Chapter 35
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chase
When I arrived in Indiana, it was late, so I booked a room at the hotel airport. In the morning, I’d rent a car and drive to Berkshire, which was only about an hour and fifteen minutes away.
I was up early, rented a car, and headed out. While driving through Berkshire's small town, I looked around at the dreaded scenery.
“Good God. Now I know why she wanted to leave this place,” I said.
My first stop was at the greasy diner she worked at for breakfast. When I walked in, all eyes were on me. I stuck out like a sore thumb in this town.
“Hi,” a young woman chomping on gum like an animal spoke. “Table for one?”
“Yes. Please.”
She took me over to a booth by the window, and within a few moments, the waitress walked over.
“Hi, I’m Krista. Can I get you some coffee or juice?”
Ah, this must be her former best friend. I wasn’t sure why her ex would want to sleep with that.
“Hello, sweetheart.” I smiled. “I’ll have some coffee and an orange juice. Is it freshly squeezed?” I asked.
She laughed. “Umm, no. It’s actually frozen.”
“I see. Just coffee will be fine.”
This place was a dump, and I couldn’t understand why Kinsley would work here. She was right. It was a grease pit. I picked up the menu and cautiously looked it over. I was afraid to eat anything here.
“Here’s your coffee.” Krista smiled. “Are you ready to order?”
“Is your fruit plate fresh?” I asked.
“Judging by your looks, you’re obviously not from around here.”
“No, I’m not. I’m passing through.”
She leaned in closer to me.
“I wouldn’t touch the fruit plate if I was you.” She winked.
“Okay, then. I’ll have scrambled eggs and whole wheat toast, no butter.”
“Good choice.” She smiled.
“Do you have a second?” I asked her.
“For what?” She licked her lips.
“I’m looking for someone. Her name is Kinsley Davis.”
“Kinsley? Why are you looking for her?” she asked in shock.
“We’re acquaintances. I met her a while back and wanted to say hi.”
“Kinsley never told me she met anyone. Especially someone who looks like you. We used to be best friends, but she up and left town a few months ago. Nobody knows where she went off to.”
“Krista!” the large man from behind the counter yelled. “Quit the chit-chat and get back to work.”
“He was asking me about Kinsley.”
“Kinsley? If you see her, tell her she’s fired. That bitch was the only waitress I had scheduled, and she never showed.”
“Well, I can’t say that I blame her.”
“I’m sorry, but she’s gone, and I don’t know where she is,” Krista said.
“Thank you for your time,” I spoke.
The diner wasn’t crowded at all. In fact, only four people, including me, were in the place. The door opened, and a rugged-looking man who appeared to be in his mid to late twenties walked in.
“Hey, Henry.” Krista smiled as she walked over and kissed him.
“Hey, baby.”
He sat at the booth in front of me, sitting directly in my view. I studied him. He wasn’t bad looking, but nothing great either. Obviously, he and Krista were still getting it on. Douchebag. Krista walked over to him, set down a cup of coffee, and whispered in his ear. He looked up at me.
“Hey. Krista said you were asking about Kinsley.”
“I was. Do you know her?”
“I sure do know her. How do you?” he asked with an attitude. “You’re not from around here.”
“No. I’m not. Thank God. But I was looking for her to say hi.”
“Like I asked, how do you know her?”
“I’m an acquaintance of hers. We met a while back. Actually, it was in this diner when I was passing through town. She was my waitress, and I found her to be really nice. She told me to stop and say hi if I ever passed through here again.”
“Well, she’s not here. She left town,” he spoke.
“That’s what your girlfriend said. I guess I’ll be on my way.”
He glared at me as I threw some money down on the table. When I got up, I walked over to him, grabbed him by his shirt, and punched him in the face.
“That was for Kinsley, douchebag,” I spoke as I walked out, got in my car, and sped off.
I pulled into the driveway of the rundown house she called home. It was small and couldn’t be any more than a thousand square feet. When I knocked on the door, an older woman answered it in a red silk robe with her hair up in a high ponytail, holding a drink in her hand.
“Hello, there. I’m looking for Kinsley.”
“Well, hello there, handsome.” She seductively smiled. “I’m afraid my daughter isn’t here.”
“Damn. I was really hoping to see her. May I come in and wait?”
“You can come in.” She opened the door wider. “But you’ll be waiting an awful long time. She left town a few months ago. I haven’t heard from or seen her since.”
I stepped inside the messy house and looked around.
“Can I offer you a drink?’ she asked.
“Do you by any chance have scotch?” I arched my brow.
“Of course, I do.” She grinned as she went into the kitchen. “How do you know Kinsley?”
“We met one day when I was passing through town. I wanted to say hi and see how she was doing.”
She poured some scotch into a red Solo cup, and I was appalled.
“Sorry. All my glasses are dirty. But scotch is scotch, right?”
“Right.” I hesitantly took the cup from her.
“Kinsley was the one who always kept the house clean. Since she left, I haven’t been really keeping it up.”
“I can see that. Where did she go?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I woke up one day to a note saying she couldn’t stay here anymore and was leaving. I thought she meant she was going to live with her boyfriend Henry, but when I called him, he told me that they had a huge fight, and he hadn’t seen her since.”
“Weren’t you worried about her?”
“Nah. Kinsley is a smart girl. She can take care of herself. In fact, she was the one who always took care of me. Life was hard for us.”
“I’m sure it was,” I spoke as I looked around again. “Is that normal for a child to take care of a parent? I could have sworn it was supposed to be the other way around.”
“Excuse me?”
“Kinsley told me a little about you and your lifestyle. How you were always passed out drunk and never paid any attention to her.”
“Like I said, life was hard for us. I may not have been the best mother, but I tried.”
“And how exactly did you try? She had to get herself ready for school, make her own breakfast and lunch, and come home to a mother passed out on the couch. For fuck’s sake. You missed your own daughter’s graduation. You made her feel like she didn’t matter.”
“It sounds to me like you and my daughter were more than just acquaintances. Who the fuck do you think you are coming into my home, dressed in your fancy expensive clothes, and talking to me like that?”
“I happen to care about your daughter. More than I can say for you.”
“I love my daughter. I may not have always shown it, but I do. Kinsley is a strong girl, and she got out of this dump. Instead of sticking around here and ending up like me, she left to make a life for herself.”
“Do you even miss her?” I glared at her.
“Of course, I miss her. She’s my little girl. But I can’t begrudge her for wanting her own life. I get the feeling you know where she is.”
“I do, and I’m not going to tell you. Kinsley wants nothing to do with you. I had to come and see all of this for myself.”
“She doesn’t know you’re here, does she?”
“No. She doesn’t.”
“Is she okay?”
“She’s fine and living the life she always wanted.”
“Are you her boyfriend or something?”
“I’m a friend.”
“Do me a favor. Tell her that I love her, I’m sorry for everything, and I miss her.”
“You could have told her that yourself the day she left. She tried waking you, but you dismissed her, just like you’ve done her whole life.”
“You need to leave now. You can see yourself out.” She walked away with her drink in her hand and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Before I left, I wanted to see Kinsley’s room.
So, I walked down the hallway and looked into the first room on the left.
That was when I saw Beatrice lying on her bed, the floppy-eared pink bunny Kinsley found in the street one day when she was eight years old.
I remembered her telling me about it one night while we were lying in bed.
She said that when she found her, she was covered in dirt and mud, so she brought her home, threw her in the washer, and when she pulled her out, she looked brand new.
She told me her biggest regret was forgetting to pack her when she left, so I grabbed her and left the house.
I was going to stay one more night, but I couldn’t wait to get out of this town. Plus, there was no reason for me to stay here any longer, so I drove straight to the airport.
“Hi there. How can I help you?” the cute bubbly girl behind the counter asked.
“When is your next flight out to LAX?”
“Let me see.” She smiled as she started typing away at her computer. “We have a flight that leaves in three hours. Would you like me to book you a seat?”
“Yes. First class, please.”
“I’ll need to see your driver’s license, please.”
I pulled my license out of my wallet and handed it to her. She took it from me, looked at it, and then up at me.
“Chase Calloway. Nice name,” she flirted.
“Thank you.”
“You’re all set at Gate 22.” She smiled as she handed me my ticket and my license back. “Have a safe flight, Mr. Calloway.”
“Thanks. I intend to.” I winked.
I was hungry, so I decided to sit in a restaurant and grab something to eat since the breakfast I ate wasn’t very appetizing.
How could one fuck up scrambled eggs? I ended up at a place called The Brewery, which was right up my alley.
As I was sitting in the booth deciding what I was going to order, I noticed a man, a woman, and their baby, sitting at the table next to me.
The child was crying, and the mother couldn’t seem to quiet him down, so the father took him, and instantly, he stopped.
I stared at them and watched how he handled his child.
I could see the love pouring out of him as he made his child laugh.