Firecracker (On Hold)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

Justin's P.O.V.

I glance at my watch. It's just after midnight. She hasn't shown yet, but there's been nothing or no one out of the ordinary in town. I'm just about to send Mike and Chris home when the bell on the diner door chimes. A suspicious looking Latino guy walks in. Yep, he looks out of place here. Maybe he's the guy she's waiting for.

I mutter to Mike, "Keep an eye on him, I'm going to scout for Ariya. She's got to be nearby."

I head outside and creep into a strategic hiding place, so I can see almost every angle of his SUV. Only the hood of the car is hidden from me. I can still hear the chatter in the diner, so I listen to the guy and the sickly sweet waitress from earlier.

"Howdy hun. What can I get ya?"

I'm sure I hear amusement in his voice when he answers, "Just a cup of coffee and some directions please."

It's not the same voice as the guy on the phone. His accent isn't quite New York, but it definitely isn't from around here. Maybe Wisconsin or Massachusetts? Possibly Chicago? It's not from around here, which immediately throws suspicion on him. We don't get many visitors.

"Coffee I can do, I'm not so good with directions. Our sheriff here can probably help you though. Sheriff? This guy is looking for directions..."

His reaction to this peaks my interest and I strain to hear while watching for any sign of Ariya.

Chris' voice is light and friendly as he asks, "What can I help you with, son?"

Again with the amused tone when the guy answers, "My GPS isn't working out here and I'm just wondering if I'm on the right track to Cherokee? I don't remember the directions the GPS threw out before it died."

"Yeah, you're on the right track. You need to get back on to the 441, which will take you all the way through. Weren't you already on the 441?"

Chris is trying to figure out roughly what direction this guy is coming from.

"No sir. I was on the 321. I thought I might have been on there for too long so I came off hoping to find somewhere for caffeine and directions. You guys have provided both, for which I'm grateful. Thank you."

Something in his tone makes me want to punch him. He's getting far too much amusement out of this whole situation, which leads me to believe he's hiding something. Unfortunately, we can't do anything just on one of my hunches. Even if they are usually right.

I can almost see Chris sizing him up before saying, "You're welcome. Do you mind me asking what you're heading to Cherokee for? You and your car don't exactly seem to fit in around these parts..."

The guy chuckles, "No, I definitely don't fit in. I'm just on my way to visit my sister. She lives in Cherokee with her family."