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“Only ninety-nine cents? Yeah, I’ll take one. Matter of fact, I’ll take two,” Dante added as he reached in his pocket and handed her two crisp dollar bills.

“Is there a BOGO special? Why are there so many people in here?” Dante asked.

The store was crammed with so many people that he assumed that there was either a special or a celebrity on the premises.

“No, sir. It’s crazy how infamy can sometimes be the savior of a business. There’s no specials. Timmons has had wall-to-wall customers for the past few years,” the employee stated.

“What happened a few years ago?”

“A few years ago, a bag boy went on a crazy killing spree because he fell in love with a customer who was nice to him. When the public found out that he worked here, people started piling in here and asking questions about him. Mr. Timmons said morbid curiosity is good for business. I guess he’s right. The lines have been so long that Mr. Timmons invested in self-service checkouts. They’ve also made many customers feel safe. Since they no longer worry about a crazy bag boy. Well, have a great day and thank you for shopping at Timmons Grocery,” she added before handing Dante his shopping bags.

Dante was too stunned to speak. Instead of saying anything, he grabbed the two bags and walked off. He was now ready to get the fuck out of this grocery store. He walked down each aisle, loading his reusable shopping bags with the items he needed to make Myla’s night memorable. Both bags were packed, just like the self-check-out lines.

My things are already in a bag. I might as well go, Dante thought as he strolled by the self-service checkout lines and walked out the sliding glass door. Opening the back door of his car, he placed both shopping bags on the car seat before opening the driver’s side.

“I hope I wasn’t gone too long. That grocery store was club packed,” Dante stated truthfully.

“You were gone for a little minute. Did you get everything you needed?” Myla asked as she placed her phone back in her purse.

“I got more than I bargained for. I got my essentials and a true crime story.”

“A true crime story? I’m listening,” Myla stated. She loved true crime as much as she enjoyed studying psychology.

“From what the store clerk told me, someone who used to work at Timmons killed some people for the sake of love. People have been flocking to the store to see where the mad man worked.”

Even though there was nothing funny about a man falling in love with someone, being nice, then killing a slew of innocent people, Myla threw her head back and laughed.

“Killing people for love is a wild statement. But I remember that case. People create these fake scenarios and worlds in their head, and they believe it as fact. This is why you can’t be overly nice to some people. What’s crazy is there are cases worse than that,” Myla said as she thought back to some cases that were worse than what the Timmons Grocery store employee had done.

“Have you ever seen worse?” Dante asked.

“I’ve seen a lot in my years in psychology and psychotherapy. I currently have a patient who left his wife because their daughter went missing. He felt like she had done something to their child, which led to their daughter’s disappearance. The wife is a severe alcoholic; she woke up one morning covered in blood and hair and a missing child. She came into a solo session and said she had a dream that her daughter spoke to her from a shallow grave near a lake, saying she’s happy with grandma.”

Dante’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

“Did you call the police on her child murdering ass?”

Myla laughed.

“No, I didn’t. She did not admit to murdering her daughter. Missing does not mean dead. And a dream is not an admission of guilt. What exactly would I have told the police? The police searched the lakes and surrounding areas; a body was never located,” Myla admitted.

“That’s crazy. Maybe say you had a hunch.”

“Oh, Dante. I don’t deal with hunches. I deal with facts. Reliable, relevant, and even tangible evidence. There have been too many cases about missing people presumed dead that were actually alive. If I were to go to court about a dream, specifically a dream from a client that’s experiencing alcohol withdrawals, alcohol withdrawal dreams, delirium tremens, or alcohol hallucinosis, I would be stripped of my license. Facts only, Mr. Helgard. Assuming makes an ass out of everyone,” Myla added as they entered the Town of Meyers.

“Facts h’uh?”

“Yessir,”

“I think I have some facts to discuss.”

“I’m listening.”

“The fact is I behaved poorly after leaving Sunnyside Up. I made you uncomfortable, and you didn’t deserve that.” Dante looked to her and received exactly what he was hoping for. A reaction. Not just any reaction. A reaction, which signaled forgiveness. The hint of a smile that graced her full lips as he admitted to his wrongdoings.

“Thank you, Dante. It means a lot that you said that,” Myla said as she lightly touched his arms. A touch that let him know that all was forgiven.

“I’m a man. I make all my wrongs right. I have something special for you after we get inside.”