The intruder saw the lights go off one by one in the librarian’s house, first on the ground floor then he watched her work her way upstairs, the lights extinguishing as she moved nearer to her own bedroom. He pondered his next move. He would just love to burst in there right this second and take the bitch while he slowly throttled the life from her, but he was a patient man, and until he knew what those two love birds were up to and how much they knew he could keep his cool. He turned away from the now dark dwelling, reached into a breast pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. He slipped a cigarette between his lips, struck a match and sucked deeply on the nicotine. He blew out the match, snapped it almost in half and flicked it into the night. He walked purposefully away from the house back to the pick-up truck parked hidden in the treeline, a cold smile broadening across his face.
THIRTEEN
For the first time in months, Ed woke with a true sense of purpose. He felt rested after a nightmare-free sleep and happy about how last night had finished, the feel of Linda’s full soft lips still causing an uncontrollable grin on his face. He sprung out of bed and ran through his morning routine, showered, shaved and dressed for the day in his normal work clothes; cream stay-press pants, a plain long-sleeved khaki cotton shirt and chocolate brown suede shoes. He had his laptop bag over his shoulder and was heading out of his room by 7.45. As he bustled out of the door he stumbled straight into the path of the motel owner, Sam Ryan who looked like he was on his way to another room with a stack of fresh linen.
“Whoa, easy fella!” he said, deftly keeping hold of the pile of sheets like a well-trained waiter.
“Oh sorry Mr Ryan, didn’t see you coming” Ed quickly apologised.
“Well, you’re a busy man I can tell,” Ryan replied. “Guess you’ll be checking out today, huh?”
“Well, no actually, things are going a little slower than I figured, I might be here a couple of days longer to tie up some loose ends. That’s not a problem… with the room, is it?”
The look of suspicion only crossed Ryan’s rotund face for a moment and was replaced by a beaming smile, but Ed saw it.
“Hell no!” exclaimed the stout manager, “glad to have you here, longer the better for me of course. Let me know if you need anything won’t you?” Ed thought about mentioning the missing newspaper article from his room but the motel manager had already turned and waddled away quickly back the way he had come, towards his office. Ed shrugged, unlocked his car and slipped behind the wheel. As he drove out of the lot and turned towards the diner he could see the motel manager standing at the reception desk, talking animatedly on the phone to someone. Ed paused, and then drove towards his breakfast.
For a dying town, the diner was fairly bustling when Ed walked in. He spotted an empty booth away from the door and slid in next to the window, his back to the wall, facing into the diner. Old habits again; he always liked to face the door to see who was coming and going. Army training sir! Betty brought him a mug of steaming coffee and a jug of cream without being asked. She nodded, said “Mornin’ dear” and bustled off again. He had enjoyed the pancakes so much the day before he had a repeat order this morning. By the time he was finishing the last few mouthfuls of pancake the diner was almost empty again. Betty checked to make sure the short-order cook was not in earshot then sat down opposite Ed.
“You’re the guy who’s been asking about Gracie Benjamin aren’t you?” She didn’t wait for a reply from her surprised customer; she just nodded to herself and carried on.
“I shouldn’t be telling you this but I think you ought to know, it wasn’t just her, there were others”. Ed laid down his fork and spoon.
“Others?” he repeated.
“Fur sure, not lately, no. But before, before little Gracie went, there had been others taken, never found. She was the last one though… from around these parts anyhow.” She looked around constantly to make sure she wasn’t being watched.
“How do you know this, and why are you telling me?” he asked.
“I know ‘cos I hear things. I been doin’ this job best part of 37 years, you get to knowin’ what’s goin’ on. Which is how I know you been askin’ questions too! And I’m tellin’ ya because I can read people, you know what I’m saying hone? My mother and her mother too, they could read people almost just by looking at ‘em. Let me tell ya, I can read you like a book”.
Her voice dropped even lower as she leaned further forwards. Ed was stunned by what she was saying but he couldn’t help leaning in to catch her next sentence.
“You’re troubled aren’t you hone? But you’re a decent man and I can see you want to do something to right a wrong and you think you can’t. Well I’m telling you straight mister, it’s not too late to make amends”.
“What…” was all Ed could manage.
The clang of the bell above the door broke their attention as new customers bustled in. She jumped up and started to step away towards the couple that was heading for a booth on the other side of the diner, then halted, turned back to Ed and finished, “Look for the other kids too mister, but be warned, there are some bad, bad folks in this town. Mind your back!”
She hesitated a second longer then added with a smile, “But Linda, well she’s one of the good guys, no doubt about it”. And with a wink, she turned and saw to her new customers. Ed sat there, quite unsettled by the brief discussion. The women’s insight was breathtakingly accurate but scary. Being a born sceptic he had never believed in anything like fortune tellers, ghosts, the paranormal or the after-life, but this crazy town and the crazy people in it were hard to ignore. He left cash under his coffee cup with a large tip and made for the door. Betty looked up from her new customers just long enough to give a knowing nod towards Ed as he left the diner, making the bell above the door jingle once more. As he walked the few steps to his Mercury his mind was preoccupied with what the waitress had said. He blipped the key-fob to unlock the driver’s door and slipped in. Ed never saw the tall man across the street step back into the shadows between the hardware store and a thrift shop. The man in the shadows watched as Ed started his car and pulled away from the diner, then like a ghost disappeared backward into the gloom.
Ed was well on his way to his first meeting when he remembered the Laundromat, the LED clock on the dash said it was 8.47am so it should be open by now. He took several right turns and got back onto Main Street and drove back the way he came. He glanced up into his rear-view mirror and saw a dark sedan a few hundred yards back keeping the same speed as he was. Another two right turns and the car was still behind him. He didn’t think he had ever been tailed before but he had seen enough cop shows on TV to know that he was being followed. He still couldn’t be positive so he added a burst of gas then took the next left on to a road that was mostly automotive repair and parts shops. As soon as he turned he pulled over and waited. He didn’t have to wait long as a shiny black Chrysler 300 whipped around the car at speed, swerving a little on to the other side of the road. The driver was hidden behind tinted windows but he must have done a double take when he saw Ed’s car stopped at the roadside as the 300 braked hard then settled then almost as quickly accelerated away up the road. ‘Got you!’ The 300 driver’s reaction was all the evidence Ed needed. The road was wide enough for a U-turn so as soon as the Chrysler was a block ahead, Ed turned his car around in a tire screeching movement that left smoke hanging in the air and headed back the way he had come.