Angels Fall

done or Joanie shoos her along." With a shrug Linda-gail leaned on the counter. "Doesn't get any mail, from what I'm told. But she did get a phone for upstairs. And…"
    He leaned in so their races were close. "Keep going."
    "Well, Brenda over at the hotel told me while Reece was staying there she moved the dresser over in front of the door to the next room. If you ask me, she's afraid of something, or someone. Hasn't used a credit card, not one time, and she never used the phone in the hotel except for the dial-up, once a day for her computer. Room had high-speed access, but that cost ten dollars per day, so dial-up's cheaper. That's it."
    "Sounds like she could use a distraction."
    "That's some euphemism, Lo." Linda-gail said in disgust. She pulled back, annoyed with herself that she'd gotten drawn back into an old habit. "I tell you what she doesn't need. She doesn't need some horny guy sniffing at her heels hoping to score.What she could use is a friend."
    "I can be a friend. You and me, we're friends."
    "Is that what we are?"
    Something shifted in his eyes, over his face. He slid his hand over the counter toward hers. "Linda-gail—
    But she looked away from him, drew back and put on her waitress smile. "Hey, Sheriff."
    "Linda-gail. Lo." Sheriff Richard Mardson slid onto a stool. He was a big man with a long reach, who walked with an easy gait and kept the peace by reason and compromise when he could, by steely-eyed force when he couldn't.
    He liked his coffee sweet and light, and was already reaching for the sugar when Linda-gail poured him out a cup. "You two wrangling again?"
    "Just talking," Lo told him. "About Ma's newest cook."
    "She sure can work that grill. Linda-gail, why don't you have her do me a chicken-fried steak." He dumped half-and-half in his coffee. He had clear blue eyes to go with blond hair he wore in a brush cut. His strongjaw was clean-shaven since his wife of fourteen years had nagged him brainless to get rid of the beard he'd let grow over the winter.
    "You after that skinny girl. Lo?"
    "Made a few tentative moves in that direction."
    Rick shook his head. "You need to settle down with the love of a good woman."
    "I do. Every chance I get. The new cook's got an air of mystery." He swiveled around, settled in for a talk. "Some people think maybe she's on the run."
    "If she is, it isn't from the law. I do my job." Rick said when Lo raised his eyebrows. "No criminal on her, no outstanding warrants. And she cooks a hell of a steak."
    "I guess you know she's living upstairs now Linda-gail just told me she heard from Brenda at the hotel Reece kept the dresser pulled across the door to the next room while she stayed there. Sounds to me like the woman's spooked."
    "Maybe she's got reason." His level blue gaze shifted toward the kitchen. "Most likely took off from her husband, boyfriend, who tuned her up regular."
    "I don't get that kind of thing, never did. A man who hits a woman isn't a man."
    Rick drank his coffee. "There are all kinds of men in the world."
     
    ONCE SHE FINISHED her shift, Reece settled in upstairs with her journal. She had the heat set at a conservative sixty-five and wore a sweater and two pairs of socks. She calculated the savings there would offset the fact that she left lights burning day and night.
    She was tired, but it was a pleasant sensation. The apartment felt good to her, safe and spare and tidy. Safer yet as she braced one of the two stools Joanie had given her for the counter under the doorknob whenever she was in the room.
     
    Slow again today. Nearly everyone who came in was a local. It's too late to ski or snowboard, though I hear some of the mountain passes won't be open for another few weeks. It's strange to think there must be feet of snow above us, while down here it's all mud and brown grass.
    People are so odd. I wonder if they really don't know I can tell when they're talking about me, or if they think it's just natural. I suppose it is
    natural, especially in such a small town. I can stand at the grill or the stove and feel the words pressing against the back of my neck.
    They're all so curious, but they don't come right out and ask. I guess that wouldn't be polite, so they hedge around.
    I have tomorrow off. A full day off. I was so busy cleaning in here, setting things up on my last day off, I barely noticed. But this time when I first saw the schedule I nearly panicked. What would I do, how would I get through a full day and night without a job to