with the restaurant help. To play it safe, though, I’ll stress to Morgan the importance of keeping quiet about this.”
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. “I wonder what Morgan plans to doonce the estate is settled. It’s just him and his sister, and from what I gather, they stand to inherit a big chunk of change.”
“I doubt it.”
“You doubt what?”
Brad finished chewing a bite of fish, swallowed, wiped his mouth, drank water. “Let’s just say that Morgan won’t be getting an inheritance anytime soon.”
“His father was broke? Or in debt?” I’d checked the tax records, and Garland’s house didn’t have any liens on it. And the place was amazing. Loaded with collectibles, artwork, and antiques. Not to mention a room full of wines from around the world. Morgan made me take several bottles as a thank-you gift for my help. I’m not big on wine, but a few of my friends are. And in my world, freebies are a good thing.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” Brad shook his head. “I’ve already told you much more than I should have, so now it’s your turn. What is your involvement with Morgan?”
I told him that I was friends with the judge and she’d enlisted me to introduce her brother to Wilmington and basically keep an eye on him while he got settled. The explanation sounded reasonable enough to my ears, but Brad didn’t seem to buy it. He gave me a look.
“Hey.” I gave him a head tilt. “It’s the truth.”
Sort of.
I felt sure that Brad was withholding pertinent information, so I didn’t feel too bad about holding out on him. He didn’t need to know about the one-eared man. He certainly didn’t need to know what I’d found in the safe, which I now decided might be a list of Argo’s drug customers. And I didn’t mention to Brad that somebody had searched Morgan’s apartment and car. Heck, for all I knew, it was Brad who’d done it. We changed the subject and ordered two more beers and finished our meals and split a single piece of pie.
Dock Street had filled up by the time we were contentedly full. We gave up our table and went for a walk. The fall days were growing shorter, and the post-sunset hour had thrown a pinkish cast over the river. If we kept going, we’d come across the Block. I wasn’t up for bringing Brad to my bar. My home. He seemed to sense that I didn’t care to walk farther. We found an empty bench and settled into it, staring at the Cape Fear, the glow of lampposts and storefronts casting a golden glow over the evening.
“Tell me about you, Jersey.”
I gave him a sideways look. “You’ve already done a background. What else do you want to know?”
“Cut me some slack here.” He turned his head to look at me. “You know what I mean.”
I looked ahead, leaving him to stare at my profile. “I retired from the government to open my own agency. Then I got great people to run the agency and I retired from that. I’m hoping to play and enjoy my retirement, but I’m finding it difficult to leave home without a weapon. I love this area. My father lives with me, in an apartment that is attached to mine. I have a white Labrador retriever named Cracker. I like to work out. I drink a lot of beer but am trying to cut down. My favorite food is everything. And I have an unreasonable fear of dead people.” I smiled. “That’s pretty much it.”
Brad laughed. “Are you married?”
“No.”
“Engaged?”
“No.”
“Committed?”
Was I committed?
I wanted to be, if Ox and I could keep the special bond we’ve had since high school without allowing sex to get in the way. If we could be together romantically, as a couple, and not dominate each other. Separately, we complemented each other in abeautiful way. Together, either we’d meld into something incredible that was off the charts, or the relationship would turn volatile and explode into a hundred pieces that could never be repaired.
“It’s complicated,” I finally
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome,” I said. “I wonder what Morgan plans to doonce the estate is settled. It’s just him and his sister, and from what I gather, they stand to inherit a big chunk of change.”
“I doubt it.”
“You doubt what?”
Brad finished chewing a bite of fish, swallowed, wiped his mouth, drank water. “Let’s just say that Morgan won’t be getting an inheritance anytime soon.”
“His father was broke? Or in debt?” I’d checked the tax records, and Garland’s house didn’t have any liens on it. And the place was amazing. Loaded with collectibles, artwork, and antiques. Not to mention a room full of wines from around the world. Morgan made me take several bottles as a thank-you gift for my help. I’m not big on wine, but a few of my friends are. And in my world, freebies are a good thing.
“No, no, it’s nothing like that.” Brad shook his head. “I’ve already told you much more than I should have, so now it’s your turn. What is your involvement with Morgan?”
I told him that I was friends with the judge and she’d enlisted me to introduce her brother to Wilmington and basically keep an eye on him while he got settled. The explanation sounded reasonable enough to my ears, but Brad didn’t seem to buy it. He gave me a look.
“Hey.” I gave him a head tilt. “It’s the truth.”
Sort of.
I felt sure that Brad was withholding pertinent information, so I didn’t feel too bad about holding out on him. He didn’t need to know about the one-eared man. He certainly didn’t need to know what I’d found in the safe, which I now decided might be a list of Argo’s drug customers. And I didn’t mention to Brad that somebody had searched Morgan’s apartment and car. Heck, for all I knew, it was Brad who’d done it. We changed the subject and ordered two more beers and finished our meals and split a single piece of pie.
Dock Street had filled up by the time we were contentedly full. We gave up our table and went for a walk. The fall days were growing shorter, and the post-sunset hour had thrown a pinkish cast over the river. If we kept going, we’d come across the Block. I wasn’t up for bringing Brad to my bar. My home. He seemed to sense that I didn’t care to walk farther. We found an empty bench and settled into it, staring at the Cape Fear, the glow of lampposts and storefronts casting a golden glow over the evening.
“Tell me about you, Jersey.”
I gave him a sideways look. “You’ve already done a background. What else do you want to know?”
“Cut me some slack here.” He turned his head to look at me. “You know what I mean.”
I looked ahead, leaving him to stare at my profile. “I retired from the government to open my own agency. Then I got great people to run the agency and I retired from that. I’m hoping to play and enjoy my retirement, but I’m finding it difficult to leave home without a weapon. I love this area. My father lives with me, in an apartment that is attached to mine. I have a white Labrador retriever named Cracker. I like to work out. I drink a lot of beer but am trying to cut down. My favorite food is everything. And I have an unreasonable fear of dead people.” I smiled. “That’s pretty much it.”
Brad laughed. “Are you married?”
“No.”
“Engaged?”
“No.”
“Committed?”
Was I committed?
I wanted to be, if Ox and I could keep the special bond we’ve had since high school without allowing sex to get in the way. If we could be together romantically, as a couple, and not dominate each other. Separately, we complemented each other in abeautiful way. Together, either we’d meld into something incredible that was off the charts, or the relationship would turn volatile and explode into a hundred pieces that could never be repaired.
“It’s complicated,” I finally
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