Raven's Rest Read Online Free PDF Page A

devil. I do. I know for a fact that he exists. Evil exists, and it resides here in Banning.”
    Okay, creepy. I had no doubt that she was sincere, though. I didn’t get the vibe that she was a charlatan out to make a quick buck. And in a weird way, I liked her. She was strange, but she seemed genuinely concerned over my welfare, a man she’d just met minutes ago. “I have the feeling we’ll meet again, Jesenia,” I said.
    “We will, Michael. May I call you Michael?” She smiled when I said yes. “I think we’re going to be friends. Keep my card with you. You’re going to need it. Don’t throw it into the trash in your room at the Raven’s Rest.”
    “How did you know I was staying at the Raven’s Rest?”
    Jesenia Maupin grinned. “The first word after my name on the card, Michael. Have a good day.”
    Psychic. I walked out of the restaurant deep in thought, pondering my chat with Jesenia. She’d certainly been right about a few things, but they could just as easily have been good guesses. The part about someone trying to kill me was ludicrous, however. I knew practically no one in Banning, and Kevin, for all his many faults, wasn’t the killing type. Controlling, manipulative, demanding, yes, but physically dangerous? No.
    Not paying attention to where I was walking, I nearly barreled into someone in the parking lot. The older man was just getting out of his car and had to back up suddenly to avoid colliding with me.
    “Excuse me,” I said, and I started to walk on, but the look on his face stopped me in my tracks. The man was maybe in his sixties or early seventies, with a jowled face and grizzled black hair liberally sprinkled with gray. There was shock in his eyes, more than you might expect from someone you nearly bumped into.
    “You,” he said in awe.
    “I’m sorry,” I said, somewhat confused. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”
    The man shook his head. “It’s okay. It’s just that—” He narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me. “You remind me of someone I used to know. Your last name isn’t Finn, by any chance?”
    “No, it’s Cook.”
    Some of the worry went out of the man’s face. “My mistake. Sorry.”
    He turned and made his way into the McDonald’s. At the door, however, he glanced back at me. I could tell he was still perturbed by our encounter.
    “Maybe,” I said to myself as he disappeared inside, “I picked the wrong town to settle in.”
     
     
    BACK AT the inn, Lonnie was in charge of the front desk, and he grinned at me as I came in. “Mr. Cook, how are you doing today?”
    “I’m good, Lonnie. Yourself?”
    “Peachy. Been out seeing the sights of Banning? All two of them?”
    I nodded. “Not exactly a booming town, is it?” The inn seemed quiet, and I noticed that the solarium and the common room (as I’d dubbed it in my mind) were empty. “The business people all out at their conference?”
    Lonnie shook his head. “They’ve all checked out. It’s just you and a couple of other people right now. We’ll have a few more joining us this weekend, though.”
    “That’s all right. I like quiet.” And I believed I did. I just wasn’t used to it. I stopped when I got to the bottom of the stairs and looked back at him. “What’s a good place around here for dinner?”
    “Alfanso’s, if you like Italian.”
    “Alfanso’s it is, then. And I don’t suppose you know of any apartments that are available for rent.”
    Lonnie smiled. “Tired of us already?”
    “Well, I’m thinking of settling here in Banning. I’ll have to find a place to live if that’s the case.”
    “The Jefferson Apartments are pretty good. They’re right up the road on—”
    I laughed. “On Jefferson Street.” I’d already figured out that most of the roads in Banning were named after presidents.
     
     
    UP IN my room, I was pleased to find that the chairs placed before the fireplace weren’t as uncomfortable as they looked. I sat in one, enjoying the feel of the