Because I saw it again.
The dusty pickup sat across the street from Miller's Feed Store.
Parked beneath a cottonwood tree.
Engine off.
Nobody inside.
At least that's what it looked like.
I sat in my own truck three buildings away and watched it.
Waiting.
Thinking.
Not liking any of this.
The driver's door finally opened.
Gerald stepped out.
My jaw tightened.
The man adjusted his shirt.
Looked around town.
Then headed toward the diner.
Like he belonged here.
Like Eagle River was his town.
It wasn't.
Not even close.
I climbed out of my truck.
The gravel crunched beneath my boots.
Gerald spotted me immediately.
His smile disappeared.
Good.
We were making progress.
The man stopped walking.
I stopped too.
Twenty feet separated us.
Neither of us spoke.
