[A&G] Steak and Eggs

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

Time: Day 3, midafternoon
Weather: Cloudy
Warnings: Brad analysing
Characters: Open

Brad sat atop one of the squeeky vinyl stools reading the A&G Diner's menu. It hadn't taken him long to find the place after leaving the Milk Barn, but he had been suprised to find the town so spread out. The river he crossed split the town into two distinct parts. He could only assume he was now in the downtown region.

BLT...Turkey Club...Didn't really have breakfast. Need something a bit more substantial. Ah, here we go. Steak and Eggs.

He made his order to the middle aged blonde woman who continued to smile at him, making an obvious effort to overlook the odd bandage on his forehead and the 3D glasses he still wore.

With food on the way, he set about rethinking everything he'd seen at the cemetary, trying to piece together something he might have missed. Lost in concentration, he failed to see the front door open.

[Tamika Weir]

Tamika walked into the A&G still looking a bit tired. She had tried taking a nap after getting back to the hotel, but found sleep difficult. After several failed attempts at getting on the internet, she decided just to go get some lunch.

In her time in Greenvale, she had already seen limboing zombies, guys who considered carrot cake good luck, the strangest FBI agent in the world, an undead gravekeeper, a puzzle crazy rich guy, and Dr. Sueuss. Yet she still found herself staring puzzled at the man sitting at the counter wearing a bandage on his forehead and 3D glasses like as if this was perfectly normal. "I most likely don't even want to know." Still, she found herself curious and sat down near the strange man. "Whatever, curiosity may have killed the cat, but cats do have nine lives, right?"

She picked up a menu and glanced over it, while saying to the strange guy, "Nice glasses. They go well with the band-aid."

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

A female voice commenting on his glasses snapped Brad back to reality. Looking to the source of the voice, he saw the young woman who had been defending herself at the hotel. I've seen those clothes before. But she's looking much...greener...than earlier.

"As my mother always said, 'One must have a touch of color'." Brad stated, completely missing the saracasm that the young redhead might have been throwing at him. He signaled for the waitress. "Add the young woman's meal on to my tab please. Thanks."

Brad turned back to the girl, "I saw you at the hotel this morning, correct? Seemed to be having some difficulties with a young man there. I'm also staying there as well. My name is Bradley Smith, but everyone calls me Brad...or the doctor...or Sherlock, for some odd reason."

[Tamika Weir]

Tamika raised her eyebrow at the color comment but decided to humor him by saying, "I suppose so. The world would be a dull place if no one had any color." She was again shocked when he told the waitress to add her meal to his tab. "Why is he paying for my meal? What game is he playing?" "Uh, thanks." She told her order to the waitress, which was simply a salad and iced tea.

When he mentioned having seen her in the hotel earlier, Tamika tried to recall having seen him, yet came up with nothing. "Sorry, I don't remember seeing you there. Though I was a bit...preoccupied at the time," she said, rolling her eyes while recalling Kevin saying he and her were getting married.

"I'm Tamika," Tamika stated simply. She found some of his nicknames curious. "Doctor...so he's a doctor? Or at least similar to a doctor. And Sherlock, does he investigate stuff?" She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Tamika did not like investigators of any kind. "Relax, it's probably not what you think." "Sherlock seems like a strange nickname. Are you good at figuring stuff out or something?"

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

Brad removed the 3D glasses and began to speak. "Is it a strange nickname? I never quite gathered why I was given it. But I am good at figuring things out. For instance, you're not a local. Judging by the tan you still have, I would say you've been here less than a month. Your hair is dyed and trimmed by your own hand. Your natural hair color is dirty blonde, but you do an excellent job hiding the root color in the red. You're light on your feet, and well practiced at staying on the balls of your feet while moving. Not just from the heels, but from years of being in proper runners form. I would guess a sprinter."

Brad continued on, not letting the young woman interrupt to correct any inaccuracies. He knew he hadn't made any. "You're untrusting of anyone, which is why you chose a meal that was inexpensive when I picked up your tab. Also, you carry something for defense in your back pocket. When you're seated, you favor leaning to the right a little. It could be a wallet, but your untrusting nature lends that you'll put your wallet in your jacket pocket and a defensive measure on yourself, just in case someone rips off your coat."

After finishing, he put his 3D glasses back on and smiled at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tamika."

((Edited to correct me apparently reading Tamika's thoughts))

[Tamika Weir]

Tamika tried in vain to hide the shock on her face. He had gotten everything right. How had he done that? She wasn't that obvious, was she? After a few moments, she suddenly smiled and said weakly, "And I'm a pretty good singer with a weakness for blueberries." If she couldn't hide anything, why bother?

"So what about you? Or do I have to guess? Most of my guesses would probably be wrong though."

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

"Me? Well, I'm a bit of a traveler really. Spent a lot of years in college, then kinda decided to just start roaming around looking for things to do. It gets a little fuzzy after the start of that. Anything beyond that you're welcome to ask. I'm a fairly open book. I wound up here this morning. Visited the cemetery earlier and already found a mystery to wrap my head around..."

The boot prints I saw this morning fit with her boots and build. I wonder... "Speaking of..." he continued, "...have you been there recently?"

[Tamika Weir]

"So he's a traveler too. And has been to college. Sounds like an interesting person." Suddenly Mr. Stewart's words from earlier popped in her head. "'All have reasons for coming here.' I wonder what his is?"

"Yeah, I've been there a couple times. Along with a bunch of other people. I don't know why the graveyard has suddenly become such a hot spot."

As the waitress set her salad and iced tea in front of her, Tamika lazily ate some of it and asked, "So, do you have any particular reason for coming here?"

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

Hmm...been there a couple of times? I doubt many of the other people she was with fit as well as her with those boot prints I found.

Brad still awaited the steak and eggs he had order. Tamika receiving her food first only confirmed how much of a hassle it was to short order something needing to be cooked vice a salad. He contemplated her question for a moment. "A reason for coming here? Nothing comes to mind. I was down near Portland just the other day and stumbled upon a brochure for this place. I'd never been to a lumber community, or at least former, so I figured I'd check it out. I'm kinda glad I did now. Like I said, I encountered a mystery. There was this guy, Brian X, who died in 1956. The peculiar thing about it is that he was buried in a shallow grave. You probably saw it while you were there, the grave that had been dug up?"

Finally, Brad's meal arrived. He started to cut the steak as he continued. "I'm thinking there was some sort of epidemic that happened in 1956, forcing the townspeople to bury him and whoever else quickly and not very deeply."

[Tamika Weir]

"No, I didn't see that grave." She picked at her salad while she contemplated his words. "Brian X. Could that be Brian's grave? If so then his body's been dug up. Oh my God, the poor guy."

"I think I have an idea as to what happened in 1956." She turned toward Brad and continued. "I met a guy yesterday who would have been alive back in '56. He told me about this massacre that happened back then. Apparently killed many of the residents of the town. He also said that it had all been caused by one guy. I don't have a clue as to who the guy is, but all I can say is I'm glad that he's probably not around anymore. The massacre is probably what killed your Brian X."

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

Brad finished a few bites before continuing. "A massacre? I'm surprised I've never heard about it. Oh well, no matter." Unusual for me not to have heard about a one-man killing spree. Went through all of them in that criminal psych class. Plus she's hiding something. The way she's picking at her salad means she's thinking about what I said and choosing an appropriate response.

He smiled again at the young red head next to him. "Well, Tamika, it seems you've solved my mystery. But how about you? What brings you to this town and where'd you come from?" he asked her. She has a slight Philly accent, but it's not very pronounced. She spent a good deal of time there to pick it up, but hasn't been there in a long time.

[Tamika Weir]

"You don't feel like guessing?" She took a sip of her iced tea and answered, "I've been traveling most of my life, so I'm not really from one place. As for why I'm here, currently I'm looking for a job."

After taking a few bites of her salad, she asked,"So now that I've figured out your mystery, what are you going to do now, Doctor?"

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

The eggs are overcooked. Didn't compensate for the temperature of the stovetop from the previous food...which consisted of...parsley. And she's unemployed, hmm? A town this small is not the place I'd go to when looking for a job, unless I were trying to stay lowkey.

"Oh, I'm sure there are plenty of other mysteries around this town. Towns like this may seem small and insignificant, but that's the furthest from the truth. Every place has a story, just like every person. And you've now perked my interest with this place's story." Brad thought about it for a moment, then offered. "How about you work with me? If you're not afraid of reading, talking to people, and keeping a fellow like me in line. That little examination I did earlier doesn't really sit well with people sometimes and I've been known to dive into it accidently from time to time. Would be nice to have someone catch me before I do that."

[Tamika Weir]

"Hmmm..." Tamika debated this offer. On one hand, it was probably the best job offer she could ever hope to get. The work sounded easy and there would be no shortage of...interesting things. Working with him would make that certain. On the other, she already told Atlas she would help him find out about the shadows in the town. "Maybe he can help me and Atlas."

"To be honest, I've already been helping someone else find out about some of the shadier details of this town. He's a lawyer named Atticus Lasseter. Maybe you could help me and him." "The Doctor may not have seen the shadows yet, but something tells me that he may believe us."

[Dr. Bradley Karrde Smith]

"Fascinating! I'd love to hear what you two have found out so far. And certainly, I'd be willing to lend whatever expertise I can to you two. Since he's a lawyer though, I doubt he's really after pay, but as I like you, I'll add $500 a week on to whatever he's paying you to help him. You solve your employment issue, I get some help, and both you and Atticus can continue working together with me as well." The excitement in Brad's voice was hard to hide. I knew it! There's definitely more to this town and it's history than I thought! I'm gonna love it here!

Grinning from ear to ear, Brad asked "So what do you say? Sound like a deal?"