Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
A cluster of men in overalls is leaving the hardware store. They part around me as I walk inside, never dropping their animated conversation. The hum of machinery, air conditioning and muted voices fills the air inside the low-slung metal building.
Familiarity settles in. This place is like any other hardware store in any other small town—the perfect place for my morning mission. Two missions.
A feeling of hope buzzes under my skin. This is a hub for the community. A great place for asking questions.
It’s early, but the place is humming with activity. Most people—men and women—are dressed for construction work or look like they’re local farmers. I’m pretty much the sore thumb in my wrinkled dress shirt rolled up on my forearms and suit trousers. But I only draw a cursory glance, even from the men gathered by the entrance, engaging in social hour.
After a quick look around, I spot what I need—the lighting aisle.
“Can I help you?” A man approaches me. His yellow vest has the hardware store name embroidered on the chest along and a tag with the name, Paulo.
I’m impressed with the amount of people that speak English in Vandemora. My Spanish is good, but English is just more natural for me.
“I need solar lighting for a sidewalk and some motion activated solar flood lights.”
“This way.”
The man hurries until he halts at a lighting display. “Here are the patio and sidewalk lights.”
For a small store in a country that I’m just getting to know, it has an impressive supply of options. “Thanks.”
I gather a dozen lights into my arms.
He magically has a plastic basket in his hand the next second. “This is easier.”
After I drop my armful in, I carry it to the other lighting section where he points to the spotlights. “Is that all?”
“Actually.” I put the overflowing basket on the floor and retrieve my phone. “I wanted to see if you might have seen my friend. I’ve been trying to catch her in town, but keep missing her and she doesn’t have a phone.”
The man looks hard at the image. Taps his chin. “Maybe.”
“Recently?”
He shrugs. “Last week, possibly.”
Vague. “Do you think any of your coworkers might remember her?”
He holds up a finger. “Wait here.”
My brows go up. “Sure. I won’t move.”
A few minutes later, he returns with a young guy and nods toward my phone.
“Hey, have you seen my friend?”
He gives me a wolfish smile. “Oh, yes. I have.”
Now I know why the other man went to get his coworker. This guy is our missing woman’s age. The kind of person who might notice how beautiful she is because he’d see her as a peer.
“Did you see her here in the store?”
A weird sound above us makes us all look up. Tension coils in the air and an eerie silence overtakes the entire place.
An uneasy feeling climbs up my neck. “Is that someone running on the roof?”
“Earthquake,” the older man replies. “Better get your things and go, it’s dangerous in here when things start falling.”
The young guy and I look at each other. Shit.
He starts talking real fast. “I saw her on the street. A few days ago.”
“Was she alone?”
We’re moving toward the register at a fast clip as he replies, “No, a man was with her.” He stops suddenly and makes a face. “I hope she’s not your girlfriend and I didn’t just out her.”
“Oh no, I’m just a friend.”
He exhales a relieved breath. “Good. That would have been awkward … I’ll ring you up on register three.”
“Do you know where she was shopping or dining?”
When the roof groans again, he looks nervously at the door. “I think it’s time for us to run.”