“What happened?” Wayne asked.
“I have no idea,” Bess answered. “I’ve never fainted before in my life.”
“Well, if you’re taken care of, I should probably be leaving,” Daniel said, standing. “I don’t want to be in the way when the good detective arrives. I’ve taken enough of his time.”
“What do you mean?” Bess asked.
“He came and saw me at work today. Bright and early. Had a nice chat. But now I really must be going.” Bess watched Daniel disappear out the front doors.
“Wayne, how long have you known Daniel?”
“Well, since he moved here, I guess. I don’t know him well. But we do go to—”
“The same church, yeah, I remember. Does he seem… I don’t know, strange to you?”
Wayne considered for a moment. “He seems less strange now than he used to, if you can believe that. When he first moved to town he seemed sickly.”
“He was sick?”
“I don’t think so, he just seemed it. He had real bad skin, never really looked clean. I hate to admit it, but people steered clear of him. But then in the last couple years he’s turned around. Looks healthier. More confident.”
“Last couple years? You mean literally, like two years?”
“Maybe. Two or three sounds right. Why do you ask?”
“I’m not sure. He makes me a little uncomfortable, to be honest.” Wayne’s face fell. “Don’t take it personally. Everyone else at the church was very nice. Honestly. It’s nothing against the place. He makes me feel nervous.”
Wayne sighed. “I wish I could be more surprised. But if I’m being fair, he does me too. Something about that smile. Like he’s waiting for his chance to bite.”
“Exactly.”
“Let’s get you up outta this floor. Don’t tell Carol, but I don’t clean it as much as I should.”
Wayne walked with her over to the bar where he hovered around her as she situated herself on a stool, ready to catch her if needed.
“The detective is on his way. He said he wanted to talk to you too, and I think this whole situation is fucked,” Carol declared as she joined them. “I don’t know what your relationship is with this guy, but I don’t fucking approve.”
“I don’t have a relationship, Carol. I promise you, I’m quite alone.”
“I thought you were seeing that white boy,” Wayne said.
“Greg? No, that… it didn’t work out.”
“Are you seeing this cop or what?” Carol asked.
“Not at all.”
“Good, I wouldn’t want to think your boyfriend was snooping around here asking about you. That doesn’t seem healthy.”
“Nope, just the perfectly normal healthy practice of a police detective snooping around asking about me.”
“I should get back to work,” Wayne said.
“You’ve got no flare for the dramatic, either,” Carol said.
“I’m sorry for being dramatic,” Bess said.
“Oh, stop it. I don’t want you to be sorry. I want you to feel better and come back to work. Can you do that for me?”
“I’ll try my best,” Bess promised.
“Then we’re good.” Carol smiled for the first time since Bess had come to work. “Your handsome detective has arrived.”
She motioned toward the door and Bess turned to see Scott Howland duck into the store. He caught her eye immediately and grinned before he could catch himself and arrange his features back into the hard non-expression of a professional.
“Carol told me you had a bit of a scare,” he said.
“I fainted. Is that what you mean?”
“I guess it is. Should we go?”
“Thank you,” Bess said. Carol handed her her purse and Bess followed Scott out to his car.
“They told me you were there today, asking about me,” Bess said as soon as they were moving.
“It’s my job.”
“It’s your job to ask my boss if I’m crazy? Am I suddenly a suspect?”
“You are not.”
“Daniel Mills came into my store earlier and basically threatened me.”
“Are you serious?” Scott asked. “What did he say to you?”
“What did you say to him? He told me you’d been there this morning. Apparently you’re having an enormously busy day.”
“I stopped by his work. Asked him a few questions. Which is what you wanted me to do, right?”
Bess didn’t know why she was angry with Scott, but she was, stubbornly so, and she didn’t know how to let it go. “I did. What did you talk about? What did he say?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? It’s police business and I swear to God, if I have to tell you one more time that you are not a detective I’m going to drive you down to the next town and leave you there. Let you be their problem. Now, did he or did he not threaten you? Tell me what he said.”
“He… thanked me for coming to his Bible study.”
“Yeah, that’s basically what he said to me. He was happy to have you in his class. You were very nice and enthusiastic,” Scott said.
“You don’t believe it’s him, do you?”
“I don’t know what to believe, Bess.”
They arrived at Bess’s home, but she made no move to get out of the car. “What do you mean?” she asked.
“I mean… nothing you’ve told me makes any sense. I want to believe it, but I can’t.”
“Well, fuck you, Detective.” Bess jumped out of the car and slammed the door as hard as she could, nearly pulling herself off her feet as she did so.
Scott was out and on her heels before she even reached her front stoop. “Don’t run off, I still need to talk to you and I’d rather do it here, but if you make me, I’ll bring you into the station.”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Daniel Mills gets to come by my job and walk the streets and what the fuck ever, and you’re going to take me to the god damned police station?”
“Please let me come in. Let me talk to you without all the distractions and the attitude and bullshit.”
Bess opened the front door and walked in, leaving it open behind her, a passive invitation. “What do you want to talk about?”
“Can we sit?”
Bess flopped down hard on the couch. “Sit.”
Scott rolled his eyes and joined her.
“Look, if you don’t want to believe me about Mills, then we need to find Greg. He knows more than I do. He’s scared. But maybe he has a good reason to be. If you can find Greg, you’ll have more than just my word,” Bess said.
Scott ran a hand through his hair. He let out a small growl of frustration. “Stop with the Greg stuff. I don’t get it, but it’s not helping.”
“What are you talking about? What isn’t helping?”
“Greg. Greg Leeds. The mysterious man that no one knows.”
“No one knows? I know him. He was Amy’s boyfriend,” Bess said. She felt the same cold sweat from earlier form across her brow and she swiped at it absently. Her head was spinning.
“Amy didn’t have a boyfriend,” Scott shouted.
“What is this? Of course she did. Her roommate called me and told me she did.” The room had taken on an oddly blueish hue and Bess leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes.
“She called you?” Scott asked.
“I… I called her. But then, she called me back…” She was confused, floundering.
“But you told me you already knew him.” Scott had taken a small digital voice recorder out of his jacket pocket and showed it to Bess. “Do you mind if I record this?”
“Sure,” Bess said. “Um, me and Greg dated. Not dated. Had one date.”
“And where did you go on that date?”
“I… I can’t remember.” Bess rubbed her eyes.