Walking on My Grave by Carolyn Hart

Author:Carolyn Hart
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2017-04-13T11:01:59+00:00

• • •

Annie pulled up to the service pump. Gas ’n Go, which belonged to Ben, had two pumps, one self-serve, the other attended. She rolled down her window.

A tall lanky man in overalls approached. “Fill ’er up?”

“With regular. And please check the oil and tires. Are you Bill Hogan?”

“At your service, ma’am.”

“Ben Parotti tells me Fred Butler was a friend of yours.” She saw acceptance on the long lean face. Ben’s name was about the best recommendation she could have. “I’m gathering remembrances about Fred for a friend and I’m hoping you will share some memories.”

“Well.” He drawled out the word, bushy eyebrows bunched in concentration. “You could count on Fred. When my boy Rick was hurt in a cycle crash, Fred was at the hospital soon as he heard to give blood, and he went out and fed the chickens and took care of my horses while me and my wife was at the hospital.”

“Had you seen Fred recently?”

“Saw him every Saturday, rain or shine. We play dominoes at Parotti’s.”

“Was he cheerful?”

Bill didn’t seem to think her question odd. “Yeah.” He sounded sad. “We had a beer after we finished. He was in a great mood. He was always nuts about pirate stuff. I don’t know how a grown man could believe in old pirate maps. But he did. I never saw it but he used to talk about this yellowed crumbly parchment map and how he’d found it in the bottom of a trunk he picked up at a flea market. I could’ve told him they churn those out in prints shops and peddle them to suckers. But I never did. Hell, it made him happy, gave him something to think about. I figure everybody has to have something to hope for. Saturday he said he’d figured out what he needed to do, he’d been counting all wrong. Something about so many paces this way, so many that way. He said it was like having a big lightbulb go off in his brain but it was brighter than any old lightbulb, more like a spotlight. He was sure he’d figured everything out, and it depended on where the arrow would land. I don’t know what that had to do with pirates, but he was real excited, said he was going to be rich and maybe he’d take a trip to Paris, he’d always wanted to go to Paris.” Bill pressed his lips together for an instant. “Anyway”—his voice was gruff—“I’m glad he was happy.”

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