9
Thad stepped into the stairwell that led down to the coffee shop and dialed Simon’s number.
“Good morning, sir,” Simon greeted.
“Simon, I need you to do me a favor. I stayed over at Veronica’s last night. She came down with the flu and has no one to look after her. I’m going to call Winston over at the Gold Circle. He’ll pack my weekender bag and bring it down to you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“And I’ll need you to do another favor.”
“Name it.”
“I have two young passengers, a high schooler and a four-year-old who need a ride to school at seven-thirty, then back from school to the Chi-Bean around three.”
“Easily handled, sir.”
Thad hung up and descended the stairs to let Zelda into the shop. She was waiting outside the store in the dark, bundled up in a heavy coat and woolen hat. He unlocked
