“Just water for me,” Deke replied, offering her a polite nod.
“Same for me,” Killian echoed, while Rawley simply nodded in agreement.
“Alright. I’ll be right back with those. Have you been here before?” she asked, her curiosity genuine.
“No, ma’am. We’re passing through from Maple Ridge to Clifton,” Deke replied, his smile polite.
“Oh, I love Clifton. I’ve been there several times. Is it still growing?” she asked, her eyes alight with interest.
“Every day,” Killian answered, the corners of his mouth lifting in a slight smile.
“I see you’re MDOL,” she noted, gesturing to their badges. “On a case?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Rawley said.
“Well, thank you for what you do. My husband and I own a ranch. We don’t know what we’d do without you out there,” she said.
“We appreciate that,” Deke responded, his tone sincere.
“Let me know when you’re ready. I’ll get your water,” she said before walking off.
Deke cast a casual glance around the restaurant, noting the nods of acknowledgment from several patrons. Then his gaze landed on a particular booth. He turned to Rawley and Killian, lowering his voice. “Don’t look now, but I think the Winchester brothers are in the back booth. I don’t think they’ve noticed us,” he warned, letting his gaze drift away to avoid drawing attention.
“I see them,” Rawley confirmed, his eyes still fixed on the menu, unaffected.
“Yeah, I do too,” Killian added, his jaw tightening as he maintained a casual demeanor.
“I wonder how long they’ve been here. I’d hate to have them leave before we have a chance to talk to them,” Rawley mused, his eyes glancing toward the back booth where the two young men sat.
“I’m going to find out,” Deke replied as the waitress returned, balancing their glasses of water on a tray. He looked up at her. “Ma’am, just out of curiosity, how long have those two young men in the back booth been here?”
He watched as she casually glanced over her shoulder at the pair. “They just sat down before you did. Josie is waiting on them, and they haven’t ordered yet,” she informed them, her voice steady and untroubled.
“Thank you,” Deke nodded, a slight smile playing at the corners of his lips.
“You’re welcome. There isn’t going to be trouble, is there?” she asked, a hint of concern in her eyes.
“No, ma’am. Nothing will happen in here,”Killian reassured her, his tone calm and steady.
“Okay, good. Have you decided what you want yet?” she asked, ready to take their order.
The men placed their orders, then resumed their hushed conversation. Rawley sighed, a hint of worry in his voice. “I’m hoping they don’t get out of here before we do.”
“Maybe we should get our order to go. We could eat in your truck, Deke, until they come out,” Killian suggested, a practical edge to his voice.
“I’m going outside for a minute. I want to look at some license plates,” Deke announced, rising from his seat and striding toward the exit.
Once outside, he meandered through the parking lot, his gaze sweeping across each vehicle as he noted the county numbers on the plates. Each county in Montana had its own distinctive number, and Deke was searching for one starting with forty-eight.
His eyes landed on two plates, and he quickly jotted down the numbers before dialing Dave.
“Could you find out who these plates are registered to?” Deke asked, the urgency clear in his voice.
“Yep, what are they?” Dave replied, ready to help.
Deke read off the numbers, then paced the lot, his mind racing as he awaited Dave’s findings. He knew Dave would handle it swiftly. Deke could hear his fingers tapping on the keyboard.
“Deke?”
