Chapter 15

That changed a month later.

* * * *

Derek was halfway through his shift when Mel came into the diner kitchen. “There’s some man out there who wants to talk to you.”

“One of the customers?” Derek asked, as he finished filling an order and set it on the shelf for Mel’s newest waiter to pick up.

“Nope. Never saw the guy before.”

Derek looked through the opening between the kitchen and the counter. “Which one?”

“Dark pants, blue shirt, brown hair.”

“No one I know. Did he ask for me by name or say what he wanted?”

“He said ‘Mr. White’ and just that he had to talk to you.” Mel paused before adding, “I don’t think he knows what you look like, since he didn’t react to either you or Pat when he saw the two of you, for whatever that says.”

Just then the man looked their way.

“Now he knows,” Derek muttered.

“If you don’t want to talk, I’ll tell him you’re too busy, which you will be,” Mel pointed out when Pat came over to pick up his order and leave three more.