Page 34 of Shadow Running
“Pie?”he asked, a hopeful look on his face.
I motioned to the waitress.“We’d like some pie.What flavors do you have?”
“Apple, cherry, blueberry.”
I looked at Winston.“What do you like?”
“Cherry?”he said, sounding surprised that I asked him.
“Just bring the whole pie.I’m paying for everything,” I said, motioning to Winston’s plate.“Including his dinner.”
“Right,” she said, then headed back to the counter, returning with three dessert-sized plates and a whole cherry pie, along with Benny’s food.As she left, I pushed the pie toward Winston.“Eat whatever you like.”
His hands were shaking, so I cut him a slice and put it on the plate.“There you go.Now, you were telling me about Greg?”
“Right.Greg.”He stared at his pie, then took a large bite.After he swallowed, he said, “I knew him, though not well.But one night we were both coming back from the VA—he had some sort of cough going on.We dropped in here to grab a bite.We left, and he stopped in the alley to take a leak.”
Lovely.“What time was it?”
“About seven.Appointments at the VA take forever.Anyway, I wondered what was taking him so long, so when I glanced around the corner, I was surprised to see him with two large creatures.They grabbed him by the arms and started walking down the alley.He wasn’t fighting, but then a bright light flashed—so bright I couldn’t see.When it died down, he was gone and so were they.”He stopped, going back to his pie.
“Did you ever see him again?”I asked.
He shook his head.“Nope.”
“When was this?”
“I don’t know.A week or so ago?Maybe?I’m not good with time,” Winston said.
“What did the men look like?”I asked.
That made him set down his fork.He wiped his lips with a napkin.“They were aliens.They were tall and you might think they were men, but in the glow of the light, there was something odd about them.They weren’t men.Not really.”
I figured I wouldn’t get far with this, so decided to ask about the light instead.“What was the light like?What color was it?”
Winston thought for a moment.“It was the color of spring leaves, with gold in it.”
His voice was poignant.I had the feeling that meant something to him on a different level, but wasn’t sure what.
“What happened when the light blinded you?”
“When I opened my eyes, they were gone.They couldn’t have gotten past me to exit the alley, and on the other side, it’s a dead end.And then, well, that’s it.”There weren’t any cars there, everything was quiet.”He pointed to the side of the bar.“The alley’s right out there.”
I sat back, thinking while Benny and Winston ate.“I’m going to take a look in the alley.I’ll be back in a few minutes,” I finally said.
As I walked out of the bar, I stopped at the counter and paid the waitress.“Can you make up two to-go bags for them—add in a couple burgers to each one, large fries, and a couple of your cookies.I’ll be back, but I thought I’d pay before walking out the door.”
Bartenders didn’t care for people who looked like they were stiffing them.
She nodded, took the money, and was about to take the change out of the till.
“Keep it.Be nice to them, please.They’ve had a lot of trouble in their lives,” I said.
She must have recognized something in my tone, because she softened.“Sure.I’ll throw in side salads.They could probably use some veg.”
“Thanks,” I said, heading for the door.
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