Peter Grist - Flashback

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.

He pulled up outside the laundromat just behind a beat up little white Honda hatchback. As he left his car he looked up and down the street for the Chrysler but didn’t see anything suspicious, but he blipped the door locks closed just in case. Ed pushed the door open to the laundry and stepped inside. Molly was at the back of the place leaning over an ironing board pressing a pastel yellow polo shirt with the monogram of a gator on the breast. She looked up as he walked across the dark red-tiled floor towards her, his rubber-soled shoes squeaking on the tiles, not masked this time by the noise of washers and dryers, all the machine lay quiet.

“Oh hi, it’s you! I’m just doing the last one.”

“Good morning. Well that’s great.”

She finished pressing the shirt, folded it and slipped it in with his other clean washing into a clear plastic carrier. She gave him the bill and he dug his company credit card out of his wallet and handed it over. As she swiped the card in a payment machine he said, “Molly, do you know much about cars?”

“Oh sure, I got my own wheels right outside, that cute little Honda out front!”

“Fantastic, you wouldn’t happen to know what a Chrysler 300 is would you, looks a bit like a gangster’s car?”

“Yeah I know the 300s, came with a Hemi right?”

“Yep, that’s right. Do you know of any around these parts?”

“Ummm let me think…… well yeah, there’s a couple maybe. Old Mister Brandon has got one I’m pretty sure.”

“What color is it do you know?”

“Yep, it’s fire engine red, he used to be the fire chief here years ago and only buys red cars.” She looked pretty pleased with herself but Ed couldn’t hide the look of disappointment on his face.

“Oh, not the right one?”

“No, the one I’m looking for is black with blacked-out windows.”

“Oh yeah, of course! I know that one, and it has got a Hemi!” She was beaming now, pleased with herself that she could help.

“Do you know who owns it?”