people. Salt of the earth. Too bad many of them lost their jobs in the auto industry. But at least they’re still gainfully employed, I suppose,” she told Yoko. She maneuvered the cab onto the highway and headed to the truck stop. “Hungry?”
“Yes!”
“Excellent. You’re in for some good eats,” Kathryn shouted over the noise of the grinding gears and rolled up her window. Within a few minutes, they pulled into the truck stop.
“Rosie’s Diner? For real?” Yoko said with surprise.
“Wait until you meet her!” Kathryn chuckled. “C’mon. Home fries are waiting!”
They walked into what looked like something that had been frozen in time. The time was circa 1957.
“Wow. Look at this place. They even have jukeboxes in the booths.” Yoko was in awe.
“They’re just for show. Pretty cool, though.” Kathryn waved her arms at another throwback. This time it was Rosie, granddaughter of the original, decked out in a pink-striped uniform with a white collar and trim, a white apron, and a peaked cap, complete with the ugliest white shoes.
“Kathryn! Babe! How the heck are you?” Rosie sauntered over and gave Kathryn a bear hug. “Who is this pretty thing?” She pointed at Yoko.
“A good friend. Yoko, meet Rosie.”
Rosie’s hands were as large as Kathryn’s, and she almost crushed Yoko’s fine fingers with her grip. Yoko tried to hide a wince. “Nice to meet you. Kathryn tells me you have the best food in Michigan.”
“She’s got that right. Come sit over here, away from the cigarette smoke.”
“Isn’t that illegal?” Yoko asked innocently. Kathryn kicked her in the foot.
“Nobody cares around these here parts. I only let my regulars do it. There’s only a couple of ’em left,” Rosie explained. “We ain’t that far from Flint. Now there’s a problem that needs fixin’.” She handed them plastic-coated menus that had seen better days. “Meat loaf is fresh this morning. Take a few minutes. Coffee? Tea? Soda?”
Thinking about the water problem in Flint, Yoko opted for something that came in a bottle. “Coke? Pepsi?”
“Pepsi, dollface. Kath? You?”
“Coffee. Thanks.”
Rosie waddled across the room, weaving in and out of the square Formica tables, which had also seen better days.
“It’s kind of depressing, isn’t it?” Yoko whispered.
“I prefer to think it’s quaint. But you’re right. Business has fallen off a cliff. It’s amazing she’s still here. But she owns the building, so that’s one bill she doesn’t have to pay.” Kathryn scanned the room. “I’m going for the meat loaf. Mashed potatoes. Gravy.”
Yoko looked at the menu. Not exactly what she was used to, especially when she was at Pinewood, with Charles’s fine cooking. Kathryn sensed Yoko’s apprehension.
“Bacon and eggs. Always a safe bet.”
“Nah. I’ll have what you’re having.” Yoko smiled when Rosie returned to the table with their beverages and took their order.
When the food arrived, it looked exactly like the picture on the menu. “Rosie’s specialty.” Rosie pointed to the food. “Enjoy!”
The women dived into the comfort food, which, Yoko noted, was really, really good.
“See! I told ya,” Kathryn boomed. “Let’s hit the ladies’ room and get going.”
Kathryn motioned for the check, pulled out her cash, and left a hundred-dollar bill under the saltshaker. “Come on. I don’t want Rosie yelling at me. She hates it when I overtip!” They made a beeline for the bathroom, washed up, and bolted.
Before they had left Virginia, Kathryn had arranged for a friend to leave a car at the diner. They would use it for the few hours needed to check out the property. Kathryn pulled out a license plate from the back of the cab. After looking around to see that no one was watching, she swapped the “extra” plate with the one on her friend’s car.
“Grab the road atlas,” she directed Yoko. “I’ll get my gear.” Her gear consisted of binoculars, several cameras, and a drone/camera kit. Fergus had shown her how to assemble the Wi-Fi-enabled drone/camera kit. The camera was equipped to send the photos to Kathryn’s tablet and to Charles. It was a backup in case they couldn’t get onto the property. Aerial photos would be perfect, provided they didn’t get caught and someone didn’t shoot the drone down.
Yoko opened the road atlas and began giving Kathryn directions. It took about thirty minutes before they came upon a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire and a sign that said BEWARE. NO TRESPASSING.
Yoko said somberly, “This looks nasty. And scary.”
“Let’s drive around and see how far this fence goes.” Kathryn drove for almost a mile before they came to the end of the