King's Diner was owned by Oliver Lee, a man who had a serious obsession with Elvis and peanut butter banana pancakes. Pictures of the King of Rock and Roll lined the diner's walls as his music blasted through an old jukebox in the corner. The diner's eclectic style didn't draw in the customers as much as its unique menu.

"Dani, you look exhausted. Didn't you get any sleep?" Dolores, a waitress in her fifties, asked while patting down her puffy gray hair which was barely being contained by a pink headband.

Dani was sitting at the main counter drawing a picture of a man wearing a dark hooded sweater, a charcoal pencil in her right hand. Sketching was a hobby she had taken up as a teenager to relax.

Dani shrugged. "Enough."

"Enough? Don't lie to me, Dani Deleon." Dolores clucked her tongue, "How many times do I have to tell you? A woman needs her beauty sleep. You're always drawing or coloring. If you're going to color anything it should be your lips with some lipstick or your eyes with some eye shadow. You should stop with all that drawing and focus on getting a boyfriend."

"Mr. Right just hasn't come along, Dolores."

The door jingled and two good-looking men in their early twenties walked in. They were laughing and had guitar cases strapped to their backs.

"Stop the presses! The Booty Pirates have entered the building!" Belcher and Freddy shouted together. The two were part of a grunge band that changed its name every six months. Dani had seen them perform and even she had to admit they were pretty good. They were a throwback to bands like Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Both musicians were regulars at King's Diner.

"Well you two boys sure are in a good mood this morning," Dolores noted. "You want the usual?"

Freddy flashed his white teeth. "It doesn't matter the time of day, our muse is so pushy. She spanked us into action. She kept whispering to us that we needed to eat pancakes. Delicious pancakes."

"More like Mary Jane was whispering for them to eat pancakes," Dani muttered to Dolores as she scrunched her nose up and pointed to their rumpled clothing. They were the epitome of grunge with their band tees and baggy jeans. Dani couldn't miss the lingering scent of Marijuana that followed the two men whenever they entered the diner.

"Man, I'm hungry," Belcher moaned before sharing a loud burp and giggling like a buffoon as though burping in public was something to laugh about. "Two stacks of blueberry pancakes, Dolores. When the muse wants us to eat pancakes, we must oblige and eat. So that she will continue to grace us with her presence and we will continue to make beautiful music."

Dani rolled her eyes while Dolores called out their order out to the cook.

Belcher looked over at Dani's hands encased in their usual gloves. "Hiya Dani. Are you cold again? I can heat you up real quick...if you know what I mean."

"I believe the real quick part," Dani said, quickly placing her hands in her apron's pockets.

Freddy placed an arm over his friend's shoulders. "It looks like she's heard the rumors about you, my friend."

"But I even wrote her a love song." Belcher gave a dramatic moan.

"It's alright. One day you'll find the right woman for you." Freddy patted his friend's back. "One who will appreciate all of your special talents."

"Burping isn't a talent," Dolores said, placing their orders in front of them.

"Can't you just think about it, Dani? You and I could make beautiful music together." Belcher wriggled his eyebrows. "All you have to do is let me into your he—"

"No Belcher. I told you before, I don't date—"

"Customers," Belcher and Freddy both said in unison.

"Perverts," Dani corrected, "besides these gloves keep me from getting extra germs. They're very practical."

"You're afraid of catching a little germs?" Belcher asked.

He looked at Freddy and raised his eyebrows before quickly attempting to grab Dani, his lips puckered as though he wanted to give her a kiss. Dani pushed him away.

"Belcher, I told you not to touch me!" Dani spat.

Freddy laughed and lightly tapped her bare arm with a finger. "Like this?"

Belcher did the same to her other arm. "Or like this?"

"Stop it you two!"

"Whoa. Relax. I was just kidding. No need to get all mad," Belcher huffed as he sat down at the stool near the counter. "The customer is king, remember? How else are you gonna get tips?"

"Yeah," Freddy agreed. "You sound so wound up. I thought you liked to draw. That's not good for an artist. If you want..." he lowered his voice, "we have some stuff to help you relax."

"No thanks and this is a diner, not a strip club. I get tips for serving people, not for letting them paw at me," Dani retorted before walking away. She turned back and said loud enough for them to hear, "If it weren't for Dolores liking you two, I'd put rat poison on your pancakes."

Belcher burped again as he stared at Dani's retreating back. "One day I'm going to marry that woman."

"Either that or she's going to get a restraining order on you," Dolores joked.

"I'd marry you in a heartbeat, Dolores," Freddy said before stuffing a forkful of pancakes into his mouth. "The way to my heart is through my stomach."

"Marriage to anyone besides Dani would be a drag," Belcher said softly. "I can't imagine making a family with anyone besides her."

"What's so great about family?" Freddy asked, stuffing a forkful of pancakes in his mouth. "Relatives just ask you for money."

"Not if you don't have any." Belcher laughed. "If Dani won't have me, I'll marry you too, Dolores."

"I already called dibs on her," Freddy said.

"Eat your heart out boys." Dolores winked at Freddy and Belcher before patting her gray hair once more and walking away.

Dani approached the two men that had come in earlier. Judging by their appearance, they both looked like cops. The younger one called Jax seemed to be a bit more thoughtful in his appearance. She took in his Rolex, his fancy leather shoes, and his designer work suit. Perhaps he was a dirty cop? How else could he afford all that? She couldn't help but listen to their conversation.

"I'm telling you this town has too much crime, Roberto," Jax said, running a hand through his short blonde hair.

"You're right about the crime increasing. First, these Maestro murders and now this mugging. You think they're related?"

Jax shook his head. "I doubt it. The Maestro doesn't steal from his victims. Well...not if you don't count their hearts. This last guy was just after the diamond necklace and whatever money she had."

Dani paused when she heard the words diamond and necklace. She thought of her dream and frowned before stepping forward with two mugs and a carafe of caffeinated liquid. "Here are your coffees."

She still stood a good foot away from the table and stretched her arms out to place the two mugs down before pouring the coffee.

Roberto greedily took his drink while Jax continued to eye Dani with her gloved hands.

His gaze unnerved her and she almost spilled some of the caffeinated beverage. Once she was done, she walked away, her eyes still focused on the two men that continued discussing the recent rise of crime in their small city of Roane.

"He's cute," Dolores whispered to Dani while tilting her chin to the young blue-eyed detective named Jax. "Don't you think so?"

Dani shrugged. "I guess so...if you like that type of guy."

"You mean the strong good-looking type? That type? He looks delicious."

"He's not something to eat, Dolores."

The older woman winked. "You sure about that, sweetie? I'd eat him with a side of pancakes any day. You can even skip the pancakes. Just give me him and some maple syrup. I'll do the rest."

Dani blushed. "You better be careful or Freddy will overhear you and get jealous. I don't want him to come in and start playing sad love songs like he did the last time he said he was rejected by a woman."

"Freddy's all talk. Besides, I'm a waitress. I can handle two customers at once. Seriously, don't you think he's handsome?" Dolores asked.

"Yeah, he's handsome and all but he's a cop."

"So what? That just means he can manage himself well in a dangerous situation and being in love is always dangerous."

Dani shook her head and laughed. "Cops have a risky job. They have to deal with criminals and murder which means they probably have a lot to be afraid of."

"Have you seen the news lately? Look who's running for president. Now, that's scary. Not to mention all the crazy outbreaks of new diseases. And don't forget it's hurricane season. With so much ugliness in the world, who doesn't have something to fear?" Dolores asked.

"I know. I just want to meet someone with a safer job."

"That's why you don't have a boyfriend, Dani. Your standards are too high. What exactly are you looking for in a man anyway?"

Dani thought of her nightmares and rubbed her gloved hands together before answering, "Someone brave. Someone strong. Someone who's fearless."

"I hate to break it to you but even Superman feared Kryptonite. There's no such thing as a perfect man, Dani."

Before Dani could respond, the door jingled again and a man wearing a dark hooded sweater walked in. He sat in the corner booth next to the jukebox. His shoulders were hunched over, and his hands were in the pockets of his sweater. A foreboding sense of dread ran through Dani. He was the man from her dream. The man who was now in her sketch. Seeing him in the flesh, reminded her that he had been at the diner before.

"He's back," Dolores said aloud to no one in particular. She looked over at Dani, who appeared frozen, and whispered, "Don't worry. You got Mr. No Tip Tattoos last time so I'll be his waitress this time."

"It's alright," Dani said. "I-I'll take his order." She didn't wait for Dolores to nod before walking over to the diner's newest guest.

Dani watched the man pull out his right hand from his pocket to wipe the sweat that was trickling down his forehead. The wolf tattoo on his hand glared back at her while his left hand remained hidden.

"C-can I get you something to drink?" Dani asked.

Mr. Tattoo's eyes widened in recognition. "It's you again. You...you work here every night?"

"Technically it's morning now," Dani said, pretending not to notice how his eyes flitted around the diner.

"I guess you're right. I'll just have some coffee."

A few moments later, Dani was pushing a mug of hot coffee towards him. After he began drinking, her feet moved closer to the detective's table.

"I don't know who did this, but we have to catch them both." Detective Roberto Montoya took a drink of his coffee and leaned forward. "If one gets away with it, others will start to copy. They'll start thinking the detectives in Roane are pushovers. I'm no pushover, Jax."

Jax nodded, not really listening, but instead keeping his eyes on the suspicious man who had entered the diner. He was wearing a hooded sweater when it was hot out and Jax didn't miss the wolf tattoo on the man's hand.

"Well, there were too many prints in that alley to pin it down to any one person. We need to check out that bar, Wine Time. She was killed near Los Lobos Locos territory so it was probably them. Maybe they have someone scoping out the customers before they rob them. We'll have to wait for forensics to confirm."

"Crazy wolves...those gangsters are always causing problems," Detective Montoya muttered. "You think one of them could be our music murderer?"

Jax continued to stare at the tattooed man who was looking around nervously. He glanced at the brunette waitress who had served him and his partner moments earlier. She looked as though she recognized the new customer...and she seemed frightened. Jax's jaw tightened as he kept an eye on Mr. Tattoo.

"Are you listening to me?" Roberto Montoya tapped his fingers against the table to get his partner's attention.

"Yeah...yeah you think the Maestro is part of Los Lobos Locos. Somehow I don't see one of the crazy wolves listening to classical music. Casually taking a life for a diamond necklace is more their style," Jax answered.

"More coffee?" Both men looked up to see their waitress Dani with a pitcher of coffee, her eyes jumping from them to the tattooed customer.

"Uh...sure," Jax mumbled, still curious about her relationship to the hooded customer who was probably a member of Los Lobos Locos gang. She didn't seem like your typical gang groupie.

Roberto held up his coffee mug and Dani held on to it before letting it slip from her fingers. He quickly grabbed hold of the mug, his fingers slightly brushing up against hers. "Are you okay?"

Dani let go of the mug and ignored Roberto's question before reaching into the pocket of her apron and pulling out a napkin which she placed in front of Jax. Then she quickly walked away without pouring them a refill of coffee.

Roberto's eyebrows rose as he lifted his almost-empty coffee mug. "Didn't she forget something?"

Jax smirked. "It happens all the time. I swear these good looks of mine can sometimes be a curse. She must've forgotten because she was in awe of my handsomeness. Five bucks this is her phone number. I tell you it's a gift and a curse."

He turned over the napkin and read the message.

The man in the corner is a murderer. He has a gun and a diamond necklace hidden in the pockets of his sweater.

"What the hell?" Jax muttered as he passed the napkin to his partner. He looked over at Dani who was avoiding eye contact with him. He whispered to his partner, "Follow my lead."

Roberto grabbed Jax's arm. "I know you think you're invincible but don't do anything stupid."

The corner of Jax's mouth lifted. "Who me?"

Before his partner could stop him, he poured the small amount of coffee Roberto had remaining into his own mug. He walked over to the corner where the jukebox was, carrying the mug of hot coffee, making sure to pass the tattooed man. He punched a song into the jukebox. A tune about being a hound dog filled the air. He turned around and took a step forward, pretending to trip, spilling his hot coffee on the tattooed guest.

"Sonofabi—"

"I'm so sorry!" Jax apologized. "Here take off your sweater. It's soaked."

He started to grab at the tattooed man's clothing.

"Hey get your hands off me." the tattooed man pushed Jax away.

Jax apologized again, "Oh no, I have to help you. This is all my fault. Does it burn?"

The tattooed man stood up, his right hand still in his pocket. Jax rushed forward, grabbing at his sweater once more. "Let me help yo—"

Jax felt the man's fist before he saw it coming.

"I said to back off!"

"That's enough!" Detective Montoya shouted as he made his way across the diner, his eyes on the man with the wolf tattoo. "You can't start a fight in here. Are you a member of Los Lobos Locos?"

Roberto pulled back his blazer and allowed his badge to show.

Jax touched the corner of his mouth which was now bleeding and watched as the nervous man finally pulled out his right hand which was carrying a gun.

"You two are cops? You don't know who you're messing with."

Jax could hear a woman screaming and the two stoners at the counter encouraging one another to record everything on their phones.

Jax held out a hand. "Now take it easy. There's no reason to use a gun here. Put it down, alright?"

"I don't have to listen to you, pig!"

Jax could see the man's hand slightly shaking.

"I get it. You must've had a bad experience with the police before but there are innocent people with us here and you don't want to hurt them, do you?"

"You think I care about them? I've murdered before and I can do it again."

"Did you hear that? He just confessed to murder," Roberto said.

Jax nodded. "I sure did. We have a handful of witnesses here too. You gonna cuff him or do you want me to do it?"

It happened in a split second. The tattooed man looked to his left to scoff at Jax's remark. Jax quickly delivered a roundhouse kick, causing him to drop his gun. Using his foot, Jax slid the gun to his partner. The tattooed man dove towards the gun but Jax tackled him. Roberto picked up the weapon and ordered Dolores to call 911.

Twenty minutes later, police officers were escorting the tattooed man into a squad car. Roberto held two plastic bags which contained the weapon and the diamond necklace. He told Jax he'd ride back with the officers and meet him at the station.

Before he left, he scowled at Jax. "What you did was stupid and reckless. Someone could've been hurt."

"Luckily, no one was," Jax said, tasting the blood that was drying at the corner of his mouth.

"Tell that to your lips. Listen, I know you have a past. We all do...but you can't keep doing things how you want. If you have a death wish, that's your problem. Don't drag others down with you." Roberto left before Jax could respond.

Jax knew his partner had a right to be upset but it wasn't anything new. Roberto knew Jax liked to play by his own rules. As long as they caught the bad guy, Jax didn't understand why anyone would complain. He wanted to stay behind and interview everyone again. He looked around for the brunette waitress and frowned. She was gone.

"Where is she?" he asked Dolores.

"I think she got scared and left." Dolores shrugged, knowing exactly who he was referring to.

"She's scared of people," Belcher said. "This probably really frightened her."

"Belcher's right," Freddy said pointing to his friend. "She's very sensitive. She's probably freaking out right now."

Jax cursed under his breath before running out of the diner. He looked to his right and then his left. In the distance, he saw a woman in a pink uniform, her dark hair flapping with the breeze. He raced towards her and grabbed her arm.

She squealed and tried hitting him. "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"Not a chance. You're coming down to the station with me," Jax said.

"Station? For what? I already gave my statement to one of the officers," Dani argued.

"I still have some questions about the napkin you gave me."

"What about it? I saw him pull the gun and necklace out of his pocket for a second. I was scared and it's obvious you two were cops. So I slipped you the napkin with the note. What's wrong with that?"

"You're lying."

Dani shook her head. "No, I'm not."

"I had an eye on him the moment he stepped into that diner. He never once pulled anything out of his pockets. Now you want to tell me the truth about how you knew he had a gun and that necklace?"

"I am telling you the truth."

"And I'm the Easter Bunny. I want the truth."

"You wouldn't believe it," Dani whispered.

"Well if you ask me right now, I think you two were in on it together. You recognized him the moment he stepped inside. Who is he? Boyfriend? Relative?"

"He's come into the diner before but I don't personally know him," Dani answered.

"I don't believe you."

"I don't care what you believe." Dani started to walk away but Jax grabbed her arm again.

"It's a crime to lie to an officer."

"So is harassment."

Jax loosened his grip and took a small step back. "I just want to know the truth. We didn't have a lead on the case. Imagine my surprise when it shows up in the form of a waitress shoving a napkin at me that's pointing out the killer. It's too much of a coincidence, don't you think?"

"What do you want me to say?"

"I already told you. The truth."

"I told you the truth," Dani said.

"I really hate it when you people make things difficult."

"You people? What's that supposed to mean?"

Jax grimaced. He hadn't meant to say that aloud. He rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. Who is he? Your boyfriend? You two have a fight so you told us, cops, the truth first chance you got? Otherwise, there's no way you would've known about the gun and the necklace."

"Wow...you have some nerve." Dani turned around, ready to dismiss Jax as though he were an annoying fly hovering around her.

"I didn't say you could walk away," Jax said.

Dani stopped and slowly turned back around, eyes narrowed, voice low. "Excuse me? Just because you have a badge doesn't mean you have the right to follow me and demand I make up an answer that suits you. I told the officer that questioned me what happened. I'm not changing what I said just because you want to be a Hardy boy and make a mystery where there isn't one."

Dani started to walk away but turned around again, her index finger pointing at Jax. "Another thing, instead of accusing me of being a liar that's in league with a murderer, you should be saying thank you. That's right. Thank you. Thank you for solving this case for me since I didn't have a clue who murdered that poor young woman. Now her daughter can have that necklace back."

Jax grinned.

"What are you smiling about now?" Dani asked suspiciously.

"You seriously didn't know that guy or his victim?"

"No!"

"Didn't know a thing about the murder. You just saw the gun and necklace. That's your story?" Jax asked.

"And I'm sticking to it."

Jax leaned forward taking hold of her arm again. "Then how did you know the victim was a single young mother?"