Written By Brad Harness
Frank Janson sat at the counter on the round stools, along with a half-dozen others, sipping his soup and nibbling away at his grilled cheese sandwich. Riffles Diner was one of those places which attracted the locals. Everyone knew everybody, more or less. Oh, sure, once in a while strangers stepped through the door, and the locals would stop talking and turn to check out the new arrivals.
Today was just such a day, and Wilber Nugent caught sight of an old face he hadn’t seen in years. He was shocked.
Dropping his spoon in his bowl, he stood up and walked slowly over to confront the stranger.
“Tom Hardy!” Wilber blurted out. “I can’t believe you have the nerve to show your face round here…”
Hardy looked up from placing a sopping wet umbrella in the umbrella stand and hanging a dripping trenchcoat on the coat hooks along the front wall.
“And why shouldn’t I, Wilber?”
“Why? Why?? ‘Cause you stole my car…and you stole my wife!!”
He barely had time to say the words before his fist soared over and hit Hardy squarely on the jaw.
Just when things turned ugly, provincial coppers arrived at the diner, walking in with their heavy issue boots. They were regulars, too, and Annie, the owner, scurried over and grabbed the first of the pair by his arm.
“Oh…! Stephen…do something!”
The constable looked at her and then in the direction she was pointing. Wilber was reeling from a return punch, the older man stumbling into the closest table of lunchtime eaters.
“That’s enough!” roared the constable, whose partner was now also inside, and they each grabbed a man from behind and pulled them apart.
“Now…what exactly is going on here, Wilber Nugent?” Stephen demanded.
Wilber was flushed and furious, not able to spit out words to explain his actions. Fortunately Ross Thomas came to his aid. “I’ll tell youse what’s going on here, officer. That man…!” he said, pointing at Hardy, “…stole Wilbur’s wife and his car!”
Sitting over in the corner was Lila Jenkins, an entrepreneur and a medical researcher who just happened to be eating at the diner today.
She smiled to herself, with pride, knowing that her latest invention would put a stop to such outbursts of criminality.
NEXT WEEK: PART 2
