Dead Woman Crossing by J.R. Adler

Author:J.R. Adler [Adler, J.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781838887285
Publisher: Bookouture
Published: 2020-09-23T06:00:00+00:00

17

Sam walked into The Trophy Room first, holding the door for Kimberley to enter behind. She looked around, noticing the bar was exactly how she had left it a few days earlier. The same old men sat at their gambling machines, permanent fixtures of the establishment. The pool tables and dartboards were in use by bikers and farm boys. A couple of regulars were spread out, bellied up to the bar, drinking their pints of cheap beer. It was like a level of a video game, the same environment and characters loaded for play the exact same way every time you booted up the scenario. As soon as people noticed Sam and Kimberley’s presence, all eyes were on them. Whispers ensued. Kimberley was sure that news of Hannah’s murder had traveled fast. She expected that. In a small town like Dead Woman Crossing, gossip was like an airborne virus. Difficult to contain and easily transmitted. They were all infected.

Standing behind the bar with a dirty dishrag thrown over his shoulder was Ryan, just the guy they were looking for.

“This is the town watering hole and Ryan here is at the center of it. He knows most everything about everyone,” Sam said in a low voice to Kimberley.

She nodded. In New York City, the ones that had dirt were informants. Here in Dead Woman Crossing, they were creepy bartenders.

Despite what had happened in his town, there was still an arrogance to him. He gave them a smug look, never breaking eye contact. Kimberley took the lead, walking to the bar and taking a seat on one of the stools. Sam sat beside her, tipping his head at a couple of the regulars.

“Miss me?” Ryan smirked at Kimberley. He pulled the towel from his shoulder and wiped the bar top down in front of them.

“Hardly,” Kimberley retorted. “Two Bud Lights,” she said, holding up two fingers.

She decided to take the approach that she and Sam were just blowing steam off after a difficult workday, rather than the fact that they were there to collect information.

Ryan filled the two pints and set them in front of Sam and Kimberley. Sam immediately threw a ten-dollar bill on the bar. Ryan nodded, took the money and returned four single dollar bills.

“You look better in uniform,” he said to Kimberley with a sleazy leer.

Sam took a long drink, set the pint glass down, and narrowed his eyes at Ryan.

“I think you’d look better in uniform too. Got a nice orange jumpsuit at the station with your name on it.”

Ryan let out a chuckle. “Alright, I get it. She’s your girl.” He backed up and tended to a patron at the end of the bar.

Sam shook his head.

“Sorry about him. He’s our town dipshit.”

Kimberley smiled. “My first interaction with him led me to that conclusion as well.” She tipped back the pint glass, consuming nearly half the beer in a couple of gulps.

After the day she’d had, the beer went down like water. Crisp and refreshing.

An old man with a belly and a bald head tapped Sam on the shoulder.

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