The next morning, the air was thick with the smell of bacon and coffee, but Eleanor felt like she was being watched. The triplets were already up, helping her prep. They worked like a well-oiled machine, cleaning tables and hauling trash without being asked. Eleanor watched them with a mix of pride and dread.
Passersby stared at the boys with suspicion. Some looked with pity, others with judgment. Around noon, Rick Vance appeared across the street. He didn’t come over; he just leaned against a lamp post, watching them with a cold, calculating stare. Eleanor felt a shiver of pure intuition—Vance knew something about those pendants.
She told the boys to stay inside the diner. But Gabe’s instincts were sharp; he saw Vance and instinctively tucked his pendant under his shirt. The day dragged on until 2:30 PM, when the heat was at its peak.
