Spy Racers- Can't Run Forever

Decisions

Tony found Echo sitting on the porch outside the General Store with a few bags of supplies on the ground next to her. She looked bored to tears, slouching in the chair she'd found with her arms crossed.

"Hey," Tony said, stepping up onto the porch. "I figured you would've gone to find the rest of the crew."

Echo shrugged.

"I was waiting for you so you could carry all the supplies."

"No way I'm carrying all five of those bags."

"Fine, I'll take one."

"Wow, how generous of you."

"I know, I'm great," Echo replied, standing up and, just as she said, only taking one of the bags.
"Anyway, did you find Layla?"

"Yeah," Tony said. "She was at the bar."

"The bar?" Echo raised an eyebrow.

"She wasn't drinking if that's what you're thinking," Tony assured her. "Just processing."

"Okay...processing what?"

"Well," Tony began, glancing toward the door to the shop and lowering his voice. "Turns out the shopkeeper is Layla's dad."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was. She told me they were on pretty bad terms when she left home, and she hasn't seen him since- until now."

"That explains why she freaked out, then," Echo said, shaking her head. "Of all the places we could've crash landed..."

"Tell me about it," Tony agreed.

"So what's Layla gonna do? I think her dad probably recognized her- he asked me for her name."

"Dunno. She said he looks like he's turned his life around since she saw him last, so she might try talking to him. But he hurt her pretty bad, so..."

"Dang," Echo muttered. "That's tough."

The two of them walked around town for another ten minutes or so  before they found the rest of the crew outside a Bed and Breakfast. Miss Nowhere was talking to a tall lady with curly brown hair, who Tony assumed was the owner.

"Oh, good, you're back," Miss Nowhere said when she saw Tony and Echo. "Where's Layla? I thought she was with you."

"She'll be back soon," Tony replied, hoping that was actually true. He really had no idea when Layla would meet up with them again. "She, um, wanted to walk around town a little longer."

Miss Nowhere nodded curtly.

"Fine by me. As long as she doesn't stir up trouble with any old 'friends.'"

Yeah, I wouldn't count on that, Tony thought. Even if there were no problems with her dad, Layla had said that there were a lot of people in this town who'd wanted her and her family gone. Hopefully the crew would find a way home before things went south.

"This is Eleanor Jackson," Miss Nowhere continued, gesturing to the tall lady beside her. "She owns this Bed and Breakfast and has agreed to let us stay until we can arrange a way home."

"Good to meet you," Eleanor said with a smile, her voice a raspy drawl. She reached into the pocket of her faded overalls and pulled out a key ring. "I've got three rooms open, should suit y'all just fine."

Eleanor handed Miss Nowhere two of the keys, and then motioned for them to follow her inside.

"So Janette here tells me you lot are all the way from California? Must be a shock coming into a town like Gumneck."