endearing enough already.
He heard toilet paper being rolled off its spool. Enough to last a family of six for a month, from the sound of it. The toilet flushed.
Nick shifted in his seat, breathed through his nose. “You almost done in there?”
After what felt like forever, Leon came strutting down the hall, zipping up his cut-off shorts. Today his scrawny torso was covered in a loud yellow T-shirt that read: GIMME HEAD TILL I’M DEAD.
“You ever wondered why they call it takin’ a shit? To me that implies walkin’ away with more than you had when you started. I prefer to leave it. Ha!”
Nick shook his head.
Leon nodded toward the silenced stereo. “What’s the matter, bro? You didn’t like my music?”
“Sorry,” said Nick. “Not my thing.”
Leon looked disappointed. “Them was the guys did your entrance theme back in the day. You remember?” He arched his back, played a few licks of furious air guitar, and sang badly, “Gonna make your wife a widowwww, gonna send you six feet underrr!”
“I remember it,” said Nick. “Heard it every night for twenty-five years. I don’t normally listen to that kind of music, though.”
“You’re pullin’ my dick.”
“I wouldn’t think of doing that.”
“What do you listen to?”
“Blues, mostly. More my speed.”
“The blues is alright, I guess.”
“It’s the only music that’s real,” said Nick. “Where it all began.”
Leon stared off into space, as his drug-addled brain tried to work that out. “So, anyway...to what do I owe the pleasure? Somethin’ I can do for ya, brother? What happened to your arm?”
“Leon, I need your help.”
“I’d love to help you, dude. Whatever you need. Did I tell you I always was your number one fan?”
“You might have mentioned it.”
“How about a coldbeer?”
“No. Listen...”
Leon went to the fridge, got himself one. He slurped at it as he leaned against the bar and gave Nick his full attention.
“I’m gonna need you to be my second set of eyes,” said Nick.
“Okay...?”
Nick stood, joined Leon in the kitchen. “A lot has changed in Midnight since the last time I was here. It’s not as easy as it used to be for me to get out and talk to people. Plus, you know about this town’s dark side. The things that crawl beneath the surface. You can get to information that it might not be so easy for Sheriff Mackey to come by.”
“I’ll try my best,” Leon said.
“Eddie was a dealer. But he wasn’t the only link in the chain. He got his product from a supplier.”
Leon said, “Right...”
“His boss. Any idea who that might have been?”
“No idea, man. When I needed a bump, I always went through Eddie.”
Nick abandoned that topic for now. He thought hard for a minute, and then he proceeded to fill Leon in on the events from the night before. The wound on his arm itched as he told his story.
“Somebody put a hit on you?” Leon exclaimed.
“Looks that way. And it didn’t take long for them to find me. Leon, I need to know if you told anybody where I was staying.”
“I ain’t talked to nobody, dude. Don’t plan on it, either.”
“Maybe you bragged to a few of your buddies about hanging with the Widowmaker? You meant no harm, I’m sure.”
“I ain’t got no friends. Since Vonda left me, I ain’t got nobody, man.”
“Leon, do you know anyone who goes by the nickname ‘Daddy?’ ”
“Can’t say as I do.”
“It was worth a shot.” Nick reached into his jacket then. “I almost forgot. I’ve got something to give you.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a Trac-Fone. Picked one up for myself too. They’re cheap pay-as-you-go deals, nothing fancy like the kids are using these days, but they’ll work for our purposes. I thought it’d be a good idea for Melissa to be able to contact me any time she needs to. Figured it wouldn’t hurt for the two of us to stay in touch as well.”
“You bought me a cellar phone?” Leon said.
“Throw it out
He heard toilet paper being rolled off its spool. Enough to last a family of six for a month, from the sound of it. The toilet flushed.
Nick shifted in his seat, breathed through his nose. “You almost done in there?”
After what felt like forever, Leon came strutting down the hall, zipping up his cut-off shorts. Today his scrawny torso was covered in a loud yellow T-shirt that read: GIMME HEAD TILL I’M DEAD.
“You ever wondered why they call it takin’ a shit? To me that implies walkin’ away with more than you had when you started. I prefer to leave it. Ha!”
Nick shook his head.
Leon nodded toward the silenced stereo. “What’s the matter, bro? You didn’t like my music?”
“Sorry,” said Nick. “Not my thing.”
Leon looked disappointed. “Them was the guys did your entrance theme back in the day. You remember?” He arched his back, played a few licks of furious air guitar, and sang badly, “Gonna make your wife a widowwww, gonna send you six feet underrr!”
“I remember it,” said Nick. “Heard it every night for twenty-five years. I don’t normally listen to that kind of music, though.”
“You’re pullin’ my dick.”
“I wouldn’t think of doing that.”
“What do you listen to?”
“Blues, mostly. More my speed.”
“The blues is alright, I guess.”
“It’s the only music that’s real,” said Nick. “Where it all began.”
Leon stared off into space, as his drug-addled brain tried to work that out. “So, anyway...to what do I owe the pleasure? Somethin’ I can do for ya, brother? What happened to your arm?”
“Leon, I need your help.”
“I’d love to help you, dude. Whatever you need. Did I tell you I always was your number one fan?”
“You might have mentioned it.”
“How about a coldbeer?”
“No. Listen...”
Leon went to the fridge, got himself one. He slurped at it as he leaned against the bar and gave Nick his full attention.
“I’m gonna need you to be my second set of eyes,” said Nick.
“Okay...?”
Nick stood, joined Leon in the kitchen. “A lot has changed in Midnight since the last time I was here. It’s not as easy as it used to be for me to get out and talk to people. Plus, you know about this town’s dark side. The things that crawl beneath the surface. You can get to information that it might not be so easy for Sheriff Mackey to come by.”
“I’ll try my best,” Leon said.
“Eddie was a dealer. But he wasn’t the only link in the chain. He got his product from a supplier.”
Leon said, “Right...”
“His boss. Any idea who that might have been?”
“No idea, man. When I needed a bump, I always went through Eddie.”
Nick abandoned that topic for now. He thought hard for a minute, and then he proceeded to fill Leon in on the events from the night before. The wound on his arm itched as he told his story.
“Somebody put a hit on you?” Leon exclaimed.
“Looks that way. And it didn’t take long for them to find me. Leon, I need to know if you told anybody where I was staying.”
“I ain’t talked to nobody, dude. Don’t plan on it, either.”
“Maybe you bragged to a few of your buddies about hanging with the Widowmaker? You meant no harm, I’m sure.”
“I ain’t got no friends. Since Vonda left me, I ain’t got nobody, man.”
“Leon, do you know anyone who goes by the nickname ‘Daddy?’ ”
“Can’t say as I do.”
“It was worth a shot.” Nick reached into his jacket then. “I almost forgot. I’ve got something to give you.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s a Trac-Fone. Picked one up for myself too. They’re cheap pay-as-you-go deals, nothing fancy like the kids are using these days, but they’ll work for our purposes. I thought it’d be a good idea for Melissa to be able to contact me any time she needs to. Figured it wouldn’t hurt for the two of us to stay in touch as well.”
“You bought me a cellar phone?” Leon said.
“Throw it out
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