Dreamcatcher: Strangers (Balfour Mystery Series Book 2) by KC Pearcey

Author:KC Pearcey [Pearcey, KC]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 47

The QuikTrip just outside Madison couldn’t come quickly enough to suit Charlie. He had seriously underestimated the time it was going to take to get to Savannah in this oversized lime green lemon, and Jim Smith’s cheerful disposition was the last plastic straw about to break his aching back.

Four hours? More like six.

The three-cylinder engine whined like a bratty child when he attempted acceleration. The undersized tires squealed as he rounded the curves—screaming sound effects like an un-

discovered starlet in a B movie horror scene.

The wind whistled, mini-tornados coming from around every window.

He didn’t need to tell the Rookie to be quiet. He couldn’t have heard him over the din of the car noise anyway. The pitiful excuse for an automobile made his vintage Volkswagen look like a loaded Lexus.

“Oh,” the rental clerk had said, “great gas mileage—forty-four highway MPG. Economical. Your basic model. Just the right size for a quick trip from Hartsfield-Jackson Airport to Balfour and back for the weekend.”

Sure, Charlie grumbled in his head. Just the weekend. First Marjorie, and now the mountain of a man melting into the front seat. And the car? No cruise control. No steering wheel lock when the ignition is off. No center console or USB port for my music. Not to mention that the climate control button beeps like a psychotic microwave every time I try to change the temperature.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted the Rookie’s left hand tentatively reaching for the dash.

“Air’s already on high, and the center vents don’t move,” he growled. “We established that an hour ago. If you’re still hot, roll down your window. All the way. It can’t make any more noise when it’s down as it does when it’s rolled up.”

Beads of perspiration congregated and dripped down to the neckband of his T-shirt and under the collar of his sports jacket, but the Rookie continued to smile. A bright-white grin of grit and fortitude.

Charlie was impressed.

The QuikTrip was crowded with the usual Monday morning customers and long distance truckers. He’d filled the tank before he left Balfour, so instead of pulling up to one of the numerous pumps, he selected a parking space facing the far end of the building by the dumpster. There was a trio of lofty pine trees next to a blue garbage dumpster, away from the patrons and the main double sliding doors.

As difficult as it was to get into the front seat, he knew that when the Rookie attempted to exit there was going to be quite a spectacle. The least he could do was to spare him the embarrassment of climbing out and trying to walk in front of gawking strangers without any feeling in his legs.

Charlie could tell from the younger officer’s sigh of relief that he understood the consideration that was being given him. The detective turned off the ignition and quickly pocketed the keys, heading down the sidewalk in front of the building without looking back.

He was scanning the coolers for beverage choices when Jim appeared at his side, hobbling slightly and minus his gray jacket.

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