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geezer. Was out rather late myself. Just headed back home. Thought I’d grab a bite first.”
                  “Didn’t I see you over there at the Shell yesterday?” Elizabeth asked, but soon regretted it. By the look on his face, he remembered her too, and was not pleased.
         “ Uh...yep...me and Carnel is track buddies. He didn’t hit a lick all night. Was all broke up about it too.”
              “ Sounds like he has my kind of luck.”
          Elizabeth played with the oatmeal, stirring it in small circles. They had brought the man’s food by now, and he had turned back to his plate and was putting the food away. If he comes to Memphis to gamble with that Carnel, then why was he having to follow him to the track? And what was he doing putting horse feed in the back of Carnel’s car? She remembered seeing a couple of horse farms advertised along the way to Memphis. “Tennessee Walking Horses For Sale, Pine Hill Stables,” one sign had read near the Brownsville exit.  Maybe Carnel did raise horses.
                  Elizabeth choked down as much of the breakfast as she could stand. She placed a tip on the table and headed for the register, taking her chocolate milk with her. She asked for a to-go cup as the waitress rang up her check.
                  “I’m a headed your way if you need a ride, missy. Don’t mind a little company.”
                                “That’s ok. I’m going to catch a bus back.”
                  “Well, yore welcome to ride with me, if you ain’t skeered of a good ol’ boy like me.”
              “ Thanks just the same, but I’m not quite ready to leave town.” Elizabeth paid the ticket and headed back to the restrooms.  The man’s body odor had sent her morning sickness into overdrive.
                  Catfish paid his tab and headed out to the truck to do a bit of thinking. He put a dollar into the newspaper machine and drew out a paper. The robbery had made front page. He quickly scanned the article.  No suspects, no leads. “Police frantic to find leads and suspects before the trail goes cold,” he mumbled. She saw me with Frankie last night. If Frankie’s body is found, there will be an investigation. The girl can put me in Memphis at the time of the robbery.  She’s a loose end. Even if she’s not DEA, she’s seen me.  He would wait for her to come out from the Waffle House.  He would just have to make sure she never made it the bus station. There were plenty of places back home to hide a body. He had not come this far and gotten in this deep to spend the rest of his life in the penitentiary. Such a shame. She was such a pretty young thing too. Maybe he would carry her up in the hills a few days and have some fun with her first.
                  Catfish cranked the old truck and started the heater. It was another mild day in the 50’s, but his blood and bones were ice cold. He was too old to make these runs. He was going to retire and build a brick and mortar home with indoor plumbing soon. Soon, if everything went well. Everything must go as planned; the future depended upon it. He had too much at stake to turn back now.
                  “An Amber alert has just been issued for the states of Tennessee, Kentucky, Arkansas, Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. The missing child is 17-year-old Elizabeth Morgan Merriweather, from Jackson, Tennessee, last seen on her job at Wal-Mart on Vann Drive yesterday evening around 7 p.m.  She is 5’5, blonde-haired, blue eyed, and was believed to be wearing blue jeans, a blue top, and white Nike tennis shoes. Police believe she may be a runaway as no sign of foul play has been found at this time.”
                  So she was a runaway. She didn’t run far. Spent the night in Memphis. Not too smart a cookie is she. This should be easy enough. But the cops are looking