Hunted by T.M. Bledsoe Page A

holding up?  I know he’s never had to deal with anything like this.  He must be pulling his hair out, the poor man!”
    Lanie found the appropriate rack and began looking through the variety of sweaters hanging there.  “He’s doing alright.  He still has all his hair.”
    Patti let out something that seemed as if it was supposed to be a chuckle, but there was no humor in the sound.  “I’m not close with the family, but Stacy came in here almost as much as you did.  Do you think her parents would mind if I stopped by and gave my condolences?”
    Lanie looked at Patti then, feeling her throat constrict.  “I don’t know,” she answered truthfully.  “But, there’s going to be a memorial set up for her in the park today and the Spirit Squad is putting together a flower sale to raise money for her family.  You could help that way.”
    “Well, that’s a good idea,” Patti stated with a smile.  “The Millers will appreciate anything you girls can do for them.  And I’ll put the word out about the memorial and the flower sale to everyone.”
    Lanie nodded and went back to looking through the sweaters hanging on the rack.  Patti knew everyone in Fells Pointe, so if she put the word out, there wouldn’t be a soul who didn’t know about it, which was a good thing.  The Millers could use the money.
    Thankfully, another customer came into the shop at that point and Patti focused on talking to them instead of Lanie, leaving her to go about her business.  It didn’t take her very long to pull out a couple of items, the first being a thick, light green, nubby cardigan, and the second treasure being a dark grey cowl neck sweater that was soft to the touch.  She took both of her finds to the register and paid for them, the tab being a whopping three dollars and some change, and then quickly exited the shop before Patti decided to strike up another conversation with her. 
    Once out of the shop, she glanced down the sidewalk toward The Craft Emporium, but found the sidewalk empty.  Clearly, it would take some time for the Spirit Squad to find the items they needed for the memorial, so Lanie decided to put her bag in the trunk of the Bug and walk just up the block and around the corner to grab an iced coffee from Katy’s.  Of course, she took out her phone and pecked out a text to Johnna first, just to let her friends know.  While she was at it, she pecked out one to her father, letting him know that she was in town and doing fine.
    That done, Lanie started down the sidewalk away from the thrift store.  She’d followed all her instructions, so she could go and grab her coffee with a clear conscience.  Katy’s Korner was only about a ten minute walk from the thrift store, which was why she didn’t take her car like her father had instructed, and she made it to the little diner in good time, though halfway there she did find herself wishing she’d taken her car after all. 
    She couldn’t keep herself from glancing over her shoulder every few minutes during the short walk, her stomach tight as she searched for the eyes that she could feel boring into her.  Of course, she never found them because they weren’t real !  But, she felt them anyway, so much so that gooseflesh rose up along her arms and little tendrils of fear snaked through her belly, quickening her steps more than she would have liked.
    Feeling foolish and irritated with herself, she pushed through the door of Katy’s Korner, the pungent scents of strong coffee and breakfast meats striking her as she stepped inside.  She found most of the tables empty, since it was only ten o’clock on a Sunday morning and a lot of people were in church.  Once she had exchanged a few words with the little, grey haired owner of the place, she ordered her iced coffee with a double shot and made her escape before she could be dragged into a conversation about Stacy Miller.  She just didn’t want to talk about it. 
    Once Lanie was back out on the