Tuesday Tales: From a Picture

Welcome to another Tuesday Tale. This week we have a picture prompt, which limits the scene to 300 words. I’m continuing with The White Dahlia.

“I wonder how long it’ll take Mitch to identify the girl in the back of the van?”

Beth looked at him. “I don’t know. It’ll depend on what she can get from the body. Al, I don’t think it’ll be Rebecca. She hadn’t been missing long enough, not if getting children is part of this as I suspect, and I don’t think it would be Sylvia—not once he had Rachel. He would’ve … disposed of her sooner. I’m sorry.”

He nodded, trying to empty his mind of all the imagined indignities performed on his former wife.

“Here we are,” Beth said, pointing to a small café, half of its outdoor tables full. “Inside or out?”

“Let’s go in just in case the sky decides to open up again.”

“Yeah. We can get a cab back if it does.”

Al pushed open the door and stepped inside the small coffee shop. The red lacquered tables and chairs gave the place a bright friendly feel, but it was the aroma that mattered most. The smell of rich, fresh coffee mingling with the sweet smells of pastry made his mouth water.

Beth chose a table near the windows.

“What’ll you have?

“I’ll have a chai latte with a dash of cream and a chocolate croissant.”

She handed him a five. He was going to refuse, but the look on her face convinced him this wasn’t an argument he would win.

A few minutes later he returned with two of the croissants, a red cup for her and a black one for himself. He placed her change on the table beside her cup.

“So,” he asked before taking a mouthful of coffee and savoring it. “Good stuff. Are we still on for dinner?”

Beth nodded. “Unless Chad says otherwise, we should be good.”

That’s it. Stay safe and don’t forget to check out the other Tuesday Tales