Blood Stains Read Online Free PDF

handed him the food. When the old man nodded, Henry added, “God bless you.”
    The old man smiled. “Thank you, Henry. Thank you.”
    Henry waited until Montrose found himself a seat and started eating before he went to get Maria. The woman was still at the sink. She’d surprised him by helping out like this. Despite the fact that she was in a better place financially than most people he saw, she seemed as lost as the old man with his beans.
    He hoped Montrose could help her.
    “Hey, Tyrell, stand in for me a minute, will you?”

    Tyrell gratefully set aside his dish towel and headed for the food line.
    “Not too much,” Henry said softly. “It needs to go a long ways.”
    “I remember, Preacher Henry,” the boy said, and deftly scooped a ladle of hot brown pinto beans into the next bowl, laid a square of corn bread on top and passed it along.
    Satisfied that the boy had everything under control, Henry moved to the sink and tapped Maria’s shoulder.
    “The man I mentioned who used to work at the Hampton Arms is here.”
    Maria flinched, nearly dropping the pan she’d been scrubbing, then rinsed it off and set it aside before grabbing a towel to dry her hands.
    “That’s great,” she said. “Will you introduce us? No one wants a stranger in their face when they’re trying to eat a meal.”
    Again, Henry was taken by her manner. The man she wanted to talk to was a vagrant, and yet she was considering his feelings as much as her own desires.
    “Yes, ma’am, I will, and I hope he has some answers for you.”
    “So do I,” she said, then slung her purse over her shoulder. “I’m ready when you are.”
    Henry led the way out into the dining area with Maria close at his heels.
    Henry suddenly stopped and bent down to speak to a tiny, wizened old man, and Maria eyed him carefully, wondering if seeing him would trigger any memories.

    His cheeks were a washed-out red. She couldn’t decide if it was from the broken blood vessels beneath his pale skin, or if they were chapped from living outside in all kinds of weather. Tufts of gray hair poked out the holes in the knitted cap on his head, matching a sparse assortment of gray, scraggly whiskers. A quick glance revealed that while he was dressed in several layers of clothing, he was nearly barefoot. The tennis shoes he was wearing were literally tied to his feet with some kind of grimy, frayed cording.
    Just as she was about to feel sorry for him, he looked up. The smile on his face was unexpected in so many ways. How could a person still have joy in his heart while leading such a miserable existence?
    “Montrose, this is the lady who wants to talk to you. Would that be all right?”
    Montrose squinted as his gaze shifted to the woman standing beside Henry.
    “Sure, I don’t mind,” he said. “Have a seat. I’ll just finish my food while we talk.”
    Maria sat down in a chair across from him as Henry introduced them.
    “Montrose, meet Maria Slade. Maria…Mr. Montrose Benton.”
    “Call me Montrose,” he said. “Or Monty.”
    Maria smiled and nodded, but her heart was pounding. She didn’t quite know where to start or how to explain her situation without giving too much away.

    Since she wasn’t talking, Monty wasn’t interested in wasting time. He scooped more beans into his mouth, then chased it with a bite of corn bread as she took a notebook from her bag. He couldn’t imagine what he had to say that would interest her, but it was a welcome change in his routine.
    Maria glanced down at the notebook, then leaned across the table.
    “Henry told me you used to work the desk at the Hampton Arms.”
    Monty’s eyes widened. “You talkin’ ’bout that old roomin’ house that used to be down the street?”
    “Yes.”
    “Yes, I did.”
    “How long did you work there?”
    “Probably ten or fifteen years, but I lived there until it closed.”
    “Were you there twenty years ago?” Maria asked.
    “Yeah, yeah…I would have been working the desk