“Good morning, Detective Russell,” the young waitress smiled, enthusiastically filling a coffee mug and shoving a menu in Diane’s hand as she sat at her favorite table at Freddy’s diner.

“Good morning, Darla,” Diane smiled and nodded, then flipped open the menu. She took a deep breath and rubbed the back of her neck. She enjoyed the breakfast smells of the diner, coffee mixed with toast and bacon and eggs and hash browns. Diane felt hungry this morning, and she felt adventurous, like a new life was starting for her. Each time she turned her head to read the left column, she felt a twinge of pain in her neck. She sighed and gave in, and perusing the right side of the menu, she hoped those selections were good today.

“Ready, Detective?” Darla said as she returned. Diane looked up at her to answer, but winced instead. “Oh, wow, are you okay?”

“Yeah, ugh, fine,” Diane replied, hunching her shoulders and trying desperately to breathe through the pain as she rubbed her neck again, “I just slept wrong last night, that’s all.”

Diane ordered scrambled eggs and half a grapefruit, then read the paper and sipped her coffee as she waited. She glanced out the large front window of the diner and noticed the yellow Persian blinds on the building across the street, now covered in detailed graffiti. She watched the mid-morning traffic of people strolling by in both directions, most in no particular hurry. Darla put Diane’s breakfast down in front of her, and Diane stiffly turned her head left to thank her.

Diane carefully cut the grapefruit away from the rind and center, and then sprinkled a little sugar on top to take away the sting of the tangy fruit. She slipped one juicy section into her mouth, and she felt her glands respond like Pavlov’s dogs with a delightful tickle. She always loved that first bite of grapefruit. Diane inhaled with satisfaction, and as she exhaled, something caught her eye on the other side of the street. A raincoat topped by jet black hair paused, momentarily separated from the steady stream of traffic on the opposite side of the street. Diane jerked her head to the right, but saw nothing, no one out of the ordinary.

Diane shook her head and tried to concentrate on her breakfast again. This time, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, and she shook her shoulders to get the tingles out of her neck. Right on cue, the left side of her neck protested with a sharp twinge of pain.