Unexpectedly, Milo - Matthew Dicks [98]
“My condolences, Mr. Slade. Let’s just keep the divorce as friendly as possible, okay?”
“Thanks,” Milo said, appreciating the sincerity in Eblen’s voice. “I will.”
“Okay. And listen. I hope this all works out for you. I really do. But don’t screw it up, no matter what happens. You’re feeling fine now, but when she tries to take the house or demands alimony, it might not be so easy anymore. Guys can get stupid. Don’t do anything that will bring me and Officer Heyer back out to see you. All right?”
“I know you’re just doing your job, but you’ve got nothing to worry about.”
“Good. Have a good night, Mr. Slade. Oh, one more thing. You never answered my question. Why are you in North Carolina?”
Milo thought about explaining his plan to Officer Eblen, even requesting his advice in terms of finding Tess Bryson, but he quickly thought otherwise. Less than forty-eight hours before, Eblen had thought that Milo was a stalker, and he still might be thinking it. No need to tell him that he traveled almost seven hundred miles to find a girl who he had never met before.
“Visiting a friend,” Milo said.
The two men said goodbye, and just as Milo was tucking his cell phone back into his coat pocket, Macy returned with dinner. There was mayonnaise on the burger, a condiment that Milo despised with every fiber of his being, but, wanting to remain in Macy’s good graces, he accepted the burger with a smile and then tried to scrape off as much of the vile substance as he could before eating.
Milo had finished off most of the burger and about half of the fries when Macy returned to check on him.
“Will there be anything else, hon?”
“No, thanks. I’ve got to get a move on.”
Macy placed the check upside down on the table in a gesture that Milo had always appreciated. It somehow conveyed the idea that the waitress and the customer had a secret between them, a secret that the public could see and accept without needing to know the details. It was an acknowledgment by all of society that certain things are better kept unknown. Hidden away. He liked that and wished the gesture extended to more aspects of his life.
“I’ll take this at the counter whenever you’re ready,” Macy said, pointing to the cash register at the far end of the restaurant. In following her gesture, Milo noted that the two coffee drinkers had exited the restaurant, leaving them alone. Just the two of them. Better than he had hoped.
“Actually, can I ask you a question, Macy?”
“Sure. Shoot.”
The woman bent her knees again, this time leaning forward on the end of the table, bringing her ample bosom into full view and causing Milo to pause for a moment as he attempted to maintain eye contact with her. He never understood women when it came to their breasts. He knew that it was considered impolite to stare at them, and yet women so often wore clothing specifically designed to expose their breasts and the valley between them. If you don’t want me staring at your chest, why do you literally hang your boobs out of your shirt? he had often wanted to ask women like Macy, but not today.
“Like I said before, I’m in Chisholm to look up an old friend, but I don’t know where she lives exactly. Her last name was Bryson, but she might have gotten married since I last saw her. It’s been twenty years. But I know that there are a couple Brysons living in town. Possibly relatives of Tess. And she may be related to people with the last name Plante as well. I was wondering if you knew them. Or if you knew anything about them.”
“Sorry, hon. I don’t even live in Chisholm. I live in Stony Point, a couple towns over. I went to high school with the fella who owns the Chef, and he gave me the job. Says I’m the only person he’s ever trusted, and that includes his wife.”
“Oh.” Just like that, Milo’s hope that Macy would be his guiding angel had disappeared.
“But I got a phone book in back,” she added. “If you want to look up their phone numbers, we could do