Close To Danger (Westen #4)(10)
Nodding to the three truckers saddled up at the counter, she headed to an empty seat a few stools further down.
“Hey there, Mrs. Justice,” Lorna said, walking down the kitchen side of the lunch counter with a smile, sliding a glass of ice water and a menu in front of her. “Back to work already?”
Bobby grinned at her friend. It was so weird hearing her new last name. “Two weeks off for our honeymoon was all Gage would work into the schedule. Finished my rounds and thought I’d stop in for a nice hot chocolate and some conversation.”
“You’ve come to the right place for both,” Lorna said with a wink before bustling back to the kitchen.
While she was gone, Bobby studied the menu. Since it was nearly lunchtime, she should probably order something before heading back. Problem was, she wasn’t sure what would sit well in her stomach, hence the reason for ordering hot chocolate instead of coffee. By the time Lorna returned, Bobby had decided on the day’s special, chicken and noodles, added Gage’s sandwich, and gave her orders to Glenna, one of the waitresses.
Lorna came around to perch on the free stool beside her, placing two mugs of hot chocolate on the counter. “Now, what’s got you curious today?”
“Wes Strong.”
“Wondering who the man really is that caught your sister’s attention?” Lorna asked as she dolloped homemade whipped cream into each mug.
Bobby stopped with her spoon almost in the whipped cream to stare at her. “You noticed them together, too?”
“Hard to miss when they were in here eating the day before your wedding. Couldn’t keep their eyes off each other.”
“Did everyone in town notice except me? Some private investigator and deputy I am.” Shaking her head, she stirred some of the whipped cream into the hot chocolate before taking a sip. The creamy chocolate and warm milk combined in her mouth like nirvana.
“Cut yourself some slack, girl. You had your mind on a wedding and someone trying to mess it up. If you’d had time to really watch them, you wouldn’t have missed it.” Lorna took a drink from her mug, then turned sideways on her stool to keep one eye on her customers as they talked. “So what is it you want to know about tall, dark and silent?”
“He is pretty silent, isn’t he? Especially about his past.” Bobby absently stirred her spoon in the hot chocolate. “Not even Gage knows much about him or how he ended up here in Westen.”
“That’s because he wandered into town about six years or so ago while Gage was still working in Columbus. He reminded me of a stray dog my husband brought home once. Hungry, malnourished, scruffy looking and with a wariness in his eyes. Literally growled when you’d try to get him to talk.” Lorna stared off into the distance, a sadness on her face as she remembered. “Don’t know where he stayed those first few days. Not at the Inn or out at the motel on the highway. I suspect he was camping out in the woods or under the old Wilson Bridge. Lots of homeless traveling through the area still take refuge out there in the summer and fall.”
Bobby nodded. In the past year she’d driven out there to find the remnants of hiker or the homeless under the bridge. In fact, that was the first time she’d ever met Earl.
“Gage said you came to his father with concerns about Wes’ mental state.”
Lorna shook her head. “I’d seen men coming back from war before with a lost look in their eyes. Pete was one, but he was easy to help. Put a knife in his hand and a warm place to sleep and he slowly came back into the world with a purpose, although I still can’t pull much of his past out of him. Wes was different.”
“Different, how?”
A sadness came over Lorna’s usually good-natured features. “There wasn’t just a savageness to him, it was a coldness. As if his soul were already dead and he was planning to help his body along.”
“That’s when you went to Gage’s daddy?”
Lorna nodded. “Seemed the best thing to do. We didn’t really have a veteran’s support group out here back then. Since Lloyd was the local law authority and served in Vietnam, thought he might be able to get through to Wes. He came over and had a chat with him, but didn’t really seem to make a difference.”
“How did Harriett end up involved in the story?”
“That was Lloyd’s doing. I’ll be right back.” Lorna said, stepping away to meet two customers at the check-out.
Bobby sat contemplating everything Lorna had told her. What little she knew of PTSD was that many soldiers found it hard to return to civilian life, and often alcohol, drug addiction, and even suicide were their final solutions. Somehow Wes had managed to find his way out of that situation.
Lorna returned to her seat with a fresh hot chocolate for Bobby. “When he realized he wasn’t making any headway with Wes, Lloyd decided to call in what he called his secret weapon.”
“That’s what has me puzzled,” Bobby admitted. “Why have Harriett talk to him? What did she say that had him changing his mind?” She laughed. “I mean, seriously, the woman isn’t known as a conversationalist. Drives Doc Clint crazy with her taciturnity.”
It was Lorna’s turn to laugh. “That she does. I suspect she takes delight in doing just that. He and his brothers were three of the orneriest little boys back when they’d come to town to visit their uncle.” She took a drink of her cooled chocolate. “But Harriett was the perfect person to talk with Wes, given her own past.”