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“Do you have any records on file that could confirm those?” Luna tried not to sound too pushy, but she felt she was getting close to narrowing it down.
“Used to, but all the paperwork got flooded after Hurricane Matthew back in 2016.”
“I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Yep. It was a big mess for sure.”
Luna refused to be disheartened. “I imagine someone like you would have a memory like an elephant?” She giggled to try to spark his recollection.
“I have to tell ya, at my age, I’m lucky if I remember to put on my underwear.”
That was a vision Luna didn’t want to imagine.
She chuckled again. “Well, if you think about anything that might be interesting for my article, please let me know. My contact information is on the e-mail I sent. I really appreciate your time, Mr.?” She realized she had never gotten his name.
“They call me ‘Chief.’ Don’t know exactly how that came about, but I’ve been Chief for a coupla decades now.”
“Well, thank you, Chief, for all your help.” Luna was genuinely grateful.
“You are most welcome, missy. Y’all have yourself a good day, and send me a copy of that article, will ya?”
Luna had a pang of guilt knowing there wasn’t going to be an article. She thanked him profusely and promised to keep in touch. She couldn’t remember the last time she felt so guilty. But she had accomplished something. Some things. Now she had to try to put the pieces together.
While she was musing over the carnival information, Ellie stopped in.
“Namaste, Luna!” She gave a short bow.
“Namaste,” Luna responded in kind. “Can I fix you a coffee?”
“No, thanks. Just wanted to say hi and ask you to thank Chris for his idea about the security guard.”
“Cool. Nathan seems like a really nice guy. Authoritative.” Luna winked.
“Yes, the evil plan is working. The Mommy Club Winos were flying solo without their children this week. All it took was one afternoon with Nathan staring them down, and they were too scared to come back. As long as the mommies keep spending their money and there is peace in the center, all is good.”
“I wonder what they did with the kids?”
“I honestly don’t care, and I certainly didn’t ask. Heaven forbid they think that I miss the little monsters.” Ellie chortled. She looked over at the table where Luna was working. “What do you have there?”
“This was the stuff that was in the box from the trunk. And guess what?” Luna was overjoyed to share her news. “I tracked down the carnival company and they were able to narrow down the time from 2000 to 2002.”
Ellie moved to where Luna was standing. “Let me see. I vaguely remember now. Wild Bill Harper rings a bell. He brought a bit of rodeo with him. Richard and I went one year.”
Luna’s eyes lit up. “So that almost confirms that the diary was written around that time. And check this out.” Luna showed her the note and the first page of the diary. “Do any of the letters resemble each other?”
Ellie squinted and pulled up the reading glasses she wore on a handmade crystal chain. She had a set for almost every outfit. “It’s hard to tell. The diary is in longhand, but the note is printed.” Ellie knew Luna was hoping for some kind of confirmation. “Where did the note come from?”
Luna recounted the brief meeting she had with a woman named Tori.
“How about this?” Luna unrolled the two drawings. “This one is from my first impression of the trunk.” She pointed to the other one. “This is from when I was speaking with her.”
Ellie gasped. “That’s a little eerie, don’t you think?”
“Creepy, too.” Luna stared down at her primitive artwork. “You know what else is odd? There is very little in this diary. Even the author admits there isn’t much in there except for the last entry. She sure sounded desperate. And young.”
“Let me look at that note again.” Ellie peered at the note, then at the diary entry. She frowned.
“What?” Luna asked.
