My mother shifted beside me. “What is going on, Warren?”
“Not a word, Sally,” my dad said, eyes never leaving his target.
His sharp command turned her silent.
Dad took a measured step back, fingers easing the snap on his holster, not drawing, just letting the man know he could. “Let’s make this easy, son. Slide out of the booth. Slow. Turn around and keep your hands where I can see them.”
The diner seemed to exhale and inhale all at once—a collective stillness. Conversations died. Silverware clinked softly as people set it down. Even the coffee machine hissed to a stop.
The guy looked about to reach down beneath the table.
A weapon?
I froze.
“Don’t,” Dad warned, calm as stone.
That was all it took.
“I give up,” the guy said.
“Wise move, son,” my dad praised. “Now slide slowly out of the booth.”
He did as instructed. Dad stepped in, precise and practiced, and the cuffs went on with a sharp metallic click that echoed far louder than it should have.
No struggle.
No heroics.
Just inevitability.
“Pepper,” my dad said, “explain this to your mother.”
As he guided the man to the door, applause broke out, full and loud.
The bell over the diner door jingled as they stepped outside.
My mother turned slowly to face me, arms crossing, eyes sharp.
“What,” she asked evenly, “did you get yourself into this time?”
I lifted my tea, hands steady despite the adrenaline still buzzing through me.
“Breakfast,” I said. “With a side of catching a bank robber.”
CHAPTER 10
Iwas more than eager to hear what the bank robber my dad arrested had to say.
Unfortunately, eager didn’t mean entitled. I’d have to wait, and how much my dad would be willing to share was another matter entirely. That depended on what the man decided to reveal and how cooperative he planned to be.
Since Amy never showed up, I stayed for breakfast with my mom.
It wasn’t exactly a quiet meal.
Once I explained who the man was and why Dad had arrested him, Mom barely got a bite in before she was pulled into conversation after conversation. Being mayor had its perks, but it also meant people felt entitled to answers, preferably right now and preferably from her.
I slipped out while she made the rounds, answering questions, nodding solemnly, and doing her best to reassure everyone that Willow Lake wasn’t suddenly turning into a crime hotspot.
