PUT-UT-UT-UT-UP-PAH PUT-UT-UT-UT-UT-TAH
Liam drove up to the Double X Diner in his Honda motorcycle. He had been away from Aurora for three months. It felt like three years. He could use a meal and a shower. The Double X was good for the meal and his uncle George didn't mind his using his bathroom.
It was a quarter of the way through the meatloaf when the chaos started.
"I suppose you came for the funeral," said Missy, from the next booth over.
"Whose funeral?" asked Liam.
"Honey, Adelina's passed. But you knew that, of course," said Missy.
"Adelina Lopez, the one in high school? She died?" Liam felt as if he were being crushed from inside. He couldn't eat.
"Saying 'died' is putting it lightly. Most folks say it was a murder."
Liam said, "No." He didn't howl it like they do so often in movies. He said it curtly, without lengthening. It was like a child had told him 2 plus 2 is 5. He didn't accept this information.
"Honey, the thing about leaving town is that you can't be at all sure what's going to happen while you're gone," said Missy.
Liam ran to his bike. His instinct was to run. "What kind of man was he if he ran whenever he was uncomfortable?" he wondered about himself.
But the object of his wonder shifted to Adelina. What was she 17, maybe 16? Certainly not 18. In a town as small as Aurora, the creeps went crazy when a pretty girl turned 18. All the things taken from her - going to college, being a wife, having a career, being a mom, vacations, Christmases. How? No, it wasn't the 'how' that mattered. It was the 'who' that mattered. Doubtless Aurora PD was on the case but they couldn't figure out who stole the kegs from Patel's Food and Liquor. Everyone in town knew it was the editor of the newspaper. And if they couldn't solve that, how could they solve a homicide?
YOU ARE READING
Aurora, Illinois
Mystery / ThrillerIt starts with a shocking crime. Kids at the local high school collapse into grief. The police try to unravel the mystery, but this one may be more than they can handle. Meanwhile, criminals are bringing drugs and sex workers into a town that can't...