C5 Welcome to Woods Creek

"You're welcome. If you need food other than at the inn, there are plenty of places in town. Or there's the cafeteria my family owns. It's attached to this place, around back." He wrinkled his nose. "Although, I guess that's where the garage is, in the back, according to my parents and the townspeople. How about you buy me a beer tonight at The Little Red Riding Hood? There aren't many places to drink around here, but it's a decent place. And it'll help you pass the time."

I smiled, an easy thing to do around him. Having a few drinks at the local pub would give me a chance to check out the town and find out more about this Paul Reed guy while I was here, poking around. "Sounds good to me. I'll settle in at the inn first. It's not like I'm carrying a lot of luggage. Meet me back here around six?"

"Sounds fine with me. See you then."

Mary waved, retreating to the parking space as she pointed to the old gold Firenza.

I waved back and headed for the car with a map of the city Mary had thrust into my hands.

Needing a breather, I stopped by the car, resisting the urge to lean my head against it and draw attention to myself. Take a moment. Breathe. Needing a breather.

Driving through town to my location, I was struck by the beauty of the wooden buildings, structured yet unique and welcoming. It was a small place, to be sure, but it seemed to have all the amenities: a row of stores on the main street, a few restaurants and bars. On signs in the old town I saw directions to the library and town hall. It had everything a person might need if they were able to live isolated in the middle of a forest. And for some painful reason, that appealed to me. But I was exhausted and surviving on too many cups of coffee, so who knew?

Finally, I pulled up in front of the Pinewood Inn.

It was small and quaint, painted light forest green and cream, with white wood facades and soft pink roses in the window boxes. Rustic and romantic. It wasn't what I needed, but if there was a comfortable bed and a shower, I'd be happy.

I grabbed my purse and wallet and went inside. A bell tinkled softly to alert me to my arrival.

"Well, hello, dear," an older woman greeted me, gracefully appearing in the doorway set apart from an antique table and chair that served as the reception desk. Her tan skin had slight wrinkles next to her eyes and her black hair was sprinkled with gray. She approached me effortlessly and took my hand. "You must be Lara .

"I am," I replied, assuming Mary had called earlier.

"My name is Rose. Welcome to Woods Creek. I hope you enjoy your stay here. Although Mary called and said your visit might be under better circumstances."

"Yes. I broke down just outside of town, so Mary has my truck in the shop."

"She'll see you right away." Rose patted her hand before releasing it. "There are a few things here to see and do while you wait." She slipped away behind the reception desk, where a row of keys hung on hooks. He picked up a set of keys and handed them to her. "I've put you up in one of our larger rooms on the top floor. The views of the city are beautiful. There's also a shower. Bigger bed."

"That sounds wonderful." I lifted her purse to rummage through my wallet, but Rose waved her off.

"I'll set up a tab for you. You can pay it when you leave."

The beauty of small towns. "Thanks."

"Same thing if you eat breakfast or dinner here. I serve breakfast from seven to ten, and dinner from six to nine. You're in room twelve, there's no elevator, but the stairs aren't complicated."

"I'm going out with Mary tonight, so I'll have something there," I replied. "But I'll have breakfast in the morning. Eggs, sunny side up, on toasted rye bread will be perfect, if you have any."

"I like it. And I always appreciate the heads up. I'll fix it for when you come down first thing. Leave me a note if you want me to serve it later. Dial three from your room phone to reach me. If you have a cell phone, it won't work from here. You'll have to go to the outskirts of town to get a signal. But we all have landlines, so feel free to use whichever one has coverage. I only charge for long distance."

No cell phone. No outside contact. That hurts. But then, who was he going to call?

"Got it."

"Oh," Rose held up her finger, "and don't get lost in the woods alone at night. Not that you would, but wild animals are more prevalent around here when there are fewer people. They dare to come close to town."

"No woods at night." I nodded. "All right."

"Then that's it. I'll let you go up to your room now. You look half dead on your feet."

"Thank you, Rose. For everything."

"You're welcome. I'll see you at breakfast."

The woman disappeared, sweeping away as gracefully as she'd arrived, and I headed for the carpeted staircase, glad I'd wiped my feet on the way in.

The room was beautiful. None of the floral overkill I had expected. The walls of the room were decorated in pastel shades, with weathered white wood paneling and tan frames with pictures of the city.

The bed was too pretty and delicate to let me plop down on it without cleaning up first, so I kicked off my shoes and headed straight for the shower.

Grateful for the power behind it, I used the sweetly fragranced liquid soap and hair products provided, doing my best to untangle my hair.

The soft towels provided the comfort I didn't know I needed, and I rummaged around until I found a blow dryer to get the moisture out of my tresses. That was all I could do, with my exhaustion searing me to the bone.

I set an alarm on my burner phone and crawled into bed, too tired to put on my pajamas, as the events of the last week caught up with me. Always on the road, driving at night when I could, the constant worry in my heart.

by Spencer, the threat nipping at my heels.

Hot tears caressed my cheeks, but I was too tired to care. I pulled the sheets around me, anxious for the desolate black hole of sleep and for a moment's respite from myself and the mess that hung with a menacing grimace over my weary head.

And I fell into a deep sleep.

Paul

At last the information came in about the woman whose truck was now in Mary's garage .

Lara Swan . Former art student; had a few waitressing jobs. Nothing permanent. But something didn't add up, so I dug into the trenches of my contacts.

What I got made my eyes widen in surprise. But my instinct had hit the nail on the head.

The stranger who had broken down too close to Woods Creek for my comfort was not Lara Swan . It was Lara San. A bounty hunter from Idaho.

Damn, I had laughed at that. Not that I was amused. More like exasperated and mildly impressed that she had found the creek.