Always Eat Your Meat

Chapter 5

"I Fall to Pieces" by Patsy Cline hummed on the jukebox around 12:45 P.M. when I sauntered over to the scruffy bar to pick up a tray with a pitcher of luke, warm coffee.

In a zombie-like state of mind, I made my usual rounds circling the dreary diner to attend the customers needs.

I was still so horrified by my confrontation with Earl in the kitchen that I tripped on my dirty shoelace, spilling the pitcher of coffee all over a gentleman sitting in a metallic, red booth.

"Oh my gosh! I am so sorry sir. Let me clean that up for you," I shrieked as I frantically mopped up the mess with a shabby rag.

"I've just been so distracted lately, I..."

"You've discovered something peculiar going on around here haven't you? I mean... I'm assuming that's why you're shaking and your forehead is dripping with perspiration," the old man responded, who appeared eighty but spoke like he had the mind of a thirty year old.

"Ummm,...I'm sorry, but I don't know exactly what you're referring to sir."

Through his wrinkly face, I couldn't quite tell if he was confused by my response or took it as an invitation to elaborate. I soon found out my answer when he kindly gestured his stick of an arm for me to sit down across from him. I hesitantly sat with a timid smile so I wouldn't offend the fragile figure.

"I would like to begin by saying that my name is Clark Brooks and I've lived in Las Vegas for over fifty years. I've always been drawn to the heat and mesmerized by the sight of the city's neon lights, but that's just meaningless information that veers far from my presence in this diner here today."

I swallowed casually, massaging my sweaty hands while peeping out the hazy window and back into his cloudy green eyes, unsure what was going to come next.

"It's funny," he replied, flashing his jagged teeth. "My beautiful granddaughter Charlotte, who was probably around your age, used to work at this very same diner two years ago. She had the most enchanting smile and the silkiest hair, like the color of midnight."

I finally felt like the tension I was experiencing was beginning to melt away as he continued deeper into his conversation.

With comfort slowly building my confidence, I commented, "Charlotte sounds like a lovely girl and I would be more than flattered to meet her."

Suddenly, in a blink of an eye, his delicate smile swiftly faded, just when I thought I was winning his friendship.

"Valerie, why do you always find a way to screw things up?" I scolded myself in my head.

"I'm so sorry if I offended you Mr. Brooks. I just thought..." As I offered my hand trying to soothe his obvious anxiety.

"No dear, you didn't offend me,...you just caught me off guard."

Examining the diner in almost a way that a criminal does when one wants to make sure no one else is listening or watching he quietly continued, "Valerie,...time isn't necessarily on my side and before it's too late I wanted to warn you that you need to leave this place immediately. I assume by your earlier behavior that you do comprehend at what I'm hinting at. I can't tell you exactly everything, because I haven't discovered all the answers yet, but you must leave at once! I beg you!" He hectically grabbed my clammy hands.

"I'm really okay sir. I'm just a little nervous because I haven't worked here for very long yet." I replied, pulling my hands away, but somewhat still curious about his urgent message, I asked, "Why are you so desperately trying to get me to leave?"

Mr. Brooks attempted to straighten his hunchback position, "My granddaughter Charlotte, that I spoke of earlier, worked here in the summer of 1986. She couldn't wait to tell me how sweet the customers and the owners were to her. She always insisted on me coming to visit her. Boy, how much I regret not stopping by. Anywho, one night her mother called and said that Charlotte didn't come home. We immediately contacted the police and went through countless interviews at this diner and no leads ever came around. She just disappeared into thin air." Tears began to trickle down the wrinkles in his devastated face. "That's why I want you to leave. I believe something sinister happened to her here and someone's covering it up. Please, I care too much to let another innocent girl be taken away from this world."

Trying to capture all the thoughts flying around in my brain, I couldn't fathom what he said could be possibly true. Although his story does support my human flesh theory, I'm no detective.

"Mr. Brooks I,..."

"Bing!" The bell rang at the counter right in the middle of my sentence.

"Valerie enough chit chat! The burgers are ready!" Susan hollered at me with an edge in her voice that was very unlike her sweet personality.

"Yes ma'am, coming!"

As I started to exit the booth, Mr. Brooks grabbed my arm urgently, "Please Valerie, you must leave at once!"

"I have to go." Nervously yanking my arm away.

As I frightfully walked over to the bar and picked up the two plates of hot, juicy burgers, I started to consider maybe taking his advice, but part of me still thought it was just a coincidence that Charlotte disappeared from here. I mean who would want to hurt her? Sure sometimes Earl and Susan could be a little weird, but they would never hurt a fly, let alone a person.

After taking a breather, I turned around to deliver the customers their meals when I noticed the elderly man was gone.