Chapter 9

Pain, so much pain. God, make it stop! Where am I? Slow, gasps of air, struggling to pull oxygen into tortured lungs. A sigh of resignation, a single word whispered with a final breath "Staarrskkkyyyy..."

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Minnie strolled down the main street of Cedar Creek, looking in the windows and enjoying the day. She had just left the hospital but didn't feel like returning to her motel room, so she decided a leisurely walk was in order.

Cedar Creek didn't have the huge department stories and other businesses that a city like Bay City had. The shops here were small and quaint, each one unique in its own way. There were dress shops, antique stores, a candy story, a little cafe, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor, a drug store, a five-and-dime, and a business that advertised both dance lessons and music lessons.

Although the town was pleasant and everyone was friendly and outgoing, Minnie was too much of city girl to ever be comfortable living in such a small town. Still, there was a part of her that envied the ones who did, for the familiarity and closeness the residents seem to share with one another. The apparent lack of crime was also a point in the town's favor, if nothing else.

Minnie smiled when the young woman who had helped them came out of one of the stores.

"Hello," Minnie said. "Willow isn't it?"

"Yes, and you're one of the police officers from the city." The young woman returned Minnie's smile.

"Yes."

"I heard that you think you found the place where your friend was being held."

"Yes, thanks to you and your grandfather."

"I am glad we could help."

"Could I buy you a cup of coffee? I don't feel like going back to the motel just yet."

"All right. I have a couple of hours before I have to go to work."

"Where would you suggest?" Minnie asked with a smile. "This is your town, not mine."

"Jake's diner is about the only place in town besides the soda fountain," Willow replied with a grin. "He makes decent cup of coffee."

"Then Jake's it is," Minnie said agreeably.

The two women had to cross the street to reach the diner. As they stood waiting for a break in the traffic, Minnie noticed a man lingering in an alley between the cafe and an adjacent building. He was dressed in shabby clothes that were faded and torn. Long, dark hair streaked with gray hung around his shoulders. His face was worn and deeply wrinkled, partially hidden by the shadows in the alley. But still, something about the obviously homeless man held Minnie's interest.

"Who is that?" Minnie drew Willow's attention to the man.

'Oh, that's just old Charlie. Nobody knows his real name. Jake leaves leftovers in the alley for him, some of the other stores leave stuff out for him, too, from time to time. He's harmless enough. He doesn't bother anybody and stays to himself."

"Is he from around here?"

"Nobody knows. He just showed up about a year ago, and he's been hanging around ever since. He doesn't seem to take to people very well; nobody's ever been able to get close enough to him to even talk to him. But, like I said, he's harmless enough, so nobody bothers him."

As the two women crossed the street, the man disappeared into the alley, but Minnie could still feel eyes on her as they reached the opposite side of the street and went into the cafe.

The two woman sat at a small booth in the back. They both ordered coffee and settled back for a chat.

"Have you lived here all your life?" Minnie asked.

"Born and raised here," Willow answered. "My people tend to stay put and not wander far from home."

"So, you have family here besides your grandfather."

"No," Willow said, her eyes clouding with sorrow. "My parents and my little bother and sister were killed in a car accident when I was ten. My grandfather finished raising me. He's the only family I have left."

"I'm so sorry," Minnie apologized. "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories for you."

"It's all right. It was a long time ago." Willow replied graciously. "What about you? Do you have family back in the city?"'

"Not really." Minnie admitted. "My parents died a few years ago, and I have a younger brother, but we aren't that close. We see each on special occasions...birthdays, Christmas, that sort of thing. The rest of the time we're both busy with our own lives."

"No husband, no boyfriend?"

"Not at the moment. You?"

"No. I'm in no hurry to settle down to one man," Willow said with a laugh. "Grandfather says I am too independent for my own good."

"Me neither," Minnie agreed with a laugh of her own. "My job keeps me too busy for a serious relationship."

"It must be interesting being a police officer."

"It can be. I usually work in the computer room doing research and that sort of thing. It's interesting, and I enjoy it."

"And you don't have to worry about getting shot at."

"You got that right."

"The man in the hospital...he is a friend?"

"Yes, a very close friend...a special friend." When Willow arched an eyebrow at her comment, Minnie quickly added, "Not that kind of friend. Just someone I know I can talk to and depend on no matter what. Someone who would always be there for me.''

"I hope he's going to be okay."

"I hope so. The doctors are optimistic."

"Will you be leaving town soon?"

"Hopefully by the weekend. It all depends on if Starsky is able to be safely moved back to the city."

Willow glanced at her watch and said, "I 'm afraid I have to go. It's been nice talking to you. I hope everything turns out the way you hope."

The two women left money on the table for their coffee and walked out of the cafe together. Willow went in one direction while Minnie lingered on the sidewalk, lost in her own thoughts. Thoughts that turned back to the man she had seen in the alley. She couldn't figure out why she couldn't get him out of her mind.

Impulsively, she turned and walked to the mouth of the alley. It stretched back between the two buildings, the farthest depths hidden by heavy dark shadows with just a faint light at the opposite end. The alley was littered with broken bottles, overflowing trashcans, discarded beer cans, and cigarette butts. Minnie could hear the rustling and high-pitched squeak of the rats that called the alley their home.

"Hello?" Minnie called. "Is there anyone there?"

There was only silence, not that Minnie had really expected anyone to answer. Still. every instinct she had as a cop and as a woman told her that the homeless man still lingered somewhere deep in the shadows, watching her with suspicious eyes. Perhaps longing for human companionship and contact, but not trusting anyone enough to let them get close.

Back in Bay City, Minnie had volunteered with a group that worked with the homeless, providing them with clothes and food. She knew that each of them had their own individual story, and that some of them had once led busy, successful lives before misfortune led to their downfall. Some of them were willing to accept their fate, while others struggled to rise above their present circumstances.

Was is Minnie's instinctive compassion for the homeless that led her to focus on the man she had seen in the alley earlier, or was there something else that attracted her attention? With a soft sigh, she turned away and continued walking to the motel, dismissing the man in the alley from her thoughts, at least for the moment.