“That’s perfect.”

  Mayleah checked her watch. “I’d better be on my way to the courthouse for a bond revocation hearing. I’ll let the assistant DA know that Judge Williams can be a stickler for process in case that changes how she wants to proceed.”

  “I hope it goes better for you than it did for me.”

  * * *

  It was close to 5:15 p.m., and Judge Williams hadn’t appeared. Gracie was about to ask Brenda to take the judge to the bed-and-breakfast.

  “Madam Clerk, I’m ready to depart for my lodgings!” the visiting judge called out from across the office.

  After Buddy’s bad experience, Gracie wasn’t amused by Williams’s flowery rhetoric. She grabbed her purse.

  “It’s about five minutes from here,” she said crisply. “Where is your car?”

  “In Judge Barnwell’s reserved spot. I assumed that would be acceptable.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “I enjoyed the afternoon calendar,” the judge said as they walked toward the side exit nearest the parking area. “I was particularly impressed with the Native American detective who testified in a bond revocation proceeding. What can you tell me about Detective Harkness?”

  The judge’s interest in Mayleah made Gracie even more uncomfortable. She kept her answer extra brief. “She’s only been here a couple of months.”

  Gracie sped up as they walked down the sidewalk. The long-legged judge had no trouble keeping up with her.

  “I need to swing by the pet store to retrieve my parrot before we go to the bed-and-breakfast,” he said. “The proprietor was kind enough to board him for the day.”

  There was only one pet store in Clarksburg.

  “It’s in the opposite direction,” Gracie said.

  “You’re not returning to the courthouse, are you?”

  Gracie doubted the excuse of being late for softball practice would work with the judge. “No, sir.”

  Once in her car, Gracie turned on the air-conditioning full blast. Judge Williams followed in a large Buick. It was a five-minute drive to the pet store, which sold everything from turtles to tarantulas. Gracie intended on staying in the car, but the judge insisted she join him. Benny Hargrave, the owner, was a kind, eccentric man who’d retired to Clarksburg and opened the store more as a hobby than a business enterprise. A large gray parrot was perched on a stand beside the cash register.

  “We’ve had a wonderful day,” Mr. Hargrave said to the judge.

  “Madam Clerk, let me introduce you to Bailiff. He’s an African gray parrot, by most accounts the most intelligent species of talking bird in the world.”

  Bailiff was about twelve inches long with a black beak, gray body feathers, a circle of short white feathers around the eyes, and a cluster of red tail feathers.

  “Who’s the smartest of them all?” Judge Williams asked the bird.

  “Judges, not lawyers,” the bird replied. “Judges, not lawyers.”

  Gracie manufactured a slight smile.

  “Pretty lady,” the bird said, looking at her.

  “Bailiff speaks the truth, even when he’s not under oath,” the judge said.

  “He said that to every woman who came into the shop,” Mr. Hargrave added.

  The judge beamed. “Which proves he’s smart.”

  Judge Williams held out his hand, and Bailiff stepped onto it. Williams stroked the back of the bird’s head, and the parrot lowered his head in pleasure.

  “No crackers for Polly,” Bailiff said. “Steak and lobster.”

  “How big is his vocabulary?” Mr. Hargrave asked.

  “Over one hundred words, and he can put them together with understanding,” the judge replied.

  Gracie doubted the last comment but didn’t want to get into a debate. “Your Honor, I have another appointment,” she said.

  “Certainly,” the judge replied.

  “Don’t be late,” Bailiff said, as if to prove the judge’s claim that the bird could comprehend language.

  “Bring him back anytime,” Mr. Hargrave said. “If you’ll give me advance notice, I’d like to arrange for some of the schoolchildren to meet him.”

  “Better yet,” the judge replied, “I’ll come myself so they can really see what Bailiff can do. I enjoy showing him off to kids.”

  Bailiff hopped into a portable cage. “Go to jail,” he said.

  Gracie watched as the judge placed the cage in the rear seat of his car and tethered it with a harness similar to that used in a child’s car seat. He certainly seemed to care for his parrot.

  When they arrived at the bed-and-breakfast, Gracie introduced the judge to Vivian Hunt, then quickly excused herself.

  Driving to the ballfield, Gracie couldn’t get Brenda’s comment about the judge having issues with a young female DA out of her mind. That made her suspicious of his interest in Mayleah. No doubt the detective could take care of herself, but that didn’t lessen Gracie’s negative thoughts.

  A couple of girls were already at the ballfield when Gracie arrived. She went into the restroom and changed clothes. Normally, she looked forward to a shower after softball practice. Today she wanted one before practice. Judge Williams made her feel dirty.

  Later that evening, when she arrived home from the ballfield, Gracie saw Lauren’s car in the driveway.

  “You didn’t have a fight with Jeff, did you?” Gracie asked as Lauren got out of the car.

  “No, we’re doing great. But since I haven’t heard from you, I concluded you posted your profile and then let it collect dust like a grandmother’s wedding dress.”

  “I’m busted,” Gracie answered with a grin.

  They went inside. When he saw Lauren, Opie retrieved his tug-of-war rope and dropped it at her feet.

  “I know what I’ll be doing while you take a shower,” Lauren said.

  Gracie returned wearing exercise clothes and with a towel wrapped around her wet head. Lauren and Opie were still playing with the rope.

  “I need a rope like this for Mark,” Lauren said. “He’s teething and might enjoy it.”

  Gracie sat on the floor beside her sister. “That would make a funny video.”

  Gracie asked Lauren some more questions about her nephews, then mentioned Mayleah Harkness.

  “You know how people say they want to get together but never do?” Gracie said.

  “Like you and the dating site.”

  “Not exactly.”

  Gracie told Lauren about Mayleah coming to the softball game, the meal at the Southside Grill, and the detective’s interest in helping find little Jack Ford and Reagan Landry.

  “Was the Landry girl into drugs?” Lauren asked.

  “I don’t know.”

  Gracie then mentioned Mayleah’s interest in getting to know Buddy Smith.

  “Does Buddy have a girlfriend?” Lauren asked.

  “I’m not sure, but he usually has someone with him when he comes to social events sponsored by the local bar.”

  “You need to be more like this detective,” Lauren declared.

  “You think I should be interested in Buddy Smith?”

  “No, no. Buddy Smith isn’t right for you. I mean more assertive about getting to know who around here is an eligible bachelor. We’re in a small town, and with your position at the courthouse, you should be in the know about who’s coming and going.”

  “All kinds of people filter through the courthouse. But you’re wrong about Buddy. He’s one of the nicest men I know. He’s still trying to track down his daughter, who was born a few weeks after we graduated from high school.”

  “And that’s supposed to make me respect him?” Lauren answered, getting up from the floor. “You’re always trying to see the best in people. Let’s take a look at your profile.”

  Aware of her recent thoughts about Judge Williams, Gracie wasn’t so sure she always looked for the best in people. She and Lauren sat at the kitchen table and turned on Gracie’s laptop. Gracie sighed and leaned on her elbows.

  Lauren glanced sideways at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “I have no faith in this.”

  “Don’t fret. I have enough faith for both of us. There’s living proof every time I see Jeff at the breakfast table.”

  The welcome screen for the site appeared. Gracie was about to enter her log-in information when Lauren reached out her hand and stopped her. “Let’s guess how many responses you’ve received from men wanting to know more about you. You go first.”

  “Okay,” Gracie said slowly. “I’m sure there are a lot of desperate men out there who are looking for a woman, any woman, to marry. You said this site is one of the smallest and most selective, so I’ll estimate between ten and fifteen.”

  “Not far off from what I think, but I’m going to prove my faith and go higher and say fifty.”

  Gracie logged in. The photo of her with the fancy hairdo came into view. The screen was crowded with pop-up ads for upgrades to the dating service. Lauren gasped.

  “What?” Gracie asked.

  Lauren pointed to the right side of the screen. Gracie saw the number 357 with the words “See how many awesome godly men want to meet you” written beneath it.

  “How is that possible in such a short period of time?” Gracie asked.

  “We nailed it with the profile,” Lauren replied with satisfaction. “I knew it was good.”

  “But over 350 responses?”

  “Three or four days is an eternity on these dating sites. That’s why you have to check regularly to see if a suitable candidate pops up.”

  “I can’t do that on my work computer at the courthouse.”

  “You didn’t link it to your phone?”

  “No,” Gracie said sheepishly. “This is an old email address that I rarely use.”

  “You’re sneaky, but I love you anyway. Let’s not waste any more time. Some of the first guys who showed interest in you may be married with children by now.”

  Gracie pushed the laptop toward Lauren. “You’ll be able to evaluate them much faster than I can.”

  Lauren took over. Gracie could see that her sister relished the process. She quickly dismissed ten men before pausing when a man named Devin appeared.

  “This guy is an accountant so probably has a decent job,” Lauren said.

  Gracie leaned forward. Devin was a handsome, serious-looking man born the same month and year as she was.

  Lauren spoke: “The age is right, and he’s good-looking, but if that’s his idea of a smile, I don’t think he’s the one.”

  “Devin likes his dog.”

  There was a second photo of Devin with a Jack Russell terrier in his lap.

  “But he’s not looking at the dog or holding it like he cares. It’s totally staged.”

  Gracie wasn’t picking up on any of the nuanced traits identified by her sister.

  “Let’s move on,” Lauren said.

  There was a surprising number of responses from preachers and ministers. Lauren cut three in a row before pointing to one. “David looks like an interesting candidate. He lived overseas for several years. And before going into the ministry, he was a professional baseball player.”

  David had a nicely groomed beard and lively brown eyes. He was currently working as the administrative pastor for a church less than a hundred miles away from Milton County.

  “He’s three years younger than I am,” Gracie said.

  “Age differences that are important in high school don’t mean as much when you’re as old as you are,” Lauren replied.

  Gracie cut her eyes at her sister. “You are such a good cheerleader,” she said.

  “Truth-speaker is how I define my role. Click there so we can keep David as a possibility. Putting two people with strong administrative gifts together can work well because they can accomplish more as a team than as individuals.”

  “I like that.”

  “I know.”

  They continued plowing through the list. One man who worked in the human resources department for a large company caught Gracie’s eye, and she stopped her sister.

  “I’d like to find out more about him,” Gracie said.

  “No,” Lauren said and shook her head. “First, his name is Barry. Second, he’s almost ten years older than you are.”

  “A few minutes ago you said age wasn’t a factor.”

  “Don’t misquote me. Age is still important.” Lauren examined Barry’s photo. “He’s handsome, but it looks like he’s had some work done on his face.”

  “There’s no way you can tell that!” Gracie protested.

  “Also, he has two children in their twenties. Are they going to accept a thirty-five-year-old as their stepmother?”

  “They’re out of the house.”

  “It doesn’t say that. Also, what about your children? Is Barry going to want to start all over creating a new family?”

  “Okay, okay. Cut him.”

  Gracie was yawning repeatedly by the time they finished. Twelve candidates remained.

  “Let’s call them the twelve apostles,” Lauren said, leaning back in her chair with satisfaction. “I just hope there’s not a Judas lurking there. Your next job is to choose the three you want to respond to. And you can’t procrastinate.”

  “But not tonight,” Gracie replied, then covered her mouth as she yawned once again. “I can’t believe you’re not exhausted.”

  “Coffee at five o’clock this afternoon helped. Report back to me by the end of the day tomorrow.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Gracie saluted and prepared to log off the website.

  “One more thing,” Lauren said. “Let’s pray.”

  They bowed their heads, and Lauren briefly but sincerely poured out her heart on Gracie’s behalf. Encountering the depth of her sister’s compassion in the prayer moved Gracie. She didn’t add anything to Lauren’s words except an amen.

  “Thanks for caring,” Gracie said when they raised their heads.

  Lauren smiled. “You’re a great sister and deserve a worthy soul mate. It’s easy to want the best for you.”

  Twelve

  Buddy arrived earlier than usual at the office. Millie and Jennifer were huddled at the office manager’s desk.

  “Good morning. No interruptions, please,” Millie said when he appeared. “We’re going over the financial information for the rental business.”

  “No problem,” Buddy replied and went directly to his office and closed the door. The first activity on his agenda this morning was to provide saliva samples to three different genealogical services along with the paperwork authorizing the companies to release his results to any relatives interested in knowing about him. He paid an extra fee to expedite the results. Though Buddy had delayed trying to locate Elise through genealogy websites, he felt compelled to do so now. He had no desire to open a Pandora’s box of crazy family connections, but the possibility that it might help him locate his daughter overcame his reservations. A couple of hours later his phone buzzed.

  “Detective Harkness is on the phone for you,” Jennifer said.

  “I have good news this morning,” the detective said brightly when Buddy answered. “I believe we’ve found Jackson Ford and his son.”

  “That’s fantastic,” Buddy said, grabbing a pen to take notes. “What can you tell me?”

  “A deputy showed the photos you sent to the owner of a local convenience store. The man confirmed that Ford and his son may be with an enclave of people living on several hundred acres about ten miles from Red Hill. The group is determined to live off the grid. They don’t obtain Social Security numbers for their children and believe the federal tax system is unconstitutional. The sheriff knew it was the first place to look for someone like Ford wanting to hide.”

  “Did the officer make a positive identification?”

  “No. If a patrol car shows up at their compound, everyone in the group disappears except for the head guy, who acts as a spokesperson.”

  “Is this group violent?”

  “The sheriff said they probably have a stockpile of guns but keep to themselves. They like to file crazy lawsuits. The leader is a lawyer.”

  Buddy ran through his options. “There’s no use sending my private investigator out there,” he said. “He isn’t set up to handle that sort of scenario.”

  “And I don’t want to tell you how to do your job, but would this new information justify asking the judge to issue a criminal contempt order? Wasn’t his objection based on not knowing Ford had actually left the state with the child?”

  “That was part of it, along with the fact that I was acting so quickly.”

  “Which makes sense now.”

  Buddy paused for a moment. The judicial mind was a shifting landscape. There could be a creative way to approach the visiting judge.

  “How was your hearing in front of Judge Williams?” he asked.

  “Easy. No problems. If you like, I can testify about my conversation with the sheriff.”

  “That would be hearsay. You’d be testifying about what the sheriff told you, which someone else told him. Judge Williams is likely to kick me out of the courtroom for the second day in a row. Let me see if I can come up with a way to do this.”

  “You’re the lawyer. I’ll wait to hear from you.”

  * * *

  While drinking a second cup of coffee, Gracie narrowed the list of twelve to three: Devin, the accountant; David, the administrative pastor; and Daniel, the director of a facility that offered occupational training for special-needs adults. Daniel spent his free time outdoors with his two golden retrievers and said he was “looking for a woman willing to love, dream, and grow together in ways that will change the world around us.” Gracie sent the profiles of the three finalists to Lauren.

  At the courthouse, she reviewed the final list of prospective jurors summoned for the following week. Gracie barely had more than the minimum number Judge Claremont expected, and she wasn’t sure if Judge Williams was going to launch into a full trial schedule or not. If he did, there might be a shortage of prospective jurors. But worrying wouldn’t help, and Gracie closed the screen on her computer.