red flowed through her long, dark brown hair enhancing the green in her hazel colored eyes, and it made me think that maybe her name suited her after all.
I continued to eat my burger, and even though I wasn’t intentionally listening to their conversation, I overheard Hazel tell the kids to go upstairs and start their homework. Once they’d left, she started gathering up their dishes. Before she turned to go, I asked, “Your name Hazel?”
She glanced down at her name tag and mumbled, “Mmm-hmm.”
“So, you got a place upstairs, too.”
“I do,” she clipped.
Ignoring her obvious aggravation, I announced, “Looks like we’re going to be neighbors.”
She stopped and, after letting out a frustrated sigh, she answered, “Looks that way. And just so you know … the walls are thin. Please try to remember there are two kids living next door.”
I nodded and said, “I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Those your kids?”
Her eyebrows furrowed with a look of irritation as she answered, “No, Einstein. Those are not my kids.”
What the hell? I held my hands up as I shrugged. “My bad. Just asking. The little girl looks a lot like you, so I figured you were related.”
“The little girl … Cindy … is my sister, not my daughter,” she snapped, “and the boy David is my brother, not my son.”
She drew her words out slowly, making her point more smart-ass than I deemed necessary, and on top of that, she was lying. She didn’t even bat an eye when she said the boy’s name was David. I’d already heard his sister call him Charlie, so I knew right away she was hiding something.
I winked and said, “Got it. Thanks for clearing that up, doll.”
“Whatever,” she snarled and took the last of the dishes in her hands.
Hell, she was a spitfire, with her sharp temper and fiery tongue, but there was something more hidden behind that protective wall she’d put up. I knew I didn’t have time to get wrapped up in a woman like that, but I found myself glancing back over to the kitchen door, hoping that I might catch one more glimpse of her before I left. When she didn’t show, I dropped a twenty-dollar bill on the table to cover my bill and tip and headed upstairs. I needed to get settled before my meeting with Gus in the morning.
When I got upstairs, it wasn’t anything fancy, but it was clean and the furniture was decent. It was on the small side, just two bedrooms, and as I walked through it, I wondered how my neighbor managed to find room for two teenage kids and herself. On my way downstairs, I walked by my neighbor’s door and heard the sound of a familiar video game roaring through the thin walls, making a smile spread across my face when I thought about Dusty playing the same game whenever he was at the clubhouse. Letting go of the memory, I went on down to my bike, and after I got my bags and map, I headed back upstairs. Once I had everything put away, I spread the large map across the kitchen table. I spent the next few hours plotting the mileage from each of our drop-off and pick-up locations along the route.
I’d just about finished logging all the information for Gus when my burner started buzzing. It was a message from Cotton.
Cotton:
You find the diner?
Me:
Yeah. I’m good.
Cotton:
That’s what I wanted to hear.
Report back to me as soon as you’re done with the meet.
Me:
Will do.
Cotton:
Be careful.
Me:
Always.
Leaving the map spread out across the small kitchen table, I tossed my phone onto the counter and walked over to the sofa. I sat down on the soft leather cushions and reached for the TV remote. Leaning back and propping my feet up on the coffee table, I started flipping through the sports channels. I’d only been sitting there a few minutes when my eyelids grew heavy and I drifted off to sleep.
I’d been asleep for less than an hour when I heard a loud ruckus coming from next door. When I heard a woman’s screams, I shot up from the sofa and rushed out into the hall. The screams continued over and over again, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying. I was worried something was wrong, so I pounded on the door. Seconds later, the young girl from the diner opened the door with a startled look on her face.