“Yeah! What in the Sam Hill did we just witness?” another voice yelled.
“Come. We need to leave. Now,” Cayn urged, taking her by the hand.
“You’re not going anywhere, young man, until we get some answers,” another voice said from behind them. Before either she or Cayn could make another move, a hand clamped down on his shoulder, and Cayn froze.
Questioning
They escorted her and Cayn to the sheriff’s office down the road. There they split them up, placing her in the sheriff’s office itself and Cayn somewhere else. Juda watched as Sheriff Conroy took a seat at the desk across from her. They hadn’t handcuffed her the way they had Cayn. She assumed it was because she hadn’t been the one who’d sent Goen and his man away. Vaguely she wondered if they had Cora sitting in another room, since she was guilty of smashing their heads with the pots of hot coffee.
And the mess. I wonder who is having to clean up the mess in the diner?
Her thoughts went back to the man, to Cayn, the stranger who was a stranger no more. She wanted to talk to him. She wanted to know…about them. Why did he make her feel the way she did? What kind of hold did he have on her?
Her stomach growled. She knew she should be used to it by now, but these past few months she’d kept it well-fed to the point where she’d gained a couple of pounds. Even Mr. Hampstead had commented on the fact that she looked healthier than she did the first time he’d met her.
Speaking of Mr. Hampstead…
“Before we begin, is there anything you wished to say?” Conroy inquired.
“Yes. Would you have someone please let Mr. Hampstead know I might not be coming to work today?”
The sheriff appeared amused by her request. “I think he already knows. Besides, this isn’t going to take long. I just need you to answer a few questions.”
“Is Cora going to be all right?”
The man bowed his head, trying to hide his smile. “She’s fine. How ‘bout you? Did you get any of that coffee on you?”
She glanced down at her blouse where a few dark spots were evident. “A little, but I am well.” She looked back at the man. “What have you done with Cayn?”
The man laced his fingers together and set his hands on the table in front of him. “That’s what I want to talk to you about. Who is he? What do you know about him?”
Juda shook her head. “Not much, but I think I know him.” Reaching up, she lightly touched the scar at her forehead. “I think I am unable to remember much about him because of this wound.”
Conroy’s eyes narrowed. “Did he do that to you?”
“No. Goen did.”
“Who is Goen?”
“The man who attacked Cora and me in the diner.”
“The man who…vanished?”
“Yes.”
He leaned forward. “How did he vanish?”
“Cayn sent him away.”
“Away where?”
In that instant, a little more of her memory came back to her. “To the past.” She brightened. “I remember that now! Cayn sent Goen and his man back to the past.” Another thought struck her, making her catch her breath. “We have to leave. We have to leave now before he returns.” She started to get up from her seat but the deputy standing behind her placed a hand on her shoulder to hold her down. She reluctantly submitted.
Conroy gestured to the man. “Wait outside, would you?”
The deputy left quietly. The sheriff waited until the man had closed the door behind him before continuing.
“What do you mean, you have to leave before he returns? Miss Plesh, you’re not making any sense!”
