Hell Town

Chapter One

Lani Scott paused outside the diner to watch the sun rise up over Cedar Falls. The town was quiet this early in the morning but as the sun climbed higher, she could see it start to come to life.

The mail truck passed by, with Rich Dawkins behind the wheel. He gave her a wave as he went, which she returned, half heartily. Better not be too enthusiastic, he might take it the wrong way.

She could smell freshly baked bread on the breeze from the bakery down the street, and sure enough, the same as he did every morning, Sheriff Palmer headed toward her for his regular cup of coffee. Black, two sugars. 'Can't start the day without it,' he always said.

"Morning Lani," he said, as he went in.

"Morning Sheriff," she replied.

Sighing, she propped up the specials board and followed him back inside.

"Another day in paradise," she muttered, under her breath.

Life in Cedar Falls might have looked idyllic to the casual observer, but Lani knew things about the people here that would soon shatter those illusions. Rich, for example, always walking around with a smile on his face. He should, considering the amount of women he was seeing, behind his wife's back. The whole town knew about his antics, even his wife knew, yet nobody did anything about it, except gossip.

Lani tied her long dark hair back in a ponytail and grabbed the coffee pot to pour Palmer his coffee. He had been Sheriff for nearly twenty years, now in his mid-fifties he was semi retired. He still put in an appearance at town functions and still went into the office every morning but his deputies handled most of the legwork. Crime wasn't a common thing in Cedar Falls. You got the odd drunk and disorderly, bar fights and teenagers acting up but otherwise it was one of the safest towns in the state. And they had the plaque to prove it.

"Looks like it's going to be a beautiful day," Palmer commented, running a hand through his silver grey hair.

Lani nodded, just like yesterday and the day before that. Nothing ever changed.

He took his coffee to go and left whistling, 'Beautiful Morning.'

"Lani, the salt shakers need filled," Audrey, the owner of the diner, called.

Groaning, Lani trudged into the kitchen to fill them. She still hated being up at the crack of dawn, despite doing it every morning. Her body clock was still stuck on night owl, even after all this time.

"Customers like to see a smiling face," Audrey said, following her. She was tall like Lani, with auburn colored hair and a perpetual scowl on her face. Except in front of customers. They received a smile.

"Then they'll be disappointed," she replied.

Audrey muttered something she didn't catch. She wasn't worried. Audrey wouldn't fire her, she was the only family Audrey had left.

That made her think about her dad and with it, that familiar pain in her chest. She had lived with him until she was fifteen. They had traveled across the country together. He was in a rock band with three other guys. Not an ideal life for a teenager but it had never been boring. The band were like her family and she got the chance to see places that she never would have normally.

Then after he died, she was sent back here to live with a woman she barely knew. That was four years ago and she still didn't know her. Truth be told, she wasn't interested in knowing her. She knew all she needed to know.

After the breakfast rush, Lani headed to the store with a detour past the Sheriff's office.

As she got closer to the building, she could see him standing outside waiting for her. He was the only good thing she had going for her. Deputy Rick Tobin. Six two, broad shoulders, dark hair and green eyes that were currently fixed on her. He grinned and she couldn't help but return the smile. He was unbelievably hot.