The Gardens of Digby Green: Menu

The green and white highway signs he passed in the dusk counted down the mileage toward Moline, Illinois and the Iowa border. How much longer was this west-bound road trip going to run? Ray yawned.

“Sure be easier if I had someone to share the driving with,” he muttered, before he cracked open the triangular driver’s vent window on the Chrysler. The breeze on his face helped, but not the country smells of recently spread manure, or skunk.

On second thought, he doubted any of his buddies would willingly have gone along on this wild hare goose chase. They’d be more likely to try talking him out of it. Maybe listening to the radio would help.

The nearest NPR station seemed to be all talk. Ray switched it off. “Must be a fund-raising week.”

So far, he’d been able to keep the guy’s pickup in sight. Unless Green had been knocking back energy drinks, he’d have to stop sometime soon, right?

The freeway exit ramp Green chose deposited Ray onto a main business thoroughfare, four vehicles behind his target. Ray’s heartbeat sped up and his palms grew damp on the steering wheel. The oncoming LED headlights in the next lane over were worse than sun glare. He squinted below the flipped-down visor. If he lost track of Green’s truck, all chance of getting the answer his heart had to have would be gone.

“I will make him tell me, my Rose.”

The car and van ahead of him slowed. Digby Green had moved into the turn lane. Ray checked his mirrors and eased over. A yellow and red Denny’s sign loomed over a section of parking lot.

Green turned in.

Ray followed at a slight distance, noting that Green parked in a far corner of the lot, facing the street. Ray chose an empty space nearer the restaurant, out of his quarry’s line of sight. Suppressing a rising urge to tackle the man in the parking lot, he ground his teeth.

When Ray entered the restaurant, Digby sat in a far end booth on the windowed side of the room. The hostess gave Ray a booth close to the cash register.

Focus on your menu. Shooting the guy black looks won’t help.

The Gardens of Digby Green: Menu is an installment of a short story which posts on Fridays. You can find the first part and read from the beginning, here.

Find a link to purchase the Heartland Treasures anthology here.

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