Who’s That Girl Page 5

  At that moment, an obscuring cloud moved away from the sun, and light streamed through the doorway, dispelling the gloom and the remaining shreds of Kate’s panic.

  “Thank you,” she repeated, saying the words aloud this time. With renewed determination, she turned and stepped back inside the restroom.

  Sunlight glinted off something in the rear of the first stall. Her curiosity aroused, Kate went over and knelt down to investigate. A metal object lay wedged between one of the metal stall supports and the back wall.

  She leaned forward and reached for it, but her fingers fell short of their goal by an inch or so. Kate reached into her pocket for her keys.

  Stretching out as far as she could, she used her car key to extend her reach to the top of the object. She flicked her wrist several times, nudging the chunk of metal until it popped free and rolled toward her.

  Gleaming in the sunlight, a gold cuff link came to a stop beside Kate’s left knee. She reached out to pick it up, then pulled her hand back. Her zeal for cleaning had already compromised any other evidence that might have been found in the restroom, except the letter. She could at least make the effort to treat this potential evidence with the utmost care.

  Kate stepped outside and scanned the area around her. Beneath one of the stately pines, she spotted some small twigs that might serve her purpose. She picked up two of them and returned to where the cuff link lay on the concrete floor. Wielding the pair of twigs like tweezers, she knelt and pressed the tips of the twigs against either side of the cuff link, then clamped them together.

  Her makeshift tweezers worked beautifully. Kate raised the cuff link to eye level. Her stomach knotted as she studied the fine workmanship. It was a very masculine piece of jewelry.

  Kate sat back on her heels. How did a man’s cuff link get here? And how did I miss seeing it before?

  She closed her eyes, picturing the events on cleanup day. She remembered propping the door open and setting her supplies on the floor. Then she had swept the cobwebs from the ceiling and swabbed the walls clean before scrubbing the toilets and sinks.

  But Millie had come in before she worked on the last sink. Kate recalled the way Millie had rushed in, then lost her balance and skidded across the floor.

  Her eyes flew open and her detective instincts went into high gear. Millie had ended her undignified slide with her feet up against the same metal support where the cuff link had been. Maybe her foot had slipped on the cuff link, and the force of her fall had wedged it into place.

  And there had been a scraping sound that accompanied Millie’s awkward fall. Kate’s pulse raced as the memory fell into place.

  She set the cuff link down gently, then bent over to examine the floor. Peering closely, she could see a slight nick in the surface, with a faint scratch arcing out from it in the direction of the stalls.

  If Millie’s foot came down on the cuff link, the piece of metal might very well have acted as a skate of sorts. That would explain why Millie had fallen in the first place. The cuff link, and not the puddle of water, had been to blame.

  She nodded, satisfied with the way the pieces of this puzzle fit together.

  But she still didn’t know how a man’s cuff link came to be in the ladies’ room in the first place. Or what significance, if any, it might have in identifying the injured girl.

  Using her twig tweezers, Kate picked up the cuff link again and carried it outside. Out in the sunlight, she could make out several telltale scratches on the back as well as some engraving on the face. She twisted the cuff link so the light hit it at a better angle, and she tried to decipher the etched lines.

  It was a crest, she decided, with a flowing monogram underneath. She squinted to make out the letters: RWM. Kate’s heart beat faster. The cuff link was a highly personalized item of jewelry, not just something that had been purchased over the counter. And it just might bring her one step closer to discovering the identity of the nameless girl.

  Kate knew the cuff link ought to be turned over to the deputy’s office without delay. She started toward her Honda, then stopped. Skip would surely want to see where she’d found it. She stepped inside the restroom again, hoping her sleuthing hadn’t disturbed any other potential pieces of evidence, and laid the gold disk gently on a ledge under one of the high, narrow windows. Then she pulled her cell phone from her pocket and punched in the familiar number.

  Skip picked up on the third ring.

  “It’s Kate Hanlon,” she began. “I’m out at the Ash Grove Campground, and I think you’d better join me here. There’s something you need to see.”

  To his credit, Skip didn’t waste any time with unnecessary questions. After a brief pause, he responded with a terse promise to be there in a few minutes and hung up.

  Kate returned the cell phone to her pocket and let her thoughts drift back to the girl in the Pine Ridge Hospital. Would the cuff link provide the answers to the girl’s identity and how she had sustained those cuts and bruises?

  While she waited for Skip, Kate went out to her Honda to retrieve a pencil and notepad from her handbag and returned to the restroom to make a sketch of the cuff link’s engraved crest and monogram. There had to be a way to trace the significance of that crest. Maybe Livvy would have some ideas.

  Skip pulled up within the promised few minutes and climbed out of his SUV. Kate hurried out to the parking lot to meet him.

  The young deputy’s face wore an eager expression. “What do you have, Missus Hanlon?”

  “It’s over there.” Kate tucked the drawing and the pencil into the pocket of her slacks, then led the way back to the concrete building.

  Skip’s eyes widened, and Kate bit back a smile at his obvious embarrassment. Standing in the doorway of a women’s restroom with the wife of Faith Briar’s pastor must undermine the dignity an officer of the law should possess.

  “This is what I wanted you to see.” Kate pointed to the cuff link on the ledge.

  “Where did you find this?” Skip demanded. “Don’t tell me it was lying right out in the open like that.”

  “No.” Kate indicated the spot where she’d noticed the shine of metal. “It was over here, wedged between this support and the wall.”

  Skip shook his head and stared. “How did I miss that?” he muttered. As if realizing he had spoken his thought aloud, his face grew as red as his hair.

  Kate pretended not to notice. “It wasn’t obvious at all. If the light hadn’t hit it just right, I probably wouldn’t have noticed it myself.”

  Skip nodded briskly, but Kate could see the relief in his eyes. He reached for the cuff link, but drew his hand back before he came into contact with the piece of jewelry. Skip patted his shirt pockets, then rummaged through the pockets of his uniform slacks. A look of frustration spread across his face, and Kate heard him mutter, “What did I do with those tweezers?”

  Keeping her expression neutral, Kate produced her makeshift tweezers and handed them to Skip. He took them with a grunt of thanks and used them to lift the cuff link from its resting place.

  Turning it this way and that, he studied it much as Kate had done earlier. “That’s some fancy engraving on the front.”

  “I think it’s some sort of crest,” Kate said. “Have you ever seen anything like it before?”

  Skip pursed his lips, then shook his head. “Not that I recall.” He tucked the bag back into his shirt pocket. “I’ll look around and see if I can turn up anything else. Then I’ll take this to the lab in Pine Ridge and let them do some testing. Maybe they’ll find something that will tell us who it belongs to.”

  “And how it wound up here,” Kate murmured.

  Skip gave her a sideways glance. “It’s a funny place to find a man’s cuff link,” he agreed.

  Kate merely nodded. Funny wasn’t the word she would have chosen. Up until now, the idea of the mystery girl being injured at the campground had only been a theory, but the discovery of the cuff link had added a new dimension to the notion. Evidence of an
unknown man’s presence made it more urgent than ever to establish the girl’s identity and find out what happened so they could protect her...and know who they were protecting her from.

  “Thanks for calling me, Missus Hanlon.” Skip’s voice broke into her thoughts. “I’ll take it from here.”

  Kate walked back to her car and waved to Skip as she drove away. She thought he looked somewhat relieved to see her leave. After his embarrassment over not seeing the cuff link during his first search, he would probably feel easier not having anyone look over his shoulder while he worked.

  Chapter Seven

  Kate drove west along Hamilton Road, deep in thought. Her instincts told her that the cuff link could be a key piece of the puzzle, but only if they were able to connect it with its owner. She glanced over at the sketch she’d spread out on the passenger seat. If only she could find out what the crest signified.

  And the best way she knew to find out more was to consult with Livvy. Livvy was more than Kate’s best friend and ardent supporter. As Copper Mill’s head librarian, she possessed finely honed research skills and an uncanny knack for being able to track down obscure information. If anyone could find out what the crest represented, Livvy could.

  With her mind made up, Kate pressed down on the accelerator, intending to head into town and go straight to the library.

  She braked for the stop sign at the intersection of Hamilton and Smoky Mountain Road and drummed her fingertips on the steering wheel. Paul should be in his office at the church. It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes to stop in and let him know what she’d found.

  With a smile tugging at her lips, Kate turned right onto Smoky Mountain. She knew Paul would share her excitement over her find, and she could ask him to pray that God would guide her to the information she needed.

  When she pulled into the church parking lot, she glanced around. Millie’s ancient red Datsun was parked in its usual spot, but Paul’s pickup was nowhere in sight. Maybe he’d gone to visit a church member or to run some other errand.

  Kate started to back up and turn around, then she reconsidered. She decided she really ought to check up on Millie and make sure she hadn’t suffered any ill effects after her fall. Maybe the friendly gesture would help soften the secretary’s irritation over Kate’s presumed negligence.

  Kate parked and went around to the side door. Fixing a pleasant smile on her face, she entered the office.

  Millie sat in front of her computer, staring raptly at the monitor. Kate hesitated, then cleared her throat.

  Millie jumped as though she’d heard a gunshot and looked up. Her eyes flared wide when she saw Kate. She reached for her computer mouse and made a series of rapid clicks, then stood up and folded her arms across her chest.

  “Your husband isn’t here.”

  Kate stared, unable to find her voice. She didn’t make a habit of dropping by to pass the time with Millie, but she didn’t enjoy being made to feel like an intruder. Surely her presence there wasn’t any reason for the secretary to look like she was ready to chase Kate out the door.

  She forced the smile back onto her face. “Actually, I came by to see you.”

  Millie’s face froze, and she sank back into her chair. She drew her head back and eyed Kate steadily. “What about?”

  What have I done to make her so angry? Trying not to let on how rattled she felt, Kate stepped forward. “I just wanted to check and see how you’re doing after that fall you had on Saturday.”

  Millie’s shoulders relaxed a fraction, and she looked slightly mollified. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure? You took quite a spill.”

  The irritated expression returned to Millie’s face. “I said I was all right.” She gestured toward a stack of papers next to her computer and added pointedly, “I have work I need to finish before I leave for my job at the SuperMart.”

  Feeling more off balance by the moment, Kate blinked. “Oh, of course. Well, if you’re sure you’re all right...” Her voice trailed off at Millie’s stony expression. She gave a small wave and went back to her Honda.

  Behind the wheel again, Kate leaned her head back against the headrest. What was that all about?

  The secretary, whom Paul had inherited from his predecessor Nehemiah Jacobs, had a reputation for being prickly and made no secret of the fact that she often disapproved of Paul’s way of doing things. Still, Kate hadn’t expected to encounter such overt hostility in response to a friendly visit. Shaking her head, she turned the key in the ignition and headed for the library.

  LIVVY KNELT IN FRONT of a shelving cart, arranging newly returned books on the bottom shelf. When Kate stopped beside her, she looked up and grinned.

  “Hi, Sherlock! What’s the latest on your new case? Have you found out who the mystery girl is?”

  Kate smiled in response to Livvy’s contagious enthusiasm. “Not yet, but I may have found a lead.”

  Livvy got to her feet and dusted off the knees of her slacks. “I should have known our fearless sleuth would be tracking down clues. Do you want to come into my office and tell me about it?”

  “Why don’t we go up to the reference section instead? I need you to help me get started on some research.”

  Livvy’s eyes sparkled. “Now you really have my curiosity stirred up.” She led the way upstairs to the second floor and looked around to be sure no one was close enough to overhear. “Okay, girlfriend, give. What have you found?”

  Kate pulled the slip of paper from her pants pocket and unfolded it. She held the sketch out to Livvy and pointed at the crest. “Take a look at this. Have you ever seen it before?”

  Livvy took the paper from Kate and studied it carefully, then shook her head. “I can’t say that I have. What is it, some sort of logo?”

  “Maybe, but I’m not sure.” Kate told her about the cuff link and its intricate engraving. “It may not mean anything, but I have a strong feeling that it’s all connected somehow.

  “I thought that if we could learn what the crest represents, we might be able to use the initials to track down the owner.” She sighed. “Of course, it has been quite a while since that restroom saw any kind of thorough cleaning. It may turn out that it had been lying somewhere near the doorway for months and doesn’t have anything to do with all this.”

  “Or it may be exactly what you need to break the case wide open. Think back,” Livvy urged. “Was there anything on the cuff link to indicate that it had been there a long time? A thick coating of dust, perhaps. Or maybe it was covered with bits of twigs and leaves.”

  Kate thought back to the way the sunlight had glinted off the metal and the way the cuff link had looked when it rolled to a stop beside her knee.

  She shook her head slowly at first, then with growing conviction. “No, it was relatively clean. There was nothing to point to it being there for any length of time.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me a bit,” Livvy said. “Your instincts are usually right on target.” She eyed the sketch again and nodded eagerly. “I have an idea.”

  Kate chuckled. “I was hoping you would. So what are we waiting for? Lead on, Watson.” She followed as Livvy walked through the stacks selecting an armload of books as she went.

  Livvy carried the volumes to a quiet corner and stacked them atop one of the study tables. “That crest has the look of a family coat of arms, so here’s where we start.” She indicated the titles with a wave of her hand. “Books on coats of arms and heraldic devices. If we can decipher the meaning behind the crest, that may lead us to the family it belongs to.”

  Kate looked at the pile of books uncertainly. “You’re suggesting that we go through all of these, one page at a time?”

  “I don’t think it will be quite that involved,” Livvy reassured her. “We can split them up and work through them together. That way—”

  A clamor of shrill voices rose from the floor below, and Livvy clapped her hand to her cheek. “Oh no. It completely slipped my mind that I have a field trip coming
through this morning. Third, fourth, and fifth graders. They’re expecting me to teach them about the Dewey decimal system and show them how to use the library catalog.” She grimaced and gave Kate an apologetic look. “Sorry. I guess you’re on your own.”

  “That’s okay.” Kate spoke with an enthusiasm she didn’t feel. “Go tend to your grade-schoolers. I’ll be fine.” She spread the sketch out on the table, then reached for the book on top of the stack and went to work.

  Twenty minutes later, Kate had learned any number of facts about heraldry. She now knew that the acacia branch symbolized eternal and affectionate remembrance; the lion, unsurprisingly, stood for dauntless courage; and the color gold represented generosity and elevation of the mind. However, none of this newly acquired knowledge put her one bit closer to learning the significance of the crest on the cuff link.

  Heaving a sigh, she pulled the last book over to her. The sooner she waded through it, the sooner she would know whether she was going to find the answer she sought. Kate flipped open the cover and rolled her head from side to side to loosen her tight neck muscles. A hand squeezed her shoulder, and she muffled a shriek.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” Livvy’s impish grin made her look anything but penitent. “The kids are busy browsing through the children’s area, so I took the opportunity to slip upstairs.”

  “So you could scare me out of my wits?” Kate pressed her hand against her chest and gave her friend a mock glare.

  Livvy snickered. “Don’t try to put a guilt trip on me. I have two teenage boys, remember? Since you haven’t come running down the stairs yelling ‘Eureka!’ I assume you haven’t found a match for the crest yet.”

  “Not even anything close to it,” Kate admitted. “I’ve been thinking though. A crest like this could be used on things besides a family coat of arms, couldn’t it? Aren’t crests also used by schools and fraternities, and maybe military organizations?”

  Livvy’s eyes sparkled. “You’re absolutely right. That’s a brilliant idea!”