sip and nearly dropped my beer glass at his words. The blood rushed out of my face. "You . .. you didn't just say Billy Griggs?"
"Yeah, sure. But you wouldn't know him, he's a real bast--"
"About my age, my height, bad skin, ratty hair?" I said. "Serious personality deficiencies?"
Nick nodded incredulously. "Emma, when did you ever run into him?"
I didn't answer right away. My mind raced. The instant that Nick had said the name, I realized why the driver of the black car that drove by Pauline's had looked so familiar. My stomach did a flip-flop. There was no way that Billy could remember me--it had been more than ten years ago--or even recognize me from that distance, I thought hurriedly. It had to be a coincidence, but all at once, there were far too many coincidences occurring down at the Point.
"You okay, Emma?" Nick looked worried. "You look a little rough, there."
Thinking furiously, I said, "Billy Griggs was the one who beat up on Augie?" Sure.
"Does the sheriff's department know this?"
"Yeah, they were the ones gave Billy a free night's lodging for drunk and disorderly and then gave Augie a lift home so he wouldn't get into any more trouble." Nick stretched and shrugged. "Shoulda baby-sat him too, for all the good that did."
Okay, I thought, that rules out Billy. He must have been the "best suspect" I heard Sheriff Stannard and Dr. Moretti arguing about. "What about Grahame Tichnor?"
The bartender waved a hand dismissively. "He was gone long before the other two got bored enough to start in on each other. What are you thinking?"
"Just trying to make sense of what's been going on around me," I replied.
"Well, the cops know all this." He looked uneasy. "Not to add to your worries, but I think we had one of your kids in here that night too."
"Oh?" But my heart sank; I already knew who it must have been.
"Yeah, tall drink of water, puss on him like one of those sad clown pictures. Already pretty sloppy. I refused him." The bartender swiped at a glass uneasily. "I thought you oughta know . . ."
Alan, of course. "It's okay, Nick. I appreciate the heads-up."
"And if Tichnor shows up here again, I'll let him know not to bother you." He nodded at the baseball bat meaningfully. "No call for that kind of crap."
"Thanks," I said gratefully. It was like family around here, everyone looking out for everyone else. I drained my glass. It was time to get going myself.
"I'll see you." I slid off the stool and left some bills on the counter. "Work to be done."
"Take it easy, Emma."
When I got back to the dorm I wandered down the hall to the kitchen to see if there was anything to gnaw. On the way to a little caloric therapy, however, I passed Neal's room, where I witnessed something that was guaranteed to keep my stomach rumbling and my head aching. I know for certain that if they had seen me coming down the hallway, I might never have seen this little slice of private life.
The door to Neal's room was open. Someone was standing in the doorway with his back to me.
I heard a vehement, what--denial? "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" That voice was Neal's but he wasn't the shadow in the doorway.
"What do you mean by that?" the other voice demanded. I couldn't make that one out yet.
"Just what I'm saying." Neal's voice was low and emphatic. "You have no idea of what's going on and it's not fair to Emma to assume you do."
My ears pricked up.
"You saw what happened out there today! But I know what you think of me--"
"You don't--" Neal interrupted.
"Oh, I'm not so stupid that I can't see you making fun of me with the others--"
"God damn, you're paranoid!"
"--and I'm just saying, you should stay away from her--"
It was at that point that the form outlined in the doorway turned and saw me. I almost didn't recognize Alan, his face was red and he was breathing through clenched teeth. If it had been anyone else, he might have been able to cover the quality of emotion that possessed him, but Alan was
"Yeah, sure. But you wouldn't know him, he's a real bast--"
"About my age, my height, bad skin, ratty hair?" I said. "Serious personality deficiencies?"
Nick nodded incredulously. "Emma, when did you ever run into him?"
I didn't answer right away. My mind raced. The instant that Nick had said the name, I realized why the driver of the black car that drove by Pauline's had looked so familiar. My stomach did a flip-flop. There was no way that Billy could remember me--it had been more than ten years ago--or even recognize me from that distance, I thought hurriedly. It had to be a coincidence, but all at once, there were far too many coincidences occurring down at the Point.
"You okay, Emma?" Nick looked worried. "You look a little rough, there."
Thinking furiously, I said, "Billy Griggs was the one who beat up on Augie?" Sure.
"Does the sheriff's department know this?"
"Yeah, they were the ones gave Billy a free night's lodging for drunk and disorderly and then gave Augie a lift home so he wouldn't get into any more trouble." Nick stretched and shrugged. "Shoulda baby-sat him too, for all the good that did."
Okay, I thought, that rules out Billy. He must have been the "best suspect" I heard Sheriff Stannard and Dr. Moretti arguing about. "What about Grahame Tichnor?"
The bartender waved a hand dismissively. "He was gone long before the other two got bored enough to start in on each other. What are you thinking?"
"Just trying to make sense of what's been going on around me," I replied.
"Well, the cops know all this." He looked uneasy. "Not to add to your worries, but I think we had one of your kids in here that night too."
"Oh?" But my heart sank; I already knew who it must have been.
"Yeah, tall drink of water, puss on him like one of those sad clown pictures. Already pretty sloppy. I refused him." The bartender swiped at a glass uneasily. "I thought you oughta know . . ."
Alan, of course. "It's okay, Nick. I appreciate the heads-up."
"And if Tichnor shows up here again, I'll let him know not to bother you." He nodded at the baseball bat meaningfully. "No call for that kind of crap."
"Thanks," I said gratefully. It was like family around here, everyone looking out for everyone else. I drained my glass. It was time to get going myself.
"I'll see you." I slid off the stool and left some bills on the counter. "Work to be done."
"Take it easy, Emma."
When I got back to the dorm I wandered down the hall to the kitchen to see if there was anything to gnaw. On the way to a little caloric therapy, however, I passed Neal's room, where I witnessed something that was guaranteed to keep my stomach rumbling and my head aching. I know for certain that if they had seen me coming down the hallway, I might never have seen this little slice of private life.
The door to Neal's room was open. Someone was standing in the doorway with his back to me.
I heard a vehement, what--denial? "You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" That voice was Neal's but he wasn't the shadow in the doorway.
"What do you mean by that?" the other voice demanded. I couldn't make that one out yet.
"Just what I'm saying." Neal's voice was low and emphatic. "You have no idea of what's going on and it's not fair to Emma to assume you do."
My ears pricked up.
"You saw what happened out there today! But I know what you think of me--"
"You don't--" Neal interrupted.
"Oh, I'm not so stupid that I can't see you making fun of me with the others--"
"God damn, you're paranoid!"
"--and I'm just saying, you should stay away from her--"
It was at that point that the form outlined in the doorway turned and saw me. I almost didn't recognize Alan, his face was red and he was breathing through clenched teeth. If it had been anyone else, he might have been able to cover the quality of emotion that possessed him, but Alan was
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