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“I wonder how Cassidy planned on getting here?” Mason asked. “She doesn’t have a phone or her computer with her to contact someone. I doubt she’d want to use what cash she had to call a cab.”
Mrs. Evans smiled. “I’ll say one thing about my daughter. She is resourceful. She’d most likely borrow a phone to make the call for one of us to pick her up.”
That could be dangerous, since one of the Kitcheners might have been assigned to watch the bus station, but there was no use in worrying them at this point.
Zach smiled. “I bet she would to that. We’re going to try to find her at the bus station. If she doesn’t come to Thomas Ridge, where would she go?”
“I don’t know,” Mrs. Evans said. “She hasn’t traveled to a lot of places.”
“She only has been using cash, which I’m guessing will run out soon. Do you have any relatives she might visit?” Zach asked.
Cassidy’s mom’s eyes brightened. “Yes. My elderly mother lives near Idaho Falls. The two of them have always been close.”
“Would Doug know about your mother?” Mike asked.
“I doubt it.”
Zach stood. “We’ll find Cassidy somehow. I don’t think it’s safe for her to be on her own—even if she is with her grandmother.”
“I agree.” Both of her parents stood. “Thank you, Zach.” She turned to Mike and Mason. “And you too. My daughter is lucky to have you in her life.”
“We’ll be back at some point to let you know our plan,” Zach told them.
“Thank you.”
Mason left his number with her parents, and they promised to call should Cassidy show up.
The three of them left and headed to Edgemont. They wanted to check the bus schedule for times and then wait to see if Cassidy was on one of them. It was always possible she hitched a ride to Wyoming to avoid being spotted. Any trucker would be happy to have her as company.
When they arrived at the station, no one was in the parking lot, which meant Doug's men weren't waiting for her. Either he knew something they didn’t know, or he wasn’t concerned about intercepting her the moment she reached town—assuming his man in Wildwood figured out she wasn’t there.
Zach parked, and they all went inside. The small bus station only contained three benches, all of which were empty. “This isn’t looking very hopeful that they have a lot of arrivals.”
“I’ll check,” Mason said. After he spoke with the man selling bus tickets, he returned. “The next bus arrives in three hours. It’s the only one today.”
“I guess Edgemont and the surrounding area isn’t a tourist destination. Thoughts on our next step?” Zach asked.
“I say we ask the ticket guy where we can get a good cup of coffee. I don’t relish sitting here for a few hours without it,” Mike said. “We can figure out our next move should Cassidy not show up on the bus.”
“Good thinking,” Zach said.
“I’m on it,” Mason said. It didn’t take him long to find the information. “The man gave a thumbs up to Deb’s Delightful Café.”
“Great. You get directions?”
“He said to follow this road back to town. We can’t miss the red awning,” Mason said.
Sure enough, the place was easy to spot since Edgemont wasn’t that much bigger than Thomas Ridge. They found a booth in back of the café so they could have a quiet conversation. The chances of anyone associated with the Kitcheners being there seemed small, unless the clan spanned many towns.
Once the server came over and they ordered coffee, they discussed their options.
“If Cassidy is on this bus, do we let her visit her parents?” Mike asked. “Someone could be watching the house.”
“I don’t imagine we can say she can’t see them. Cassidy would not be happy if we prevented her. In fact, she won’t be happy that we are anywhere near the Kitchener Clan,” Zach said.
“You’re right about that. So we let her see her folks, chat with Mindy, and maybe grab some of her things from her place. Do we then insist she come back with us?” Mike asked.
“What choice do we have? We can’t let her wander around town. She’ll be spotted,” Zach said.
