Chapter 6

Wiley made a flying trip up the mountain with Shirley's meds, then headed back into Jubilee. He knew Ella's body had been sent to the funeral home and that extended family members were still being notified. He also knew that John and Annie Cauley were making the arrangements, and Marcus Glass was coordinating with Preacher Farley at the Church in the Wildwood regarding services. Everyone on the mountain was in mourning.

As soon as he got home, Wiley sent a text to Linette to let her know about Ella Pope, and that for the time being, his time was going to involve work, helping with his mother's care, and burying the family elder. And then he ended the text with a promise.

Hold my place, Linnie. I'm coming back for more if you'll have me.

***

Linette was shocked to hear about the passing of the Pope family member and felt nothing but empathy and regret for all they were going through. She wished she could help, but at this point, she was still on the outside looking in at the Pope family circle.

By the time she got off work she was exhausted and grabbed some smoked ribs from Emory's Barbecue before going home. Not having to cook for herself was just one thing less to do before she could go to bed and, hopefully, dream of the man who was laying claim to her heart.

***

It rained in the night and was still overcast and drizzling when Dani arrived early the next morning at Shirley's house, leaving Sean free to make his appointments and get the scooter from a medical supply company in Bowling Green. Amalie had made chicken and dumplings last night, so there would be food ready for lunch today, and Shirley was restless and achy and relying on the pain meds.

The overcast day stayed with them through nightfall, but the next day dawned with clear skies and sunshine. The families on the mountain were hustling from one task to another, and baking and cooking for the meal after Ella's funeral service, and on the third day after Ella's passing, they laid her to rest in the blue bridesmaid dress she'd worn to Sean and Amalie's wedding.

She'd looked like an angel the day of that wedding, tall and regal with the sunlight pouring in through the windows behind her, and now she had become one. They buried her beside her parents and covered the freshly turned earth with flowers, cried through Brother Farley's shaky, heartfelt prayer, then headed into the church for the family dinner. The atmosphere was somber. Only rarely did a laugh sound above the murmurs of conversation across the dining hall, until John Cauley stood.

"Could I please have your attention for a moment?" he said.

The room went silent.

"We're all adrift, and that's as it should be today. Ella was our anchor to the past, but there's something we're not acknowledging here that I think matters. Ella always considered us her link to the future. No one lives forever, but from the time we are born, we are standing in the footsteps of our ancestors. They're within us and around us, and what we do now is honor Ella Pope's place in our history. She loved these family gatherings at the church more than anything. Share your Ella stories with each other. Tell your children about the woman who could see into the past as easily as she could see what was ahead of her. It's how we keep those we've lost with us—by keeping them alive in our hearts." Then he picked up his glass. "To Ella. May she rest in peace!"

"To Ella!" they echoed, and after that, the lull in conversation lifted and the people who loved her most began their conversations with, "Remember when…" and stories were told, and laughter ensued.

***

Once the day of the funeral had passed, life settled back into daily routines.

Dani came up the mountain to help Sean during the day, and Amalie was home from work in the evening to help Sean at night.

B.J. and Wiley made regular trips up to check on their mother and bring grocery orders to save Sean having to go get them. Shirley was looking forward to having the cast removed and her life back to normal, and Wiley's free time was finally his own again.

He sent Linette a text while he was on break.

I'm free after six tonight, if you're free. I miss you. My place? We can order in and pretend we live really normal lives. Please say yes. You're my safe place to fall.

Linette read the text with tears in her eyes and responded.

Yes. After six.

"Hot damn," Wiley whispered.

Wiley's partner, Doug Leedy, looked up. "Were you talking to me?"

"Nope. Just to myself," Wiley said, and smiled.

***

Wiley was barely out of the shower and buttoning up his jeans when the doorbell rang. His hair was still damp, and he was minus a shirt, but he didn't want to leave Linette waiting on the doorstep, so he grabbed a T-shirt as he ran to let her in.

The door swung inward. A greeting was on the tip of his tongue. Their gazes locked for a second, and then hers raked him from head to toe. He saw her nostrils flare, and her eyes narrow as they centered on his broad shoulders and flat belly.

"Ah…to hell with propriety," he muttered.

The door swung shut behind them as she crossed the threshold, and then she was in his arms, sandwiched between the door and his chest. She slid her arms around his neck and lost her mind.

He took her standing up, then carried her to bed and made love to her again, without a stitch of clothes between them until she was completely exhausted, numb to everything but the thunder of her own heartbeat in her ears. Long moments of silence ensued within his embrace, and then he broke it with a question.

"Are you okay?"

She shuddered. "I knew it would be like this, and I will never be okay again. You're my drug, Wiley Pope. I will never not want you."

He raised up on one elbow, needing to see her when he said it.

"As in forever want? Because that's what I want with you."

Linette put her hand in the middle of his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heartbeat against her palm. "I thought when I watched you get shot that every happy-ever-after dream I had had just ended before it began. I'd never even kissed you, and when you flew backward, my heart stopped. I thought I was dying with you. Your face is what I see when I close my eyes at night. I love your laugh. I love that you're impulsive and honest to a fault, and I love that wild streak in you. Yes, forever. Forever in my heart. Forever yours."

"Then it's settled. How long do you need to be courted before you will marry me?"

Linette blinked, and then burst out laughing. "Our second real date has barely begun, and you have already proposed. Oh, I don't know. Let me check my schedule."

He grinned. "Was that too much, too soon?"

"Not really. You're damn good at the too-much part, but I would like for you to meet my parents."

"What if they don't like me?"

She heard the worry in his voice. "They don't have to. I just want them to meet the man who keeps a permanent smile on my face and who will father their grandchildren."

He brushed his lips across her mouth. "I love you very much."

"I love you, too, crazy man."

"I want to give you the world," Wiley said.

"Thank you, sweetheart, but right now, I'd settle for food."

"I can make that happen," he said. "Did you bring your toothbrush?"

"Uh, no."

"No matter. I have new ones. Will you stay the night with me, too?"

She slid her hand up the side of his cheek. "Yes, and thank you for the invitation."

He smiled, and her heart skipped.

Stay wild, my beautiful man. Crazy looks good on you.

They ordered in fried chicken and biscuits, and gravy for dipping, and made love in the kitchen and again in his bed. Falling asleep in his arms was the cherry on top, and she never wanted it to end.

But when the alarm went off the next morning, yanking them back into the reality of their worlds, he loved her awake. She had to go back to her apartment to get ready for work, and he had to let her go.

"Are we a secret?" he asked.

"Not in my world," Linette said.

He nodded. "And not in mine. Be careful today. I love you."

"You're the one with the gun. You be careful."

"Are you coming back?" he asked.

"As often as you'll have me," she said.

He opened the dresser drawer and pulled out a spare house key and laid it in her palm.

"You already hold the key to my heart. Now you have a key to the door. Come when you can. When you want to. And take a break for yourself when you don't. I have no expectations beyond what you're willing to give me, but if I had my way, you'd already be here."

She wrapped her arms around his neck. "Love you, Wiley Pope."

"Love you more, Linette Elgin, and don't you forget it."

A few minutes later, she was gone. The house was quiet, but Wiley was as happy and as at peace as he'd ever been.

***

Two mornings later, just as the nurses were changing shifts, Carey Eggers regained consciousness. She wasn't cognizant enough to talk to, but it was the first sign of recovering. The hospital notified Johnny Knight, and he and Tom were the first ones in on the next visiting hour.

When they opened the ICU to visitors, Tom and Johnny got in line, and once inside the critical care unit, Tom rolled Johnny up to the bed. The first thing Johnny did was stand up, using the bedrail as a crutch to steady himself, and stroke the side of her face.

"Hey, sweetheart, it's me, Johnny. Tom and I are here. We've been here for days, waiting for you to wake up." Then he gently clasped her hand and just held it as he talked.

***

Carey didn't know where she was. Her last memory was running in the dark, and even as she was beginning to be conscious of sound and pain, she was still in the dark, unable to wake up enough to open her eyes. She continued to drift in and out without knowing what was happening, until someone stroked her cheek, then clasped her hand.

The rumble of the voice felt like love. She thought she was underwater, yet could see light, and kept trying to swim up, even as something was holding her down. She was afraid to open her mouth, for fear she'd drown, and so she moaned, wanting them to pull her up into the light.

Johnny jumped when he heard her moan.

"Oh my God, Tommy, did you hear that?"

Tom nodded. "I did, buddy. She's fighting. That's all you can ask of her."

Johnny leaned down close to her ear. "I know you can hear me, love. It's me, Johnny. You're in a hospital. You're safe. Just come back to me, baby. I can't do life without you."

Carey moaned again. She knew that voice. Johnny! It was Johnny! She needed him to know that she heard and, with all of the strength she could muster, curled her fingers within his palm.

"She just moved her fingers in my hand! She heard me!" Johnny said as a nurse approached.

The nurse checked all of the readings, making note of them in the log on her computer, and then eyed the time.

"Time to tell our sleeping beauty goodbye," she whispered, and pointed to the clock.

Johnny nodded. "Just rest, Carey. Tom and I will be back. Just keep fighting, girl. I love you forever."

Carey sighed and sank back into the dark, but the awakening had begun, and over the next two days, she finally reached the point of being moved out of the ICU into a private room and was alert enough to be questioned by the authorities. She was anxious about the guards in the hall and about what would happen to her when she went home, when she would be well enough to go back to work, and couldn't believe this nightmare was still ongoing.

***

Sheriff Woodley arrived at the hospital with Carey's personal belongings. Detective Gardner, the detective in charge of Billy Eggers's murder, was with him as they made their way to Carey's room. Even though they'd read the reports, they were not prepared for her appearance.

She was covered in bruises, healing cuts, and scratches, with visible staples in her head and the bandages still on her upper body from the gunshot wound. Johnny was sitting in his wheelchair beside her bed, and Tom was at the foot.

After the introductions were made, Rance Woodley held up a paper bag. "Miss Eggers, we're returning your purse. It was on the floorboard of the car you wrecked and has nothing to do with either of our cases, so we're returning it to you intact."

"Is the money still there?" she asked.

"There's money in there. I don't know the amount of which you're speaking."

"Five hundred dollars. Billy gave me five hundred dollars," she said. "Give it to Johnny. It was for his medicine." And then she started to cry.

"I'm sorry this is upsetting. Is it still okay that we do this today?" Woodley asked.

"Yes, I want to get it over with and get well enough to go home. Give Johnny the bag, please. I don't want it here in the hospital with me. Have you caught the man who shot Billy?" she asked as Woodley set up the video equipment.

Gardner shook his head as he handed the bag to Knight. "Not yet, but we have an ID from prints and DNA."

Woodley fiddled with the focus until he was satisfied, and then began.

"Miss Eggers, since this is going to be your official statement as to all that transpired to get you where you are today, we'll be recording it. Detective Gardner is investigating your brother's murder, and I'm investigating what happened to you after the wreck and the attempt made on your life. If you get tired or need a break at any time, just let us know, okay?"

"Yes," Carey said, and felt Johnny reach for her hand.

"Will you state your name, occupation, and where you're from for the record?" Woodley said.

"Carey Jean Eggers. I'm a waitress at an IHOP in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I also live in that city."

"Are you married?" Woodley asked.

"No, sir, but I am engaged to Johnny Knight. He's a lineman for BGMU… That's Bowling Green Municipal Utilities in the city. We live together."

"For the record, Detective Gardner will begin the questioning."

At that point, Gardner already had tests results from the crime scene, including Carey's and her brother's DNA at the scene, and fingerprints and DNA taken from beneath Billy's fingernails belonging to man named Lonny Joe Pryor, a.k.a. Gunny, from Sparta, Tennessee, but he needed her verification on some details.

"Miss Eggers, why were you at your brother's house on the day of the murder?" Gardner asked.

"Johnny was recently injured on the job and had surgery on his leg. He suffers a lot of pain. His workman's comp hadn't come through, and my payday was about five days away when we ran out of pain pills. I'd gone to my brother, Billy, to borrow money so I could get Johnny's pain meds refilled."

"Did you drive there?" Gardner asked.

"No. Our only vehicle was in the shop, so I caught the bus, then walked the rest of the way to Billy's house. He was coming out of the house when I arrived, and of course, he immediately offered to help when he heard why I was there."

"What happened next?" Gardner asked.

"We went inside together. He told me to help myself to a cold drink, so I got a Pepsi from the refrigerator while he went to open his safe. I asked to borrow a hundred dollars. Johnny's meds were over eighty dollars. But Billy gave me five hundred dollars and told me it was a gift, not a loan. I was so grateful, and just as we were getting ready to leave the house, someone drove up."

"Did you see the person or the car they were in?" he asked.

"I only heard the vehicle. I didn't see anything when they drove up. I'm not even sure the driver was alone. I did briefly see one man come running out of the house from my side mirror as I was driving away, and I saw the man's vehicle when I was getting into Billy's SUV. It was a black Chevrolet short-bed pickup with a set of fancy mag wheels and a decorative rebel flag sunshade on the back window."

Gardner frowned. Lonny Pryor didn't own a vehicle, but they still had the DNA. "Okay, so what did Billy do when the person drove up?" Gardner asked.

Carey's eyes welled. "He cursed. I knew it meant trouble. Then he handed me his car keys and told me to go to the kitchen and hide, and if I heard fighting and gunshots, to take his car and run and not look back. I argued. I didn't want to leave him stranded, but he was firm, and I was scared and did what he said. I went through the kitchen into the utility room and shut the door between, opened the back door in case I needed to run, and waited."

"What did you hear?" Gardner asked.

"Loud voices. Cursing. Something about invading someone else's territory. I heard my brother say something about the man being full of shit…then something about gunny or money, I couldn't really tell which, and then fighting, then a gunshot. I held my breath, listening, but it had gone quiet. I went out the back door on the run, got in Billy's car, and drove away. As I stated, I had a glimpse of the man running out of the house, but I was over a hundred yards away by that time and couldn't identify him if I had to."

Then she covered her face and wept. "I knew Billy was dead."

"How did you know that?" Gardner asked.

"Because he never called me afterward. Billy was fifteen years older than me and mostly raised me. He loved me and was the only parental figure I ever had."

Johnny gave her a handful of tissues to wipe her face and stayed silent. He'd heard the story before, but it still made him sick to his stomach, knowing how much danger she'd been in, and how alone and scared she was.

"What happened after that? Did the shooter chase you?" Gardner asked.

"I was sure he would, but I had a pretty good head start, and then I drove into a thunderstorm and took a wrong turn in the downpour, and it got dark, and I was lost and still driving."

"Did you ever call your brother again?" Gardner asked.

"No. I called Johnny and left a message with him. He was asleep when the call came and saw it after he woke up, but by then, I'd already wrecked the car, been chased through the woods, shot in the back, and left for dead."

At this point, Woodley picked up the questioning and identified himself on the recording before going forward.

"Did you know you were on Pope Mountain when you wrecked?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No, sir. I could barely see the road in front of me, but I kept watching the rearview mirror. I thought I'd lost him, and then I caught a flash of headlights in the rearview mirror, panicked, lost control of the car, and wrecked. When I came to, I could see headlights in the distance behind me. I had hit my head in the wreck, and my chest hit the steering wheel, and then my door was jammed. I came to enough to get myself out by crawling over the console, grabbed a flashlight and my phone, and staggered into the trees, then started running."

"When did you know you were being followed into the woods?" Woodley asked.

"Almost from the start. I saw a flashlight at the wreck, then someone carried that flashlight into the woods after me. I just kept running. I thought I'd lost him, and then I fell. Dropped my phone and flashlight. I crawled to pick up my flashlight, and as I was getting up, there was this sharp pain in the back of my shoulder like I'd been stabbed."

"And you never saw him," Woodley asked.

"I don't remember anything until waking up in the ICU days later."

"Could you identify the man?" Woodley asked.

"No, sir, I could not," Carey said.

"Would you recognize his voice if you heard it again?" Gardner asked.

"No, sir, I don't think I could."

Both officers looked at each other, and then nodded.

Woodley ended the recording by stating the time, and turned it off.

At that point, Tom Wheaton stepped forward.

"Now what? When Carey gets released, is it safe for her to go home?"

Gardner knew Tom. They'd been in contact from the beginning of this case, and he could see how invested he was in his friends' welfare.

"You know the drill," Gardner said. "What I can say is that I will make it known that the witness could not identify anyone but that we have gathered sufficient DNA from the scene to issue an arrest warrant for an individual. That will take the heat off of her. And hopefully, by the time Carey comes home, we'll have the shooter in custody. If not, it will serve no purpose for the killer to want her dead because she poses no threat to him."

Tom sighed. "That's good enough."

Gardner nodded.

Woodley gathered up his recorder. "Thank you for your statement, and my deepest sympathies for the loss of your brother," he said. "I hope you can get some rest now. We shouldn't be needing to speak to you again."

As soon as they were gone, Carey sank into the pillows.

"Oh, Johnny…why is all this horrible stuff happening to us? You got hurt. Billy was murdered, and here I am, in the same boat as you. What are we going to do?" she wailed.

"I have a little information that might help," Tom said. "I know for a fact that Billy had a will. I know he owned that house and the property it sits on. And we all know he had money. I'm just throwing this out here now, but I'll bet a month's wages that you inherit everything, honey. Billy didn't stop taking care of you after you grew up."

"How do you know that?" Johnny asked.

Tom shrugged. "I grew up with Billy. I've arrested him more than once, but he never held it against me. Before Johnny came into the picture, Billy gave me a heads-up one night when I was taking him to booking and said that if anything ever happened to him, to make sure I told you to go to Williams and Williams, Attorneys at Law. They have a copy of his will and information Carey will need to know."

"Oh my God," Carey muttered. "I never thought… I never dreamed. I thought whatever he owned would just be confiscated."

Tom shrugged. "He wasn't being arrested. There were no warrants out on him. Technically, someone just walked into his house and shot him. That makes him a victim of a murder. He loved you, and you're his heir. You and Johnny are going to be okay."

***

Junior Henley was still in cleanup mode and had been checking every news outlet in the state for days, looking for any mention of a body being found on Pope Mountain. But when there was none, he called Gunny.

Gunny was lying on the sofa with an ice pack on his knee and frowned when he saw caller ID. He wanted to ignore it, but knew better than to skip the call.

"Yeah, what do you want?"

Junior didn't mess around with niceties. "Why is there no mention of a woman's body being found on that mountain?"

Gunny was immediately on the defense. "Because it may never be found? Because animals dragged it off? How do I know?"

"But there was a wrecked car, you dumbass. Authorities won't quit looking until they find the driver."

Gunny frowned. "I'm nobody's dumbass, and if I am, what the hell does that say about you for hiring me? Even if I had removed the body, I couldn't have gotten rid of the car. It was wrecked and in a torrential downpour. I did good to even find her afterward. She was hurt in the wreck. I shot her in the back and nearly got struck by lightning in the process. A damn tree was on fire in the rain when I booked it, and I was bleeding all over the place. Thank God for the rain. It washed it all away."

Junior frowned. He understood the situation, but it didn't make him feel any easier.

"Yeah, well, you better be right, because if any of this comes back on me, you're gonna be the first to pay."

"I did exactly what you sent me to do, with all the information you gave me. I went to deliver a message. Eggers is the one who freaked out on me. I shot in self-defense and, on my own, followed a witness in a fucking storm and took her out. You don't blame me for this shit."

"You don't talk back to me, boy!" Junior shouted.

Gunny went silent.

"Did you hear me?" Junior asked.

"I'm nobody's boy," Gunny whispered.

When the line went dead in Henley's ear, his skin crawled. He'd heard stories of what had happened to people who crossed that man, and he didn't want to be on the receiving end of a grudge.

"Whatever," he muttered, and went to look for his daddy. It was time to let him know what was going on. At least up to a point.

Moments later, Junior sauntered into the library. "Hey, Daddy?"

Carl Henley was in his favorite easy chair, typing out a text. There was a glass half-full of his best bourbon on the table beside him, and a half-smoked cigar smoldering in an ashtray. He looked up when Junior walked in.

"Yes?" Carl asked.

"I need to fill you in on some stuff. Remember when you told me to go talk to Billy Eggers about that new crew coming into your territory? Well, I sent Gunny to do it instead."

Carl frowned. "But I told you to do it."

"Well, I didn't. I sent Gunny, and he and Eggers got into an argument. Gunny pulled a gun on him, just as a threat. Eggers grabbed at it. They were wrestling with it when it went off, and Eggers is dead."

Carl shot up from the chair so fast that Junior jumped a good three feet back.

"You fucking idiot! Why am I just now hearing about this?"

Junior shrugged. "You were gone when it happened, and I guess I let it slip my mind, but that's not all. Gunny said there was a woman hiding somewhere in Eggers's house, and after Eggers dropped, Gunny saw her running out of the house. She got in Eggers's car and escaped. He went after her. Tracked her down in that rainstorm up on Pope Mountain and shot her, and left her body in the woods."

Carl stared at his son as if he'd never seen him before.

"Who was she?"

"From Gunny's description, I'd guess it was Eggers's sister."

Carl was in shock. "Is there more?"

"No," Junior said. "I just told Gunny he was a dumbass for being so careless."

"You're the dumbass for sending someone else to do something I told you to do. Do we even know if the witness is really dead?" Carl asked.

Junior shrugged. "Gunny said…"

Carl held up his hand. "Between you and Gunny, you have turned a simple task into a nightmare. You get your ass to Jubilee and see what you can find out. See if there was a body found on the mountain. I don't like loose ends."

Junior ducked his head and left the library. He didn't want to go to some hick tourist trap. This was all Gunny's fault, but nobody bucked Carl Henley. Not even his son.

The next morning, Junior Henley was en route to Jubilee. He was in trouble with his old man, but it was no big deal. All he had to do was poke around a bit, see if there was any gossip about a body being found up in the woods, eat some barbecue, drink a few beers, and see the sights—maybe even have a funnel cake. He hadn't had one of those since he was a kid.

But completing his quest was going to be tricky. He had to find out what he needed to know without asking outright, and in his experience, the best place to loosen lips was at a bar. Find the locals who've been at the bar too long, buy another round of drinks and strike up a conversation, get them to the point of trying to one-up each other, then ask the right questions. And after a quick cruise of the area, he headed straight for Trapper's Bar and Grill, parked, and went inside.

He moved to the end of the bar, giving himself a clear view of the place and the customers and ordered a beer. After it came, he turned on the charm to the bartender who served it.

"Nice place you got here!" Junior said. "I drive through here sometimes, but I've never taken the time to stop."

Louis Glass eyed the man as he slid a little bowl of pretzels toward him, wondering where the hell the man would be coming and going from to use this off-the-beaten-path highway to get there.

"Oh really? So, where are you from?" Louis asked.

"Originally? Frankfort. How about you? Lived here long?" Junior asked.

"All my life," Louis said, then moved down the bar to serve new customers.

Junior kept striking up conversations with the people around him, feeding them the same line and questions, and as Louis slowly made his way back down the bar to where the man was sitting, he noted the man's glass was nearly empty and so was the bowl of pretzels.

"Want another?" Louis asked.

"Yeah, and how about an order of nachos this time around?"

"Coming up," Louis said. He turned in the order, then brought a second beer. As he was reaching for the empty bottle, the stranger leaned in.

"You said you've lived here all your life, and I always wonder about that mountain. Every time I drive up on my way to Bowling Green, I see signs of people who live there, but I don't ever see houses. It's really creepy."

"Why do you say that?" Louis asked.

"I don't know. It just looks like a dangerous place to live. You can't see shit through those trees. Are there wild animals up there?"

"Of course," Louis said. "There are wild animals in every part of rural America. They just vary from place to place."

Junior nodded. "Yeah, right. Stupid question. I guess I mostly mean carnivores. I'd hate to get lost in those woods and get eaten by a bear or something like that."

Louis laughed, but he knew the guy was feeling him out for a reason. "You're safe sitting right here, mister. I'll go check on your order."

Junior frowned when the bartender walked away, then took a drink of his beer. The bar was filling up, and soon another guy slid up to the barstool beside him.

"Hey, Louis! My usual," he yelled.

Louis waved to indicate he'd heard and came back carrying a dark ale in a longneck bottle and a bowl of pretzels.

"Hey, Gus. How's the family?" Louis asked.

"Good. My oldest boy cut himself on some glass. He took a shortcut through the woods on his way back to the house and tripped and fell on it. Four stitches. We reckon it was from that wrecked car up there by Cameron's place."

"Sorry to hear that," Louis said. "I'll say something to Cameron. He'll want to get that cleaned up."

Gus nodded. "Yeah, I heard him and that big dog of his found the driver. That dog's something. I remember when Cameron and Ghost tracked down that man who took your Lili."

Louis nodded. "That was a nightmare we won't soon forget." Then he glanced at Junior. "They're bringing your order out now."

"Thanks," Junior said, and as soon as the bartender moved away, Junior leaned back to let the server deliver his food, took a bite, and then moaned in delight. "Dang, these are good."

Gus glanced at him and nodded. "Yeah, they do good stuff here."

It was Junior's opening. "I couldn't help but overhear what you said about your son. Hope he's gonna be okay."

"Oh sure. Kids are resilient."

"Right," Junior said. "So, there was a wreck, and a body was recovered? How sad."

"Oh, she ain't dead. They just found her."

Junior's heart sank, but he plastered on a smile. "Oh my God! A miracle. And right here in this hospital! Amazing."

Gus nodded. "They happen now and then."

Junior was in shock. Daddy wasn't going to like this one bit. He sat there eating his nachos, knowing he wasn't going to have time to get that funnel cake after all. This was stuff Daddy needed to know now. He finished his food, waved two twenties at Louis, gave him a thumbs-up, and walked out.