Image by Richard Todd from Pixabay
There was a mixture of dread and anticipation that swirled inside me that kept me from looking away from the scene that unfolded beyond the two-way mirror.
Hilda always hoped for this day to come, included it into her many petitions and hang on to every word my readings had of her. Even after her divorce with Mr. Grant, she still clung to the belief that her little boy would someday be found.
And even though Lee was no longer a scrawny teenager, Hilda was more than happy to wrap her arms around him as she sobbed in apparent relief.
Mr. Grant, her ex-husband, had also come rushing to the station at the news of Lee's sudden appearance after being missing for the past three decades. He now stood to the side in silent disbelief, the slight trembling of his frail shoulders the only thing to betray his real emotions— Lee's disappearance may have been the reason behind his failed marriage with Hilda, but he was still Mr. Grant's first son after all.
“Well that's another cold case out of the books. Are you here to read his palm too, Roe?”
“I'm actually here because of Hilda.” Betty may have tried sounding diplomatic, but there was something with the way she said it that prickled at my senses, “Is this just part of your campaign to get back into the good graces of the people of Gatsburg?” I focused on her then, trying to get a better grasp on her aura.
“If you ever find yourself outside of our little town Roe, you'll see that life isn't all about magic and freewill.” Betty turned to me with sharp eyes that once held warmth and laughter, her wild red hair, now neatly cropped and dyed a practical brown only adding to the edge of her words.
“Roe! Are you alright??” Cole's prompt appearance only seemed to add to the tension in the air as Betty turned her focus on her, like a cobra preparing to strike.
“Cole sweetie, perfect timing! Care to join in on my little trip to memory lane with Roe?”