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Bruno ignored that comment and instead explained that with Marvin gone, Bruno had lost his inside contact with the criminals they were investigating. The case would be much harder to crack now, but at least Sylvie was free to get on with her life, and Bruno knew that she was never linked to anything Marvin had done, and no one would come looking for her when they couldn’t find Marvin.
Bruno’s phone dinged. He didn’t even look at it. “I’m sorry, I gotta go now,” he said abruptly, pulling Gator into a hug. “Be safe, brother, and enjoy your life.”
Gator was speechless but managed to stammer, “You too... see you soon.”
Without a word, Bruno walked out of the diner and drove off.
Gator couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling that had settled over him. He decided to call Baptiste before returning to Sylvie. “The meeting with Bruno was kinda weird. It’s a shame you couldn’t be here.”
“Why so?” Baptiste asked.
“It seemed to me like it was some sort of goodbye,” Gator replied.
“That’s weird,” Baptiste mused. “I got the same vibe when he talked to me.”
Both men were left with a gnawing sense of unease, unaware of why Bruno had really wanted to meet them today. Gator couldn’t help but feel a growing sense of dread.
That night, as Gator lay in bed next to Sylvie, he was unable to shake the feeling that something had changed. The meeting with Bruno felt like a loose thread, unraveling the fabric of their lives. He knew he had to do something to find out what was going on. Sleep eluded him, leaving him to toss and turn while the shadows in the room played tricks on his restless mind.
* * *
The following morning,Gator’s mind was clouded with worry and confusion about the previous day’s meeting. He tried calling Bruno, but an automated message informed him that the number he had dialed was no longer in service.What the fuck!His heart raced, and concern for his friend deepened.
Desperate for answers, Gator called Baptiste. Together, they decided to unravel the mystery behind Bruno’s sudden change of behavior. They knew the key to understanding Bruno’s cryptic messages lay in the depths of the criminal underworld he had been investigating.
But where would they start?
“At the Rusty Spoon,” Gator suggested.
When they arrived at the restaurant, they scanned the surroundings for security cameras and soon found several. After reviewing the footage of those their owners were willing to share, it was clear which direction Bruno had driven after leaving the restaurant: he was headed towards Laurel Valley.
“Why the hell is he going that way?” Gator asked.
Baptiste shrugged. “Let’s see.”
“Like how?” Gator asked. “It’ll be like trying to catch paddlefish.” Overfishing and pollution hadn’t yet made the paddlefish extinct, but the chances of catching one were slim. Finding where Bruno had disappeared seemed even slimmer.
They drove in the direction Bruno’s Charger had traveled, stopping at any place along the way that could potentially have cameras they could check. Eventually, they decided to split their resources, with each checking alternate locations.
On the verge of giving up and accepting their search as a lost cause, Gator pulled off the road at Benny’s Roadside Bites. The dilapidated diner appeared abandoned, but Gator noticed a security camera pointing to the parking lot and across to the workshop over the road.
He approached the grime-covered man behind the counter, whose shirt displayed the name Benny. The place seemed to be out of business, and Gator doubted the camera was even operating. Nonetheless, he asked to see the security footage from the previous day.
“What’s it worth?” Benny asked.
Gator wasn’t surprised. Benny wasn’t likely to make any other money this week. Gator pulled out a few bills from his wallet and held them in front of the man.
Benny shook his head.
Gator pulled out more.
Benny shook his head again.
Gator hadn’t thought to bring more cash than he’d offered to Benny, so he said, “Hang on a sec,” and he went outside to his bike.
When he walked back in holding his gun, Benny said, “You can look at it around here,” ushering him behind the counter to the dirty little office at the back to view the footage.
When Gator saw the images, his heart sank, and he felt the weight of despair pressing down on his chest.
