Seven Empty Deposit Envelopes Showed What Was Happening At Carters Diner
Carter waited until Henry disappeared inside the glass doors of the gas station before he started his truck.
He drove two miles down the road and parked in the lot of an empty hardware store, waiting for the hours to pass.
At four o’clock, the afternoon light was beginning to fade into a cold purple dusk.
Carter pulled his truck into the gravel lot behind his Springfield diner.
The kitchen exhaust fan was silent, and the rear door was locked tight.
Linda’s sedan was already parked near the dumpster, its headlights turned off.
She got out of her car as soon as Carter killed his engine, her coat collar pulled up against the rising wind.
“Miller is staying at the Holiday Inn downtown,” Linda said, walking over to Carter’s window. “He has the ledger sheets from the regional office.”
Carter opened his glove box and pulled out a heavy brass key ring.
He selected the master key to the diner’s back door and held it out to her.
“This is the master,” Carter said. “It overrides the digital locks on the office door.”
Linda took the key, her fingers cold against his palm.
