Come Join The Murder by Holly Rae Garcia

Author:Holly Rae Garcia [Garcia, Holly Rae]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Close To The Bone
Published: 2020-03-26T22:00:00+00:00

16

Captain D’s was a neighborhood institution, and Tommy and James’ second favorite place to grab lunch. Their first was the Mexican Meat Market, but that was on the other side of town and they were in a hurry. D’s was shaped like a boat, or maybe it had been an actual boat. James could never tell. Sun-bleached oyster shells filled the previously grassy bits between the parking lot and the building. They must have saved a fortune on mowing. There was the obligatory thick rope following the walkway from the parking lot to the front door, a staple for every seafood restaurant. But you didn’t dare run your hand along it as you walked: the hardened rope fibers would poke the hell out of you. The main door had a boat wheel stuck to the front, and a porthole peeking out from the middle of that. Inside, a U-shaped bar filled the small space, and customers sat around it on uneven bar stools, watching their lunch get shucked right in front of them.

In the fall and winter, they liked the ice-cold oysters on the half shell. The flabby gray bits sitting in the palm of their shells didn’t look appetizing, but a bit of horseradish and a dash of hot sauce would make it just right. Tommy liked his on a cracker, but James sucked his right out of the shell. In the summer, they took their oysters Rockefeller or fried. James was the sort to take risks, but even he didn’t dare eat them raw in the off season. The warm waters off the Gulf of Mexico encouraged all sorts of bacteria to bloom and grow in the summers, and eating bad oysters was high on his list of things he never wanted to do.

Tommy was already there, with a plate of Rockefeller and fries in front of him, when James arrived. He swiveled a bar stool around and eased into it. “What, you don’t wait for me?”

“You’re late, and you know I gotta get back to the shop by twelve.” Tommy kept his eyes on the plate he was inhaling.

“Screw ‘em, they won’t fire you for being late one day. You’re the best mechanic they got.”

Tommy nodded his agreement while chewing. He was the best mechanic, and he knew it. “I ordered you the fried basket and tea.”

“I hope you’re paying, I ain’t got shit.” Tommy always paid, but it was a fun little ritual to at least claim it was a surprise.

“Yeah I’ll spot you, but you know rent is due in three days. Am I pickin’ up your end again?” Tommy glanced at James, gulped another bite down, and took a few swigs of his tea.

“Yeah, I’ll pay you back,” James answered, though they both knew it was a lie.

Tommy had been paying both halves of the rent for the past three months, and James knew he’d keep doing it as long as James kept hanging out with him. No matter how mean or cranky James could be, Tommy was always there.

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