Chapter 5

News traveled fast, as it does in small towns, about the disappearance of Chad Rhine. It was the hottest topic of conversation at Maplewood Post Office since the Baptist minister’s wife ran off to Vegas with the local weatherman two years ago, taking the entire offering money for the past six months. Rose Demeter had her hands full with the hordes of blue and gray-haired ladies at the counter of the post office early the next morning. Ms. Judy Dreyfus, the owner the clothing boutique “Debutantes,” where all the young ladies bought their homecoming and prom dresses, was tsk-tsk-tsking at the news of his disappearance.

“You know,” she said as she went through the circulars she had made to send out to the town’s residents, “Martha and Herb are beside themselves with grief. I saw the chief’s patrol car there early this morning and Herb nearly ran him out of the house with a shotgun. I think he would have shot him had Martha not held him back. She was crying and carrying on, and Herb was shouting at Don to dredge the lake. It was terrible to watch.”

The ladies all gasped and shook their heads in unison.

Rose spoke up from behind the counter. “You know, Don’s daughter Elizabeth has been dating him for a while now.”

Everybody muttered that they knew.

“Oh yeah. She was checked into the hospital late last night and is on the sixth floor. Apparently, she was catatonic on the scene.”

The sixth floor of Our Mother of Mercy Hospital was where those who had mental illness were taken. Again, the ladies muttered over the tidbit of information.

The door opened, and all the ladies looked over their shoulders as a handsome blond-haired man walked in. He was a bit startled at the sudden burst of attention, and stood there for a second in the doorway. The ladies parted way and cleared an aisle for him to walk up to the window.

Rose stood there at the counter, a smile glued to her face as she looked over her rhinestone glasses at him. The young man was shy, and gorgeous. His long blonde hair was tied up in the back and he’d had a fresh shave. The planes of his cheeks were a little thin, but his green eyes sparkled as bright as his cheeks from walking in the cold air.

He’s new, Rose mouthed silently as she shot a look over the man’s shoulder to the court of ladies behind him.

“I need a change of address form please,” he said, and Rose nodded.

Behind him, the ladies all whispered in clusters.

“Sure thing. Can I get you anything else?”

“Well, actually, yes. I need a book of stamps and some address labels. The address on this card is the one to use.”

“Ohhh, you moved into the old Woodbridge house on the lake, I see…Hayden,” Rose said sweetly and rather pointedly again to her crowd.

Hayden looked up at her and smiled. “Yes, just yesterday.”

“Welcome to Maplewood. Let me see what you owe.”

She told him the price and he fished out his wallet and paid in cash.

“Thank you.” He smiled weakly.

He turned to the crowd of women who were looking at their leader with barely masked curiosity. He frowned good-naturedly and walked out of the door and down the block.

“That, ladies, is the prosecutor from Boston. Lost his…husband…in one of those drive-by shootings.” She sniffed disapprovingly but counted his money and put it in the till anyway, slamming the drawer shut. She hated queers as much as she hated newcomers.

“Sounds tragic,” Judy said, finally handing over the circulars to Rose.

“Hmmm. He paid for the Jenner place with cash. Sounds fishy, to me. You know how those queers are. Still, he is new to the town, so I guess it is our duty to go up and take him a welcome basket,” Rose said wearily, as if she wasn’t dying to corner the young man and pick him clean with questions.

All the women in the lobby tittered and started making plans about what they were going to take up to him. There would be the usual apple pie, maple syrup, and some of Judy’s banana nut bread. Rose really wanted to see the furniture. She knew men “like him” usually had pretty nice stuff.