BOILER

Chapter 5

The rain drove down like it had a point to prove. Gert's Diner was a yellow-walled building on the corner of an intersection. Dirt speckled the lower quarter of the building and ivy had grown up and reached into a crack under the roof. The mist on the windows kept the inside a secret. Toland came in under a bell and went over to a waitress behind the counter. Charlie was sat in a booth under a window, looking like the day had him beat. He wiped away condensation to get a look outside. Toland slid into the booth and took a few napkins from a silver dispenser and dabbed them around his neck.

'How's your day?'

Charlie sighed. 'May found Debra's mother.'

'And I'm guessing by that look on your face, you talked to her.'

'Yeah. They'd just reconnected after a few years of her daughter in the wilderness. Those are her words, not mine.'

'And?'

'She mentioned a man in her life.'

'Was that Bryan?'

'Yeah. Did you hear something?'

'I got it from her group leader, or counsellor? I don't know, I forget what they call it. You didn't get a last name, did you?'

'No. She just cried a lot. She said that Debra was a good kid, but that she changed when school ended. Then she started showing me photographs of her as a kid' — Charlie stopped to take a breath — 'It's not fair, you sending me to these things. It's not fair you sending me alone.'

'What do you want me to do, Charlie? Keep holding your hand? I can't be next to you every time, so learn to walk on your own.'

'It's exhausting.'

'I hope this isn't just dawning on you now, Charlie. You should've known coming in there's no good news to tell here.'

Charlie groaned. 'This again.'

Toland cocked an eyebrow. 'This again? Yeah, this again. I don't understand why a man in your stage of life would get into this work. In the murder capital of the north-east. I will never see sense to it.'

Charlie lifted his head. 'I'm not griping about the work. It's just sad is all. And when it's like that, I just could've used a hand with the questions. I never know what to say.'

Toland was unconvinced. 'You know, you're a hard worker, Charlie. And you're great at the paper side, so why don't you take a step back. Look at May.'

'I've sat on her side of the fence and trust me, it gets old.'

'So will you from back there.'

Charlie wasn't listening. Toland watched him.

'I don't doubt your heart. But this work just isn't for everyone.'

Charlie gave Toland a look. He sat up straight and focused. Toland sighed and went back to Debra. 'Did you get anything from her work? The market and that.'

'She was still on probation at the market. The hotel gig was mopping floors on the nightshift' — he shook his head — 'Nobody knew much more than her name.'

'Well, it's still early days. We'll get there.'

The waitress came over with two black coffees in white mugs and left them on the table.

'We're out of eggs,' the waitress said.

'How'd a diner run out of eggs?' Toland asked.

'I know, but we've sent out already. Give us five minutes.'