The Best American Mystery Stories 2018 by Louise Penny & Otto Penzler

Author:Louise Penny & Otto Penzler [Penny, Louise & Penzler, Otto]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780544949225
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2017-12-31T21:00:00+00:00

Wen was sitting at the bar, nursing an amber beer, watching the Yankees game on the television mounted in the corner. Harold sat down next to him.

The pretty bartender in the cowboy hat didn’t wait for him to order, just filled a pint glass with the cheapest beer they had and placed it onto a coaster in front of him. Harold dug a couple of singles out of his pocket and placed them on the bar.

Wen looked at Harold’s face and said, “Jeez, man, what happened to you?”

“You did.”

“What do you mean?”

“Why did you bring me to Happy Dumpling?” Harold asked. “That night we first hung out. Why did you bring me there?”

Wen exhaled. Undid and redid his ponytail. It didn’t take a gambler to see it was a tell. After a few moments Wen said, “C’mon, man. I was just looking to help a fellow player out. You looked like you were still up for some action.”

Harold took a sip of his beer. “You said you worked for Mr. Mo.”

“I did.”

“When?”

“Before.”

“How long did you have to do it for?”

Wen pursed his lips, his words taking on a tone of aggravation. “One day he told me I was done. He sent me home.”

Harold twisted the stool around until he was looking at Wen. “Why did you bring me there?”

“Look, man, what happened happened,” Wen said. “You should have kept yourself in check. You didn’t. I told you to be careful. But I’ve been thinking about what you said. About . . .”

Wen arched his back, looked around the bar. The bartender was down at the other end. No one was sitting close. He leaned in to Harold’s ear. “I’ve been thinking of what you said. You’re getting pretty used to the routine now. Mr. Mo is comfortable with you. Maybe we can work together. Give something a try.”

“Something what?”

Wen smiled. “You know how much money goes through that place?”

“You mean knock him off?” Harold asked. “You told me he was dangerous.”

“Where did you say your wife and daughter moved to?” Wen asked.

“Iowa.”

“One big score. You up and leave to Iowa. Get closer to them. Never come back to this nightmare town again. I’m not saying we have to do it right now, but keep your eyes open. If you see there’s something we can exploit, let’s sit down and have a conversation about it, you know?”

Harold thought about his daughter and the ache in his chest.

Wen held up his pint glass and smiled. Harold picked up his own glass and clinked it against Wen’s.

“Partners,” Wen said.

“Sure,” Harold said.

Finally he saw his way out.

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