In The Absence Of Light (25 page)

“You cannot tell the weather that way.”

“How do you know? You haven’t tried.”

He stuck his finger in the air. “This is stupid.”

“Not working?”

“No.”

I looked at my finger. “Don’t know, seems to be working for me.”

He started to lower his hand.

“Maybe you should try the other one.”

“I’m not trying the other one.”

“But I’m trying to teach you something, Jeff.”

He stuck his other one in the air. “Still not working.”

I snapped my fingers. “Ah hell, I know why it isn’t working.”

“Why’s that?”

“I went and got my barometer and bullshitometer mixed up.”

Jeff glanced up at his hand and dropped it. “You’re an asshole, anyone ever tell you that?”

“Lots a folks have, but lucky for me, their opinion doesn’t matter. Now what do you want?”

He waved a hand in the direction of Toolies. “Do you think we could go sit down and have a cup of coffee?”

“No.”

“You need to reconsider.”

“Why?”

“I got some news on Ulrich for starters.”

I ran a bungee cord around the box in the back. Not because anything would be damaged if it slid across the bed, but to give me a reason to look away so Jeff wouldn’t see the flicker of fear I knew showed in my face.

“Fine.”

“You want to take my car?”

“It’s less than a block. I’ll walk.” I headed across the street, and he followed. “Thought you were driving.”

“Like you said, less than a block.” If there’d been more cars, I might have had a chance at one of them hitting him. But the cars currently present were parked in the front of Toolies.

I jerked open the door and the bells clanged hard enough to make a few people look up. I hoped to God none of them recognized me. Then a few of them didn’t look away.

Shit.

“C’mon.”  I found a booth in the back near the bathrooms.

Heads turned and eyes followed me across the room.

“Why are those people staring at us?” Jeff slid into the booth.

“They’re not staring at us. They’re staring at me.”

“All right, then why are they staring at you?”

“I’m popular.” I picked up a menu. I wasn’t really hungry, but it gave me something to do.

A woman in the booth behind Jeff looked over the top. “Hi.” She waved at me. “Uh, I know this is crazy and all, but I was wondering, can I have your autograph?”

Again, what did I say? No? I guess I could have. Maybe it was the look on Jeff’s face that made me say, “I don’t have anything to write on.”

“Oh, I got something, just hang on.” There was a rustle, then she reappeared with a book in her hands. “Would you mind?” She handed it to Jeff. He glanced at the cover before he passed it over. Lucky me, she already had a pen stuck in the pages.

“The Kama Sutra?” Jeff looked at me when he said it.

I opened it.

“No, no, the front,” the lady said. “You know where everyone can see it.”

I wrote my name.

“Will you put something like, good luck or with love, you know, make it personal?”

I wrote good luck and with love.

Jeff passed everything back. She hugged it to her chest. “Oh my God, my husband will be so pissed. Maybe it will inspire him, you know…” She dropped her voice. With half the restaurant tuning in, I doubt it did much good. “Spice things up a bit. Thank you so much.” She kissed the book and ducked back behind the booth.

I went back to looking at the menu. Jeff pulled it down. “And what exactly did you do to get popular?”

The waitress saved me. “Hey there, Grant.” She flicked a look at Jeff then back. I could practically see the question rolling through her head.
Who the hell is that?
“You want me to let Morgan know you’re here?”

Just hearing his name soothed something inside me. “Sure.”

“If I do, you gotta behave? This is the family hour.”

“Scouts honor.”

She giggled. “So what do you fellas want to drink?”

“Iced tea, no sugar,” Jeff said.

“Iced tea, with sugar.”

She raised her eyebrows. Apparently my disdain for my lunch date came through loud and clear. “I’ll be right back to get your order.” She left.

Jeff continued to watch the lunch crowd. They continued to watch us.

I folded my arms on the table. “All right, I’m here. Talk.”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Earth to Jeff. Start talking or leave so I can eat my lunch in peace.”

He cast one more uneasy look around. “I got a call from the office. They picked up Ulrich last night.”

“Where?”

“California.”

“That’s nowhere near here.” In fact, he couldn’t get much farther unless they’d found him in Hawaii.

“Yeah.”

“If Lorado wanted him to kill me, then why would he be in California?”

“Don’t know.” He plucked packets of artificial sweetener from the holder next to the bottle of ketchup.

“How come you sound disappointed?”

“More like worried.”

“Why?”

“Because we don’t know why he was there.”

“Vacation?”

Jeff rolled a look up at me. “I don’t think he’s the vacationing type.”

“Well if he’s on the opposite coast, then it’s unlikely he’s taken any kind of job concerning—”

Our waitress came back with our drink. “You want something to eat, Grant?”

“Hamburger. Fries.”

“Everything on it?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She pinched my cheek. “You’re so sweet, no wonder Morgan
likes
you so much.” She flicked Jeff a strained smile. “Be right back with your burger.”

“Excuse me,” Jeff said. “I’d like a burger as well.”

She gave him another one of those looks. “Sorry, we’re all out.”

“He just ordered one?”

“Last one. Lucky man.”  She sauntered off.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling.

Jeff turned his confused expression on me. “What just happened there?”

I shrugged. “They ran out of burgers.”

“Yeah, right.” Jeff sprinkled his packs of sweetener into his drink and stirred it with his straw.

“You were saying?”

“Yeah. Airport security picked Ulrich up on a flight from Mexico.”

“I didn’t think smuggling was in his job description.”

“He wasn’t smuggling anything.”

“Then why did they pick him up?”

“Homeland Security. They can detain anyone who looks suspicious. I doubt they’ll get to keep him long. As soon as his lawyer finds out, he’ll be on a flight home.”  Jeff took a sip of his tea and abruptly spit it back out into the glass. “Jesus.” He grabbed a couple of napkins and gagged into them.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s practically saltwater.”

Our waitress whisked by. Jeff waved at her, but she turned her back.

“Who the hell runs this place?”

I pointed to Jessie at the bar. “Him.”

“He needs to have a talk with his help.”

“I’m sure she just missed you.”

Jeff pushed the glass of salty tea away. “And that?”

“Sugar and salt are both white. Maybe they got it mixed up.” I caught our waitress’s eye. She came right over. “What’cha need, honey?”

“I think they messed up on his drink.”

The look of surprise on her face was so fake it might as well be painted on. “Oh, gee. I’m sorry about that. I’ll bring you another.”

Before she could go, I motioned her closer. She leaned down. I whispered, “Go easy on him, he’s a prick, but he’s just doing his job.”

She pinched my cheek again. “Like I said, so sweet.” She sauntered off.

“What did you say to her?”

“That—”

“Hey, I know you. You’re that guy on the video.” The kid couldn’t have been more than sixteen. He grinned and shook his finger at me. “Yeah, yeah, oh man.” He snatched his hat off his head. “Will you sign this for me?”

I took the cap. “I don’t have pen.”

The lady in the booth behind Jeff popped back up. “Here ya go.” She gave the pen to the boy, he gave it to me.

“Brady Johnson,” A woman in a floral dress pushed her way between the tables.

“Look, ma, it’s—”

She grabbed him by the ear. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“I just wanted his autograph.”

She gave me a wide-eyed look. Her gaze fell to the hat in my hand, and she snatched it away. “Get out there to the car, right now.”

The kid ducked but not quick enough to avoid a slap to the side of the head with his hat. “Ma…”

“Don’t ma me. You have no business consorting with the likes of him. And this Sunday, you are going to church.” The clang of the bells followed her out the door.

A middle-aged carbon copy of the kid in jeans and T-shirt stopped by. He was too old to be the kid’s brother, so there was only choice left.

He watched his wife shove their son across the parking lot. “You still got that pen?” The toothpick in his mouth went from one side or the other.

“Uh…”

He took off his hat. “Put ‘To Bill.’”

I did.

“And a bunch of X’s after your name. You know, like Xs and Os.”

With great reluctance, I did that too. He took the hat and put it on. Then he left.

You could hear the lady scream all the way from inside the restaurant.

Of course, the place going dead silent didn’t help.

The lady behind Jeff said, “Can I have my pen back?”

I handed it to Jeff; he handed it to her.

The guy wrestled his raging wife into the car and they drove off. Everyone turned back to their meals, and the hum of conversation resumed.

“What the hell was that?” Jeff turned back to me.

I drank some of my tea.

“Grant?”

“You don’t want to know.”

“Uh, yeah, I do.”

“Do you have anything interesting to say about Ulrich, or are you just wasting my time again?”

He blew out a breath that popped his cheeks. “Nothing other than we have no idea why he was in California.”

“So you’re wasting my time?”

“No, I was hoping you might have some ideas about what kind of business Lorado would send him there for.”

I had a few. But hell if I was going to share them with Jeff. “No idea.”

“Grant.”

“Do you need me to spell it out for you?”

Jeff leaned in close. “Look, I’m trying to watch out for you. I can’t do that if I don’t have information on the guy who’s coming after you.”

“If he’s in California, he’s not coming after me.”

Jeff sat back.

Our waitress arrived with food and drinks. She put a plate in front of Jeff. “I thought you said you were out?”

“My mistake.” She handed him his drink. “Burger with everything.” She handed me mine.

“Looks great, thanks.”

“Morgan will be out in a minute, he’s finishing up the dishes.” Jessie called for her. “Oops, gotta go, boss needs something.”

Jeff sipped his tea.

“Is it all right?” I squeezed some ketchup out on my plate.

“Yeah.”  He picked up the bun on his burger. Poked at it. Looked at the underside.

“Problem?” I ate a fry.

“Just making sure they didn’t make another
mistake
.” He poured a new packet of sweetener into his tea. “Who’s Morgan?”

I took a bite of my burger, stalling. But why? The answer was obvious. I knew Jeff would have the same first impression I did. The knowledge pissed me off. Not at him, but at myself.

Because I had nothing to be ashamed of. And neither did Morgan.

“The guy I’m dating.”

“You’re dating?”

“Yup.”

Jeff watched me over the edge of his glass while he took a drink.

“What’s that look for?”

“I don’t know. I just didn’t think you’d get into another relationship, seeing you don’t plan on sticking around.”

I pointed a fry at him. “And who says I’m going anywhere?”

“C’mon, Grant.” He laughed. “We both know as soon as the heat dies down, you’ll be on a plane to some faraway island where Uncle Sam can’t reach you.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really.”

“Is that why you guys are following me around? Because you think I’m going to disappear?”

“Not think, know.”

I bit the fry in half. “In case you missed it, I bought a house.”