Page 70 of Backwater Justice
“Yes. My beautiful daughter.” The woman was resolute. Not an inkling of emotion. She showed them through the kitchen and then out to a screened-in porch. A man sat staring out into the grass. Gardens of vegetables and herbs lined one side of the yard. “Would you care for some tea?” Mrs. George asked.
“That would be lovely.” Maggie was not a tea drinker, but she didn’t want to insult her hostess.
“Yes, thank you,” Benjamin added.
“It’s herbal,” Mrs. George replied.
“I am sure it will be delicious.” Maggie smiled, her freckled cheeks giving her a childlike glow.
“John, this is Maggie from the newspaper, and Benjamin Spangler.”
Benjamin held his breath. He didn’t know what to expect from a father whose daughter was missing; missing from her place of employment; missing from his company.
The man stood and held out his hand. First to Maggie. “Thank you for coming.” Then he turned to Benjamin. “Please, take a seat.”
“I hope you don’t mind if I ask you a bunch of questions.” Maggie pulled a pad and pen from her bag.
“That is why you are here, is it not?” the man replied, but without any facial expression. Then he turned to Benjamin. “And what is it that you have come here for?”
Benjamin cleared his throat. “Mr. George, I am a father of three. I cannot possibly imagine what you are going through. But I am here to tell you that we have hired an outside firm to investigate this situation.” Benjamin knew there was someone investigating—he just wasn’t sure who it was, except that Myra and Annie must have something to do with it.
“The police have been no help. They want us to wait another day before we can file a report.”
“And that is not a law or a rule, which is why we’re both here.” Maggie pointed her pen to Benjamin and then to herself. “I want to bring your daughter’s disappearance to the public’s attention, and Benjamin wants to assist in the search.”
“We considered contacting the Bureau of Indian Affairs,” John George said.
“Yes, we are aware of this,” Benjamin responded. “But before you do, I am asking that you give us a few days to gather whatever information we can. I can give you my personal assurance we will do everything in our power and means to find her.”
Maggie jotted down a few notes. “Mr. George, I am sure you know getting the government involved can create more red tape for you. The authorities never want to make a decision or take a stand.”
He nodded. “I cannot disagree, but we are very frustrated with the way the deputy sheriff has handled this. I should saynothandled this.”
“I completely understand, and that is why we are here.” Benjamin looked into the man’s eyes. “Please, Mr. George, give us a few days.”
Mrs. George returned with a tray, a teapot, and several cups. She set them down on the small café table where the others were sitting.
“These people are here to help us,” John said to his wife. She managed a little smile and nodded. She poured tea in the cups and handed one to each of them. They waited for her to take the first sip. She waited for them to.
Maggie lifted her cup. “Here’s to Lorraine and her quick and healthy return home.” Finally, everyone drank their tea.
When they were finished, Maggie asked a litany of questions about Lori. Her habits. Her friends. Her schedule.
Mrs. George was much more talkative at that point and offered to show Maggie Lori’s bedroom. Benjamin reassured John George that they would get to the bottom of his daughter’s disappearance and gave him one of his business cards, which contained his private cell number and home phone number. “Feel free to contact me at any time.” He got up from his chair as Maggie and Mrs. George reappeared.
“I’m going to write an article about Lori, her heritage, her interests, her goals. We want to make her a person instead of just a missing stranger. Plus, the article may spark someone’s memory about something they may have seen or heard that day.”
“Should we continue to go on television?” Mr. George asked.
“Give it a day. Sometimes when people keep hearing the same story over and over, they become immune to it and tune it out. We want to keep this top of mind, but we also want to be sure people will pay attention when we have something to say.” Maggie was giving the Georges her best advice. She handed them her business card. “Call me if anything else occurs to you.”
“Likewise,” Benjamin said. “Thank you for your time.”
“Thank you, as well.” The Georges stood in the driveway and watched their new champions walk toward their vehicles.
* * *
Maggie told Benjamin she was going to go back and interview all the people she’d talked to after Vanessa’s disappearance. Benjamin was going to the hospital to take his father home. Patricia would be waiting for them. Myra was going to stop at Milton and Patricia’s later that afternoon. Meanwhile, Annie was being wined and dined by Oliver.