“It’s gorgeous country up here.” His dark brown eyes enveloped her as he said it, sending a curl of warmth through her body. Only then did she notice the file folder under his arm.
“Follow me. We’re out on the patio.”
Ally made introductions and her mother handed Luckey a glass of iced tea. They chatted about casual things before filling their plates and seating themselves around the wrought-iron table to eat.
“These beans are out of this world, Mrs. Duncan,” he said, causing her mom to beam.
“Thank you. It’s an old family recipe.”
“Is that steak done the way you like it, Luckey?” Ally’s father asked.
“It’s perfect.”
“We’ve never had a Texas Ranger for dinner before. You’ve made my daughter’s night,” he added. “When she was a little girl, she was crazy about the Lone Ranger.”
Oh, no.
Luckey’s gaze swerved to hers. “Is that right?”
“We bought her a pony she named Silver. She must have had half a dozen black masks.” Her dad was on a roll. “I think there are still a couple of them out in the tack room left over from the good old days.”
“Those I’ve got to see,” Luckey said.
Ally cleared her throat, eager to change the subject. “Luckey? Why don’t you tell my parents why you came to my office yesterday?”
With those words, the atmosphere around the table changed. Luckey got up from the table to get the file folder he’d left on one of the loungers. After he sat down again, he passed around the pages with the photos of the Chinese writing and explained where they’d come from.
For the next twenty minutes he discussed the case he’d been assigned and the information he’d gleaned from forensics. Her parents didn’t say a word. They were too busy absorbing everything he was telling them.
“Your work fighting the trafficking program hasn’t gone unnoticed, Mrs. Duncan. Your name came up at a conference I attended a month ago, praising your efforts.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Ally tells me she’s helped you when she could. That’s why she brought Soo-Lin’s letter to me. When I read about the disappearance of the young woman who hoped to be an Olympic gymnast one day, it reminded me of something Dr. Wolff told me at the morgue. He said the victim’s body indicated she was probably either a dancer or a gymnast.”
A gasp escaped Ally. She eyed her parents, who looked equally stunned.
“I’m not assuming that the dead girl is the girl your family knows. If I showed all of you her picture, would you recognize her?”
“No,” Ally said at once. “It’s been nine years since we were at the wedding. She was only seven at the time. But if Soo-Lin saw the photo you have, I’m sure she would know one way or the other.”
“That’s good to know, and we can explore that avenue later.” He eyed her parents. “Ally examined the dress and described the special elements to me. She said it had probably been made rather than bought for a girl of the higher class. If I could find out where that material came from, I might be able to discover who bought it and had the dress made. That could lead me to the girl’s parents.”
“And you could unite them with their child,” Beatrice said. “What a blessing it would be if you could do that.”
Luckey eyed Ally. “Do you know if the Tan girl learned the Nüshu language?”
She shook her head. “But Soo-Lin would know.”
Ally’s father got up from the table and walked around for a minute. “Dad? What are you thinking?”
He turned to them. “I’m thinking I need to make another trip to China.”
“No, Larry. You’re not the ambassador anymore and another visit would be monitored the second you get off the plane in Beijing.”
“Mom’s right, Dad. But I could make a quick trip to Yongzhou to see Soo-Lin.”
“Absolutely not,” her father said sternly.