trash into the sacks. “Okay, let’s get started putting a face on the man Ella was with.”
Jay stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth and wiped his hands. He took out his sketchpad and selected a pencil, then thumbed through a stack of papers and pulled out a sheet that pictured a variety of facial shapes.
“Look over my shoulder so we can both see,” he said. “Which one best fits the guy you saw?”
Abby knelt behind Jay and studied the faces and then closed her eyes and tried to picture the man. “It’s hard to say since he had a beard.”
“Look at the shapes and mentally put a beard on them. Which one?”
Abby pointed to the oval shape. “I’m not sure, but I think this is right.”
Jay drew a big oval on his paper. “All right, let’s build on that.” He held out another paper with eye shapes. “Pick one.”
Abby thought back to when the man came outside of Murchison’s and grabbed Ella’s arm. “His eyes were serious looking. I don’t remember the shape and color, but they seemed dark. Brown maybe.”
“That’s a start.” Jay drew the eyes and then held out a sheet with nose shapes.
“His nose was pointy.” Abby perused the choices and selected one.
Jay drew it. “Is this starting to look like the guy?”
“It’s too soon to tell. What else?”
Jay held up a sheet showing mouth shapes.
“The guy had a beard,” Abby said. “How am I supposed to know what his mouth looked like?”
“If he was scolding Ella, you must’ve seen his mouth. Think.”
“I just remember his teeth were kind of crooked.”
“Can you be more specific? Were there spaces between his teeth? Were they protruding? Were they yellowish?”
“I don’t know! I just saw him for a few seconds!” Abby sighed. “Maybe this isn’t such a great idea. I don’t know if we can do this.”
“Yes, we can,” Jay said. “We just have to work at it. What did his beard look like?”
“Reddish gray and bushy. It wasn’t very long.”
Jay drew the beard, and her heart skipped a beat. “Yes!” she said. “It’s definitely starting to look like him, but now the eyes are wrong. I think they were more intense, sort of like an eagle’s …”
Kate picked a warm towel out of the dryer and folded it, then put it neatly on top of the stack. Doing laundry was therapeutic and the one chore she had always preferred to do by herself.
“There you are.”
She turned around and saw Hawk standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the utility room.
“I have thirty minutes before my next jeep tour,” he said, “and wanted to check in and see if Sheriff Granger found anything else.”
Kate shook her head. “He called a little while ago and asked me to contact Dr. Silvers and authorize him to pull your father’s dental records. Virgil seemed to think the pathologist could make a determination within a day or two.”
Hawk exhaled. “Everything is a waiting game.”
“At least it won’t be long.”
Hawk came over and put his hands on Kate’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I almost hope it is Daddy. At least it would be closure.”
“More like the finale.” Kate turned and pulled another towel out of the dryer and began folding it.
“It’s better than feeling like this for another five years—or ten—or twenty. Or never knowing.”
“But you said yourself there’s no way your father and sister got lost out there.” Kate put the towel neatly on the stack, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Hawk. “If they’re dead, something awful happened to them. We could have that unknown hanging over us, which would almost be worse.”
“I don’t know, Mama. I’ve already wondered about it a thousand times. If they’re dead, I would rather know and get the grief out of my system than let it eat me up for the rest of my life.”
Kate started to reach for another towel and then paused instead. “I suppose I would too. But it would be hard to accept that they’re
Jay stuffed the last of his sandwich into his mouth and wiped his hands. He took out his sketchpad and selected a pencil, then thumbed through a stack of papers and pulled out a sheet that pictured a variety of facial shapes.
“Look over my shoulder so we can both see,” he said. “Which one best fits the guy you saw?”
Abby knelt behind Jay and studied the faces and then closed her eyes and tried to picture the man. “It’s hard to say since he had a beard.”
“Look at the shapes and mentally put a beard on them. Which one?”
Abby pointed to the oval shape. “I’m not sure, but I think this is right.”
Jay drew a big oval on his paper. “All right, let’s build on that.” He held out another paper with eye shapes. “Pick one.”
Abby thought back to when the man came outside of Murchison’s and grabbed Ella’s arm. “His eyes were serious looking. I don’t remember the shape and color, but they seemed dark. Brown maybe.”
“That’s a start.” Jay drew the eyes and then held out a sheet with nose shapes.
“His nose was pointy.” Abby perused the choices and selected one.
Jay drew it. “Is this starting to look like the guy?”
“It’s too soon to tell. What else?”
Jay held up a sheet showing mouth shapes.
“The guy had a beard,” Abby said. “How am I supposed to know what his mouth looked like?”
“If he was scolding Ella, you must’ve seen his mouth. Think.”
“I just remember his teeth were kind of crooked.”
“Can you be more specific? Were there spaces between his teeth? Were they protruding? Were they yellowish?”
“I don’t know! I just saw him for a few seconds!” Abby sighed. “Maybe this isn’t such a great idea. I don’t know if we can do this.”
“Yes, we can,” Jay said. “We just have to work at it. What did his beard look like?”
“Reddish gray and bushy. It wasn’t very long.”
Jay drew the beard, and her heart skipped a beat. “Yes!” she said. “It’s definitely starting to look like him, but now the eyes are wrong. I think they were more intense, sort of like an eagle’s …”
Kate picked a warm towel out of the dryer and folded it, then put it neatly on top of the stack. Doing laundry was therapeutic and the one chore she had always preferred to do by herself.
“There you are.”
She turned around and saw Hawk standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the utility room.
“I have thirty minutes before my next jeep tour,” he said, “and wanted to check in and see if Sheriff Granger found anything else.”
Kate shook her head. “He called a little while ago and asked me to contact Dr. Silvers and authorize him to pull your father’s dental records. Virgil seemed to think the pathologist could make a determination within a day or two.”
Hawk exhaled. “Everything is a waiting game.”
“At least it won’t be long.”
Hawk came over and put his hands on Kate’s shoulders and looked into her eyes. “I almost hope it is Daddy. At least it would be closure.”
“More like the finale.” Kate turned and pulled another towel out of the dryer and began folding it.
“It’s better than feeling like this for another five years—or ten—or twenty. Or never knowing.”
“But you said yourself there’s no way your father and sister got lost out there.” Kate put the towel neatly on the stack, deliberately avoiding eye contact with Hawk. “If they’re dead, something awful happened to them. We could have that unknown hanging over us, which would almost be worse.”
“I don’t know, Mama. I’ve already wondered about it a thousand times. If they’re dead, I would rather know and get the grief out of my system than let it eat me up for the rest of my life.”
Kate started to reach for another towel and then paused instead. “I suppose I would too. But it would be hard to accept that they’re
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