AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, that would be Devlin Pollock.” Her eyes narrowed. “What did he have to say?”
“Just tried to get my name and number is all.”
She nodded. “Well, you probably shouldn’t mention to Boone that you talked with one of the Pollock boys.”
I raised a quizzical brow.
“I’ve never understood it, but the Bensons and the Pollocks put the Hatfields and McCoys to shame. Every time they cross paths, it’s dangerous to be nearby.”
I nodded as I pulled out bacon and cheese. “Good to know.”
“And what did you do next?” Every answer provoked another question. “And after that? And after that?”
A half hour later, she had dragged the sorry story out of me. I’d explained not getting paid for my last job and my fruitless job search, but I left out Kevin’s involvement.
“If you call that a pretty good day, I’d hate to hear about a bad one,” she said.
I shrugged. “I’ll figure something out.” I could only hope my words were more convincing than I felt.
“What can I do to help you with this?” She waved at the island.
“I forgot to ask. Do you have spaghetti?”
“Sure thing.” She ducked into the pantry and returned with a box. “I think you should ask Boone for help with your situation. But then I’m biased, and you’re the objective one.” The crinkle at the corner of her eye indicated she understood the irony of her words.
“Where do you keep the onions?” I asked to avoid dealing with that suggestion.
She produced a basket with several, and I grabbed one.
The sound of a car pulling up carried into the kitchen.
“That’ll be Boone, back from his store.” Marge hurried to the door.
“Store?”
“He owns the hardware store in town.”
Of course he did. I’d forgotten Zelda’s mention of it. It made sense that Boone was rich and owned his own store. It also explained this large property.
* * *
Boone
I’d turnedfor home after my visit to the hotel instead of stopping back at the store as I’d planned. Returning to the hotel tonight to clean rooms didn’t appeal to me, but the sooner I started, the sooner I’d be done. Being the boss who pitched in was a statement that had to be made. The work needed to be completed, even if I had to lead the effort.
A flashy red Audi R8 sat in the drive outside the house. I would have recognized it if it belonged to someone in Clear Lake.
Getting a mid-engine rocket like that car had been a passion of mine for years. I’d almost gone shopping for one before the hotel came up for sale. Now that acquisition had stretched me to the point that I didn’t have the extra coin to spend on a fancy car. But diversifying away from the hardware store was a more prudent choice. Indulging myself could wait.
I circled the car, admiring it and recalling the stats I’d memorized. A 612-horsepower V-10 engine, zero to sixty in 2.9 seconds. I felt myself salivate. For the life of me, I couldn’t remember who I had a meeting with tonight, but seeing this car up close made up for the surprise.
There was a meeting with the housewares distributor on the books, but I thought that was next week. Regardless, maybe I could get him to let me take it for a spin in exchange for more shelf space at the store…
Marge appeared as soon as I opened the front door.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Never better.”
