A local woman missing- Mary Kubica

gray. Her eyes are gray. She has deep-set wrinkles around her
mouth and under her eyes, made worse when she smiles, which she
does. She has a kind smile.
“We’re here to pick up Leo,” I say, “Leo Dickey,” in case, in this
mayhem, there’s more than one Leo.
“Yes, of course,” she says, “Josh called and told me you’d be
coming. The weather,” Charlotte complains, leaning in closer to be
able to speak over the noise. “Usually I’d have the kids downstairs,
but the darn sump pump went out yesterday, and the basement
flooded.”
“Oh, no, how awful,” I say. “What a mess.”
“We had a new one put in, but the basement is in the process of
drying out. It will take a while. There are fans everywhere, but even
after it’s dry, we’ll need repairs before the kids can go back down.
Being cooped up inside like this,” she says, turning to look at the
kids, “it’s making the children stir-crazy. All that pent-up energy. They
need to get outdoors and play.”
She calls across the room for Leo. He’s still on his knees, picking
up fallen puzzle pieces. He glances up at the sound of Charlotte’s
voice, seeing Bea and me through the screened door. A slow smile
spreads across his lips, and Bea waves. Like a good boy, Leo
finishes gathering his puzzle to put it away before he leaves.
Charlotte hugs him before he goes, confessing to Bea and me,
“He’s my favorite. I wish all the kids were as well behaved as him.” I
wonder if she says this to all of the kids.
Charlotte opens the door and Leo steps outside with us. We make
our way to the car. Leo is quiet, as always. He doesn’t ask about
Josh, Meredith or Delilah. Still, Bea says something glib about why
we’re not going to his home.
“Delilah’s sick,” Leo tells us at random.
Bea says, “Yep, buddy. That’s right. Delilah’s sick.” It doesn’t feel
right lying to Leo.
At home, Bea makes dinner for Leo and me. She lets Leo help.
They make pasta. Bea serves it with milk for Leo, a glass of wine for
me. She makes an extra plate to save for Josh, not that he will eat it.
We sit at the table and eat. Bea tries to get Leo to open up about
his day. He isn’t very forthcoming. When Bea asks if he likes it there