Page 36 of The Catcher
“Yeah, I think so,” she said, not taking her eyes off Noah. “Anything else you want, Noah?”
He smirked, shaking his head.
“You can head home, Sheila. Thank you,” she said politely, acknowledging her service before turning her attention back to Noah.
Once they were alone, Noah couldn’t resist addressing the topic lingering in his mind. “Don’t you find that odd, people serving you?” he asked.
Natalie raised an eyebrow, her expression thoughtful. “Do you, when you go to a restaurant?” she countered, her voice calm and measured.
“It’s not the same,” Noah insisted, needing to explain himself.
Natalie leaned back in her chair, considering his words before responding. “You sure about that?” she challenged gently. “You pay for the food. You tip the waitress. What’s the difference between whether they are here or there? Understand that we pay our staff very well, Noah. We take good care of them. It is far better than the chump change offered at restaurants in this town. They work fewer hours, too, but make more. I’ve yet to see one complain or leave.”
Noah scoffed, realizing that this was an argument he wouldn’t win. As he lifted the cover off the silver platter infront of him, he saw a massive hamburger with a side of fries. He looked up at Natalie in surprise.
“I might live in a fancy place, Noah, but I’m still old school.” She smiled. “That’s your favorite, right? Blue cheese on top.”
The aroma was familiar and pleasing.
Noah’s smile widened at the unexpected gesture. “How did you know?” he asked, genuinely curious.
“Asked the restaurant owner whose place you frequent,” Natalie replied casually, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
Noah chuckled, impressed by Natalie’s attention to detail. As he dug into the meal before him, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort and familiarity in her presence despite the surroundings.
Conversation flowed during supper. There was no awkwardness to it. She was keen to know his background and understand his choices for the direction he’d taken that seemed so opposed to his father’s wishes yet still in line with the family’s lineage of law enforcement. In many ways, she was a mirror image of him, except instead of her father having a reputation for helping the community, he had agitated it with new builds, buying out businesses, and getting those in the city to agree with plans.
“You think my father is a criminal, right?”
“I never said that.”
“C’mon, Noah, you’re not being recorded here. That I can assure you.”
His eyes drifted at the mention of it, even more so after the last case revealed Luther Ashford’s partnership with ahome security company. What better way to control the town than to play big brother, eavesdrop on conversations, and at any moment be able to see where people were and what they were up to?
There were multiple upsides to the arrest of Landon Emmett, a man who had gone on a rampage through High Peaks, killing families in homes. One of these was Lakeridge Homes, which soon went under, as did its use of its smart security system. The same company Luther had aligned himself with.
“It doesn’t matter what I think of your father. Eventually, a person reveals their true colors.”
“Did your father?”
Noah considered the question. “There was a time I would have said yes. Lately, not so much. Look, not to shift gears, but I was told that Tyler Ashford is a family member.”
“He’s my nephew. My brother’s boy. Why?”
“His name came up in an investigation.”
“Has he done something wrong?”
Noah waved her off. “Oh, no. I was told he hung around with the guy who was recently found deceased, Pete Landry.”
“Um,” she said after swallowing a mouthful of beer. “Yes, that was very unfortunate. I caught the headlines on local TV. Have there been any leads so far?”
“A few, though it’s still early. No sign of the Matthews girl.”
“If you want to speak to Tyler, I’m sure I could arrange for my brother to bring him by the department.”
“No need. We're doing the rounds with families.”
