Unexpectedly, Milo - Matthew Dicks [109]
“Yes,” he said, staring in astonishment. “I’m Milo.”
“You’re a friend of Cassidy Glenn?”
“Huh?” He was still so stunned by this woman’s appearance that he could not answer.
“Cassidy Glenn. You know her?”
“Yes,” he managed. “I know her, I know Cassidy.” He nearly held his breath as he asked the next question. “Are you Tess Bryson?”
“No. I’m Emma. But I’m a friend of Tess’s. She sent me here to see you.”
Milo had expected the sky to open up with her response, revealing the sun in all its glory, accompanied by a thousand angels, all singing in harmony. Perhaps this would’ve happened had this woman been Tess Bryson, but she was not. Nevertheless, a rush of adrenaline shot through his body with her response. He was standing in front of a woman who knew Tess Bryson. Someone who claimed to be a friend of Tess Bryson’s. Someone who had spoken with Tess Bryson in the past twenty-four hours.
Tess Bryson.
He had found her.
“Tess Bryson? You know her?” Milo asked. “She’s here in Chisholm? How did you know that I was looking for her?”
“Hold on, Milo. I get to ask the questions first. That’s the way this works, okay?”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
“Not here. Let’s get some breakfast. Why don’t you get dressed and meet me somewhere. Have you eaten anywhere in town yet?”
“Yes,” Milo said. “I had dinner at the Town Chef. On Main Street.”
“Good. I know the place. I’ll meet you in fifteen minutes. All right?”
“Sure,” he said. “Fifteen minutes.”
As Milo brushed his teeth and pulled on jeans and a T-shirt, he tried to imagine how this woman could have known that he was here. Not only in Chisholm, but at the Pinecrest Motor Lodge. Room 14. He had left his name and phone number with Kelly Plante and Emily and Michael Bryson, but even he didn’t know the name of the motel until he arrived late the night before, after his visits to their homes. How could this woman have found him so fast?
Then it dawned on him. Macy, the waitress at the Town Chef. The one who had recommended the motel in the first place and therefore knew where he was staying. Like the Brysons, she also knew that Milo was looking for Tess, and since Kelly Plante and Emily and Michael Bryson had all seemed genuinely befuddled by Milo’s questions, and none of them knew where Milo was staying, it must have been Macy who had led this woman to him. Feeling defeated and dejected just hours before, he now wondered if his original plan had worked after all. Pull into town, find the right person to ask a few questions, and locate his target. It wasn’t exactly how he had envisioned things, but it was close.
As he locked the motel door and walked across the parking lot to his car, Milo wondered what hoops he might have to jump through in order to meet Tess Bryson. What questions might this representative ask? How might he convince her of his sincerity?
When he arrived in the parking lot of the Town Chef, Milo scanned the dozen or so cars parked there, hoping to catch a glimpse of a woman, possibly Tess Bryson, sitting behind the wheel, waiting for the signal that Milo’s credentials checked out. Not surprisingly, all of the cars appeared to be empty. If Tess Bryson was cautious enough to send a friend in her place to establish contact and ascertain the truth, he didn’t think there was much of a chance that she would be foolish enough to be sitting in the parking lot when he arrived. But he also didn’t think that she would be very far, either.
In stark contrast to the previous evening, the Town Chef was alive and jumping on this warm spring morning. All but one or two stools were occupied by men and women who were most certainly diner regulars, based on the ease with which they all sat in relative silence. No need for small talk among this group. Many of the booths were also occupied by customers, sitting in pairs, threesomes, and one loud gaggle of old ladies along the back wall. Macy had been replaced by a team of three fast-moving,