That was an easy one. “That’s a definite no.”
Lara appeared then, cheerful as always, setting a fresh mug of tea in front of me and topping off his coffee.
“Friend of yours, Pepper?” Lara asked.
“We met briefly the other day and didn’t get a chance to talk, and since Amy canceled on me…” I shrugged.
Someone shouted her name.
“I’ll be back to get your order.”
Once Lara moved away, he leaned slightly over the table, voice low. “Why should I talk with you? Get lost.”
I took a slow sip of my tea, buying myself a moment. “Because I can help you. I know something that could be vitally important to you not getting caught. And I couldn’t get lost if I wanted to since I’ve lived in Willow Lake all my life.”
His gaze flicked around the diner, calculating. For a split second, I thought he might bolt. Instead, he sat back, jaw tight.
“I ain’t saying nothing.”
“Then I’ll do the talking. I figure you’re here to collect your share of whatever was promised to you. And you foolishly returned to the scene of the crime. Why?”
He leaned forward, voice low. “I’m done with them. One job with them. One. And I knew it was a mistake. I’m here for what’s owed me.”
I stared at him. “You honestly expect me to believe you came back to Willow Lake for that?”
His mouth opened, then closed.
And that’s when it hit me.
“Oh,” I said softly. “That’s how Stone found you.”
He frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“The guy you were supposed to meet,” I said. “He didn’t just owe you money. He turned you in.”
The color drained from his face.
“No,” he said. “That’s not?—”
“He set you up,” I went on. “Cut his losses. Gave up your name, your description, probably your habits. You were the expendable one.”
He stared at me, dumbfounded, the realization sinking in one piece at a time.
“You’re telling me,” he said slowly as if trying to make sense of it, “that I walked right back into this town because?—”
“You trusted the wrong person,” I finished.
The diner noise swelled around us, forks clinking, voices rising, the smell of coffee thick in the air.
And across from me sat a guy who had just realized he was never meant to get his money.
Only caught.
He stared at me, searching my face, weighing his options.
“How do you know all this?” he finally asked. “And why does it matter to you?”
I shook my head slowly. “What do you think?”
