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the
bar for a game of pool?” he said.
    “ And a couple more
beers?”
    “ Sure. Let’s
go.”
    He started the truck.
    Carnie liked this dumb cowboy. He was cute,
and would take orders. He might just come in handy, she
thought.
    No need to kill him tonight.

    Chapter 7

    Monday mornings always went by fast for Greg
Tenorly. It was his only weekday morning off from his part-time job
as music minister at First Baptist Church, Coreyville. Afternoons
and three evenings were spent teaching private music lessons at his
little studio in a strip mall near town square.
    Wednesday night he had church choir
rehearsal and Friday nights he was off. Nobody wanted to take music
lessons on Friday nights. And now that he and Cynthia were dating,
he was glad to have the night available.
    His first lesson on Monday was at 1:30 PM,
so he had plenty of time for an easygoing lunch at Jane’s Diner,
which was just a few yards down the sidewalk from his studio. He
ordered the Chicken Fried Steak Special.
    While waiting for his food, he surveyed the
lunch crowd. Same old faces. Coreyville didn’t get many tourists.
His cell rang. It was Cynthia.
    “ Hi, Honey. What are you
doing—eating lunch at Jane’s?”
    “ Am I that predictable?”
    “ Yes, you are. But it’s one
of the things I like about you.”
    “ I’m glad you think it’s a
plus.”
    “ Well, I’m sure your lunch
will be tastier than mine. I’m eating a sandwich at my desk. I’ll
be leaving a little early so I can get over to Mom’s to help her
pack.”
    “ Good. I’ll get there as
soon as I can. I should be done by 7:00 tonight.”
    “ Sounds good. I’ll see you
there. Have a good afternoon.”
    “ You too. Bye,
Sweetie.”
    Jane brought Greg his food. He ate at her
restaurant nearly every day.
    “ Looks delicious,
Jane.”
    “ Thanks. Enjoy. By the way,
how’s it going with your banker girlfriend?”
    “ Great. But you can quit
calling her my banker
girlfriend . Yeah, she’s a bank vice
president. Get over it.”
    Jane laughed. “I’m sorry, Greg. But I just
never thought of you as the kind of guy who would be dating a
banker.”
    “ Me either, I guess. And
I’m amazed every day when I get up in the morning and look in the
mirror. How could a beautiful woman like Cynthia go for a guy like
me?”
    “ I shouldn’t say it,
because it’s just gonna make your head swell, but you’re a great
catch, Greg.”
    “ But what about this?” He
pointed to his receding hairline. “I’m losing it fast. And this?”
He patted his protruding stomach.
    “ Yeah, but you can lose that. That
extra weight doesn’t have to be permanent. And a full head of hair
is not that important to a lot of woman. Especially as they get
older. I can tell you it’s way low on my wish list.”
    Jane Appletree was the sole owner of the
diner, and had run it by herself since her husband died a few years
earlier. At age 60, she was still a very attractive woman. She took
pride in her appearance, and the long days on her feet helped keep
her thin. She would love to have had Greg for herself if she was a
few years younger. Actually, many years younger, since Greg was
only 34.
    “ Yeah, things have been
going great, but—“
    “— what happened?” Jane
frowned.
    “ Her mother is moving in
with her.”
    “ Oh, no. I’m sorry,
Greg.”
    “ No. I think it’s going to
be fine. She’s a very nice lady. We had lunch at her house on
Saturday, and I really liked her.”
    “ Well, I wish you luck. I’m
afraid you’re gonna need it.”
    **********
    “ I won’t hold you for long,
Ernie. I know you have lunch plans. But I just wanted to give you a
heads-up.”
    It was Dr. E.J. Edwards’ first day in the
office with Elmo. He had relocated to Coreyville a few months
earlier, but still had only a handful of patients. He knew that
moving into the office with the popular pediatrician would help
bring many new patients to his practice.
    “ What’s going
on?”
    “ I think my mother