“I’m only joking. I’ve never seen Asher do that before. He’s always busy.”
That made me feel a little better.
“So why the orchard?” she asked. “A girl like you with a head on her shoulders. Why work the orchard?”
She seemed like a woman who had seen a lot in her life. Mid-forties, alert, beautiful. I bet she knew half the town’s secrets.She watched me carefully. “You’re looking for answers,” she said.
I swallowed. Was I that obvious? “How can you tell?” I asked.
“Because people who come in here just to drink don’t open laptops,” she said. “And they don’t sit like that.”
“Like what?” I asked curiously.
“Like they’re bracing for impact.” She raised her brows.
Something inside me shifted. “My best friend disappeared,” I said quietly. “Years ago. She was supposed to cross the border.”
Kammy’s expression softened. “I’m sorry.”
“She never made it,” I continued. “And no one really looked for her.”
“That happens,” Kammy said. “More than it should.”
I took a breath. “Do you know of others? People who came through town with the same plan?”
Kammy didn’t answer right away. She glanced around the room, then leaned closer.
“People come through here all the time,” she said carefully. “Most pass quietly. Some don’t.”
“Do they disappear?” I whispered.
“Sometimes,” she admitted. “And sometimes it’s easier for everyone to say they just moved on.”
My stomach tightened. “Does anyone ever talk about it?”
“Only after enough time,” she said. “And usually not to strangers.”
I nodded, absorbing that.
“There are places people go when they want to feel invisible,” Kammy added. “Places where questions get drowned out by noise.”
“Like here?” I asked.
She shook her head. “No. This place is for pretending nothing’s wrong.”
She hesitated, then said, “There’s a pool hall a few streets over. Snooker tables. Nico and his friends spend a lot of time there.”
The name sent a chill down my spine. “Thank you,” I said.
Kammy’s gaze sharpened. “Be careful. Asking questions to the wrong people can cause them to come after you.”
“I will,” I assured.
“I mean it,” she said gently. “You seem… kind. That doesn’t always play well with people who don’t have much to lose.”
“I know,” I said. “But I can’t stop.”
She nodded like she understood exactly what I meant.