A Touch of Torment by Gary Ponzo

Author:Gary Ponzo [Ponzo, Gary]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Action & Adventure, Crime, Fiction, Mystery & Detective, Suspense, Terrorism, Thriller
Amazon: B08H5VVW6Q
Publisher: JK Publishing
Published: 2020-08-29T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 24

Tommy pulled into the Jake’s parking lot just after eight o’clock and backed into a spot next to the dumpster, away from the overhead lights. The bar was a one-story stucco building that was originally a residential home built back in the fifties. It sat on Central Avenue in downtown Phoenix, where it looked out of place among the twenty-story office buildings and fast-food restaurants.

Tommy shut off the car and looked at Cara, as if noticing her attire for the first time.

“You do know this is a dive bar, right?” he asked.

Cara smoothed the fabric of her short dress and crossed her legs to let a high heel dangle from her foot. “I felt like dressing up tonight.”

Tommy cocked his head. “You’re up to something, but I’m just too dense to figure it out.”

Cara opened her door and Tommy followed her across the parking lot, the thumping of a rhythmic bass line was pulsing out the open door.

“No one ever accused you of being dense,” Cara quipped as they strode toward the back entrance.

“You should’ve heard what my high school teachers called me.”

A thick Asian man wearing a skin-tight black T-shirt stood next to the back door and said, “Ten dollar cover,” with a practiced monotone voice.

“Ten bucks?” Tommy said, fishing for his wallet. “Is Bob Dylan doing a set tonight?”

The guy frowned as Tommy handed him a twenty-dollar bill.

They walked single file down a narrow hallway with a low ceiling until they entered the main room. Against the far wall was a long bar with a female bartender hustling back and forth between customers who were packed two deep across from her. To their right was a small stage with a three-piece band. A bass player, a drummer, and a skinny kid with a long ponytail playing guitar and singing lead. The room was crowded, but well designed. The main floor was sunken so people could stand and yet the customers sitting at the bar and booths surrounding the room could easily see the stage. The acoustics weren’t bad either. The music wasn’t bouncing off the walls and causing reverb.

As Tommy approached the bar, a twenty-something guy saw him and gestured for Tommy to take his seats. He and his lady friend were leaving the bar and Tommy gratefully accepted the gesture by maneuvering Cara onto a stool and sat next to her.

Cara leaned close to Tommy and yelled, “I’ll have a Bud Light,” into his ear.

Tommy held up two fingers to the bartender and shouted, “Bud Light.”

They watched the band play a pop-rock song with an REM slant. The singer was emotional, squeezing his eyes shut as he sang about a broken relationship. It was heartfelt and moving, and he had the crowd’s attention. Very few people were looking at their phones. There was something special about the way the kid was reaching his audience.

“I like this,” Cara said into his ear.

Tommy nodded. The bass drum had an image of a huge doorknob in the middle of it, representing the name of the band.

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