Page 22 of Final Approach (Lake City Heroes #4)
“Okay, fine.” He looked around, taking in the scene.
Two diners in their mid-twenties across the restaurant next to the big picture window.
A table full of college-aged kids probably from the nearby Lake City University.
The young girl in the booth in the corner who had a book open, an empty plate and half-filled glass of tea in front of her.
He paused. She was awfully young to be by herself, but she didn’t look distressed.
He’d ask a worker about her before he left.
There could be a hundred reasons for her being there, but he still wanted to make sure it was a legit and safe one.
He slid onto the seat next to Nathan. The waiter pulled a device from his pocket and stepped up to them. “I’m Trevor. I’ll be waiting on you today. What can I get you?”
Andrew closed the menu. “Lemonade and the burger plate, with onions, please.”
“Same,” Nathan said. “But no onions.”
The guy tapped the order in and headed for the drink machine.
“Figured we’d eat while we were here,” Andrew said. “It’s almost lunchtime and I’m hungry.”
“I can always eat a burger. And they’re amazing here. Fresh, hand-pattied, cooked juicy and just right.” He paused. “Now I might eat two.”
Andrew laughed.
Trevor returned with chilled glasses of lemonade some might think better suited to a hot summer day, but Andrew didn’t care about the temperature outside. He took a swig and sighed. “I’ll be back just for this,” he told Nathan.
Nathan laughed. “You’ve never been here?”
“Nope. You?”
“A couple of times. Jesslyn introduced me to the place.”
“Nice.”
“Yeah, but she doesn’t let me get the onions if I plan on kissing her.”
“Are you planning on kissing her?”
“First chance I get.”
Andrew chuckled. Maybe one day he’d be leaving onions off his burger too. One could hope.
Trevor returned with silverware and napkins. Andrew subtly showed his badge to the guy. “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions?”
The young man sighed. “Sure, but I don’t have anything new to add to what I already told the other agents.”
“You know Marcus Brown?”
“Of course. Everyone knows him. He was a regular. And I guess everyone really knows him now after the whole hijacking thing.” He wiped down the counter near them and tucked the rag into his back pocket. “And that’s exactly what I told the others who came in asking.”
“No cameras with any footage?”
He shook his head. “Everything resets after twenty-four hours and Marcus hadn’t been in for at least a week.”
“No cameras across the street either,” Nathan said.
“Order up!”
Trevor grabbed the two plates from the kitchen window and placed them in front of him and Nathan. “Ketchup?”
“And mustard,” Andrew said.
Once they had the burgers ready, Andrew took a bite, swallowed, and vowed he’d be back.
Trevor refilled the lemonade, and Andrew tilted his head at the girl in the booth. “Who’s that?”
“Ginny’s daughter. Ginny is one of our cooks here. The kid’s name’s Cheyenne but everyone calls her Chey. She was being bullied at school, so Ginny took her out and homeschools her now.”
“While working full-time?”
He shrugged. “She’s a single mom. They make it work. They live in a small apartment out back, so Chey comes and goes as she pleases. And at least Ginny knows where she is.”
Not his business. People did what they had to do.
“Hey,” Trevor said, “I just thought of this. She’s good friends with Jacob, Marcus’s son. The kid would come in after school all the time and they’d be thick as thieves.” He shrugged. “Haven’t seen him for a few days, but before his dad decided to hijack a plane, he was in here all the time.”
Andrew straightened. “Well, that’s good news. Do you mind asking Ginny if we can talk to Chey?” They could work around parental permission, but it was always easier if they could get it.
“Sure. I’ll send her over when you guys finish eating.”
“Thanks.”
It didn’t take long to devour the rest of the food and get a lemonade to go. A woman stepped out of the back and walked over to them. “Hi, I’m Ginny. I hear you want to speak to my girl.”
“Yes, ma’am, if that’s all right. You’re welcome to listen in, of course.”
She waved a hand. “I’ve gotta keep cooking. Chey’ll fill me in on what you got to say.”
“Before we talk to her,” Nathan said, “do you mind telling us what you know about Marcus Brown?”
“Check the notes of the other dude that was here. He wrote it all down and I ain’t got anything else to add.”
“Right.” Nathan nodded. “Thanks.”
She leaned over the counter. “Hey, Chey?”
The girl looked up from her book with a frown. “What?”
“It’s ma’am.”
“Right.”
“These nice gentlemen need to talk to you for a minute. You be polite and cooperate.”
“Whatever.”
The woman rolled her eyes and sighed, then shot a look to Nathan and Andrew. “She won’t stand up to bullies, but she’ll defy me like no one’s business. Help yourself, boys. I wish you luck.”
Andrew held in a grimace and looked at Nathan. “Maybe one of us would be a little less intimidating?”
“Yeah. I’ll slide into the booth behind you and listen.”
“Perfect.”
Andrew walked over to the young girl, who eyed him with a wary expression. “What?”
“Do you mind if I sit?” He showed her his badge. “I’m a federal agent, but I’m also a friend of Jacob’s and I’d like to ask you a couple of questions if that’s all right with you.”
Her brows rose at the mention of Jacob and she nodded. “Fine. Is Jacob okay?”
“Well, that’s what we’re trying to find out.” Andrew settled across from her in the booth and folded his hands on the table. “I hear you’re homeschooled?”
“Yes.” She mimicked his position, linking her fingers in front of her, forearms resting on the edge of the table.
“But you know Jacob from school?”
“Yes.”
Well, she was a talkative one, wasn’t she?
He cleared his throat. “You know Jacob’s missing.”
Her eyes flickered and her jaw tightened. “I heard.”
“Can you tell me where you think he might have run to?”
“No.”
“Can’t or won’t?”
“Can’t.” She frowned. “He was supposed to meet me here yesterday, but he never showed. After all his father did...” She shrugged. “I guess he just needed some space.”
“You’re here a lot?”
“All the time. I live here. Well, not here, but close by. I use the internet to do online school while Mom works, so it’s not really homeschooling. I’m still enrolled in the public school. Mom just thinks saying she’s homeschooling me makes her sound like a better mother. She’s not.”
At least her answers were getting longer. “Does she ever hit you?”
Chey sighed and shook her head. “No, she doesn’t abuse me.
She’s just ... her. Always controlling, never letting me do what I want to do.
” She looked up at him through thick lashes.
“I know I have it better than a lot of kids. I just give her a hard time.” A flicker of shame crossed her features before she looked away.
“Most kids your age do.”
She shrugged. “She lets me have a phone, so I guess she’s not all bad.”
“I’d say not.” He paused, and she studied him with her dark eyes. She was a pretty girl who’d probably turn into a beautiful woman. Her mother’s controlling was probably related to that fact more than anything. “Did you ever see Jacob’s dad?”
“Sure. All the time.”
“And did you ever see him meeting with anyone?”
She tilted her head. “Maybe. Why?”
“Because we don’t think Jacob’s dad wanted to hijack that plane. We think someone forced him to. So, if we could find that person, we could help clear some of that up and make Jacob feel a little better about his dad.”
“Oh.” She sat silent, looking at her hands. “I don’t think I can help you.”
Andrew wasn’t so sure. “Look, Chey, Jacob could be in trouble. Like big trouble. We just want to help him.” If Jacob had the money, it wouldn’t take long for the guy who wanted it back to start looking for him too.
“Jacob can take care of himself,” she said. “He’s really smart and he and his dad went camping a lot.”
“Out in the woods?”
“Maybe.”
“If you had to pick a place to go look for Jacob right now, where would you go?”
She sighed and twisted her mouth in thought. “He likes books. He might hang out in the library during the day. I don’t know about at night.”
“That’s helpful.”
She hesitated. “I ... might have something on my phone that could help you find the man Mr. Brown met with a few days ago.”
Andrew stilled. “Like what?”
“I was bored and was taking pictures. Even some video. Mr. Brown and that guy are in it. The angle’s probably not very good and I don’t know if it’ll help you find him or not, but if it helps Jacob or his dad, I’ll give it to you.”