Storybrooke. Ruby.
She and Henry went right to the diner. When she saw that Ruby had a moment free, Emma pulled her over to the back entrance and asked her if she had any guesses about where Ashley might have gone.
“I don’t. No,” Ruby said, shaking her head. “Excuse me.” She pushed on the back door and propped it open. “I’m waiting for them to drop off my car, sorry.”
“You don’t think the boyfriend could be involved?”
“He would have to be involved to be involved,” Ruby said. “He hasn’t talked to her in at least six months. He’s such an ass.”
“She mentioned he hadn’t… done the right thing,” Emma said. “When he found out she was pregnant.”
“He dumped her,” Ruby said disdainfully, chewing her gum loudly. She looked like she was about to say something else, but just then a tow truck trundled into the back parking lot, pulling a cherry-red Camaro. The truck stopped, and the driver got out, waved to Ruby (who waved back quite flirtatiously, Emma noticed, and added a hip-twisting curtsy for good measure), and started lowering the vehicle. Nice car for a waitress, Emma thought.
“And where’s Ashley’s family?”
“She doesn’t really have one,” Ruby said. “Horrible stepmother somewhere. I think stepsisters. I don’t know. She doesn’t talk to them.”
Henry tugged conspiratorially on Emma’s jacket, and nodded up at her when she looked down. She shook her head and gave him a “not now, kid” look.
“You know, maybe you should go ask Sean,” Ruby said. “Maybe he knows something. He lives with his dad.” She took Emma’s hand, pulled it up, then took the pen from behind her ear. “I’ll write down the address.”
• • •
A burly man in his fifties opened the door when Emma rang the bell of the two-story midcentury on Randolph. The father, she assumed. She asked for Sean, and the man introduced himself as Mitchell Herman, asked her what she wanted. The way he said his own name, the way he shook her hand, the way he crossed his arms afterward—Emma could feel it when she wasn’t going to like somebody. Pushy fat rich men were not exactly her type.
Emma was glad she’d left Henry in the car as she explained that Ashley was missing and that she’d been hired to find her. She told him few other details, but Mitchell took what she gave him and ran: “Of course she disappeared, of course she bailed on the agreement. Can’t trust her to be a good mother, can’t trust her to do the right thing. She let herself get pregnant in the first place, didn’t she?”
Oh, Emma thought. I really don’t like you.
“Who’s at the door, Dad?” Emma heard, and behind Mitchell, she saw Sean emerge from a back room and come down the hall. He was so young—just a baby, not even twenty. Just like Ashley. Emma couldn’t believe that her own son would one day turn into a similarly gangly, bright-eyed creature. She couldn’t believe that she used to be like Ashley….
“Is everything all right?” Sean asked.
“No, Sean, everything isn’t all right,” Emma said, her voice suddenly stern. “Ashley is missing. If you know anything, you need to tell me where she is or go to the police. Right now. And I mean anything.”
Sean became extremely agitated when he heard this information, and he tried to push past his father, who held him back and blocked the doorway. “What do you mean, disappeared?” Sean said. “Where is she? What about the baby?”
“No,” Mitchell said. He turned to his son. “Get inside, we’ll talk in a minute.”
“I get it,” Emma said. “You’re the reason. Right? The reason he broke it off in the first place?”
Mitchell looked at her like an idiot. “I had everything set up for that girl. She was set. She agreed. It was all very civil. All she had to do was follow through.”
“What do you mean you ‘had everything set up’ for Ashley?”
“I mean exactly that,” he said. “I made an arrangement.”
“For the
She and Henry went right to the diner. When she saw that Ruby had a moment free, Emma pulled her over to the back entrance and asked her if she had any guesses about where Ashley might have gone.
“I don’t. No,” Ruby said, shaking her head. “Excuse me.” She pushed on the back door and propped it open. “I’m waiting for them to drop off my car, sorry.”
“You don’t think the boyfriend could be involved?”
“He would have to be involved to be involved,” Ruby said. “He hasn’t talked to her in at least six months. He’s such an ass.”
“She mentioned he hadn’t… done the right thing,” Emma said. “When he found out she was pregnant.”
“He dumped her,” Ruby said disdainfully, chewing her gum loudly. She looked like she was about to say something else, but just then a tow truck trundled into the back parking lot, pulling a cherry-red Camaro. The truck stopped, and the driver got out, waved to Ruby (who waved back quite flirtatiously, Emma noticed, and added a hip-twisting curtsy for good measure), and started lowering the vehicle. Nice car for a waitress, Emma thought.
“And where’s Ashley’s family?”
“She doesn’t really have one,” Ruby said. “Horrible stepmother somewhere. I think stepsisters. I don’t know. She doesn’t talk to them.”
Henry tugged conspiratorially on Emma’s jacket, and nodded up at her when she looked down. She shook her head and gave him a “not now, kid” look.
“You know, maybe you should go ask Sean,” Ruby said. “Maybe he knows something. He lives with his dad.” She took Emma’s hand, pulled it up, then took the pen from behind her ear. “I’ll write down the address.”
• • •
A burly man in his fifties opened the door when Emma rang the bell of the two-story midcentury on Randolph. The father, she assumed. She asked for Sean, and the man introduced himself as Mitchell Herman, asked her what she wanted. The way he said his own name, the way he shook her hand, the way he crossed his arms afterward—Emma could feel it when she wasn’t going to like somebody. Pushy fat rich men were not exactly her type.
Emma was glad she’d left Henry in the car as she explained that Ashley was missing and that she’d been hired to find her. She told him few other details, but Mitchell took what she gave him and ran: “Of course she disappeared, of course she bailed on the agreement. Can’t trust her to be a good mother, can’t trust her to do the right thing. She let herself get pregnant in the first place, didn’t she?”
Oh, Emma thought. I really don’t like you.
“Who’s at the door, Dad?” Emma heard, and behind Mitchell, she saw Sean emerge from a back room and come down the hall. He was so young—just a baby, not even twenty. Just like Ashley. Emma couldn’t believe that her own son would one day turn into a similarly gangly, bright-eyed creature. She couldn’t believe that she used to be like Ashley….
“Is everything all right?” Sean asked.
“No, Sean, everything isn’t all right,” Emma said, her voice suddenly stern. “Ashley is missing. If you know anything, you need to tell me where she is or go to the police. Right now. And I mean anything.”
Sean became extremely agitated when he heard this information, and he tried to push past his father, who held him back and blocked the doorway. “What do you mean, disappeared?” Sean said. “Where is she? What about the baby?”
“No,” Mitchell said. He turned to his son. “Get inside, we’ll talk in a minute.”
“I get it,” Emma said. “You’re the reason. Right? The reason he broke it off in the first place?”
Mitchell looked at her like an idiot. “I had everything set up for that girl. She was set. She agreed. It was all very civil. All she had to do was follow through.”
“What do you mean you ‘had everything set up’ for Ashley?”
“I mean exactly that,” he said. “I made an arrangement.”
“For the
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