Reese prided herself on being composed, but lately she was a big old mess. And when she saw the tears in Luke’s eyes she thought for certain she was going to bawl like a newborn baby. So she did the only thing she could do, she jerked her attention away from her brother and stared at Gregory who was still watching the door as it eased closed.

She was about to blurt out, “how are you two related?” but was saved by Sissy approaching the table with two more platters.

“Here we go,” she said joyfully as if it were her life’s calling to serve the less than appreciative patrons of Casey’s.

Gregory turned and slipped back into his side of the booth, checking out the food and then looking up at Sissy. He smiled wanly like he was attending a funeral.

Sissy saw the look on his face and then quickly directed her words to Reese, “Can I get you anything else, honey?” No flies on that woman. She didn’t have time for others’ problems. She would feed you alright, but chitchat, no way.

Reese looked at the abundance of food and groaned silently. Her appetite had flown the coop and now there was more food than she could ever possibly eat in one sitting. “No, but I think I’ll take these to go.”

Gregory reached across the table and plucked at a cheesy quesadilla. It was steaming as he pulled it apart and he dropped it back on the plate.

Both women watched him like they were engrossed in some daytime television. “I’ll get you some plates,” Sissy said, ignoring Reese’s request.

She went to the bar and reached behind it. She brought back three plates, unaware of the absence of Lucy. Reese took a long swig of her wine. The only way to drink it when it smelled like dirty socks. Sissy left their table to greet a young couple who had just entered and were spying around. Neither looked as if they would normally come to a joint like Casey’s. They were too preppy in their catalogue clothes and loafers. But Sissy sat them and Reese figured they considered themselves on an adventure on the other side of the tracks.

Her gaze lingered at the front door. Luke was gone. Lucy was gone. Reese couldn’t bring herself to interpret the meaning of his tears. Perhaps he knew something about Addie already. Perhaps this case would be a recovery mission. She hated those worst of all. Finally she settled her wondering eyes on Gregory, but he wasn’t ready to talk yet. He stayed focused on pulling apart a pizza slice of quesadilla.

Reese’s eyes journeyed around the pub again as she gripped the base of her wine glass. Brian was working the bar. Must be four o’clock. He had snuck in and Reese felt disappointed in herself for not being more observant. Her skills were slacking. Brian was busy drying glasses coming out of the wash and Reese was surprised he wasn’t paying attention to the attractive figure of a woman sitting at the bar, another miss by the supposed great observer. She hadn’t seen the woman come in and couldn’t see her face. She had shoulder length dark hair, brushed to a noticeable shine even in the dim lighting of Casey’s. She wore a pale pink sweater over khaki chinos. She sat in a seductive pose, one long lean leg draped over the other.

“I didn’t know you had a thing for Brian?” Gregory said, his voice sounding like it was resurrecting from somewhere far away.

“What?” Reese pulled her attention from the bar woman and looked at Gregory. His neck was craned around the booth and when he turned back to Reese, she could have sworn he was flushed.

“Brian,” he said and pointed a finger toward the man in question. “The bartender. You were just staring at him. You think he's handsome? ”

Was Gregory jealous? Reese looked at Brian who was indeed very handsome by all sense of the word, well-chiseled from a vigorous workout routine he boasted about endlessly. His could easily have been the model for Michelangelo’s Statue of David. But Reese found it difficult to be attracted to someone just for his looks. Brian was all about Brian which made him not so appealing to her.

Where was the woman? Reese leaned into the aisle to catch any sign of her. Had she gotten up to the bathroom or to leave? She couldn’t have been that quick. Certainly Reese wasn’t that oblivious. Was she? She had only looked away for a few seconds.

“There was a woman …,” Reese started as a different woman approached the bar. April, a regular in a tight skirt and hooker heels leaned across the stained oak bar and Brian reciprocated, the two embracing at the shoulders and April planting a kiss on Brian’s cheek. Her voice was high pitched and annoying, giggly and flirty.

“Jealous?” Gregory gave Reese a smug look. “She’s cute.”

Oh good Lord. Why did men always assume women were always jealous of each other? Reese ignored the stupid question. It wasn’t like she and Gregory were a couple. Even if Reese was jealous, it was none of his business. Let him think what he wanted. Besides he was the one acting like a jaded lover.

“There was a different woman. She just … vanished.” The words were ridiculous even to her ears. She brushed it off and snagged a steak and cheese roll in an attempt to play it cool.

“Your niece, Addie, do you think she ran away?” Reese asked between chews.

Distracted by the change in topic, Gregory seemed to think about her question and finally said, “I don’t know.”

“Well, whether she ran away or was abducted, she’s been missing for a while. It doesn’t help me much. Why didn’t you have her come to me sooner?”

“I just found out about it yesterday or would that be the day before yesterday?” He shrugged. “No matter. As soon as I heard, I told her to track you down. I gave her your office address and told her you were here at four on Mondays.”

Again Reese wondered how he knew that tidbit of information but it really was irrelevant in the scheme of things. “Do you have her email address? I can email her a questionnaire to complete which will move things along faster.”

“Sure,” he said wiping his fingers on his jeans and reaching for her notebook. While he scribbled, Reese took another quick glance around the bar. Where did the woman go? There was no empty glass where she had sat. Of course Brian could have cleared it already. For a brief second she considered the possibility that the woman was Claire Yates. But that was ridiculous. Reese didn’t see ghosts. Well except for Luke, but that different. He was or had been her brother, her twin brother. Reese had considered the likely possibility that Luke was just a figment of her imagination. She wasn’t sure she actually believed in such things as ghosts. But then how did she come by the information he had provided over the years? It was an ongoing battle raging in her head. Was she crazy? Or did she really communicate with her deceased brother? 

Gregory slid the notebook back toward Reese and said, “So does this mean you’ll take the case?”

Reese’s floating attention zoomed in on the conversation at the table. “I can’t make any promises, Gregory. The police have looked already and haven’t found her. The likelihood that I will is pretty slim.” In her mind she saw the tears in Luke’s eyes again. Was Addie already a lost soul? Had she been abducted and murdered? How odd that two people in her universe may have suffered similar fates.

Suddenly she had a thought, “Where does Addie live?”

“With her mother.”

Was he being abstruse on purpose? Reese didn’t bother to conceal her annoyance. “I figured that. Where do they live?”

“Cumberland.”

“Rhode Island?”

“Yes.”

“I didn’t know you were related to Heather. How come you never told me?” The accusatory words rushed from her mouth spontaneously. It was not the question Reese had formulating in her head, but she was feeling betrayed by both Heather for vanishing all those years ago and by Gregory who obviously had veiled an important piece of information from her. Her feelings were injured but fortunately she was more pissed than hurt. But just in case she got all emotional again, she popped a bite of the steak and cheese roll into her cheek as a distraction.

Luke burst into Reese’s sight directly next to Gregory. Startled, she swallowed the roll without properly chewing and began to violently cough on the obstructing food.

Gregory watched her for a few seconds and then asked, “Are you okay?’

Luke twisted his body to face Gregory. “No, you dumbass. She’s not okay. She’s choking.” He looked to Reese and said, “Seriously Sis, do you want me to call 911 or something?”

Reese continued to cough which she knew was a good sign. If she was truly choking she wouldn’t be able to cough. She nodded and reached for the almost empty glass of water.

“Is that a yes, you want me to call 911?” Luke asked.

Reese wanted to roll her eyes at her teasing brother but figured Gregory would definitely think she was crazy or dying. She didn’t want him feeling like he had to be a hero, although at the pace in which he was doing nothing about her choking, she didn’t think it would be an issue.

She was able to swallow some water and struggled to say, “I’m okay, Gregory. Thank you, though.”

He stretched his hand over the table and touched Reese’s arm. “Do you want me to get you some more water?”

“Is this guy for real? He should just get you a water. Doesn’t he know how a gentleman is supposed to behave? I mean, hasn’t he ever read a romance novel?”

Reese coughed again but this time on her surprise. Luke might be a menace at times but he was a funny one.

“Why don’t I get you some water?” Gregory started to stand but Reese grabbed at his wrist and shook her head.

“I’m fine, really.” She swigged the last of her wine. It was acrid and didn't help much, but she wanted to finish the conversation. She poured more wine from the bottle into her glass and smiled as if everything was alright. Her next question was right there on the tip of her tongue when two things happened at the same time. Luke’s expression changed to one of grief and the kitchen door flew open.

Luke looked to the noise and Reese followed his line of vision. Casey walked through with a small stack of papers in one hand and a tape dispenser in the other. He stumble-walked to Reese’s booth and slapped the papers on the table.

He was pale, sweating and seemed out of breath. “Reese, can you post one of these in your office?”

Reese put a hand on Casey’s wrist. “Casey? You don’t look well. Do you want to sit down?”

“You know, I do feel a little out of sorts,” Casey rasped. 

Gregory stood and placed his hands on Casey’s shoulders. “Here, Casey. Sit here.” Casey shuffled to the seat with Gregory directing him. His hand was still on the stack of paper as he plopped down next to Luke.

“That girl, the one with the missing sister? She brought these in and asked if I would hang them in the window and behind the bar.”

Reese wanted to ask why the girl wanted them posted here when she was from Cumberland but didn’t get the chance. Casey slumped to his left, collapsing into Luke’s invisible grasp and grabbing his left arm with his right hand and making a horrible gurgling sound. The sheets of paper went flying off the table and sailed through the air like they were floating.

“Sissy! Call 9-1-1!” Reese called, jumping from her seat. She squeezed between Gregory and the table. She knelt toward Casey. “Casey. Casey, listen to me. You’ve got to hold on. I think you’re having a heart attack. An ambulance is on its way.” She felt a hand on her back and wanted to swack Gregory away. But then the hand tapped on her back.

“What!” She screamed and turned around, but it wasn’t Gregory. Gregory had retreated toward the bar with horror stretched across his face. The hand belonged to Brian.

“Reese, here, give him this.” He shoved a glass of water and a small pill into her hands. She recognized the Bayer cross imprinted in the pill. There was no time to appreciate the surprisingly selfless act on Brian's part. She clamored into the booth, trying not to knee Casey but he was taking up most of the bench.

“Casey, can you sit up enough to take this?” She practically stuffed the pill between his lips. He pursed them, not letting the pill between his teeth. He stretched his neck in Luke’s direction.

“Casey, dammit, listen to me. You need to take this.” She still held the small pill between her fingertips and scooted further into the booth, jabbing Casey in the belly with her knee.

“Luke,” Casey said, his voice strained and so quiet that only Reese could hear it as she was bent over the dying man, the man who had played sentinel to Mr. Caldwell all those years ago, making sure he was never wallowed in his grief all alone.

Reese lifted her head slightly and saw her brother’s face transform into pure compassion as he trained his sight on Casey. There was a faint glowing light emanating from his whole being.  

“Luke,” Casey sputtered. “You need to tell her.”

Reese spun her head to Casey, but not before she saw Luke shake his head ever so slightly.