Was nothing in this town open? And where was everyone?
“Hi, honey, you look lost. Can I help you?”
Kadie turned to find a woman walking toward her. She had short, curly, gray hair, brown eyes, and a friendly smile.
“What are you doing here?” the woman asked, frowning.
“Excuse me?”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t get many new people in town. I mean, we’re not even on the map anymore. How did you get here?”
Kadie gestured at her car, parked a few yards away. “I ran out of gas.”
“That’s unfortunate,” the woman said, sighing. “We haven’t had any deliveries in ages. Where are my manners?” she exclaimed. “I’m Donna Stout.”
“Kadie Andrews. What do you do for transportation if there’s no gas?”
“We walk,” Donna said with a shrug. “Where are you staying?”
“Well, I’m not sure. Last night I . . .” Kadie broke off, wondering if she should admit to where she’d spent the night. She had a feeling Donna Stout was the town gossip. But she was leaving, so what did it matter? “I stayed at a friend’s house,” she said, stretching the truth a bit.
“You look like you could use a good hot cup of coffee. The restaurant should be open now if you’d like some breakfast.”
“Sounds great.”
Inside the restaurant, Kadie followed Donna to a table near the front window.
After ordering coffee and a short stack of pancakes, Kadie folded her hands on the table. “Is the town always this quiet?” she asked, noting that the streets were still deserted. “I mean, where is everybody?”
Donna looked at her, cleared her throat, then glanced away. “We . . . that is . . . you see, it’s like this. Morgan Creek isn’t an ordinary town. We’re kind of . . . um, unique.”
“Unique?”
“People move in from time to time but . . .” She looked over her shoulder, her expression troubled. “As long as I’ve been here, no one has ever moved out.”
Kadie stared at the woman. What was she trying to say? Or not say? “I don’t understand.”
“Of course you don’t.” She patted Kadie’s hand. “I wish I could explain it, but I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because I can’t.”
Kadie pondered Donna Stout’s words while she ate. What was the woman hiding? It was almost as if she was afraid to tell Kadie what was going on. Was Morgan Creek the home of some kind of cult? Like Jonestown?
The waitress returned a few minutes later. “Can I get you anything else?” she asked.
“No,” Kadie said. “Just the check.”
The waitress looked at Donna, one brow raised.
“Kadie is new here,” Donna said as if that explained everything.
With a nod, the waitress moved away.
“What was that all about?” Kadie asked.
“Nothing,” Donna said brightly. “Don’t worry about the check. I’ll take care of it later.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“Well, thank you.” Kadie pushed away from the table. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Where are you going?” Donna asked, following her out of the restaurant.
“I don’t know.” Kadie chewed on the inside of her cheek. There were no other towns nearby. Unless she could find a ride or some gas, she wasn’t going anywhere. “Do you know a man named Darrick?” she asked, thinking maybe he could help her.
“You met Darrick?”
“Only in passing. I met him last night,” Kadie said, wondering at the woman’s shocked expression. “Do you know where he is?”
Donna shook her head, her curls bouncing. “No. No. I mean . . . no. It was nice to meet you, Kadie,” she said, and hurried down the street without looking back.
Kadie stared after her. What was that all about?
And what was she going to do now?
She would go for a walk, Kadie decided. Maybe it would help to clear her head. Returning to her car, she put on a pair of sturdy walking shoes, stashed her suitcase and handbag in the backseat of the Durango, locked the car, and tucked her keys into the pocket of her jeans. Standing on the curb, she played eeny-meeny-miney-mo, which way should I go, and struck off toward the west to keep the sun out of her eyes.
Maybe she was dreaming, she thought as she walked briskly down the sidewalk.
Maybe she had stumbled onto a movie set.
Maybe she had landed in an alternate universe when she’d crossed the bridge last night.
She walked for several blocks, passing a movie theater, a number of department stores, a drugstore, a barbershop, and a beauty salon. All were empty. A swimming pool was set in the middle of a large