catalyst: chapter 34
The Smiling Woman
She had finally sat down at the table, to the women’s apparent delight, because of the one sliver of information that would pique her ears.
“Speaking of missing persons. Did you hear that they might have found that man that kidnapped his baby?”
“What baby?”
“Judy, that man in Georgia that took his baby and disappeared a few years ago. Him and his wife both gone. And their little girl with them too.”
The smiling woman had heard them discussing their missing friend, her car found out on the side streets. But this man, she had a feeling she knew the man they were talking about.
Kane.
“Oh, yes, yes, yes. They still haven’t found him? It’s been what? Two years?”
The smiling woman leaned over and piped in.
“Five.”
An excited turn in unison.
“Really?” one of the women responded in a careful voice, trying not to scare off this new person.
“Really. I knew someone who was in their church. Mom gave birth and the three of them just vanished. Wife’s parents reported her missing, no trace left. Searched the church and everything.”
“Oh, Lord,” one woman grumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes.
“Couple of people say they saw him in different places, but you know how it is. Rumors.”
The smiling woman nodded, hungry for more information.
“I heard they saw him out in Kansas at one point, someone else said New York. My daughter joked that maybe aliens took them, but she’s into all that paranormal crap.”
“Anybody ever seen them around here? Place loves to gossip more than most,” one of the members said in derision.
“Well, Judy, funny thing is that my daughter up in Richmond said she saw them at a Walmart a couple of days ago and called in the tip.”
“Is that why you brought this up? To brag about your daughter?”
“No… I just think it’s interesting that they might finally catch him and bring that little girl home is all.”
“Up in Richmond you said?” the smiling woman asked the braggadocios, blue-haired woman.
“Yes, ma’am. Said him and some lady were packing up a bunch of supplies and looked real paranoid. Got out of there quick once she spotted them. Said it looked like they were headed west.”
It wasn’t much, but it was the closest the smiling woman had gotten to a hint of where Kane and that little girl might have gone. West of Richmond was a start, though the entire sprawling country would have been available to them. There had also been no sighting of them in a long time, so the smiling woman figured they must have been holed up somewhere safely for a while. She would go to Richmond, see if she could find anything out, and hunt them down.
The women were still chattering when the smiling woman stood up, grabber her coffee, and started to leave.
“Well, ladies, this has been nice.”
“No stay, join us!”
“I really can’t, but maybe some other time.”
The smiling woman left.