“Hey there, missy,” said Betty from the front passenger seat of the cab. “Climb on in.”
Alison slid into the back seat, her luggage beside her. Her heart raced; she was beyond angry. “What the hell happened to my gun? My cats? They were in my room last night. Someone rifled through my luggage. Is this the kind of shit that goes on at your place? Did you steal my car keys, too?” Alison was enraged by the sheer audacity of this woman, picking her up in a taxi, acting as though this was all normal.
“Now, now, Alison, calm down.”
The taxi pulled into the parking spot reserved for the office. “Need help bringing in your groceries?” the taxi driver asked Betty.
“No, Tank, Alison can help me, but thanks. I’ll see you next week,” said Betty as she hustled her bulk out of the passenger seat.
“You stay in touch,” he said to her.
Alison watched the old woman take three paper bags from the trunk.
“You gonna help or what?”
“I shouldn’t,” Alison said, yanking one of the bags from her. No way in hell would she let her luggage out of her sight.
Betty managed both paper sacks, then fiddled in her pocket for the keys, opening the door to the office. Alison stepped inside and dropped the bag on the counter. “Where are my cats? The keys and my gun? No one else had access to my room but you. I’ll give you five seconds to tell me, or I’m calling the police.”
“Okay, don’t be so impatient. Follow me.” Betty opened the door to the residence area.
“No, let me have my keys, gun, and my animals.” No way would she follow this old woman again. She’d ingested something that made her feel like she’d drunk a gallon of whiskey; she wasn’t going to make a second mistake.
Betty didn’t say a word. Three minutes later, she emerged from the back room and handed Alison the keys to her Jeep and the gun. Alison popped the clip to make sure it was still loaded. “Out of curiosity, what gave you the right to remove these from my room?”
“You were so sick—I’m not sure what it was, but you had a fever. I gave you aspirin and took your temperature. I was concerned about you being in such a fevered state and didn’t want you driving. I saw the gun and your three cats. I thought it best to let you sleep off whatever you had, and I’d return them later. People do crazy things when they’re burning up with a fever. I assumed you’d still be asleep, so I went to the store for some eggs and bacon. I wanted to send you off with a good breakfast, that’s all. No need to get angry,” Betty told her.
“Who ransacked my luggage?” Alison tucked the gun in the waistband of her shorts and then checked her keys. She had four keys with a keychain in the shape of a bright green taco from Besito’s. They were all there. Briefly, she had the thought that Betty could’ve made copies of her keys. But maybe she’d overreacted. She’d always been wary of strangers.
“I searched for a nightgown but didn’t find one, so I just left you in your shorts. You were terribly sweaty.”
This old woman had an answer for everything. “I guess I should thank you for taking care of me and my animals last night, though I don’t ever get sick. It must’ve been too much sugar in those cookies.”
Betty shook her head. “I suppose it could’ve been, but I ate my share of them, too. I think you just had a twenty-four-hour bug.”
“And where are my cats?”
“Sleeping in the back room,” Betty said, gesturing behind her. “I figured you were too sick to look after them last night.”
“Then thanks, for everything,” she said. “I’ll be on my way as soon as I load up my animals.”
As Alison turned away from the counter, Betty shouted at her.
“Wait!”
She turned around. “What?”
“You stayed past noon. You owe me another thirty dollars; plus, you lied about having only one cat. I’ll have to keep your deposit for the pillow.”
“Are you frigging serious?” She didn’t give a hoot about the deposit, just that the old woman was brazen enough to say all this.
“Checkout time is at noon. I’m sure I told you that.”
Not wanting to stay another minute, Alison took a twenty and two tens out of her wallet and tossed them on the counter. As soon as she had the animals and the items she’d bought for them in the back of the Jeep, she returned to the office with the pillow. “Have a nice freaking day,” she said, then tossed the pillow over the counter, as well.
Chapter Three
A lison couldn’t believe the audacity of the old woman, but it was well worth the forty bucks to get out of there. Right now, she needed caffeine, water, something to eat, beds for the cats, and more cat food. They were meowing. Momma cat crawled to the front of the Jeep, settling in Alison’s lap while her babies rested on the sleeping bag.
“You’re such a good girl. We need to give you fluffy felines names.” Alison scratched the cat between her ears.
A few miles past the motel, as she drove along Highway 41, she saw Mel’s Diner, the sign flashing “Breakfast served twenty-four hours a day.” She parked the Jeep close to the entrance, where she’d have a bird’s-eye view in case Betty and her buddy Tank had made copies of her keys. They might try to steal the car and the cats. And who in the hell named their kid Tank? It wasn’t like he was big, as in the size of a tank. The guy was as scrawny as a broomstick.
Hating to burn up the gas, but knowing she didn’t have a choice, Alison left the Jeep running so she could keep the air on. Those poor souls would burn up in this heat; plus, leaving an animal in a car was against the law, unless it was cool or the air was left on.
Inside the diner, a young girl with short black hair, wearing black pants, a matching apron, and a white blouse, said, “Welcome to Mel’s.”
“Can I get a booth close to window?” Alison asked. There were only a few tables occupied.
“Sure you can,” the girl said. “Follow me.”
Alison sat in a booth large enough for at least six, but she didn’t care, because it wasn’t like there was a line of folks waiting to be seated. Her Jeep was just a few feet away.
“Can I get you a drink?” the girl asked as soon as Alison was seated.
“Yes, please—a water and a coffee.”
When the waitress returned with her drinks, Alison gulped down the water before looking at the menu. Scanning the selections, she decided on the biggest breakfast offered. She didn’t plan on stopping for food, just for gas, until she reached Key West. Though now that she had three passengers, her plans were apt to change. “I’ll have the Fisherman’s Feast, eggs over easy, with crisp bacon. Wheat toast.”
“Gotcha.” The girl scribbled on a notepad, then returned a few minutes later with a pitcher of water.
“Thanks.” Alison drank the water, then took a sip of black coffee. She spied a newspaper on the counter by the cash register. When the waitress refilled her coffee, she asked if she could have a look at the paper.
“Of course, that’s what it’s for.” The girl placed the paper on the table. Alison would wait until she finished breakfast, then she’d scan the paper. Even though most news sources were online, she still preferred an actual newspaper.