"Jim said the girl looked like she'd been crying, and he asked her what was wrong. And she just said she needed a ride to Columbus. She said she needed to get out of town and get away. Jim, of course, was more than willing to help a pretty face in distress. He always was apparently. He said she could come along. And the girl agreed. Jim lived in Columbus back then. He grew up there. When they got to Columbus, the girl went to his place with him and ended up spending the night. They drank together and whatnot. I'm sure you can imagine."
Diana wanted to put her hands over her ears. She didn't want to hear.
"She stayed with him for awhile. Two weeks or so, I think. Jim had quite a collection of CDs. Country mostly. He was a good old boy. That girl went through his CDs like they were jewels, and she picked one out and played it over and over again. The same song. He said she must have played it a hundred times. She'd just sit there on the floor and sing along a little, real quiet. You can guess which song this was."
Diana nodded.
"Jim asked her why she liked that song so much, and she wouldn't say. He figured it reminded her of somebody, somebody special. Songs like that do, you know? After a couple of weeks of her living there with him, she left. They were out driving one day in heavy traffic, somewhere near the university. He came to a light, and that girl put her hand on the door and stepped out of the car, just like she had somewhere to go. He called after her, but with the traffic and everything, he couldn't do much. It was around five o'clock, and she just blended into the crowds of students and other people. She was gone, just like that."
"What made you remember this story?"
"It was the way Jim talked about the girl, like there was something special about her. Jim never got sentimental about any women or girls, but he said he thought this girl needed help, that she was running away, and if he had it to do all over again, he would have jumped out of that car and tracked her down, just to make sure she was all right. But he didn't, and I could tell it bothered him, really bothered him. And nothing like that bothered Jim. You see I thought he was going to tell me another one of his crazy stories about being with two women at once or getting together with some broad in a truck stop, but instead he really felt bad for the girl he met that night. He didn't have any kids of his own, and he felt responsible for her in some way. And I thought about Margie, of course, and I wondered if maybe Margie had met someone like that and was maybe okay. And if I could just talk to that person who saw her last, it would be okay for me.
"He also told me that the girl said her name was Rachel. He only knew her first name. Rachel. Sometimes I get on the internet at the library—the librarians show me how to work it—and look at missing persons cases around here, and I came across your site. I remembered that story, and I used it to get you. I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. The truth is I didn't even know if that was your sister when I first met you. I threw that 'Rhinestone Cowboy' thing out and hoped for the best. I was right, of course. That's when I knew Jim Potts had seen your sister, and she was still alive two weeks after she left your house."
"Where is Jim Potts now?" Diana said.
"He's gone, honey. He died last year. He was riding his Harley and had a heart attack and went right off the road into a creek. Dead before he hit the water."
"What about the flowers? Did you send them?"
"I did, honey. And I'm sorry I lied about that. I just wanted to get you going. I don't have much time left. This had to happen fast. And it did. You did so well for me. Don't be mad. I wanted to find out about my Margie. I would have done anything. You understand, don't you?"
Diana looked Kay Todd in the eye and hoped once again that she wasn't staring at her future self. But how could she know where her life would take her? How could anyone know?
"I do," Diana said. "I do."
*
Back in the car, Dan asked Diana if she were okay.
"I'm doing all right."
Dan sighed. "We'll have to come back and get a statement from her at some point, but I figured it would be best to send someone else. I have a feeling she'd scratch my eyes out about now. And I couldn't blame her."
"She has a lot to process right now. She'll never get over it."
"I'm not sure I will either," Dan said. "I know I was a rookie and everything, but I could have done more. I should have done more."
"Maybe when we fuck up like that we're not meant to get over it. Maybe guilt's a good thing."
Dan started the car, but they didn't drive off. "Yeah. You're right."
"Trust me, I'm an expert."
A silence settled over the car. Diana continued to stare at the dumpy trailer. It took a minute for her to realize Dan was watching her, trying to read her thoughts.
"What else, Diana?" he said.
"She told me something about my sister, about Rachel."