Wednesday morning arrived.
Donovan got up and headed off to the Perkins restaurant by the motel for breakfast.
He was immediately seated in a booth. He ordered a cup of coffee from Jenny, the waitress after she came up to him.
Right after Jenny left, Jodi was being escorted by the hostess to the booth next to his booth.
“Hi,” Donovan said the second he saw her walk past his booth.
“Oh, hello. Good morning,” Jodi replied.
Donovan looked at Jodi and decided to take a chance. “Would you like to join me?”
Jodi looked at Donovan then the hostess. “I would love that.”
The hostess smiled and motioned for Jodi to join Donovan at his booth.
Jodi smiled while she sat down in Donovan’s booth. “I’ll take a cup of coffee,” she told the hostess.
The hostess smiled, then walked away.
“So, how’s your stay in Haneyville?” asked Jodi while she looked at the menu.
“It’s been educational,” replied Donovan while he looked at the menu.
Jenny brought two cups of coffee and gave one to Jodi and one to Donovan. “Are you ready to order?”
Donovan looked at Jodi for her to go first.
“I’ll take the Brioche French Toast Platter.”
Donovan looked surprised with her order. “Actually, I was thinking of having the same,” he told Jenny.
Jenny nodded that she understood their order then walked away.
“If you don’t mind me asking, where are you from?” asked Jodi.
“Melbourne, Florida.”
“I’m from Lexington, Kentucky.”
“What brings you all the up here to Tennessee?” asked Jodi.
“I’m a reporter for the Florida Today newspaper.”
Jodi’s eyes lit up. “I’m also a reporter. I work for the Lexington Herald-Leader newspaper.”
“What brings you to Haneyville?” asked Donovan.
“I wanted to do a story on the two teens that went missing back in nineteen seventy.”
Donovan’s eyes widened a little and thought that was cool. “Tiffany Carlson and Howie Anderson?”
“Why, yes. Are you here for the same reason?” said Jodi and was a little surprised.
“Yeah,” he replied, then took a drink of coffee. He hesitated for a few seconds while he debated if he should say something that had been on his mind.
Then Jenny walked over with their plates of breakfast in her hands. Jodi and Donovan stopped talking when she walked up to the table.
After she left, they looked at each other and decided to resume their discussion.
“But you know something? Ever since I read the Internet news article about finding that Buick and even when I came up here, I’ve had many strong déjà vu feelings,” he said then took a bite of his breakfast.
Jodi looked like she could not believe her ears while she looked at Donovan. “You’re going to find this strange, but I’ve been having the same déjà vu feelings. They also started when I first read that Internet article about finding that Buick in the lake,” she said then took a bite of her breakfast.
“That’s why I bought that Buick outside. I’ve never had a liking toward old Buicks, but after I read that article, I saw that one for sale and could not resist.”
“What do you think all these déjà vu feelings mean?” she asked then started eating her French Toast.
Donovan started eating his French Toast while he pondered a reply. “I don’t know, but I’ve been having dreams about being in love with a girl with brown hair.”
Jodi’s eyes widened. “That’s funny because I’ve been having dreams of falling in love with a boy with blonde hair.”
Jodi and Donovan looked at each other’s eyes and suddenly felt connected.
“You know something?” she said then leaned across the table to indicate she wanted to keep this part of the conservation just between them.
“What?” he replied, then leaned across the table closer to Jodi.
“Tiffany’s father believes something horrible happened to the kids. He’s not buying that they’ve been living in Canada.”
Donovan looked at Jodi. “I’ve been having the same feelings. I had a dream that I was shot in the chest in the woods at night.”
“I think that maybe these dreams are Tiffany and Howie trying to tell us what happened from the grave,” she said then moved back.
Donovan moved back in his seat and looked at Jodi. “That sounds plausible.”
The got quiet while they both finished eating their breakfast.
While they ate their breakfast, they did not have a clue that Rock sat in his Chevrolet Impala patrol car and eyed the windows of the Perkins restaurant and spied on them.
After some idle chitchat about their jobs as reporters, Donovan and Jodi finished their breakfast. They waited for their checks.
Donovan glanced at Jodi. He wanted to say something but was not sure he should. Then he debated for a few seconds. He decided to take the risk. “I was thinking, if you’re not doing anything today, I was thinking of driving around Haneyville and checking out this town. I, ah, I, could sure use some company,” he asked then slightly cringed wondering if he overstepped his bounds.
Jodi looked at Donovan. She hesitated, which made him feel rejected. Then she smiled. “I would love that. And besides, I’ve actually wanted a ride in your Buick.”
Donovan was gleaming inside that she accepted his offer.
Jenny walked up to their booth with two checks.
“Thank you,” she said while she set the checks in front of Jodi and Donovan.
“Well, let’s go,” Donovan said while he grabbed his check and got out of the booth.
Jodi grabbed her check and got out of the booth.
Ten minutes had passed, and Donovan and Jodi were in his Buick Special, leaving the parking lot of the Perkins restaurant. What they both did not notice was Rock stalking them from his Impala.
Donovan drove his Buick east down Haneyville Road and headed into town.
He instinctively made a right turn onto Thorndale Avenue. He headed south into the southwestern part of town.
Donovan drove down Thorndale Road then instinctively made a left turn onto Stone Hedge Avenue.
Donovan and Jodi so far enjoyed the sights of Haneyville and felt it was a charming and homey town.
Donovan drove down Stone Hedge Avenue then stopped. He and Jodi saw the Haneyville Middle School, the Haneyville High School and the Haneyville Elementary School all in a row on the north side of Thorndale Road.
While Donovan glanced at the schools, he got another intense déjà vu feeling about them.
Jodi also got an intense déjà vu feeling at the sight of the three schools.
Donovan pulled his car into the sports field on the south side of Stone Hedge Avenue. This area had a baseball field, a football field, and now a soccer field.
He parked his Buick in the grass. He and Jodi got out of the car.
They both looked back at the three schools, and they each got another strong déjà vu feeling.
They saw a white Impala pull into the parking lot of the Haneyville High School but thought nothing of that vehicle.
They turned and glanced at the baseball field. More strong déjà vu feelings hit them.
Across the street, Rock watched Jodi and Donovan from his Impala parked in the parking lot of the high school.
“I’m having another one of my strong déjà vu feelings at the moment,” said Jodi.
“Me too.”
Jodi looked at the baseball field, and it too looked familiar. “I had a dream about becoming smitten with a young kid playing baseball here on a field just like this,” she said and smiled while she thought about that dream.
Donovan looked at her in a little bit of disbelief. But he did not want to tell her that he had a similar dream but became smitten over a brunette.
“Let’s go drive around some more of the town,” he told her.
She nodded in agreement then they headed off to the car.
“I love you,” a voice whispered near Jodi’s ear while she got to the passenger door of the Buick. “Did you say something?” she asked Donovan as she vaguely heard that mysterious voice.
“No,” Donovan said while he opened up the driver’s door.
Jodi shrugged off that whisper while she and Donovan got inside his car.
Donovan started up his car then drove out of the sports area.
He headed east on Thorndale then the road made a left ninety-degree bend and headed north.
Donovan stopped at Haneyville Road then turned right.
The town of Haneyville was built by the southeastern part of Lake Haney.
There was a boat dock where residents kept their boats to enjoy the summer months on the lake.
Also on the southern side of Lake Haney was constructed some stores, a restaurant and other offices. A brick walkway with a railing went along the lake for a new view. Also along the walkway were occasional benches so the folks could enjoy the beautiful view of the lake.
This area was rebuilt in 1980 as an effort by that Mayor of Haneyville to beautify their town. It worked, as the folks of Haneyville loved spending the warm days of summer down by the lake. Also, it brought in some tourist dollars from people in Knoxville and areas of southern Kentucky.
After driving around some more of the streets of Haneyville, Donovan headed back west on Haneyville Road.
He drove past the Motel 6.
“Where you going?” Jodi asked while she watched their motel go past them.
“I can’t explain it, but I have this feeling there’s something else we need to see,” he said while he continued his drive heading west.
Jodi thought about his reply, and then she suddenly had a similar feeling that there was somewhere else they needed to see. But they both did not have a clue as to their destination.
Jodi glanced down at the AM radio. “Wow, only AM,” she said.
“I haven’t tried it up here yet,” he said.
Jodi turned on the radio.
A religious station was on with a preacher yelling about people being sinners. She turned the turning knob until a song that sounded familiar came on an oldies station. The “In the Summertime” song from the band Mungo Jerry played.
“I love this song,” she said, leaving it on that station.
Jodi softly sang out the lyrics while Donovan drove down the road.
They did not notice Rock’s Impala way down the road following Donovan’s Buick.
A little while later, Donovan stopped at the end of Haneyville Road at the stop sign. He and Jodi looked at Stinson Road that headed north and south.
“Where now?” asked Jodi while she looked to her right and then over to her left.
“I don’t know,” said Donovan while he glanced to the left and right of Stinson Road.
They were too involved looking up and down Stinson Road to notice Rock’s Impala stopped way down on Haneyville Road.
Then Donovan had a strong feeling of where to go. He turned his Buick right and headed north on Stinson Road.
Donovan and Jodi both had déjà vu feelings while he headed north on Stinson Road.
He drove past the dirt road that headed to the clearing by Lake Haney.
Donovan had a gut feeling about that dirt road after he drove past it. He stopped his car, then immediately backed up.
“What are you doing?” Jodi curiously asked.
“There’s something about that dirt road.”
Jodi looked and saw that same dirt road that gave her a strong déjà vu feeling when she first drove down here to Haneyville.
Donovan turned right onto that dirt road.
Rock slowly drove down Stinson Road and stopped just south of that entrance of that dirt road. He looked concerned when he saw the trail of dust from Donovan’s Buick while it headed down the dirt road.
Rock slowly drove his car down Stinson Road and turned left down that other dirt road.
Donovan continued to drive down the dirt road and headed to the clearing.
The “In the Summertime” song just ended on the radio.
Donovan turned off the radio once he drove up to the clearing. He parked his car and turned off the engine.
He and Jodi looked at Lake Haney.
“Are you getting that feeling like what I’m getting?” she asked Donovan.
“Yeah. I got this weird feeling that I’ve been here before,” he replied.
“Me too.”
Donovan opened his door and got out of his car.
Jodi opened her door and stepped outside.
They both walked to the bank of the lake.
“This is a nice spot,” she said.
Donovan turned around and looked back and saw numerous other tire tracks from cars in the dirt. “I think this spot is used by the kids to hang out. You know neck,” he said.
Jodi turned around and looked at the clearing. “I believe you’re right.”
Donovan and Jodi looked at each other. And for a split second, they both had the urge to kiss each other. But they shrugged off that feeling.
Then Donovan looked at the woods to his right. An eerie feeling shot throughout his whole body when he saw the woods. He suddenly felt threatened and then a short and brief pain shot through his chest. He clutched his chest. “Ah,” he moaned out and buckled over a little.
“Are you okay?” Jodi asked and looked a little concerned.
“Yeah, must be the coffee from this morning,” he said while the pain quickly disappeared.
Jody then cringed, and she rubbed her forehead suddenly coming down with a sharp headache. “I think that coffee just gave me a headache. Must be from too much caffeine,” she said
“Let’s go. I need to get back to my motel room. I want to work on my article,” said Donovan.
“Sounds good. I think I’ll take a nap and get rid of this headache,” she replied.
Donovan and Jodi walked back to his Buick.
They got back inside his car.
Donovan started it up then made a U-turn in the clearing.
He drove back down the dirt road and headed back to Stinson Road.
Donovan eventually arrived back at the Motel 6 parking lot.
Donovan and Jodi both went back inside their motel rooms.
Rock parked his car in the parking lot of the Perkins restaurant. He decided to spy on their rooms for a while, then would head home.