Chapter 14 - The Trap is Set
By 7:30 PM the following evening, the Starlight Diner looked completely normal from the outside.
The neon signs hummed their warm, reddish-pink light onto the wet asphalt of the parking lot. Inside, the jukebox was playing an old Roy Orbison track, the low, melancholic brass echoing through the empty booths.
Behind the counter, standing over the flat-top grill, was Arthur. He wore a fresh white apron, though his right shoulder was stiff, bandaged tightly under his shirt where he had strained the muscle during the fight in the creek.
The diner was empty, save for two men sitting in the back booth—two plainclothes investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation, sipping cold coffee, their eyes fixed on the front double doors.
At 7:58 PM, headlights swept across the glass front of the diner.
A sleek, white Volvo XC90 pulled off the interstate exit ramp, turning slowly into the Starlight Diner’s gravel lot.
Arthur paused his spatula, his eyes narrowing as he watched the vehicle through the window.
The car moved with deliberate slowness. As it turned toward the front entrance, the exterior lights caught the rear of the vehicle.
The left taillight was broken. A jagged piece of bright red tuck-tape was slapped messy over the cracked white plastic.
Inside the Volvo, a distinguished man in his early fifties with silver-trimmed hair, wearing an expensive camel-hair coat, looked at his watch. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, reaching over to grab a leather briefcase resting on the passenger seat.
He opened his door and stepped out onto the damp gravel.
He didn't notice the three unmarked black SUV's pulling up quietly behind his rear bumper, blocking the exit vector entirely.
He walked toward the glass doors of the diner, his polished leather shoes clicking on the wet concrete. He pulled the door open, the brass chime ringing cheerfully above his head.
He stepped inside, stopping near the red vinyl booths.
He looked around the quiet room, his eyes lingering on the counter.
May you like
Arthur stood there, leaning his heavy hands against the stainless-steel edge of the grill. He didn't smile. He didn't bow his head. He just stared straight into the doctor's eyes.
"Welcome to the Starlight," Arthur said softly. "We've been waiting for you."
