Free Gone by Karen Fenech Page B

brought on by the surprise of seeing him with his child—one more surprise on top of the surprise of meeting him again yesterday. She’d been caught off guard. That was why she was reacting so strongly. If their paths ever crossed again, she would not be affected . God, Clare, just who are you trying to convince? Clare exhaled a slow, tremulous breath.
Unlikely that she and Jake would meet again, however. His role in the search for Beth was over, now that he’d obtained the information from Cal Dawson. Clare would take it from there. She had no need to see Jake again.
She certainly had no business rehashing the past.
She forced her thoughts back to Beth and to her next step to finding her sister.
Her plan was to call the transport companies Cal Dawson had named and inquire which of them delivered produce to the grocery store.
Clare had driven back the way she and Jake had come and was now once again at Dawson Foods. She turned into the parking lot. The rusty pickup she’d parked behind earlier was still where it had been. She pulled in behind it for the second time that day.
She dug the paper Jake had given her, and her cell phone, out of her purse. First on the list was Robert Transport. She placed the call.
An automated system led her through a series of commands to a receptionist.
“Yes, hello,” Clare said to the woman on the other end of the line. “I’d like to leave a message for the driver who delivers produce to Farley, South Carolina . . . oh, your company doesn’t deliver produce. Dry goods. Thanks for your time.”
Her second call was to McKinley Transport. McKinley, she learned, did deliver produce and to Farley. Clare willed herself to remain calm. She repeated the same message.
“Name of the driver?” the receptionist asked.
Clare selected a name at random. “Jim Silver.”
“Hmm. I don’t recall that name,” the receptionist said. “Where did you say the driver goes to? South Carolina?”
The woman went on without waiting for Clare to reply. Clare heard the clack of computer keys being struck.
“South Carolina territory belongs to Gil Hoag. Oh—wait a minute—Gil doesn’t drive to South Carolina anymore. Nate Linden took over Gil’s route.”
“It’s Gil Hoag I’d like to leave a message for,” Clare said.
“Your name?”
“Clare Marshall.” She considered adding that she was calling about Beth Ryder, but she didn’t want to spook her sister who’d gone to great lengths to leave town in secret and hadn’t disclosed her destination. Of course, she couldn’t include her own identity as Beth’s sister. She feared Beth’s reaction to that even more.
“I’m calling from Farley regarding a personal matter,” Clare added. She left her cell phone number and hoped that would be enough for Gil Hoag to return the call.
She thanked the receptionist and disconnected. At this point, she had nothing to do but wait for the phone to ring. She didn’t have to be in Farley to receive the call. She was finished with the town and could leave if she wanted to and go home.
As appealing as that thought was, she dismissed it. She would arrive at home only to have to travel someplace else when she determined Beth’s location. The best thing to do was to stay put and go directly to Beth from here.
Looked like she was staying in Farley for the time being. The grocery store parking lot had gained a few more vehicles in the time Clare had been parked there. Her stomach rumbled. Her last meal had been on the plane yesterday.
The prospect of eating at the Farley diner made dieting a welcome alternative. She rolled her eyes. Since there was nothing to be gained by subjecting herself to that unpleasant environment, she’d cook for herself. She hoped to be in contact with Hoag shortly, and to be on her way to wherever her sister was by tomorrow at the latest. Clare left her car to stock up on a few things to take her through the next few hours.
* * * * *
One hour later, she was back in Earl Lowney’s