Free Ticket to Nowhere: Chapter 2
A Stark Mystery
I rubbed the spot right between my eyebrows trying to scrub out the headache hammering the inside of my skull. Maybe I should have added some protein to the leftover gin wipe up.
I looked at the boarding time on my ticket. Two hours off. The scent of charred beef teased me, caused saliva to pool in the back of my mouth. I followed my nose. Why not? I had four sawbucks now and some time to kill. Might as well indulge a little.
Seated at the high-top, I tapped the envelope on the table. Flipped it over and over. Started to slide a ragged thumbnail beneath the seal. Before I could open the envelope, my steak arrived. Accompanied by a highball of Hendricks. Delicate notes of rose and cucumber drifted from the glass. I set the envelope aside and dug in. The steak was perfection, but questions swirled in my head.
Next assignment? What was the first? Who hired me? For what? Why now? And why Nowhere Topeka, Kansas?
Of all the doors in all the world… oh wait, that’s someone else’s line.
Lost in my ruminations I almost missed the crackle of the overhead paging system.
“Final boarding call for flight 1729 bound for Topeka Kansas”
