“The first time that I served your family dinner at the restaurant, your mother noticed my shoes. They were so badly falling apart that I had duct-taped them together to stay on my feet. After your family had finished dinner, and your father had paid the bill, your mother went to use the restroom while your father took you out to the car. When she came out, she asked the manager if she could speak to me and I thought that I had done something wrong or screwed up your dinner. I was sure that I was about to get into trouble. But instead, your mother slipped me a five-hundred-dollar cash tip and told me to get new shoes.”

That sounded like something my mother would do, I thought as I smiled to myself. She always wanted to help people, and most especially she wanted to help the people that others most often overlooked.

“Your family came back to eat at the restaurant a few more times before leaving, and on the very last time you guys were there, I was able to wait on your table again. Your mother smiled at me when she got up to leave and she told me something that I never forgot—something that changed my life forever.”

“What was it?”

“She said I hope you make something of your life Frank Bastian and then she slipped me another large tip and left.”

“Paula gave you another five hundred dollars?” Adam asked him.

“No,” he answered. “That time she gave me five thousand.”

Wow.

“After that, I bought myself a new pair of shoes, started saving all of my money instead of using it to buy alcohol, and got myself an apartment. I went to night school and became a security guard. Paula was the one person in the world who made me feel like I wasn’t invisible and inspired me to build a life for myself. Yeah, I know that being a security guard might not be someone’s highest ambition. But I have my own place, and I’m on time with all of my bills. I’ve never had to be homeless again thanks to Lisette’s mom. If it hadn’t been for her, I would still be a homeless drunk, or maybe even dead by now.”

That was quite a moving story, and come to think of it, I did kind of remember trips to New York state as a kid. I think I even remembered the seafood restaurant that he was talking about if I really thought hard about it.

“So, you see,” Frank continued, “your mother saved my life. If I can help save yours, then I will have repaid that kindness and I can feel good about that.”

“Thank you,” I said as I walked forward and reached out my hand toward him.

“Don’t tell me that you’re really falling for this guy’s story,” Rob said.

“Yeah, I am. I believe him.”

I didn’t need to see in the dimness of the night to know that Rob was likely shaking his head at me. It didn’t matter. I believed Frank. I think that Michael and Adam might have believed him too. They knew my mom, and they knew his story sounded exactly like something that she would have done.

“How can you help us?” Michael asked him.

“I have a friend that works at border patrol,” he said. “A good friend—one that owes me a favor which would probably be able to get you all across the border.”

We all exchanged glances. That was exactly what we needed right now.

“I don’t trust him,” Rob said again.

“We know,” I said gruffly. “But really, we don’t have much of a choice anyway, do we? It doesn’t matter whether you trust him or not. It’s the best chance we have.”

“He doesn’t start his shift until morning,” Frank said. “So you can all come stay with me tonight if you would like to. My apartment is nearby, and I can bring you back here first thing in the morning and try to get you across. I’ll text him once we get to my apartment and arrange the whole thing.”

Rob started pacing around in impatient circles.

“This is a set-up,” he said. “Come on guys, we’re smarter than this. Going back to a stranger’s house right when we’re this close to crossing the border? A stranger that we literally just saw talking to a cop? How do we know that this guy isn’t the one who murdered Stacy?”

“Murder?” Frank said with a horrified look on his face. “One of your friends was murdered?”

I could already tell by his expression that he was genuinely aghast and repulsed by the thought of it. He didn’t do it.

“Yeah,” Adam said. “In the restroom of your truck stop.”

Frank looked like he was going to be sick. Even in the dark, his complexion looked like it turned a bit green.

“Damn,” he said as he shook his head and wiped his hands across his mouth as if to keep his stomach settled. “I’m really sorry to hear about that. My shift is over, but I’m sure that’s something I’ll hear all about in the morning.”

He looked over at us, waiting for a decision on our part.

“So are you guys coming or are you staying here in the woods?” Frank asked.

“We’re coming,” I said, without waiting for the guys to respond.

I heard Rob groan and I knew that he didn’t agree with my decision. Michael and Adam seemed to be in agreement though, even if they were still standing more protectively closer to me than usual.

“Great,” Frank said. “Follow me then, my truck is in the parking lot. Cops should still be on that wild goose chase I sent them on to look for you south of here. I have food at my place, and anything else that you might need until morning.”

We followed Frank cautiously out of the woods and into the parking lot. The guys looked as if they were ready to attack someone at a moment’s notice if any cops came around a corner or out from behind one of the parked cars. When we got to Frank’s truck, we all piled in and he drove us away from the truck stop and toward what I hoped wasn’t a trap.

“Do you have surveillance of the parking lot?” Rob asked while he was driving. “Our car was stolen here.”

“Yeah, there’s cameras,” Frank answered. “But you don’t need surveillance for that. I can tell you who stole your car.”

“You can?”

“Sure,” he nodded. “The cops did. They took it as soon as you all went to the restroom. They flocked around that vehicle like bees on honey. That’s when I knew you guys were really in trouble. I’ve never seen those local police up here before. Their behavior was strange, and it was obvious that they were up to no good. That’s why I sent them away.”

“Where did you send them?” I asked from the back seat.

“To a motel a few miles south of here. It won’t take them long to figure out that they’ve been duped though, and they’ll be back.”

“You know,” Rob said to him as he glanced over at Frank from the passenger seat. “You could have just gotten yourself in a lot of trouble over this. Those cops don’t mess around. You might be in danger now for helping us.”

Frank shrugged his shoulders.

“Is what it is,” he said. “I would be dead already if it weren’t for Paula. Now I’ve repaid the good deed, so whatever happens, happens.”

“There aren’t many people like you left in the world,” Michael said. “Most people wouldn’t go out of their way to help a stranger. Especially not in a situation like this.”

“Well, the way I think about it,” Frank said thoughtfully as he pulled into a long driveway with a little cabin at the end of it. “None of us are really strangers, are we?”

“What do you mean?”

“We’re all here alone on this Earth together, which is kind of a contradiction in itself isn’t it? I guess I’d just rather believe that we’re all here to help each other if the opportunity presents itself.”

He chuckled.

“Funny,” he mused. “That’s something your mom said I think.”

He glanced at me through the rearview mirror before we all got out of the car. I paused for a minute before stepping out and Michael held the door open for me.