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“I’m starving, but if this is truly a partnership, it’s my turn to pay.” And then some.
“That’s fair but starting tomorrow.” He grinned. “Tonight’s on me, but first…you like roadrunners, right?”
Five minutes later, he parked across from an enormous roadrunner. “This is Paisano Pete, Fort Stockton’s mascot.”
I gave a low whistle. “How big is he?”
“Twenty-two feet long and eleven feet tall. He was the world’s largest until Las Cruces, New Mexico, built a statue forty feet long and twenty feet tall.” Gesturing toward the busy intersection, he grinned. “But he’s still a traffic stopper. Want to see him up close?”
“Sure.” I jumped down from the truck.
My hands brushing his as we crossed the highway, we climbed the steps to the statue.
“What the…?” Luke scooped a dime from the sidewalk. “Would you look at this?”
My jaw dropped as a smile came to my lips. “Is it rare?”
He shook his head. “Just an ordinary dime, but it is rare because this one and the one yesterday are the only coins I’ve ever found. What are the odds?”
****
A half hour later, we sat across from each other in a tufted booth. Exposed bricks lined the walls of the country steakhouse, where an enormous sign read steak smoked on-site daily, and tantalizing aromas wafted from the grill. My stomach growling, I ordered a sirloin and baked potato.
He ordered brisket and sweet potato fries. Then he raised his beer stein. “To finding dimes.”
I drank to it, then fondling the brooch at my neck, toasted again. “To solving mysteries.”
His slow smile deepened as he clinked glasses. “Upping the ante, are you?”
I undid the brooch and held it near the table’s candle for better light. “The lever and hinge are so tiny, they blend into the setting.” I touched the button, and the back sprang open, displaying the hair’s intricate weave. “I wonder whose lock this was.”
He leaned across the table. “Could I see?”
“Sure.” I handed him the locket. “Last night, I dreamt about a young girl and a woman with an upswept hairdo. Think this baby-fine hair belonged to either one?”
****
On the drive back, Luke gestured toward the moon rising over the mountains. “What a great full moon.”
“Nope.” I thought of the recent string of events. “What a grateful moon.”
“You’re right.” Nodding, he kept his eyes on the road. “Things seem to be falling into place.”
“Which reminds me.” Glad for the anonymity of the dark, I spoke to his profile. “Were you serious about me moving into the cabin?”
“Definitely.” He side-glanced. “What do you say?”
“I’m debating whether to extend my stay at the hotel or…”
“Why don’t you check out in the morning?” His voice softened. “What time should I pick you up?”
****
I watched the news before turning in. The top story featured an aquarium that collected fifteen years’ worth of coins from its wishing well to fund marine conservation.
That night, I dreamt of a fish tank filled with dimes. A voice said I could keep all the coins I could carry, and I grabbed as many as my hands would hold.
But when the alarm went off and I opened my eyes, my clenched fists were empty. Chuckling to myself, I swung out of bed and stepped on a cold, thin disk.
