was a real jerk for taking advantage of someone so young and then leaving when she was in trouble. But then Hollister McCabe had never been known for his morals. His being a jerk was most likely for sport.
Ryder glanced at Faith’s stomach as Celeste pulled a chair up to the booth, hoping the stress of the morning wasn’t taking a toll. He also wanted to get some food inside her now that he knew she hadn’t eaten breakfast. That couldn’t be good for her or the baby.
The waitress popped over and asked for drink orders.
“Coffee for me.” He looked at Celeste, who nodded. “Make that two. Can we get some water and toast for my friend?”
A quick look at Faith showed she appreciated the gesture. Thankfully, she’d taken his earlier warning seriously and seemed to realize that it was best to leave the talking up to him.
“You need menus?” the waitress asked.
“Yes,” Ryder said. “And can we get a rush on that toast?”
The waitress disappeared, returning a minute later with drinks, menus and toast. She set everything down and then said she’d give them a minute. Celeste shifted in her seat a few times, looking ready to bolt at a loud noise.
“I wasn’t going to show but I figured you asked about the diner loud enough so I could hear it on purpose in case I changed my mind about talking,” she said, staring at the fork rolled in a paper napkin. She seemed conflicted about being there. “You seem like you want to help. And I’m starting to get real worried about my boy.”
Ryder nodded, letting her take the lead. He’d learned a long time ago that when someone was making an effort, it wasn’t smart to get in their way.
“First off, I don’t trust anyone with the last name McCabe.” She glanced toward Faith, who was nibbling on her toast.
“I don’t, either, if it makes you feel better,” Ryder said, not bothering to mask his disdain for the McCabe family.
Celeste cocked her head sideways.
“I’m here to help find your son and I still haven’t exactly figured out how I was talked into it,” he said honestly. There was no reason to lie to the woman, and he figured they’d get further if he gained Celeste’s trust.
“Since you showed up with a McCabe, I have to ask why you care about what happens to my boy.”
“Faith and I have history. She’s worried about Nicholas and couldn’t go to her father. I’m not exactly thrilled to be here, but I couldn’t walk away from someone asking for my help, either.”
“Okay then.” She must’ve picked up on the tension between him and Faith because she shot another contemptuous look toward Faith.
“We might not want it for the same reasons, but we all want the same thing. To find Nicholas and bring him home safely,” Ryder said. “It doesn’t matter why.”
Celeste nodded. Her shoulders slumped forward and she looked completely wrung out. “I didn’t sleep last night from worry. At first I thought he found a girl and ran off.”
“He wouldn’t do that,” Faith said a little too intensely.
“How would you know?” Celeste said with disdain.
Faith suddenly became interested in the tabletop. “I know my brother.”
A noise tore from Celeste’s throat. “You don’t know fifteen-year-old boys.”
“Nicholas isn’t like that,” Faith said, her defenses rattled. Her reaction was putting Celeste on edge, and that wasn’t going to get them what they wanted: her cooperation.
“I can remember a few times when I did stupid stuff at that age. Hormones and a still-developing brain don’t exactly make the best combination,” Ryder intervened with a warning look toward Faith.
Celeste angled her body toward him, effectively closing Faith out of the conversation. “My point exactly. He’s a good boy but that don’t mean nothing when it comes to teenage hormones. That’s what I thought three days ago. Now, I don’t know. It ain’t like him not to call. He’s never done that before.”
“What about his actions in the days leading up to his...” He didn’t want to say the word disappearance. “Had he been staying out later than usual?” Ryder hoped to cash in on her conspiratorial feelings.
“Not that I know of,” she said with a tentative glance toward Faith. “I work nights but he’s always there by the time I get home the next morning.”
“What time is that usually?” Ryder asked, nodding his head. Celeste was holding something back. What?
“There’s no set time,” she said.
“Bar closes at two o’clock,” Faith said, scorn in her tone. “Nicholas said she doesn’t come home until the next morning and sometimes until lunch.”
Ryder shot her one of his you’re-not-helping looks and then refocused on Celeste.
“Was he hanging out with any new people or had his behavior at school changed recently?” Ryder pressed. “Any notes or calls from the counselor?”
“None. No new people, either. At least none that I know of, but then boys don’t exactly tell their mothers every little detail,” she said after a thoughtful pause and a long hard look at Faith.
“What about his cell phone?” he asked. “I’m sure you’ve tried calling. Texting? I’m guessing there’s been no response.”
“None. And I haven’t seen or heard it since he left. Figured he took it with him. That thing goes everywhere with him, including the bathroom.”
“Did you search his bedroom for it?” Faith asked, looking determined to get her two cents in. Ryder had never been able to control her, and maybe that was the point. Maybe she was showing him that she was the one who should be in charge. Or maybe it was genuine concern for her little brother, a brother who’d been abandoned by her side of the family and who needed her help. Either way, her talking wasn’t a good thing. If he’d known her presence would cause this much of a stir with Celeste, he would’ve come alone.
He took a sip of his black coffee while Celeste shot Faith a sour look.
Celeste fished out her cell phone, entered a password onto the screen and pulled up her message history. “Look, he makes me text him every night to make sure I got in my car safe. No one’s ever done that for me before. Plus, he hasn’t tried to get a hold of me using anyone else’s phone, either.” She flashed her eyes at Faith. “I know my Nicholas is a good boy but even the nice ones get mixed up in the wrong crowd sometimes. That’s what I figured happened when he didn’t respond to my text three nights ago. It’s not like him to stay away this long, and that has me figuring he’s done something he shouldn’t. Something real ba—”
“He wouldn’t—” Faith started to say, but Ryder shushed her.
“Let her finish,” he said with a look that said this would all be over if she kept pressing her agenda. Nicholas’s mother was talking to them, and Faith needed to cool it.
Celeste pulled a piece of paper out of her purse and flattened it on the table.
“Look there. Doesn’t seem like you know Nicholas as much as you claim to.” She fired the accusation directly at Faith.
It was a note from Nicholas, saying that it was his mother’s turn to wait up for him and wonder where he was for a change.
Faith’s face went blank.
“Can I see that?” Faith asked.
Celeste didn’t immediately move.
“Please. Just for a second,” Faith said, softer this time.
The woman relented.
Faith took the paper