Page 26 of Elsie's Strong Shelter

Elsie did the same. Her eyes were narrowed, lips downturned. “Do you see him?”

He swallowed a laugh at her impatience. Life would be so much easier if Justin Pauly was seated at the front table, waiting for his food. But in his experience, tracking down someone who didn’t want to be found usually took a little more legwork. “If this guy’s involved in Mila’s disappearance, I doubt he’ll show at one of the busiest times of the day.”

She swiveled to face him, and her knees brushed against his thigh. “Then why are we here?”

“To eat.” He couldn’t help but grin at her crinkled brow. He bumped her leg with his own. “And to ask questions. I’ve got Justin’s photo from his social media pages on my phone. We’ll see if anyone has seen him in here. And if they have, maybe they’ll know something about him.”

She sighed, puffing the long strands of auburn hair away from her face.

“I know it’s frustrating,” he said.

Turning back around, she tapped her fingertip against the bar and screwed her lips to the side. “I can’t help but feel like this giant clock is ticking above my head. I’m not naïve. I understand that whatever has happened to Mila, it’s really bad. She might not have much time left. Hell, she might not even—” Her voice caught, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

Leaning forward, he cupped her shoulder in his palm. “Look at me.”

She opened her eyes and tears glimmered.

“Don’t let your mind go to that dark, scary place. Once you do, it’s damn near impossible to come back. Mila has a community of people working nonstop, trying to find her. You’ve got to keep the faith until you’re face to face with the worst. Okay?”

“Okay.”

She agreed but her uncertainty was louder than the pool balls bouncing off each other in the distance behind them.

The bartender hurried over and slid two cardboard coasters in front of them. She smiled brightly, showing off deep dimples and straight teeth. “Hey, Dean. What can I get you and your friend?”

He dipped his chin. “Hi, Ashley. Water for me, Elsie?”

“Same.”

“Easy enough. Planning on eating?” Ashley asked as she scooped ice into two glasses then filled them with water.

“Yeah, but we’ll need a second. Before we figure out what we want, can you look at something for me?”

She tilted her head to her side, spilling her dark waves over one shoulder. “Sure.”

Dean popped up Justin’s Facebook profile picture and showed it to Ashley. “Have you seen this guy around here?”

Nodding, she studied the photo. “Yeah.”

Elsie frowned. “Do you know him?”

Ashley placed their water glasses on the coasters and wiped her hands on the white apron tied around her waist. “Never talked to him but he comes in mostly around closing time. Grabs a beer and sometimes a burger, but only talks to Malcom.”

“Who’s Malcom?” Dean asked, trying to put a face to the name.

“The owner,” she said. “He bought the place after the fire last year. Not from around these parts.”

“Is he here now?” Dean asked.

Ashley scowled. “Nope. He isn’t one to lend a helping hand. Shows up in the evening, after the dinner rush, and locks himself in his office. Not a super friendly guy.” The door opened and a large group of teenagers hurried inside. “Sorry, but I need to get back to work. We’re swamped. I’ll grab your order in a minute.”

“What now?” Elsie asked. “Sit around and wait until closing time to see if this guy shows up?”

Dean handed her a menu. “We eat.”

The side of her mouth ticked up at the corner. “So logical.”

He shrugged. “I was a little hungry when we got here but now that I smell food, I’m ravenous. We’ll finish, then we have someone new to investigate.”

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