Page 5 of Justice for Daesha

After mapping the address, he knew it would take him about twenty-five minutes to get there from home, so he went ahead and got on the road. His tank was almost empty, and he had plenty of time to stop and get gas, so he pulled into a station and filled it up. After paying for his gas at the pump, he decided he’d go in and get some gum. Having fresh breath didn’t hurt a thing. While he stood at the register, he noticed a vase of long-stemmed roses sitting there on the counter. “How much are those?” he asked the clerk. When he found out how cheap they were, he picked out one of them and paid for it along with his gum.

As soon as he got in the car, he realized how ridiculous that was. This wasn’t a woman he was interested in. He was just being nice and going to hear what she had to say, so he decided to just leave the stupid flower in the car when he got to the restaurant.

The parking lot at DasDorfwursthaus was barely half full when he got there. He’d expected it to be packed on a Sunday. Everyone he’d ever heard mention it said they had the best bratwurst in the world. Amos thought that was a pretty bold claim, but he supposed he’d find out for himself. It took his eyes a second or two to adjust to the dim lighting inside, but when they finally did, he glanced around. Daesha was nowhere to be found.

He let the host seat him and waited. It was still five before the hour, so he figured maybe she’d come along just any minute. Sure enough, there was a blinding flash of light from the front door opening and when it closed, she was standing there, doing the same as he had, blinking into the darkness. Lifting a hand in greeting, he watched as she did the same and made her way to him. She had on a maxi skirt and a halter top, and Amos’s first thought was how cute she looked in that outfit. “Hi. Sorry I’m late.”

“Late? You’re right on time,” he said and stood until she’d taken her seat. “I was a little early.” A server showed up to take their drink order and left them to look over the menu. “What’s good? I hear the brats are amazing.”

“They are, but I love the bockwurst. It’s super good. Do you like slaw?”

Amos nodded. “Yeah.”

“Get the red cabbage slaw. It’s delicious.”

He chuckled. “Do you come here often?”

“As often as I can.” She glanced down the menu. “Oh, these baby brats cooked in mustard as an appetizer? Yum.”

Amos kept looking down the menu. “Most people don’t care for German food.”

“I love all kinds of food. I especially like Mediterranean and Greek.”

“I prefer Italian,” Amos said.

Daesha grinned. “There are other kinds of food I like better as far as eating goes, but I love cooking Italian food. One of my favorites.”

“Is there anything you don’t like to cook?”

“Mexican food.Notone of my favorites.”

He furrowed his brow. “Really? Why?”

“Don’t like the ingredients. Don’t like the sauces. Just don’t care for it. Besides, it’s been bastardized here in the states until most people wouldn’t know authentic Mexican food if it bit them in the ass.”

Amos laughed loudly. “Boy, that’s sure true!”

The server returned and they ordered, with a serving of the brats appetizer to share. “What kind of beer is that?” Amos asked.

“Hefeweizen. Want to try it?” She held out the mug and offered it to Amos.

“Sure!” He took a little sip and smiled. “That’s really good.”

“What did you order?”

“It’s a Kölsch. Here?taste it. It’s pretty good.” He handed it to her.

She sipped it and grinned. “It’s good, but I still like my Hefeweizen better.”

He grinned. “Yeah, I like yours better too! If I get a second glass, that’s what I’ll get.” He watched as she arranged her napkin in her lap and waited until she was finished before he asked, “Would you like to tell me about your sister?”

“Sure. She and my brother-in-law were getting a divorce. He had the kids and he went to take them home. When he got there, the front door was open just a little. He thought it was weird that the door was standing open, so he left the kids in the car and went inside to find her. She was in the bathtub. It was about half full, and they’d beaten her until she was unrecognizable.”

“Beat her? With their fists?”

“No. She had one of those glass bricks near the tub with pretty marbles in it. They threw the marbles out all over the floor and beat her with the brick.”

“Wow.”

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