Page 125 of Callahan
Barf.
I sat down and watched the window installers put in the new piece of glass. They made it look so easy, and I quickly realized I was going to be able to open earlier than I’d thought, so I fired off a text to Marie and asked her to come in as soon as she could.
Once the men started caulking the window, I headed to the kitchen to get ready to open.
****
Adam
I backed the patrol car into a space across the street from the bakery, and Brian and I watched as people approached to watch the window be installed like it was a fucking play being performed.
“Anyone look out of place?” I asked as I scanned the group.
“No.”
“Who’s the chubby guy who came out of the bakery?”
“Earl Schilling, her landlord.”
I scoured the crowd again, looking for any skinnier-than-average guys who were a little shorter than me who seemed like he could wield a bat.
The window installers looked like they might play league softball on the weekends, but they were all stockier than the man who’d jumped me.
No one fit the description. The more people I met in this town who didn’t fit the description, the more convinced I was it was that Freddy dude who allegedly got beat up by a cow.
I noticed Brian’s fingers flying over the keyboard as he typed out a message. A minute later, his phone buzzed.
“Lainey says she’ll be open by eleven thirty. We can drop in later and see how she’s doing.”
I put my seatbelt on, started the engine, then put the car in drive.
“Where to, boss?”
The computer made a beeping noise I hadn’t heard yet. I’d begun learning the basics that morning, so I wasn’t familiar with all the different sounds and what they meant.
“Hang on a sec.”
Brian swiveled the screen and keyboard toward him so he could use the computer and clicked a few buttons. His department email account popped up, and he opened a waiting message. From my angle, I wasn’t able to see who it was from.
After a few minutes, he muttered, “Oh shit. DPS’s lab was able to lift some messages from both the note yesterdayandthe first letter.”
“Damn, that was fast.”
“Angus must have had some dirt on someone to get it turned around that quick.” He looked over at me with a grin. “Looks like we’re headed to the station to talk to their forensics guy.”
****
Lainey
I went to unlock the bakery door and almost burst into tears. There was a line waiting to get in.
As irritating as it could be having everyone know my business, there was no denying there were perks to living in a small town.
This being one of them. Haven Springs always rallied around their own.
I flipped the sign and opened the door with a big smile.
“Welcome!” I said and watched in amazement as person after person filed through.
