All I do is raise my brow, conveying that I don’t believe her for one second.
“They come in once a week…maybe more sometimes,” Kat confesses, refusing to look me in the eye as she takes another sip of water.
“Oh, really? Is that all?”
“I’m not sure what you’re looking for…” Her words say one thing, but her voice says another. She’s being evasive.
I tilt my head to the side. “Hey, is everything okay? Are they bothering you?”
She shakes her head. “No, they’re harmless. It’s just…” She looks to the side and purses her lips.
Placing my hand on hers, I offer what I can. “Hey, I know they may not look like upstanding citizens, but in my experience, looks can be deceiving. Nice suits are just nice suits. They have nothing to do with the person’s character.”
“I agree. I just…” Kat trails off with her thought train.
“No judgment here, I promise,” I reassure her with a squeeze of her hand. She returns my gesture with a half-smile. “Enough of the heavy. What tea do you have for me today?”
Kat lights up with the subject change and gives me all the details on someone named Kaitlyn LeBlanc and how she pitched a fit at a recent pie contest because someone else made the same pie as her. Apparently, people treat their barista like they do a hairdresser, meaning they have no filter and spill all the gossip. So, Kat always has a new story for me.
What else would we do when living in such a small town?
After listening to a story with characters I haven’t met yet, I take a chance. “So, what’s up with the Mystic River Hospital?”
Kat sips her water. “You mean the asylum?”
“So, it’s a psychiatric hospital?” There’s a pinch in my gut.
“Yeah, but many of the people here pretend it doesn’t exist. To them, it’s a stain on this town, but it brings in money and provides jobs, so it stays.” Kat shrugs.
Pretending to be ignorant again, I question, “If it helps the local economy, why do they hate it so much? Has the hospital been part of a scandal or something?”
Another pinch.
Kat tilts her head back and forth. “There have been rumors.”
“Oh? Like what?”
A loud bang comes from the kitchen. “Aw, shit. Annabelle, are you okay?” Kat shouts.
Annabelle pokes her head out of the door. “I’m fine. Finish your lunch, hon.” Then she ducks right back in, and the sound of another item crashing to the floor meets our ears.
Perfect timing…
“I should see what’s going on,” Kat states as she gathers her trash and stands from the table.
Not wanting to seem too interested, I let our topic of conversation drop. “Yeah, of course.” I stand with her, and we embrace before she darts away.
I clean up my mess, gathering my purse, and start my short walk back to job number one.
As I reach the street corner to turn toward the library, the revving of engines grates on my eardrums. I watch as the two bikers I met the other day come down the road and park side by side in front of the coffee shop. They’re perfectly in sync as they stand from their seats and remove their helmets. It’s like they rehearsed this or something. They leave their helmets on the handlebars and stroll right up to the glass doors with an intimidating confidence.
“Seriously? What the hell are you two doing here?” I hear Kat shout as she comes back from the kitchen.
Grins spread across their faces, and they walk straight into the mess they’ve made.
Pressing the crosswalk button, I wait for the signal to cross the street. A steady flow of traffic proceeds through the intersection. As a large red SUV passes, I get a glimpse of a little boy standing on the opposite side of the street.
Is he alone?
