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Chapter 13

Talk

Erin spent the rest of her workday chatting with customers, helping behind the counter, and replenishing the fall items they sold in a small corner of the shop. Local artisans needed a place to sell their wares that didn’t cost them an arm and a leg in rental for booth space or an actual store of their own. Erin and Harry were more than happy to help them out. So jars of amazing apple butter, homemade fig cookies, candied orange slices sat alongside greeting cards with iconic pictures of the area’s bridges and other sites around the Bay Area.

Erin had lived in Clairmont her whole life. Day trips to San Francisco and Alcatraz, or east to Sacramento to visit the capital, or weekends in Mendocino or Carmel colored her childhood. She loved everything about the area. She was loyal to the area’s sports teams and attended games whenever feasible. And because her father was a professor at Cal, and she herself was an alumna, season tickets to the Bears football games were always a must.

Talking to customers was part of what she loved about working at the bagel shop. There were definitely regulars, like Ronald, who always ordered a poppy seed bagel (Led Bagelin), but never before he had a drug test. Ronald had some difficulty staying out of trouble, but he wasn’t a bad guy. Or Jerry, a reclusive loner who always came in alone, never talked to anyone, and was a mystery to everyone. Even where he lived was a mystery. But he showed up every Thursday for his large black coffee and Simon and Garbagel (known in the regular world as pumpernickel).

And Hazel. Nearly every day, Hazel would come into the shop around mid-morning. She always dressed in a long wool coat and galoshes, no matter the weather. Her graying hair was long but well kept. She spoke quietly and politely and ordered different things, saying she liked the variety. Occasionally she would peruse the items in the small retail area and maybe buy a jar of something or a trinket. She drove a little white Mazda that she’d had every since Erin could remember. The paint was peeling off a small dent on the left rear bumper, and there was a bumper sticker on the right side of the trunk that said “Save the Whales.”

Thinking about Hazel caused Erin to grow worried once again. Yes, it had only been two days, but she felt such a need to talk to someone who would take things seriously. Maybe she could play the voicemail recording for Scott, show him the Green Glass Vineyards and Winery card. Get him to start taking some action. What Erin really wanted to do was get inside Hazel’s house. But what possible reason could she use that Scott would accept? She didn’t know, but she had to try.

After going through the routine of closing the store, Erin sat back down at her desk and picked up her cell phone. She noticed that she had missed a text from her dad: “Swinging by at 5 to take you to dinner. Unless you have other plans.” Checking the time and seeing that it had only come in about 10 minutes ago, Erin texted back a thumbs up emoji and then focused on finishing up the few tasks she still needed to do. It would be good to talk to her dad. He always took her seriously.