by Edie Claire
Mei Lin rolled down her window to enjoy the sensation of the cool, moist air rushing past her cheeks. After a year and a half of inhaling the smelly haze of urban Dallas, she couldn’t seem to get enough of the pure stuff. She glanced to the northeast and smiled. The weather was clear enough today to see the snow-covered Chilkat Mountains in the distance. Since they were frequently obscured by fog, she relished every peek.
Elsie’s house was located exactly three minutes from the GusMart, and Mei Lin passed only one other vehicle on the way. She recognized the beat-up little Ford immediately as one of the fleet of second-handers belonging to Ron’s Rentals, the only car-rental business in town. The Ford broke down less than most of Ron’s other offerings, but even tourists who got stuck with the Spider (a particularly dilapidated conversion van with so many cracks in its windows it looked like it was wrapped in a giant web) were never stranded long. Every citizen of Gustavus, including Mei Lin herself, had picked up some tourist from the roadside at one point or other and given them a lift back to Ron’s, where customers were assured of another set of wheels, an apologetic smile, and quite likely some fresh-caught fish as consolation.
Mei Lin passed the other driver with the mandatory local wave, which consisted of a brief lift of the fingers off the wheel along with a nod of acknowledgment. The fact that the tourist made no response indicated he hadn’t been in town long. Gustavus was a friendly place.
The parking lot at the GusMart was packed, meaning that all three spots directly in front of the building were taken. Mei Lin pulled the Subaru off to the side of the lot and rushed in. She didn’t want to make Ed Hanover stay late.
“Hey there, Mei,” the storeowner called out as she blew by the checkout stand. He chuckled at her obvious haste. “Don’t bust an artery now! You’re fine. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You deserve a weekend as much as anyone else,” she called back. “I’m sorry. Twenty-Two held me up a bit, but I’ll be quick, I promise.”
Ed laughed again. “Ah, good old Twenty-Two. No hurrying that one along, for sure. Is this all for you, Stanley?” Not recognizing the name, Mei Lin looked up at the elderly customer who was checking out. She assumed he was a local, but she didn’t know him. The area had a fair number of residents who kept to themselves, some of whom lived in remote cabins under primitive conditions. Stanley appeared to be one of them. The fabric of his shirt, shorts, and socks seemed indelibly entwined with dirt, his scruffy gray hair and beard hung to his shoulders, and his presence suffused the entire front section of the store with the pungent aroma of man-sweat and wood smoke.
“That’ll be all, today. Thanks, Ed,” the customer replied. Mei Lin perked an eyebrow. She’d expected to hear the succinct, rough dialect one usually associated with an antisocial backwoodsman, but this individual sounded more like a college professor. She was studying his mud-crusted hiking boots, which looked to have been expensive originally, when she noticed the wound. A nasty laceration curved along the man’s calf just above the sock line. The cut had been stitched closed, and capably so, but Mei Lin didn’t like the look of it. The gash appeared to be a few days old, and its edges had begun to redden and puff. She thought she saw a disturbing yellowish tinge to the swelling as well, but from where she stood, it was difficult to tell…
Keep reading here! Thanks so much!
Edie
