She's Not a Fan

Chapter 26

On Saturday night, Sarah pulled into the Bibbington Bowling Lanes parking lot and parked beside Kelly's car.  Sarah locked her car and shivering against the cold, stepped inside the warmth of the bowling alley. 

Bibb's, as everyone affectionately called it, had been around forever.  It was a popular spot for families during the day and it was almost a rite of passage for the kids in town to have at least one Bibb's Bowling Birthday Bash.  Teenagers and adults kept the place hopping at night and the combination of friendly atmosphere, delicious food and cheap brew made it a popular spot. 

Tonight was 'Moon Glow' night.  Black lighting replaced the regular lights and caused a wild fluorescence.  White clothing became bright purple, and all the signs flashed in a stream of neon yellow, eye popping green and 'where are my sunglasses' pink.

Sarah stepped up to the counter and scanned the room.  Pins crashed and a group of teenagers cheered and high fived.  A young couple smooched in another lane and a group of seniors, with matching bowling shirts, laughed and mingled. 

Sarah spotted Claire and Kelly changing into bowling shoes in lane five.  She exchanged her boots for bowling shoes and went over to join them.  They both looked up and smiled as she approached.

"Hi Sarah," greeted Claire with a warm smile.

"Hi guys.  Have you been here long?"

"Nope, just arrived.  Haven't seen Danni yet, but she might be a few minutes yet.  I think the hockey game was just ending when I left," said Kelly.

Sarah sat down beside Claire, slipped on the bowling shoes and started tying them up.

"How are you doing, Sarah?  Any after effects from the other day?" asked Claire quietly.

"No, I'm fine.  I heard from the police though."

"Really?  What did they say?"

"Apparently they have two men in custody.  They think they're the ones responsible for the murder in the summer."

"Oh my god!  You're kidding.  That's scary."

"Yeah.  And sad, too.  But they're behind bars now, so that's some consolation.  I'm trying not to focus on what could have happened."

"Good idea," agreed Kelly wholeheartedly. "Will you have to testify against them?"

"I'm not sure," Sarah said slowly. "I didn't ask about the details of the evidence they found and I imagine it would depend on that.  I got the impression they had enough evidence to convict them without involving me.  They did promise they wouldn't release my name to the public.  I was glad about that."

"Yeah, it'll probably be easier to put behind you without constant curious reminders from patients and everyone you know."

"Exactly."  Sarah finished tying up the laces.  "So, who wants to be on my team and win at bowling tonight?" she said tongue-in-cheek, knowing she was probably the worst of the four.

 "I'm game to save a few dollars," Claire said laughing.  The winners paid for dessert.

"Sounds good to me."

"Here's Danni now."

They all looked up and smiled as Danni strode over with bowling shoes in her hand.

"Hey Danni, how was the game?" asked Kelly.

"Great.  It was relatively quiet for me so I headed out shortly after it finished.  And they won, woohoo."  She pumped her fist in the air.  "So, that's a bonus.  Have you been waiting long?"