Hellrider by JG Faherty

Author:JG Faherty
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Flame Tree Press
Published: 2019-07-15T13:23:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Four

Still occupying Hank Bowman’s body, Eddie entered Rosie’s Diner and took the last empty seat at the counter, right between Clyde Holmes, town doctor and father to Officer Chet Holmes, and Officer Delbert Beauchamps. Hank’s basketball-shaped belly rumbled like an idling engine as Eddie breathed in the hot, greasy odors of hamburgers, French fries, meatloaf, fried catfish, and his own personal favorite, gator nuggets.

Damn. When was the last time Hank ate something?

Guess what, Hanky-boy? I think it’s time to spend a little of that money we took.

“What’ll you have?” asked Jenny Gunderson. Her husband taught science at the high school. Eddie’d always hated him, ever since the time he’d caught Eddie and Sandra making out in the stairwell and gotten them suspended for a week. But as much as he disliked Todd Gunderson, there was no way to hate Jenny. She was possibly the sweetest person in all of Hell Creek, a major reason why Rosie gave her all the best shifts at the diner. It didn’t hurt that her looks matched her personality. Not content with making her the nicest person in town, God had blessed her with a face made for television. Maybe not movie-star beautiful, but definitely TV commercial cute. Her pale skin was more suited to sitting under shady trees than frolicking in the surf, but it matched perfectly with her bright blue eyes and fiery red hair.

“I’m feeling mighty hungry, Jen. Gimme two orders of gator nuggets, an order of fries, and a chocolate-peanut butter shake.”

“Sure thing.” Jenny turned away, and Eddie belatedly remembered that he was Hank to everyone, which explained why Jenny hadn’t given him one of her sunny smiles, and why he was currently getting the stink eye from Delbert.

“You’re in a pretty fine mood, Hank,” Delbert said. His tone indicated he was nosing for information, not making conversation.

Eddie knew why, too. Hank Bowman in a good mood usually meant trouble for someone else. That, or he’d already pulled off some kind of crime or stupid stunt and he knew the police wouldn’t be able to pin it on him.

Like when they burned me alive in my own garage. Where were you then, asshole? Probably sound asleep behind the wheel, like always.

The familiar rage burbled up like swamp gas, and Eddie swallowed it down before it could escape. “Yep. Hard not to be in a good mood on a beautiful day like this.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Clyde Holmes chimed in. “Day like this makes you glad to be alive.”

“Yeah?” Eddie paused as Jenny put his milkshake down. “I wouldn’t know.”

Holmes’s bushy eyebrows dipped down as he frowned. “Huh?”

“Never mind.” Eddie dunked a gator nugget into some ketchup and popped it into his mouth.

Oh, man! I forgot how good these taste!

In fact, he’d forgotten how good it was to eat anything. Or maybe it was just experiencing the food through someone else. The chunks of cornmeal-battered gator tail were perfectly salty and sweet; the fries were nice and crispy, with a flavor that could only come from old, reused grease.

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