The Diner: On the Road with Merry, #11

By M. H. Wilkie

After driving on a "lonesome highway" for many hours, Merry is happy to arrive at Westerly, a small bump-in-the-road town in Kansas. The folks are friendly — or most of them — and Merry feels quite at home.

But something's wrong in Westerly. Something that threatens to upset lives and disturb Westerly's calm.

Can Merry's investigative skills uncover the problem before it's too late?

If you like feel-good stories with strong, boomer women leads, you'll love The Diner. Pick your copy up now!

• Language: English
• Publisher: M. H. Wilkie
• Release date: May 21, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386518457

Book preview

Sketch of the lonesome highway by Merry

(with a little help from the author)

Want to know how Merry’s adventures all started?

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On the Road with Merry stories!

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Copyright 2017 M. H. Wilkie

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The Diner

Merry breathed a sigh of relief as she saw signs of life on the horizon. She had been driving this middle-of-nowhere stretch of highway for hours, and she was bored. Nothing but flat land on all sides for miles. Now there was this clump of low buildings a few miles on and she couldn't wait to get there. Wherever there was.

A sign announced she was approaching Westerly, Kansas, population 942. Not a buzzing metropolis, but she'd take it.

On the edge of town she passed a gas station, a squat grey cinderblock building with a solitary pump. Moments later she was on Main Street, which hosted a handful of shops and a diner. She'd be visiting that shortly, but not before she checked out the hotel across the street. It didn't look very inviting, but it was either that or face more tedious miles on that endless road. The hotel won.

She pushed open the front door. Not exactly the Ritz, but not a rundown sleazy dive either. The man behind the desk looked up from his paper. He was somewhere in his late forties she guessed, with longish grey hair, a ruddy complexion and a ready smile.

Afternoon, Ma'am.

Good afternoon, replied Merry. I'd like a room for tonight if you have one available.

Sure do, Ma'am, he said, turning a large book towards her. No computer registration here!

Just fill in your name and details here and we'll get you settled. My name's Jack, by the way.

Hello Jack. Please call me Merry — I feel a hundred years old when people call me ma'am!

The man laughed, a pleasant low rumble.

I'll give you my best room. It's on the second floor, facing the street so you can see everything that goes on. Merry doubted there was much to see, but smiled in acknowledgement. Jack handed her a key and directed her upstairs.

On this trip she had stayed in a variety of places, and although a modicum of comfort was nice, all she really cared about was that it was clean. This room