Desolate Truths

"Whoa!" Max managed to get the door closed to the coffee shop on Main behind him. Stomping his boots on the floor mat, he turned to the counter at the center of the shop.

"Ya must be our detective come to investigate that we been hearin' about," A tall middle-aged man with lightly graying hair leaned his tall frame over the counter. "Welcome to Belmont."

Max walked over to the counter and set down his two carry-on suitcases. "Yes, name's Max." The man stood straighter, and he shook hands. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Stan. Wife's in back. Mary! Come meet the detective!" Stan called to the back. After a moment a short, middle-aged woman with light bouncy curls scurried out.

"Well, heya. We been waitin' for ya," Mary walked up next to her husband and stuck out her hand. "My name's Mary."

"Nice to meet you Ma'am." Max reached into the bag on his left and pulled out a paper. "Says here I'm supposed to stay at this house." Mary nodded without looking at the paper.

"Ya, we don't have no fancy hotels or nothin' here, so you'll be stayin' at my sister-in-law's down the street. She has a bed-and-breakfast that's nice." She looked up at Stan. "Why don't you go on and drive him over there, Stanley? No way he goin' back out in that torrential downpour, huh." She smiled at Max and batted her eyelashes.

"Fine, I'll get the car." He glanced down at his wife before walking out back.

"I checked the weather when I arrived at the airport, but I didn't know it was like this." Max gestured out the front window.

"Ya, you'll get used to our wacky weather we got. Unpredictable it is." Both turned as a few local policemen walked in and walked over next to Max.

"Been expectin' ya," The policeman on the left began. "I'm Shep, this is my partner Joe." Max exchanged introductions with them. "Chief says he wants to talk to ya as soon as possible." Shep stated.

"Well, I was going to check in, organize, and touch base where I'm going to be staying at, but I'll head right over."

"Of course, of course, take ya time. Nothin' else going on in this small town that's important." Shep chuckled. "If you head back down Main street south there," Shep gestured out the window to his left. "and take that street called Fifth right, you'll get to our station. Nothin' fancy, but ya know."

"I'll be there right away," Max smiled politely.

Mary had walked around the counter to stand next to Max. "Now ya'll quit buggin' this man. He just traveled, he's tired. What's your problem?" She scolded and smacked Shep on the side of the arm with her dishrag.

Max noticed Stan waiting out front with the car while they were talking. He was leaning over the passenger side curiously, probably wondering what was going on inside of the coffee shop. He picked up his bags. "I'll be over there right away."

Shep and Joe turned to follow him to the door. "No problem," Shep chuckled.

"Welcome to Belmont," Joe finally spoke. Max pat his shoulder.

"Nice to meet you both." Mary called out a goodbye as Max dashed to the car as Stan opened the passenger door.

"Don't worry about getting anythin' wet. Won't hurt nothin'." Stan grinned.

As soon as they started driving the rain stopped and the clouds began dispersing. Max leaned forward to take in the small town. A few people were beginning to come out of various buildings along Main Street. Glancing at the end of Main street beyond them, Max saw a house not far away on a hill surrounded by cornfields, much closer to town than the other farms he saw stretched into the distance.

"What's that house all by itself way out there?" Max asked Stan as he made a left into a small neighborhood.

"Oh, that's some lady that moved here about five years ago. Name's Magda. She don't socialize with us folk much, but she seems nice, I suppose. Previous owner was an old couple. Husband and wife were farmers with a lot of land on the outskirts of town. When they died the kin sold the property." He stopped the car in front of a two-story house with a small sign swinging out front 'Bed-and-Breakfast Family Owned'.

Stan and Max stepped out of the car as a woman in her early thirties with similar bouncing hair as Mary greeted them. She was thinner and taller than her sister, with an equally friendly demeanor that everyone in town appeared to have.

"Hello, hello!" The woman sang. "I'm Sarah, I'm sure ya met my sister Mary already when ya got into town." She swung her arm through Max's.

"Sarah, don't you be botherin' this man with your gossip and nonsense. He got work to do."

She waved her hand at him. "Don't be such a sourpuss." She scrunched her face as they walked into the entryway.

"Feel free to come back to Main Street when you're done with the sheriff, Max." Stan called as he got into his car, made a u-turn, and headed back to Main.

"Lovely house you have, Ma'am." Max took in the modern decor, which contrasted with the older appearance of the outside.

"Why, thank ya hon. Up these stairs and to the end is your room. It's my favorite. It has such a nice view of my pond and garden out back." She opened the door and let Max step inside. "Just let me know if ya need anythin'. I'll be downstairs makin' dinner. Dinner's about six thirty tonight."

"Oh, well that's very kind of you, Ma'am. I..." Sarah interrupted him mid-sentence.

"Oh, puh-lease, darlin' don't keep calling me Ma'am. Makes me feel so old." She giggled.

"Okay, thanks Sarah." Max grinned.

"Let me know if ya need anythin', again." She wiggled her fingers and closed the door behind her.

Max set his bags down on the bench at the end of the quilted queen-sized bed. Glancing around the room, he walked over to the window and looked out at the yard. About a hundred feet back was a pond with a small dock. He walked back over to his bags, and pulled out a few manilla files to bring over to the local police prescient.