CHAPTER 60

Sunday in the morning I'm up and discover there is no breakfast since people are off to church till one in the afternoon. I think this is an idle thing but after passing five restaurants and a McDonalds and noting all of them being closed, I figure breakfast is going to have to come from a grocery store when I pass the Old Hand's Grill and note the open sign. I figure I should get this out of the way sooner or later and park my bike close to the door before stepping inside and pulling my hood off my head. I don't see Trudy but Nathaniel is at the bar like he was when I left in a rush but I see no waitress.

"Welcome back, I was hoping I'd get the chance to serve you a full meal," Nate jokes as I move to the bar and sit.

"Hopefully the jackass that took my bike and kicked me around for a bit hasn't made bail yet," I said, ordering a barbeque burger and fries, yes it's morning but I like it.

"So you have business here but the Sheriff can't seem to figure out how you have so much pull considering you made Adams lose his cool on the Sheriff. Mind helping ease my mind a little bit and letting me know what you're doing here since you're not with the government," Nate asks genuinely curious.

"I'm here about my family, the only thing I got is an address from my Aunt but I never met her before and I was asked to find her," I explained, showing him the address," That's where she lived last and that's where I'm going after I eat."

We talk a bit and he gives me some solid directions which are nice and my food comes and goes without anyone taking my plate. I pay up and thank Nathaniel for the directions before heading off down the road towards Aunt Tessa. I get to her house and meet a lovely couple who tell me she moved to an apartment complex by the hospital, that lead turns out to be one that makes me a little cautious as the apartments are for family long term patients. I ask around and when I get Aunt Tessa's location I start to settle in for the fact that I'll never catch up to Gwen. My last lead has me standing in a cemetery looking at the gravestone for Tessa Cartwright. According to the dates she died around Christmas two years ago leaving my search in the dust. I actually take a seat on her grave and stare at the damn headstone, I'm right here but Gwen has a two year head start on me and for all I know she's going by a different name considering Aunt Tessa didn't use her maiden name. I can hear someone approaching me with a

steady pace and I almost unholster my handgun when I hear a female voice.

"So this is the big business you had in town," I hear Deputy Morgan aka Connie question as she approaches.

"What does it matter now, she's dead and the trail gets colder," I tell her, standing up and heading back to my bike.

"What trail, who or what are you trying to find," She asks, trying to catch up to me.

"Nunya," I state as I get to my bike.

"Nunya? What is that," Connie asks confused.

"None ya business deputy," I reply dead panned.

"Ouch, I walked into that one. Why not just ask us for help, we are the police and we do help people," she says moving in front of my bike so I can't leave.

"Probably because it takes you all day to get to one person's house to retrieve stolen property. If I asked you for help what would happen? Your office would sit on their hands and do fuck all till I got pissed and did it myself. Rely on the police and you'll end up disappointed," I tell her, getting a sour look.

"First off you don't know the Burk family. Second, you really don't like law enforcement," She asks or states, " I can't tell which.

"Not for the most part, I have a friend in Texas who I really liked but she's in a relationship right now," I tell her, smirking.

"And that is not quite what I was expecting. You want to give me a crack at it and see if I can help you find out more about her," Deputy Morgan offers.

"Don't really care about her, she's dead and gone and anything I needed from her died with her," I state starting up Pale Horse.

I spend most of my day running around town and discover my appetite has caught up with me and I get back in time for dinner at the hotel, again a small crowd eating and I'm left alone to my thoughts while dining. I get to my room and settle in going through what little I have on Aunt Tessa and Gwen and find I have very little, I don't let the hopelessness get to me as I settle into bed that night.

I spend Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday going through all the records I can about my now former Aunt. I get old work information; I get a few addresses and some condolences from the people I speak with. She was polite and kept to herself and when I asked about family most people who knew her publicly said she didn't ever talk about family other than her daughter and the daughter was a bit of a shut in from what they knew. Wonderful, I'm looking for Gwen and people barely remember her because Tessa kept her hidden from people. I find myself riding around and decide to get dinner at the Old Hand's Grill; it's got good food along with Trudy and Nate who are nice and helpful. I get a booth and notice that it's a younger crowd tonight. It's spring break here too and I see that the bar is closed while people my age settle for dancing and fooling around. I order a steak plate and generally get left alone by the people my age as I don't fit the right look of what they're used to. I actually put in my ear buds and turn on some Annihilator, it's a band and they're loud, to help me drown out the drawl and twang that I keep hearing. I'm in my own little world texting my girls and listening to music when I notice someone trying to speak with me, looking up I see a pair of guys and girls my age but all country up. I pull my ear bud to listen to the leader of the group.

"Hey since you're by yourself why don't you move to the bar so we can have the booth," the taller male asks.

"Hey how about you find someone else to bother and let me have my seat," I reply before attempting to put my ear bud back in.

"Listen I'm asking you nicely friend," He starts in but I cut him off.

"No you were telling me what to do, I refused considering you have about zero authority in the seating arrangements in this establishment so kindly move along before I'm inclined to represent my position on you telling me what to do with physicality," I tell him smiling but inside I'm pissed.