Billie drove through the night, stopping only for gas and bathroom breaks. She found herself in California. Not far from San Diego. She stopped at a motel along a back road and checked in for the night. She was exhausted. She checked her phone for the first time. Nothing. No one was aware that she had left yet. It was 5 am. Her shift didn't start until 10 so even Paula didn't know yet. She pulled the cold and thin motel comforter over her and fell asleep.
"Hey, it's Paula. Call me kiddo." Paula left the third message on Billie's voicemail. After the lunch crowd died down, she decided she would head to the house and see if maybe she just slept in. The door jingled and a man came in.
"Hello. I was wondering if you have maybe seen this woman? She is missing and part of a police investigation in Indiana." The man said, holding up a photo. Paula looked at it and then looked back at the man.
"No. I haven't seen her." Paula said. "Indiana is a long way away. Why are you looking all the way down here?" She asked.
"Bus line." He said. "Just following the stops." He smiled and handed her a card.
"If you see her, be sure to call me." He said and left. She looked at it. "Sean Conley" it read. It was Lilly. Her piece of shit ex had found her. She grabbed her purse and told the girl on shift that she had to leave. "If anyone asks, you haven't seen Lilly and you don't know her. Understand?" She told the kitchen and wait staff. They all nodded in understanding. Paula made the rounds. She stopped at Johnny's and told them to deny they knew her. She stopped at Gabe's. "Sometimes I wish I didn't know her." Gabe said. He was still hurt by her leaving the other night with Ezra.
"Gabe, this is serious. There is a history there that you don't know about. Please." Paula said. She elaborated what she knew. He nodded. "I'll let everyone know to do the same." He said. "Fuck that guy. I know he hurt her. I've noticed. My mom went through the same shit."
"Thank you, Gabe." Paula said as she left to let more people in town know what was going on.
Paula finally made it to the house and found Billie's note.
"Where are you, honey?" She said out loud.
Meanwhile, Sean walked into Johnny's. He sat at the bar, unknowingly next to Gabe who had just went an hour earlier there to alert everyone of the situation.
"Hey. I'm from out of town. I am looking for this girl. Anyone seen her around?" He asked.
The bartender looked at the photo he held up. "No man. I have never seen that girl. What's up? She missing or something?" He asked.
"Kind of. She is part of a police investigation. We are trying to find her." Sean said.
"So she left on her own or was kidnapped or something?" Gabe asked. Sean turned and looked at him.
"Sort of." Sean said.
"So, are you a cop? Do you have identification." Gabe asked. "I mean, I feel like if you're parading a photo around asking about somebody's private business, you should have some sort of warrant or reason."
"She's important to me, to us. She isn't a wanted criminal. We just need to talk to her." Sean said.
"Maybe YOU just WANT to talk to her?" Gabe asked. He was picking a fight and he wanted to make it clear that's what he was doing.
"I'm not sure how that's any of your business." Sean said.
"You parading this pic around asking us all if we know some random person makes it our business. My mom was a battered woman, for years. And when she left my dad, he pulled some similar shit. Said she was a missing person when she wasn't. She was a gone on her own person. So, what I'm saying is, if you are looking for some woman and saying it's for police purposes or that she was kidnapped or something when you have no ID or proof of that, when really, you just might want to find a woman that left you because you may be a piece of dog shit… well, that just don't sit right with me." Gabe said.
"Whatever man. You have no idea what the situation is so back off." Sean said.
"Naw. I don't think I will." Gabe said. Pete was at the end of the bar, listening too. He stood up and walked over.
"You aren't here to help this woman, are you?" Pete asked.
"Whoa. I don't know what you guys think but a simple "I don't know her" is enough for me." Sean said, getting up to leave.
"Yeah. But not us." Gabe said.
Sean looked at Gabe and smiled. "You don't know shit about me." He said. He turned and Gabe pushed him. Sean pushed him back and Gabe punched him dead in the jaw, knocking him to the floor. Sean stood up and tried to swing at Gabe, but he and Pete laid into him. After the beating, they drug him outside and threw him on the gravel.
"Get the fuck out of our town with that bullshit. And if all these other towns you go looking into are smart, they will beat your ass back to where you came from, too." Gabe said.
Sean pulled himself to his feet and crawled into his car. He slammed on the gas and drove away.