“I just want to know what happened to Faye! That’s all! Where is Faye! Somebody has to know where Faye is!” Sherman slammed the tabletop with such force that the napkin dispenser flew off and struck the dark-haired waitress in the knee. When he sprang to her assistance the girl screamed in terror and the whole place froze. Now Sherman wondered if all his good luck had suddenly run dry. If now he would be plunged back into all the lost dark days before his peaceful life out here with Dean on the edge of Twenty-nine Palms. Back when he’d find himself waking up in ditches with broken ribs and his pockets ripped out. It could happen that fast. He knew it could. He’d seen it happen. Your luck just turned and that was it. Nothing much you could do about it. “Is there something I could do for you, sir?” The manager’s voice came in a deep baritone. Sherman looked up to see a large smiling black man in a blue shirt and red tie. The dark-haired waitress girl was limping off into the kitchen whimpering about her knee.

“I was wondering what had become of Faye,” Sherman said.

“Faye?”

“Yes, Faye. You know—the waitress. She’s been working here every day for over a—”

“Yes, Faye. Certainly. I know who Faye is. She works here.”

“That’s right! She does. You know who I’m talking about.”

“Yes, I do. What about her?”

“Where is she? Where is Faye?” Sherman heard the desperation in his own voice and it shocked him for a second. It shocked him to realize how much he depended on seeing her; knowing she was in the world at the same time every day.

“Well, she’s been switched to the graveyard,” the manager said.

“Graveyard?”

“Yeah, you know—midnight till eight in the morning. Graveyard shift.”

“Oh— So, you mean she still works here then? She still works here at Denny’s?”

“Yessir—but she’s on a different shift now. Nighttime.”

“Oh— All right. I see.”

“Was that all you wanted to know, sir? You weren’t having any trouble with the new waitress, were you?”

“Oh, no—nothing like that. I just was wondering about Faye.”

“All right, sir.”

“Oh—there is one other thing.”

“What’s that, sir?”

“My partner—I come in here every day with my partner— Dean. You must’ve seen us. We always—”

“Oh, yessir. We know who y’all are. We recognize you.”

“There you go— Well— You haven’t seen him anytime down here, have you? I mean—Dean—that’s his name. You haven’t seen him come in here at all recently, have you?”