it.
His gaze followed hers. “I don’t get drunk when other people drink,” he explained mildly. “Only when I drink.”
She felt silly, gave him a look that probably admitted it, and he smiled.
She returned to the crust-caked casserole, and he returned to his story. “I fell off the wagon a couple months back and was arrested for being drunk and disorderly. While I was…indisposed, Hayworth approached Petey and offered him ten dollars for the comic book. I was a fool to ever let him know I had it. Mentioned it once when I had more booze in me than brains. Anyway, if he’d paid a decent price for it, I’d accept the loss and figure it was my own fault for, well, whatever. But he took advantage of the situation, and, worse, took advantage of Petey. And that’s not right.”
“No, it’s not.” Indignantly, she quit scouring and gave him her complete attention. “He won’t give it back?”
“Nope. Won’t. So I talked to Moose about it, and together we concocted this—”
“Is Moose, uh…”
“Yeah. We met at AA and have been helping each other for a couple years now. He’s the best friend I ever had.” Once he’d admitted the fact of his alcoholism, he seemed at ease with it. “So we dreamed up this scheme, robbing Hayworth’s store to get his attention, then going to him and explaining the situation. That we’d continue to harass him, drive him out of business if we had to, until he either returned the book or paid a proper price for it.”
Absently she ran her fingertips over the dish for stubborn crusting she might’ve missed. “What’s a proper price?”
“Well.” He hesitated. “I don’t really know, but when it first went down, I told him I’d settle for five thousand bucks. So I’ll stick to that.”
“The police can’t help you?”
“It’s my word against his. He’s got possession. I’ve got zilch.”
“Have you talked to a lawyer?”
“That’s how come I know he’s got possession and I’ve got zilch.”
She rinsed the dish and gave it to him. “But there must be something you can do.” She upended the plastic dishpan to empty it and wrung out the dishcloth. “This is wrong. There’s got to be some kind of recourse.”
“You find some recourse, you be sure and let me know what it is.”
That evening, behind their closed bedroom door, Chris again sound asleep, Connie filled Derek in on Max’s problem. Her ex-husband’s reaction was much the same as hers: initial incredulity giving way to dawning understanding.
“Yeah, that’s tough,” he said. “And I don’t know what they can do about it either. But what they’re doing is risky—too risky—and won’t work anyway. What’s to stop Hayworth from turning them in once he finds out they’re behind the robberies?”
“The way I understand it, Petey and Max will be clearing out and could continue to harass him from a distance. And in other ways, not just at the store. And even we don’t know anything about Moose. Where he lives, works, even what his real name is.”
Derek nodded, then looked relieved. “Yeah, that’s right. But I’ll still be surprised if the scheme works. I feel for them. Wish there was some way we could help.”
“Well, I was wondering, if, uh…”
He looked at her questioningly, then suspiciously. “What? You were wondering what?”
“Well, you’re a celebrity, a television personality on a news program. People would listen to you if—”
“Uh-uh. No way. The station would never allow it.”
“I’m not asking you to announce it on the air. Just, uh, maybe mention it in an interview, just—”
“I can’t do that. Think about it, Connie. I’d be opening myself up to a lawsuit, and possibly the station as well. There’s no way I could involve myself in this, at least not publicly.”
“But—”
“Forget it, Connie.”
“You’re not listening, not even allowing me to finish a—” When he opened his mouth she held her hand up to shush him.
His gaze followed hers. “I don’t get drunk when other people drink,” he explained mildly. “Only when I drink.”
She felt silly, gave him a look that probably admitted it, and he smiled.
She returned to the crust-caked casserole, and he returned to his story. “I fell off the wagon a couple months back and was arrested for being drunk and disorderly. While I was…indisposed, Hayworth approached Petey and offered him ten dollars for the comic book. I was a fool to ever let him know I had it. Mentioned it once when I had more booze in me than brains. Anyway, if he’d paid a decent price for it, I’d accept the loss and figure it was my own fault for, well, whatever. But he took advantage of the situation, and, worse, took advantage of Petey. And that’s not right.”
“No, it’s not.” Indignantly, she quit scouring and gave him her complete attention. “He won’t give it back?”
“Nope. Won’t. So I talked to Moose about it, and together we concocted this—”
“Is Moose, uh…”
“Yeah. We met at AA and have been helping each other for a couple years now. He’s the best friend I ever had.” Once he’d admitted the fact of his alcoholism, he seemed at ease with it. “So we dreamed up this scheme, robbing Hayworth’s store to get his attention, then going to him and explaining the situation. That we’d continue to harass him, drive him out of business if we had to, until he either returned the book or paid a proper price for it.”
Absently she ran her fingertips over the dish for stubborn crusting she might’ve missed. “What’s a proper price?”
“Well.” He hesitated. “I don’t really know, but when it first went down, I told him I’d settle for five thousand bucks. So I’ll stick to that.”
“The police can’t help you?”
“It’s my word against his. He’s got possession. I’ve got zilch.”
“Have you talked to a lawyer?”
“That’s how come I know he’s got possession and I’ve got zilch.”
She rinsed the dish and gave it to him. “But there must be something you can do.” She upended the plastic dishpan to empty it and wrung out the dishcloth. “This is wrong. There’s got to be some kind of recourse.”
“You find some recourse, you be sure and let me know what it is.”
That evening, behind their closed bedroom door, Chris again sound asleep, Connie filled Derek in on Max’s problem. Her ex-husband’s reaction was much the same as hers: initial incredulity giving way to dawning understanding.
“Yeah, that’s tough,” he said. “And I don’t know what they can do about it either. But what they’re doing is risky—too risky—and won’t work anyway. What’s to stop Hayworth from turning them in once he finds out they’re behind the robberies?”
“The way I understand it, Petey and Max will be clearing out and could continue to harass him from a distance. And in other ways, not just at the store. And even we don’t know anything about Moose. Where he lives, works, even what his real name is.”
Derek nodded, then looked relieved. “Yeah, that’s right. But I’ll still be surprised if the scheme works. I feel for them. Wish there was some way we could help.”
“Well, I was wondering, if, uh…”
He looked at her questioningly, then suspiciously. “What? You were wondering what?”
“Well, you’re a celebrity, a television personality on a news program. People would listen to you if—”
“Uh-uh. No way. The station would never allow it.”
“I’m not asking you to announce it on the air. Just, uh, maybe mention it in an interview, just—”
“I can’t do that. Think about it, Connie. I’d be opening myself up to a lawsuit, and possibly the station as well. There’s no way I could involve myself in this, at least not publicly.”
“But—”
“Forget it, Connie.”
“You’re not listening, not even allowing me to finish a—” When he opened his mouth she held her hand up to shush him.
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