Page 16 of Saving Hanna
I knew Albert well enough to know that there was more than just a bit of a problem. Slamming my hand against the steering wheel, I asked, “What sort of problem?”
“I had no idea when she went inside the diner that she would take off. When she didn’t come out, I knew something was wrong. I don’t even know where to begin looking for her.”
I wasn’t doing any good staying here. Pulling away from the curb, I headed in the direction of the diner. There was only one thought that came to mind. “Don’t move.”
Albert wasn’t an incompetent employee. Hanna must have done a lot of convincing to keep him from going inside the diner with her. Then again, how was he to know that she would be leaving by using the back alley? I was partially to blame. I should have let him know that there was a back entrance to the diner and to be on the lookout for her using it. On the other hand, he should have known that something was up and gone inside the diner sooner.
There was no sense in going back and forth on who to blame. The fact remained that she was gone and I didn’t have any idea where she would go. Then it hit me. Picking up my phone, I prayed that Rita would still be at Elite Exchange. I had given her the one piece of information that would help me find Hanna.
~*~*~*~
I don’t know why I thought that Hanna would answer her phone. She had no idea that I was the one calling. I wasn’t so sure that she would have talked to me even if she did. Deciding on where to go, I juggled with the idea of going to Danbury, but before I made the trip, one last swing by her place wouldn’t hurt. Instructing Albert to remain at the diner in case she came back, I pulled out of the back parking lot at Dotty’s and got on the main road to Hanna’s.
There weren’t very many places that she could have gone, so when I finally reached her house, it didn’t surprise me to find that the lights were on inside. Turning off the engine, I quickly walked up to the door, wanting nothing more than to get her and get out of this neighborhood. Something was going down at the house across from her and the last thing I wanted was to be around when things got out of hand, which they almost always did when drugs were involved. Based on the attire of men that entered the house, there was plenty of it.
Knocking on Hanna’s door, I waited impatiently, keeping my eyes on the house across the street. When the door opened, I didn’t wait for her to say anything. I took hold of her and walked her back inside the house.
Her annoyance was evident as she said, “What are you doing here?”
“Hanna, we really need to go. Something bad is about to go down across the street and I don’t want to be around when it does.”
“Just ignore them,” she replied, pulling me inside her home. “Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here?”
“I came to get you… and to explain.”
“You don’t need to explain. Dotty told me everything. I’m really going to miss that place,” she confessed.
“Does it mean that much to you?” This was my chance to find out exactly how important the diner was to her.
“It did… but now… after listening to Dotty, her happiness is more important than having a safer place to live.”
I was confused by her statement. I wasn’t sure what having a place to live had to do with the diner. “Can you please explain?”
“Dotty was going to let me live above the diner, but now since she no longer owns it… well… I guess I will have to stay here until I can find a new place to live and a new job.”
“You can’t live here, Hanna. It isn’t safe. And after seeing what is going on across the street, we really need to get out of here.” As much as I understood her dilemma, all I wanted was to get her out of here and discuss her situation later.
“If I make a deal with you, would you please let me take you away from here?”
“You are always about the deals. I think I’m done making deals with you.” Her arms were crossed on her chest, letting me know she had no intention of leaving.
This was my one and only chance. “I will keep the diner going and you can even stay in the apartment above it. Please, Hanna, let me take you away from here.”
After going back and forth for what seemed like hours, she finally agreed to leave with me. The timing couldn’t have been better. As I waited for her to gather what she needed, I kept an eye out on the house across the street. There wasn’t any movement, which told me that whatever was taking place when I arrived was finished.
