Pie Town - Lynne Hinton [55]
“Trina, can you come out here and bus a couple of tables?” Bea had called out to the girl from the dining room. There were at least four tables covered with dirty dishes.
Trina emerged with a cart and began stacking dishes. She had filled up the cart, wiped off the tables, and was walking back to the kitchen when she noticed Danny.
Danny studied the girl. She was pretty, he thought, couldn’t be much older than eighteen or nineteen, but he wondered what she was doing with a high school boy, and with that high school boy in particular.
She went back into the kitchen and emptied the container, filled up the washer, and started unloading the clean dishes. She walked out of the kitchen with a tray of glasses and stacked them behind the counter near the drink station. When she finished she moved over to Danny.
“Hey,” she said, indicating his uniform. “You work with Roger, right?”
He nodded.
“You hear anything from him this morning?” she asked. “Is Alex okay?”
She knew the sheriff had been called over to Malene’s because she had been sitting on the top of her steps when he came out to get in the car. She found she liked sitting on the landing late at night because she could see the stars so clearly. She had been worried all morning since hearing where he was going, but she hadn’t found anybody who knew anything about Alex. She hadn’t heard the conversation held earlier at the counter between Danny and Bea. She didn’t know the latest news.
“He’s in the ICU in Albuquerque. It was confirmed to be pneumonia.”
“Damn it,” she said, dropping the empty tray beneath her arm. “I hate that.”
“You know Alex?” he asked. He wondered how she could have gotten close to the little boy.
She shrugged. “Not long,” she replied. “But I know he’s a great kid and been through more than most kids should have to go through.”
Danny wiped his mouth. “Won’t argue with you about that,” he noted.
“I saw you at the party,” Trina said, studying the young deputy.
“Danny,” he introduced himself. “Danny White,” he added, holding out his hand.
“Trina,” she said, wiping her hand off to shake his. “You been working with Roger long?” she asked.
“Few years,” he answered. “Finished school three years ago, and I went to a community college down south. Came back here and got this job.”
“Roger seems nice,” she commented.
“Best sheriff in Catron County,” Danny said, grinning.
“I guess that probably means he’s the only sheriff in the county,” Trina responded. “I rent from him,” she added.
Danny nodded. “I heard he rented out Angel’s old place. You’re new here?”
“Just a couple of weeks,” she replied. “I like it,” she added, glancing around the diner.
“You got family in Catron County?” he asked, wondering if she was kin to one of the ranchers who lived on the outskirts of town.
She shook her head. “No, just came here ’cause I liked the name,” she responded. “Just sounds like a nice place to live. ‘Pie Town.’ How can you go wrong in a town named after a dessert?”
“Not all that glitters is gold.” Bea appeared next to Trina, having overheard the conversation. “And not every pie is sweet.”
“What are you saying, Bea?” Danny asked, teasing the older woman. “You don’t think our fair village is the perfect American small town?”
Bea raised her eyebrows. “I’ve been serving breakfast and lunch to the residents of Pie Town for thirty years, first in the schools and now in this restaurant, Danny White. Let’s just say I know more than just stories of apple pie and baseball. We