"I'm broke, Cash. I don't know what I'm going to do."
The sun was as bright and crisp as a new dollar bill. Lori and Cash exited the tiny sheriff's office together.
"Hey, things aren't that bad."
She gave him a look that said she didn't believe him.
"We'll try Rosie's. Ask her about a job for you. I know for a fact her waitress quit last week. There's a little apartment over the diner. Not much. Probably hasn't been remodeled since the great flood, but maybe she'll let you crash there."
"Why should she? I'm a total stranger."
"Don't worry. Rosie's a sweetheart. She might surprise us. Besides, she's always had a soft spot for me, and I'm gonna ask her real nice."
The two headed for Rosie's.
"Well," said the café owner, "look what the cat drug up. You two look hungrier than a couple of bears out of hibernation."
"We don't have any money," Cash said.
"That's the first honest thing I heard you say in a month of Sundays, Cash Matstock. You two sit down. We'll see what we can rustle up for you. My treat."
After breakfast, Cash and Lori left the diner.
"Don't look so down," Cash said. "Rosie said something might open up soon. And who knows? It just might. Besides, she said you can stay in the rooms over the café until you get back on your feet."
"Yeah. That was incredibly nice of her. She really is sweet."
Lori looked down the street. Leland was leaning against a street lamp, loitering on the sidewalk across from the sheriff's office. A strange look spread across his corpulent face when he spotted the pair.
Lori felt uneasy. She kept glancing over her shoulder at Leland. His glaring eyes never left them.
Lori turned pale.
Was that a gun in his hand?
She wasn't sure, but he was giving off some really bad vibes.
Without warning, Leland raised his hand. The shiny black object in his hand glinted in the sun.
She grabbed Cash's arm.
"Cash."
"What?"
"You said you got the truck running. Do you have much gas?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Get in the truck. Quick."
The two hurriedly jumped in the old heap.
"Drive, Cash! Just drive!"
Cash slammed the truck into gear and took off.
"What's wrong, Lori? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I'm not sure what I saw. Just drive."
YOU ARE READING
In Hell: When Love Kills A Small Town Mystery
Mystery / ThrillerWhen love kills, it leaves more questions than answers. Cash Matstock's mother was murdered when he was a small child. When his drunken uncle is found beaten to death in the home they share, suspicion falls on Cash. Maybe murder really does run in...
