We paid for our food and left the diner. Janine yawned and stretched as we stepped into the parking lot.

"I'm still sleepy!" she informed me, and I thought about how I could use a nap myself, but I doubted that I would be able to sleep anytime soon. The coffee hadn't started really doing its magic yet. It was getting kind of chilly outside, and the sky was overcast and clouds were obscuring the moon. The iodine lights in the parking lot buzzed, and sound of traffic along the highway filled the background. 

Somewhere, in the distance, I heard sirens, ambulances perhaps.

 

 

"Do you think we’ll have to wait long?" Janine asked.

 

"No," I said, "it's too dangerous. I'm not standing around here all night, putting you in danger, and I'm sure as hell not doing so with the intentions of compromising the little bit of information we’ve obtained that may give us a lead on tracking her down. If he’s not in the parking deck within the next ten minutes, we’re leaving."

The suggestion that we could have been in danger seemed to resonate with her. Foolishly, I'd brought her along without regard for her safety. We were dealing with people we didn’t know. I had no ideas what their true intentions were, but I felt that I had no choice but to trust the leads that the informant had given me. In my rush to get things moving, I'd possibly put Janine in harm’s way. I made a mental note to be more cautious in the future and I kicked myself.