AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I don’t speak as he picks up his utensil and swirls pasta on the fork.
Chapter 42
Gage
“Are you kidding me?”
This kid is out of his mind if he thinks I’m dropping a grand on tires today. I still can’t believe I had two flats in the first place. My session with Dr. Vail was intense as she forced me to discuss more than I’d prefer. Specifically, Sophia and what will happen when I leave Starlight Ridge. Emotionally exhausted and frustrated with my inability to actually express myself, I walked out to my truck to find two flat tires. Bunch of bullshit.
“We always recommend you replace all four tires, sir.”
“Two. Replace the two. I’ll deal with the others later. How long will this take?”
“Shouldn’t be too long. You’re welcome to wait in our courtesy corner.” The kid motions to the opposite side of the building where a half wall separates the tire displays from a couch and pair of chairs.
Groaning, I toss my keys on the counter and cross the room to the courtesy corner. The scent of stale popcorn is less than appealing. Passing the opportunity to carry that smell with me on my clothes, I move to the door marked “Exit” and push out into the fresh air.
A quick scan of the parking lot and side of the building, I don’t see any chairs so I drop down to the curb and pull out my phone. With time to kill, I pull up Bruce’s contact information.
“Hey kid. This is a surprise.”
“Afternoon, Bruce. I’m waiting on my truck and hoped you have a few minutes.”
“You’re in luck. I took a personal day. What’s on your mind?”
Before I get to the real topic, I unleash on him about the racket that is the price of tires. Bruce is a good friend because once I’m done, he starts in on the cost of gas and milk. Both of us catch our breath after laughing over the price gouging of flowers on Valentine's Day.
“While I like a good reason to bitch about inflation, that isn’t why you called. What’s on your mind, Gage?”
“How far back were you able to trace Sophia’s stalker?”
“It’s hard to say. With absolute certainty, it was the final semester of her senior year but...”
Needing to pace, I start walking back and forth in front of the tire shop and grit my teeth. Nothing good comes after “but.”
“But?”
“I think it was earlier than that. Like many victims or witnesses, she drops little nuggets of information when she talks. There hasn’t been anything in particular that stands out, just a comment here and there. Best I can ascertain, I would say not long after she returned to campus that year.”
“That’s what I was worried about. I know you vetted most of the people in her life. Does that include the women? Are you convinced it’s a man?”
“Early on, I didn’t lean one way or another. It seemed to be a fixation on her as a person, not specific to being a woman. But when those last messages came through, I knew it was a man.”
“And the camera,” I confirm.
We continue to discuss the details of Sophia’s case, and I become more concerned for her safety. For years he watched her but it was more complimentary than threatening. A few messages here and there in school about being out with others but since she essentially shut down her life to anything except work, the more aggressive messages were few and far between. Until the red dress.
After hanging up with Bruce, I go back inside to check on the status of my truck. The damn kid tried to add an oil change to my bill but when I looked at him unblinking, he rescinded. Now, I’m sitting in courtesy corner, sipping on a can of soda while watching an old episode of aJudge Judy.
As the people on the screen throw accusations at one another, my phone chimes with a text message.
Joan: I’m off to Montana for a few days. Enjoy The Bluebird!
I don’t want to know what the winking emoji means so I just ignore that part of the text.
Me: Drive safe.
Time is not on my side as the hours tick by and daylight begins to fade. When my name is called over the loudspeaker, I’m seconds away from passing out from boredom. Moving to the counter, I find the same kid. He’s no longer interested in an upsell, so my checkout process is quicker than when I arrived.
