A Highball and a Low Blow by Constance Barker

Author:Constance Barker [Barker, Constance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Constance Barker
Published: 2018-03-12T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

I sat on the curb with the envelope in my lap and waited. I didn’t know why my friends were late, but I had a pretty good idea. Ida was keen on getting in a shopping side trip and they must have found a good store or some great deals. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes. The sun felt good on my face.

“I don’t want to intrude. But I saw you here waiting. I couldn’t talk to you inside, would be too easy for the rest of the force to eavesdrop. There are rumors that some of the officers may be on the take from the shiners.” It was the sergeant from the front desk. “I have someone covering for me for a few minutes so I could come out to talk to you.”

I shrugged. “Okay?”

“I saw you on that TV show and loved the episode. You seem like a nice person and Eckart says the local police and you have a good relationship.”

“That’s true, my aunt is on our small force.”

“Well, you didn’t hear it from me, but the rumor is the moonshiners are acting up and causing all this trouble. Be careful, they’re dangerous and not to be messed with. I’m not sure Eckart would tell you, so I thought I would make sure you know.”

“That’s kind of you, thanks.”

“And, well this is embarrassing. Can I get an autograph for my kid? Her name is Jessica and she would just go nuts if I brought it home to her.” He held out a Ghost Hounds t-shirt.

“I’m just a pub owner. You sure you want my John Hancock?”

“You own The Grumpy Chicken. People know it’s rumored to be haunted and love the place. Including my daughter. She would really appreciate it. So would I.”

I stared at the stern-faced officer with a little girl waiting at home. How could I refuse? He held out a Sharpie ready to go so I signed the shirt and laughed at how bad it came out. I never signed a piece of cloth before. “I’m just a hard working girl that grew up helping my parents run the family business. I’m no TV star, but I hope your daughter enjoys this gift from you.”

He gushed, “Thank you.” He looked at the signature and ran his hand over it. “By the way, there is one more thing. If you buy moonshine to sell on the side, it’s okay, you don’t have to tell me. But if you do, be careful. Shiners stick together and if word gets out that you're messing with them, it’s not good for you, your business, or your family.”

I shuffled my feet to get more comfy. The concrete curb was hard and uncomfortable, but so was this conversation. “It was very nice of you to come out to talk to me and let me know about the moonshiners. Thank you. And I really hope Jessica likes her t-shirt.”

“Oh, I know she is going to love it.” He held up the shirt as he spoke.

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