The Last Table at Meridian Diner

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Chapter 1 Mara had put out one more cup than she needed. She counted them again when the bell rang, as if the woman coming through the door might turn out to be somebody who wanted breakfast. Evelyn Rourke stopped on the mat to close her umbrella. The March rain had left a dark band along the hem of her coat. She shook the umbrella once outside, carefully, then came in carrying a laptop bag and a thin leather folder. Mara saw the care she took with the wet floor and disliked having to notice it. “Morning,” Evelyn said. “Coffee?” “I need to talk to you.” “That wasn’t the question.” Behind Mara, Rafi scraped the grill. June was stacking clean saucers beside the pie case. Both went on working, which meant both were listening. At the window a man in a road crew jacket turned his mug by the handle until the handle faced away from them. Evelyn stood where the counter curved. She had used that spot as a child, rising onto her toes to see what her father was eating. Now she set the folder there and kept her hands on it. “First the keys. Then the current records.” “Office keys are on the hook.” “May I have them?” Mara took a plate from the pass. “June, table three.” June received it…