There must have been a dozen different brands. A customer stopped nearby.
“Whatcha lookin’ for?” she asked.
Even though the woman didn’t work there, he wasn’t about to reject help. Maybe she was a well-informed cat lady.
“Quality dry cat food.”
“This is the best. It’s made from real food, like tuna.” She pointed to a different bag. “This is good, too, and much easier on the wallet. I love your hair, by the way.”
“Thanks.” He held up a bag of food. “What about this one?”
“My cat got the runs from that one.”
He re-shelved the bag.
“That one is a middle-of-the-road and it’s been around for decades.”
Stryker placed a bag of her top recommendation into his cart. “Thanks for your help.”
She grabbed a bag of the same food and followed. “I don’t make it a point of picking up guys in a pet store, but…are you attached? I mean, you wanna have coffee sometime or get to know each other on social media?”
Stryker stood in line. “Thanks, I’m with someone. This is for her cat.”
“That’s so sweet. She’s a lucky gal.”
He set her bag of food on the conveyer. “Lemme buy this for you.”
“That’s okay,” she said.
“That last bag is for the woman behind me,” he told the clerk.
“Nice,” said the employee. “Paying it forward.” After Stryker paid, he turned back to the woman. “Thanks for your help.”
His next stop would be more of a challenge. As he drove out of the shopping center, his phone rang and he tapped the speaker on his nav system.
“Go,” Stryker said.
“Stryker, it’s Dad, er, Tyler. How are you doing?”
He shook his head.Why won’t this man leave me the hell alone?“What’s up?”
“Your sister’s birthday is coming up and I wanted to throw her a surprise party.” Stryker rolled his eyes. “She mentioned that you own a restaurant with a private dining room. Any chance I can rent that or hold her party there?”
Not happening.“It’s booked solid months in advance.”
“Well, dang. You ready to get together for coffee sometime? It would be great to catch up.”
“I went to college, got a job, started a company.”And I hunt for Mom’s killer.“You’ve been gone for twenty years. What have you been up to?”
“Let’s meet for coffee and I’ll fill you in.”
Stryker pulled into the boutique jewelry store parking lot and cut the engine. “I’ll give that some thought. Gotta run.”
“I look forward to hearing from you,” Tyler said.
Don’t hold your breath.Stryker killed the call and got out of his car.
After a saleswoman buzzed him inside, she said, “Welcome, do you have an appointment?”
