No Ordinary Girl

Chapter Nineteen

The five of us and Simone gathered around a large table in a private room Simone had reserved.

A selection of muffins, Danishes, cheeses and fresh fruit sat at the center of the table, beckoning us unsuccessfully. We all looked like we had hangovers, but none of us had had a single drink, as far as I knew. We were probably all crashing down from candy overdose – 'candy hangovers'. Simone, on the other hand, looked as perfect and perky as ever in a perfectly pressed navy blue suit. I looked down at my grey sweats and Pepsi t-shirt and wondered if I'd ever be like Simone. I smiled, knowing that would most likely never be the case. I pictured Simone at my age. In my imagination, she wore a pretty Peter Pan collared blouse and red skirt, black Mary-Janes, glasses, and her hair in a bun. Of course, she was perfect then, too.

"I went over all our findings last night," Simone began. "We will pay the babysitter a visit after dinner. She can meet us at her home."

I shuffled through the papers in my folder to locate Haley's photo. My gaze instantly fell on her eyes. It was unmistakable. They had the same eyes; smiling eyes, the color of dark chocolate, almond shaped with lazy lids, and long lashes.

I kept my discovery to myself, I still couldn't quite be sure. I was working on a hunch. I wouldn't know for sure until I'd have a chance to spend some time with Roy, the man who lived in the guest house.

"Now you all go and get changed," Simone urged, "and we'll meet in fifteen at the reception desk."

We all grunted audibly. Not a single one of us enjoyed wearing the evil scratchy uniforms.

*

Roy McMillan was a large man. It was one of the first things I noticed about him. That and his large brown eyes, the same eyes I'd seen on Haley's face.

He invited all of us willingly into his small bungalow. If the Hendersons' home was a show winning poodle, his house was a mangy mutt – no frills or attention to detail, a basic, boring bachelor's pad.

He'd just come from work. He worked as a heavy machinery mechanic and worked from six in the morning, but was off at two in the afternoon. I marveled at the sight of him; plaid shirt, worn jeans, scraggly beard and mismatched socks. He was the polar opposite of Mr. Henderson who was as polished as a prized statue.

Underneath the rough exterior, I saw a good man with a bright yellow aura. This was a man, who, despite being heartbroken, was a happy content man, the kind of person who doesn't need much to be fulfilled – a lot less complicated than Jenna, or Mason, for that matter.

He offered everyone coffee and drinks, pulled chairs from the kitchen and dragged them easily into the living room to accommodate the whole lot of us. He was nothing but gracious. Right off the bat, I knew this was not a guilty man.

I found myself between Ace and Leo, and the tension between them was so strong, it was distracting me. I had to excuse myself and move to the old seventies-style sofa, and squeeze myself between Kendra and Brianna. They both eyed me with confusion. "The kitchen chairs are hard," I whispered by way of explanation. It was easier than explaining that I had no desire to be in the middle of a weird, freaky love triangle.

I stared down at my glass of water as Simone and Detective Miller went over the details of the case for the umpteenth time. Roy was clearly heart-broken over the disappearance of Haley. He'd been actively involved in the search party, and posting Missing Person flyers around the neighborhood. As he explained, when he wasn't working to pay the bills, he was looking for Haley.

I knew our presence was probably a nuisance, but I also knew he was as desperate as Jenna, and was willing to entertain the craziest of possibilities. It's no secret that most people think we're a bunch of quacks, a bunch of kids with psychic powers in nerdy cardigans and plaid skirts. C'mon. I'd think the same, too, if I were a normal person.