The Quarter Boys by David Lennon

Author:David Lennon [Lennon, David]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookSurge Publishing
Published: 2010-05-23T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

After he finished his call, Michel headed to the Bourbon Pub. It was a little after 9 PM. He didn’t expect to find any information there, but hoped that Joel might show up. He knew that if Joel were still in the city it would just be a matter of time before they’d run into one another again. He hoped tonight would be that time.

The side doors of the pub were open and Michel could hear Cher from half a block away. He smiled to himself, remembering the vision he’d had of Cher sipping cocktails with the cockroaches at the bar. That, too, is just a matter of time, he thought.

The pub was already crowded. Michel surveyed the room and decided that most of the men looked like they’d stopped by for a pre-dinner drink and stayed. He pushed past the small groups who had staked their claims by the doors, and walked around to the far side of the bar where the crowd was thinner. He ordered a Jack Daniels and settled into an open space along the wall.

Most of the crowd looked familiar. He felt as though he’d seen them standing in the same places, drinking the same drinks, and having the same conversations every time he’d been there. God, don’t let me become that predictable, he thought.

Suddenly he was sure he was being watched. He shifted his position and discreetly scanned the crowd. Several men he knew waved and he nodded back reflexively before continuing his search. Finally his gaze reached a row of stools against the wall to his left. Chance sat there watching him.

Michel pushed off the wall and walked over. “Mind if I join you?” he asked.

“Suit yourself,” Chance replied without emotion.

Michel took the stool to Chance’s left and lit a cigarette.

“You know, if I’d had a gun I could have shot you six times by the time you finally saw me,” Chance said without looking at Michel. “Guess you’re not such a hot shit detective.”

Michel felt himself blush. He hadn’t realized he’d been so obvious. “Guess my Spidey sense isn’t working too well tonight,” he joked.

Chance continued staring straight ahead, his expression blank, and they silently sipped their drinks for a minute.

“So how’s Joel?” Chance asked finally.

“I was hoping you could tell me,” Michel replied, surprised.

Chance slowly turned to look at him. Michel could see a mix of anger and hurt in his eyes. For a second he thought he also saw a touch of concern.

“How would I fucking know?” Chance asked, his eyes becoming hard again. “I haven’t seen him since you told him I was a hustler.”

Michel felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him. A rush of panic swept over him and he had to fight the urge to grab Chance and force him to tell him everything he knew about where Joel might have gone. Instead he stared into the middle distance, concentrating on his breathing. I need to salvage this conversation, he thought.

He turned back to Chance.

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