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Judging by the placement of the sun, it was starting to get dark. Most
towns closed up shop at dusk, and he guessed the grocers would as well.
More than likely she was already off work and had gone home.
Home.
She was his home. His
arms ached for the feel of her. His heart ached even more for the sound
of her voice saying his name. Saying she loved him.
The smell of something
cooking wafted through the air. His stomach rumbled, letting him know it
had been a while since he’d last eaten anything substantial. That apple
earlier only temporarily assuaged his hunger, but now he was famished.
Reaching inside his pocket, he extracted the roll of bills. He had just
two gold coins left that he could convert into local tinder. It was
imperative he be as frugal as possible. But if need be, he wasn’t
adverse to breaking into the bank where he’d traded the gold coin and
reclaiming it, along with a few others if there were any available,
before taking the next jump.
Cayn chuckled. That
always pissed off Juda whenever he did that, but she understood why.
They couldn’t take the current local monies with them into the next era,
but gold was always valuable. Besides, he often left behind whatever
paper and coin currency he had left on him whenever he did that. It
wouldn’t cover the value of what he took, but it was enough to placate
her, even though she also knew why he made the exchange.
He eyed the diner
across the street. If Juda was still there, she’d be apprehensive if he
showed up. Yet somehow he knew she’d already left. Confident, he crossed
the street and entered the establishment.
It was warm and
fragrant. Idyllic. A woman behind the counter yelled out to him, “Have a
seat. Someone’ll be with you shortly!”
He took the nearest
empty booth, sitting on the side where he could keep an eye on the front
door. The window to his right gave him a clear view of Main Street.
Oddly enough, this place, this town, gave him a sense of comfort and
belonging he hadn’t felt in…
A middle-aged woman
with a nametag that read CORA hustled up to his table. She held what
looked like a pot of coffee in one hand. “Care for a cup?”
Cayn held a hand over
the upside-down mug sitting in front of him. “No, thank you. If I did, I
would not be able to get any decent sleep.”
Cora chuckled. “You
and me both, sugar. What’ll you have?”
“Ummm.” Spotting the
menu lying sideways behind the sugar container, he pulled it out and
opened it. “What would you suggest?”
“Got some hot chicken
noodle soup. Finest in the county, I guarantee. Comes with a slice of
homemade bread, unless you prefer some saltines with it.”
The term “saltines”
threw him. At times like this, it was always a safe bet to go with what
he knew. “Sounds good. I’ll take a bowl with the bread, if you please.”
“Sure thing. What’ll
ya have to drink?”
“Water, if I may.” She eyed him as she jotted down his
order on the pad she held in her hand. “Say, you’re not from around
here, are ya?”
“Not long. Say, would
you happen to know of an inn where I can bed for the night?”
The woman cocked her
head. “An inn? How long you planning to stay? The Happy Trails Motel
might have a room available. They charge by the day and by the week, and
they’re very reasonable. Want me to call ‘em and ask?”
“I would appreciate
it. Thank you.”
“No problem. One bowl
of soup comin’ right up!”
He continued staring
out the window. If Goen managed to find them again, he hoped he’d spot
the man before the guy was aware of it.
In the meantime, there
was the matter of Juda. How was he—
“Here you go! Careful.
It’s hot,” Cora warned as she set down the small plate with the bowl of
soup on it. A slab of bread was propped next to it. He watched as she
pulled a few cold pats of butter from her apron pocket and dumped them
on the table. “I’ll go fetch your water. Be right back.”
Stirring the soup, he
lifted a spoonful to his lips and blew on it before giving it a
tentative taste. It was as good as the woman promised.
A glass of water
almost magically appeared in front of him. Giving the woman a grateful
smile, he thanked her as she tore off his ticket and placed it beside
his hand.
“Oh, there is one
thing,” he commented, getting her attention. “I’m looking for a close
friend of mine. Her name is Juda Plesh.”
One eyebrow went up.
“You know Juda?”
He recognized that
tone. She was being cautious. Protective.
“Yes, although I
haven’t seen her in a while.” He wasn’t lying. By his estimate, it had
been at least fifteen or so years. Cayn also knew that if he outright
asked for her location or address, it might cause the woman to shut down
on him, and he couldn’t afford that happening. “If you see her, will you
tell her Cayn Stiner is in town? For a short while?”
“Cayn Stiner? Yeah, I
know her. In fact, you just missed her. She was in here earlier.” The
woman snapped her fingers. “You know, you sound just like her. Same
accent and everything. Are you two from the same country?”
Smiling, he nodded. “Yes. You could say we were childhood sweethearts.”
“Well, I don’t know
where she lives,” Cora admitted, and he instantly recognized the lie.
“But if you come back here tomorrow morning between seven and
seven-thirty, she usually comes around that time for breakfast. We got
the best damn flapjacks in the county, I guarantee.”
I bet you
do, he mentally
responded. “Thank you. I appreciate the help.”
“Tell you what. I’ll
go make that phone call right now and see if the motel’s got a spare
room. Won’t take me long. Enjoy your meal!”
As she made the call,
he dove into the bowl of soup, all the while keeping an eye open to the
early evening traffic outside. He’d made progress. He prayed it would
continue.
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