Chapter 10 - The Table at the Back
Bear drove them to a motel owned by his friend Louise, a retired school principal who knew how to say no without sounding sorry. Rachel let Owen and Lily sleep in one room and sat awake in the other, staring at Elena's words.
"Inside the diner," she repeated.
Bear spread a map of the diner on the bed. "Elena met someone there last Friday. Maybe she hid something."
"Why would she send us across three counties with a fake ledger?"
"Because whoever followed the book wouldn't look for what she left behind."
Rachel opened the blue notebook again. Between two pages she found a coffee stain shaped like a ring. Next to it, in cramped handwriting: SIX / UNDER THE SONG.
"Table six," Bear said. "That's where you sat."
"And 'under the song'?"
He thought about the diner. "There's an old jukebox by the restrooms. It hasn't played a record in years."
Rachel looked at her sleeping children on the motel security feed Louise had arranged. Going back meant leaving them, even for an hour.
Louise had once taught Owen in kindergarten. When Rachel asked why she was willing to help, Louise only shrugged. 'Somebody has to be the grown-up,' she said. Owen smiled at that. Rachel caught herself trying to apologize for all the trouble, and Louise stopped her. 'You can thank me when it's over. Right now, take care of the part only you can do.'
"I go with you," she said.
"No."
"Then neither of us goes."
Bear studied her face, then nodded. "Fair. We do this together."
Louise volunteered to sit with the children. Owen resisted until Rachel told him the truth about where they were going, without pretending it was safe.
"I don't like it," he said.
"Neither do I."
"But I can watch Lily."
Rachel kissed his forehead. "You can be her brother. Louise does the watching."
May you like
At midnight, Rachel and Bear returned to Miller's Diner. The front lights were off. Mrs. Miller unlocked the kitchen, let them in, and whispered, "Someone's been here since you left."
On the wall by table six, the jukebox was gone.
