.” She was an attractive middle-aged woman, tall and thin, with hair pure silver and cut short as a man’s, revealing hoop earrings. Blue shadow brought out the blue of her eyes. “Where’re you from?”

“Most recently? Vietnam.”

“Sorry to hear that. Army?”

“Marines, by way of Orange County in Southern California.”

“Orange County? Disneyland’s down there, isn’t it?”

“Not far. Anaheim.”

“Took the kids one summer. Hotter than blazes. And the smog? I don’t know how people can breathe that all day, especially kids.”

“Those are two of the reasons we didn’t go back.”

“How many you got?”

“Two girls. One on the way.”

“Good for you. Got some apple pie to go with that coffee.”

“Homemade?”

“Don’t insult me. I wouldn’t serve it if it wasn’t.” She stuck out a hand. “I’m Lorraine.” Her name was also on the copper name tag pinned to her uniform.

Buzz looked at the four pies in the glass case near the cash register. “I’d love a piece of apple pie, Lorraine.”

Lorraine departed and returned with a thick slice and a fork. She stood waiting for Buzz to take a bite. His taste buds exploded when the apples and cinnamon hit his tongue. “Wow,” he said. “I’ll deny ever saying it, but this is better than my mother’s.”

Lorraine gave him a smile, but it had a sad quality to it. The entire diner, nearly empty, had a sad quality to it. Buzz saw no reason to hide his intent for coming in. “I was the officer who responded to the call when Kimi Kanasket went missing.”

Lorraine grimaced as if stabbed in the chest, but what she said surprised Buzz. “Then you know it doesn’t make any sense.”

“What doesn’t make any sense?”

“That Kimi would do such a thing.”

“How’d she seem to you that night?”

Lorraine sat across from him, her knees angled so they were in the aisle. “She seemed fine. She seemed just fine.”

“I heard her boyfriend came in.”

“Tommy Moore,” she said, nearly spitting his name. “Jackass brought a girl in here with him.”

“What was Kimi’s reaction?”

“Honestly? She seemed fine with it. I asked her if she was okay, and she said she was. She said she’d ended it. She was going to UW next year anyway. Besides, her parents didn’t like Tommy.” It confirmed Buzz’s suspicion that Kimi had broken up with Moore.

“She ever say why not?”

“Dead-end kid going nowhere fast; they wanted better for Kimi.”

“Heard her brother introduced them.”

“élan? I don’t know about that.”

“What’s his story?”

Lorraine rolled her eyes. “Another dead-end kid. Dropped out of high school. Lives at home. Not sure he does much of anything except cause his parents grief.”

“Kimi ever talk about her relationship with him?”

“Not really, but I didn’t get the impression they were close.”

“So Kimi didn’t seem sad or angry about Tommy coming in with another girl?”

“Nope. She waited on the table, cheerful as ever. Maybe a little more cheerful. She was no dummy. She knew what Tommy was doing, and that irritated him. He got up and left without even ordering.”

“Did he say anything?”

“Nope, just grabbed his date by the hand and bolted. Drove off in a huff. Back tires spitting up gravel.”

“Kimi finish her shift?”

“Yep.” Lorraine pointed to a phone mounted on the wall near the cash register. “She used that phone to call home and let them know she was on her way. Did it every night she worked.” Lorraine picked up the napkin from beneath the table setting and blotted the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes.

“So, no indication she was upset or depressed?”

“She hugged me and said she’d see me Saturday night.” She took a moment to compose herself before continuing. “I told her not to bother, not with the football game that night, not with the whole town clearing out. This place was going to be a graveyard anyway.”

“She wasn’t going to the big game?”

Lorraine shook her head. “No. Some of the Indians were planning a big protest about the ‘Red Raiders’ name.”

“I heard about that.”

“Kimi’s father is one of the tribal elders. He didn’t want Kimi too involved, since she goes to school there, which made it hard enough.”

“Kimi ever indicate she received any threats or harassment because of the protests?”

“Nothing serious. She said some of the students would make an occasional derogatory comment, but she just ignored them. She was more mature than most kids her age. Kimi had her own way of protesting. When she ran cross-country and track, she covered the word ‘Red’ on her tank top.”

“Hmm,” Buzz said, thinking that pretty smart. “Let me ask you straight up, Lorraine—”

“Do I believe Kimi jumped in the river because of Tommy Moore?” She shook her head and dabbed again at her tears. “I know that’s what they’re saying, but I’m having a hard time believing it. She was always so levelheaded, and like I said, Tommy coming in didn’t seem to bother her none. Maybe it did. Maybe she just hid it so I wouldn’t see it.”