- In Ever Falls -
Danny got up early and made the 27 mile trip over to Ever Falls. It was a gloomy cloudy day. I looked as if it were going to rain any moment. It took him about 45 minutes. He wished that there were a motel in Ever Falls.
At the edge of town in the distance were many new very large and expensive looking homes mixed with ones still under construction. There must be a housing boom. As he traveled closer into the town there were rows of older bungalows with finely groomed yards. Reaching the business district, the buildings were mostly ones of antiquity, each a testimonial of the past. This was a tight nit town that looked like it would welcome newcomers.
Deciding that he was very hungry he parked in front of Cargonias Café. The café was small but very cozy and welcoming. There were only tables, no booths and each was covered with a red cloth red and white checkered table cloth.
After the old woman at the front counter seated him and gave him a menu, a young short haired striking waitress named Gina, brought him a glass of water and took his order.
The food was very good. He ate while reading the Albany Times Union newspaper. The front page headlined a story titled, "Local Flu Outbreak - Isolated in the County Jail". Another interesting story examined the soaring rate of unwed pregnancy. On the back page of the front page he saw a small story about a "Man with Amnesia Arrested", The first line read, "With the Federal Law Enforcement Information Portal still down, there is no way to get a positive…". He paused, "All this technology and when it shuts down, where are we? Still is society really better because of it? "
Gina pulled him from his thoughts when she brought his ticket. "Can I get you anything else?"
"No, I'm good, thanks. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure" she replied.
Quietly showing his FBI credentials, "Do you know a Kerri Rowan?"
Just then her cell phone rang; she turned away and quietly said "Hi Kevin", she waited a moment, listening and then "I need to talk to you." As she was ending the call she turned back and accidentally knocked over Danny's half filled coffee cup.
Gina's soft brown eyes filled with tears and she immediately darted for the kitchen.
The woman at the front counter rushed over to Danny with a handful of paper napkins saying she was so sorry and that the breakfast was on the house.
"It's really not problem. It's just a splatter. Accidents happen".
He paid and headed to his car. "Was she crying because of the cup of coffee or the phone call? I wonder if the phone call from Kevin was about her being pregnant?" He smiled and thought of the article he had just seen.
He got into the SUV, took out his cell phone and dialed Kerri's mother, Sallie Rowan. He was looking out across the parking lot and saw Gina get into a late 80's light blue Toyota Camry.
There was no answer on the phone.
I guess I need to go and visit Mrs. Rowan, if I can figure out where she lives. I guess I need to find the local police headquarters to announce my presence. That is if such a small town even has a police department.
It started to rain.
