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I never Forget A Face

Black Book Challenge

By Jacqueline BrockertPublished 3 years ago 10 min read
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I never forget a face.

 She tugged on her mask to make sure it covered her nose. She needed to buy a new one as this one had frayed and slipped repeatedly. Veronica grabbed a plate while placing two pieces of toast on the white plate with blue trim, the words Hank's Diner in red on her shirt. The light from the kitchen bright as the warmth from the heat lamp kept the stainless steel hot.

"Be generous on the butter; I only have one table, and this guy is a real pain," she stated, tapping her fingers on the counter.

"Too bad you had to give up your earlier shift. It was busy as soon as  the doors opened this morning." Vera answered as she picked up the bread to coat it with melted butter.

"I had to give the early shift up as Sophie woke up ah... late and didn't want to go to Grandma and I had to take her to my sister's ... My luck rent is due tomorrow, and I need a good day." She glanced down at her apron and felt in the pocket, knowing that today's tips were not going to get her to the rent amount. She had not told her boss about her daughter's fever. She did not want her around her Grandma for fear of the virus. Instead, she said she overslept. Just the mention of someone with a fever could have kept her home for the day. The lateness cost her to lose her usual section with morning regulars. Now she was closest to the door, which few wanted with a cold Minnesota day.

She sighed as Vera put the over-easy eggs and toast and the second plate of an omelet up in the window. She put three packets of grape jelly in her pocket and grabbed the plates to go to the dining room. She approached the table and watched as the man took off his mask as he prepared to eat. His companion was a smaller woman, and she kept her mask up even as Leonore sat the food in front of her.

"Grape jelly here...ahh, can I get you anything else right now?"  she asked, slipping the jelly on the plate. The dark-haired man glanced up at her, and she noticed that he had a scar on his chin. The lady didn't take her mask off yet. He grabbed a fork and began to eat, dipping his buttered toast into the runny yolk, ignoring her. She turned and went back to the kitchen. She stood at the end of the prep table where Vera was putting more bread in the toaster.

"I know that wearing a mask is a pain and this virus thing has everyone on edge, but this guy just snarls at me," she said, shaking her head.

"That is why I am in here, and you are out there being patient with grumpy people. Talking to my eggs and Samson over there is all I can take of the public even more since this pandemic started." Vera said, putting a slice of white bread into the toaster.

"Lenore, will you take this to table four for me? I haven't seen Rosie, and it's getting cold." Samson yelled from the grill. She picked up two more plates and took them to the area that was busier. She stopped to fill another person's coffee and went back to the table she had been waiting on.

"Didn't you see me waving? I want the check." The man with the scar said, pushing a credit card towards her. The woman had her head down, and she had barely eaten the omelet. She looked at the man, and steel cold brown eyes met hers. She quickly processed the card and took it back to the table. She turned as the man was signing and decided she shouldn't bother him until he left. She went to another table and cleared plates. She turned to see that the couple were up and leaving. She sighed and went over to clear the table.

His side was a mess, salt turned over and his napkin thrown on the floor. She saw the unopened grape jelly and scoffed as she realized he had not even cared about it but had insisted on three packets. She cleaned the table and began to run a rag on the seat when she noticed something stuck in the cushion. She pulled and found a small black book. She picked it up and looked to see if they were still in the restaurant. As she was close to the door, she went outside and was met with a quick blast of cold air. She could see a car pulling out and noticed it was an older model and black. As it turned left out of the parking lot, she noticed the license plate was not a Minnesota plate.

She looked back down at the small black book in her hand. She opened the book to see if it had a name or phone number. The first four pages had been torn out. The next page had time for Minnesota wrote on it. She turned the next page, and the words were Midtown Bank, 567 State Street, followed by a red checkmark. The next line had First National on 110 Maple Street. It didn't seem important, so she slipped it in her apron to turn it in to lost and found. She picked up the credit card book to see what they had left her for a tip. He had not tipped her anything and even wrote slow service in the tip line. She shook her head and finished cleaning the table. It was easy to remember the face of a person that stiffed you for a tip; it always felt personal.

She went back to the kitchen and put the remaining dishes in the bus tub. She had one more hour of her shift, and the breakfast crowd was waning. The morning ended, and she went to the break room and changed her shoes to walk to her sister's to pick up Sophie. She opened the door of her sister's apartment, and the dog came barking.

"She has been fine all morning. Will you watch the boys while I run to the store." Her sister Dee said, pulling on a jacket. She nodded as her sister hurried past her. She saw the breakfast dishes piled in the sink and decided to help her out with house cleaning while she was there. She had cleaned and had pulled a deck of cards out of the drawer to play with the boys when she heard her sister come back screaming.

"Lenore, come here quick, and look at this on tv!" Her sister, Dee, called from the living room.

She pulled herself from the table and walked into the living room. Dee had turned the volume up and was trying to calm the jumping dog. She was red-faced and out of breath.

"My bank just got robbed! They are talking about it at the store. They got away, and  I said that would happen with covid yep, told the person in line behind me I saw this coming. I just switched to First National because it's closer." Dee said, shaking her head.

"First national?" She asked, staring at the television.

"Yeah, the one on Maple. I was just there yesterday." Dee said, sitting down on the couch, the dog's head on her knee.

"I'm sure it's a coincidence, but my really rude customer.. had this black book. He must go there too. I thought he couldn't afford to tip me, but he has two banks." She offered.

"What are two banks?" Dee asked, stroking the dog's head.

"Well, in the black book, there were two banks, and one had a checkmark, and the other didn't." 

"A lot of people go to that bank. What does that have to do with anything? So, you need the sixty bucks; I have it in my purse." Dee asked, turning the television down.

"I promise I'll pay after my next shift."

She hung her head as she was still tight for rent. She picked up her daughter's shoe and went to retrieve the coat. As she sat with her daughter on her lap, she looked up to see the television flashing a plea to the public for help with the robbery. She saw that they had a getaway car they believed to be a black car, that a person had reported being seen leaving the scene. A black car had also been reported in Parkersville, twenty miles away, with a robbery at Midtown Bank on State street three weeks earlier. The FBI was involved, and they are sure that this is a manhunt for other robberies. 

"Dee, can I borrow your car, and can you watch Sofie a little longer...I have a strange hunch, and I'm going to the police station," she asked as she thought of the car and the little black book.

"Lenore! what in the world?" Dee asked.

"I have to turn in the black book...if it is still at the diner, it might be nothing, but I have to say something," she said.

What began as a small task had stretched into six hours and her sitting down with a police sketch artist and a furious sister waiting at home. She had gone back to the restaurant and got the black book, and the manager had given Lenore a copy of the credit card slip. She now sat alone in a small room with a table, and they had brought her a cup of coffee. She stirred the coffee, wondering when they would be done with her. They had seemed happy with the black book, but she did not know how the sketch had come out.

The door opened, and a man in a suit came in, and he was smiling broadly. Soon there were three more men in suits in the room. She looked around, waiting for them to speak.

"You must never forget a face! Your rendition of the suspect provided matched a suspect from Texas in our database. We are waiting on fingerprints on the black book. The name on the credit card matched the description you provided. We have issued an APB  , and men are closing in on a hotel paid for with a credit card in his name in  Milwaukee. Once that has happened, they will release the twenty thousand dollar reward from the tip line to you." The man said as he sat in a chair next to Lenore.

"There is a reward? I just thought it was right to give you what I had." She said, staring at the men with astonishment.

"This involves banks in several states, and they have been elusive as they moved around a lot. He may of become more reckless using a credit card since he had been doing this for close to a year. We believe the woman with him is his wife, who drives the car. He is the only one that comes into the bank. All of his face is covered with a mask, dark glasses, and a hoodie." The officer added.

"Well...that will be the biggest tip I have ever received!" she said, laughing, not believing that the moment was in front of her.

"Tougher to ID people with the mask, but at a restaurant, they have to take them off to eat. You seeing his face and crooks writing the banks they are going to hit, make our job a  little easier. I bet you won't forget this man and how he stiffed you for a long time." One of the detectives laughed. She laughed with him and could not wait to call her sister and tell her the money she borowed could be paid back with interest!

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About the Creator

Jacqueline Brockert

Have self published four books in the Karma Corn Series. Writing took a back seat to mourning and loss. My sister suggested writing again with Vocal and today I am here...starting slowly.

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