All conversation stopped and everyone turned to stare at them. “So, this here young man says he’s looking for a lady named Megan Anderson. Any you all know her?”
Nos rang out along with head shakes before they all went back to their meals.
Zeke shrugged. “Maybe you got the wrong town?”
Okay, so this was how it was going to be. He’d told the woman at the hotel he was coming here and she’d warned them.
“You mean this town—that’s named after her family?”
Zeke laughed. “Probably just a coinkydink? Enjoy your meal.”
A plate filled with chicken-fried steak and mashed potatoes slid in front of him, along with a scowl from Gloria. “Figured a slick-talking guy like you would like this better than fish and chips.”
It was probably good Meg had people like this to protect her. And as much as he wanted to punch his fist into a wall in frustration with them, Gloria was right. He hated fish and chips. It reminded him of those frozen fish stick meals he ate as a kid. They served them every Tuesday at the orphanage disguised as a boys’ ranch where he’d grown up. He’d escaped the ranch on his eighteenth birthday, and hadn’t had a fish stick in the twelve years since.
“See, I knew I could trust you, Gloria.”
Her frown deepened. “Yeah, but can we trust you?” She sauntered away to top off more coffee cups.
Digging into the best chicken-fried steak he’d ever had, he reevaluated his plan. He hadn’t counted on the secret club he’d have to infiltrate.
Just as he finished off the last of his buttery, peppery mashed potatoes, the little bell above the glass door rang and in walked a cop. The man, built like a tank, could probably take down a hyped-up meth addict with ease. After scanning the busy diner, he made a beeline for the empty stool next to Josh’s.
Maybe his luck was about to change.
The man sat down and Gloria instantly appeared in front of him. “The usual, Sheriff?”
The guy gave a quick nod, then turned his intense blue-eyed gaze on Josh. “Evenin’.”
“Evening.” Josh glanced at the man’s name tag that read “R. Anderson,” and it became clear why his eyes reminded him so much of Megan’s. Another Anderson relative and another dead end most likely, but it was worth a try. He held out a hand. “Josh Granger.”
The man slowly reached out, then returned a bone-crunching handshake. “Heard you’re asking after someone named Megan. What’s it to you?”
Gloria returned with his pie and a chicken-fried steak dinner for the cop. After she handed everything out, she stood with her hands on her hips, apparently waiting for his answer too. The old guy next to him laid down his fork and crossed his arms, as the whole diner became Sunday-morning-Mass silent.
How much should he reveal? Probably the lady at the hotel had already told them anyway. “Just want to have a friendly conversation with her.”
He slid his fork into the pie and took a bite. The burst of creamy, rich chocolate that filled his mouth almost made him forget he was about to be interrogated.
The cop dug into his meal, taking a few bites then pausing for a gulp of his soda. He thumped the glass down on the counter and finally said, “That’s what cell phones are for. Since there’s nowhere for you to stay, you’d be smart to move along, Granger.”
Yep. Dead end.
He finished off his pie and forced a smile. Throwing two tens onto the counter, he said, “Best meal I’ve ever had, Gloria. Thank you for the hospitality.”
As he headed for the door, the old guy, Zeke, said loudly, “Sheriff, it’s legal to shoot a man for trespassing if a sign is clearly posted, right?”
“Yep. And Grandma doesn’t miss.”
That confirmed the cell phone tracking software on his laptop hadn’t steered him wrong. Megan was on the other side of the gate with the “No Trespassing” sign.
He kept on walking as if he hadn’t heard them. Talking to Megan was going to be harder than he’d anticipated, but no way in hell was he going to be run out of town like the villain in a low-budget Western.
Megan caught a fleeing Haley and scooped her up. “I know you don’t like the mask, but it’ll help you breathe better. If you’ll sit really still and take big breaths for Mommy, we’ll get pie after dinner, okay?”
Megan carried Haley back to the couch and handed her a stack of her favorite books. “Choose which one and I’ll be right back.”
“Nooo, Mommy. Pleeeeez?” The books ended up on the floor.
Meg hated the nebulizer too, but Haley had been coughing after being outside all day. Probably the extra pollen in the air around the lake, but Meg wasn’t taking any chances. They’d go see Ben to be sure Haley’s meds didn’t need to be upped.