The Carrier (The Carrier Series Book 1) by Diana Ryan

closed
up. I wondered what Nolan was doing at that exact moment.

Chapter
Nine
    Nolan worked at Lower Two the next day. I
visited him a few times between trips but was sure to leave a little space for
him to wonder about me. I also decided to spend a few breaks up at Lower One
talking to Suzanne and Brian. The conversation turned serious early in the day
when they started talking about Nolan.
    “Well, I think he’s a really nice guy,” Brian
was commenting. “He just oozes charm and really seems to have a good head on
his shoulders.”
    “Oh, come on, Brian! Are you seriously getting
sucked into his tractor beam? I can see right through that guy. He is as fake
as fake can be.” Suzanne was sitting in the ticket
window, doodling on a pad of paper.
    Brian challenged Suzanne. “The kid is like
twenty years old! What do you think he’s hiding?” Brian was leaning one elbow
on the counter and looked very relaxed.
    “Listen, I like the guy. He’s a blast to work
with here in the booth, but I’ll be damned if there isn’t something he’s hiding
from us.” She tapped her pen on the glass counter and stared off into space,
thinking. “He sure does have a fancy car and phone for a guy who works off of
commission.”
    “Maybe his family has money. Have you ever
asked him about his family?” Brian was pointing a finger in Suzanne’s face.
    Suzanne playfully slapped his finger down and
said, “I don’t know why you are getting so defensive! I said I like the kid.
I’m just saying there is something about him that doesn’t rub me the right
way.” Then she stared off into space again and said, “Let’s see...armed robbery ?... Oh! Drug lord ?... Wait! I
know, I know! Gang fighting...” That one made Brian laugh,
although Suzanne was serious.
    “There is no way that Nolan is into gang
fighting! Give it up, Suzanne, maybe he’s just a good guy.”
    They seemed to have forgotten I was sitting in
the corner of the booth. I’m sure they wouldn’t have had such a conversation if
they remembered I was right there. I decided to give them a reminder and
cleared my throat.
    Brian turned toward me, and his face lit up
like a Vegas hotel sign. “Oh, shoot! I forgot! Nolan is going to kill me!”
    What?
    Suzanne threw the pen at the ceiling, and it
bounced off, landing on my lap. “Oh, see? I knew it. He’s into murder!”
    Brian shot Suzanne an angry look before turning
back to me. “Go out to your car right now.”
    Suzanne was yelling now, “Don’t do it! He
manufactures homemade bombs!”
    Although my heart rate sped up, I sat still and
stared at them. Was Brian out of his mind?
    “Come on! I promise you’ll be happy. Just go
out to your car and take a look.” But I couldn’t move. He walked a few steps
closer to me and looked me dead in the eyes. “Seriously. Have I ever led you wrong before?”
    No. Hadn’t I known Brian as a good judge of
character and a level-headed guy? So I slowly and anxiously slid off the stool
and walked out of the ticket booth. I kept my eyes on Brian and Suzanne, not
quite sure what to expect.
    A Dells Boat tour bus filled with passengers
from the Upper Dells crossed my path. I surveyed the parking lot but didn’t see
anything to be alarmed about. After all, I didn’t quite know what I was looking
for, and my imagination was definitely taking the better of me.
    As I approached my Olds, I noticed something on
my windshield. It looked like an envelope and some type of bundle wrapped in
plastic. As I cautiously walked closer, I found a dozen red roses placed
carefully under the left windshield wiper. They must have been beautiful many
hours ago, but now they were dead and wilted from the summer sun. I laughed a
little—they had dried and stuck to the windshield, and as I tried to pry them
free, several of the petals fell to the ground and the stems broke.
    The envelope was addressed to “My singing tour
guide.” A smile slowly crept onto my lips. Inside was a blank card with