Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 74005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74005 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
“Good to meet you, Hank.”
Hank returns my handshake as well.
“Take a load off,” George says. “We ordered coffees.”
A moment later, the coffees arrive. “Sir? Coffee?” our pretty server asks.
“Please. Black.”
She smiles. “Let me just grab the pot.”
She returns a minute later and pours me a cup.
“Are you gentlemen ready to order?”
I nod to George.
“I’ll have the great big American breakfast,” George says.
“Make that two,” Hank says.
I peruse the menu. The big American breakfast is eggs, bacon, sausage patties, hashbrowns, and buttermilk pancakes. That’s a lot of food, and my appetite has kind of been crap lately, but when in Rome…
“Make it three,” I say.
“Great.” She writes our orders down on her pad. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Scrambled for me,” George says.
“Same.” From Hank.
“Over easy.”
“Got it. We’ll have that out for you in just a few minutes.” She whisks away.
I turn back to the brothers. “So tell me about yourself, George. Ted never mentioned much about the two of you, other than that he was the middle child.”
“I’m the drywall king,” George says, chuckling. “But I’m guessing you already know that.”
“Your reputation precedes you,” I say.
“But I’ve been married to Maggie for nearly twenty years, and we’ve got two kids, Dottie and Ted.”
My ears perk up. “Named for your brother?”
“Yeah. Ted’s fourteen. Was born shortly after his namesake died.”
“And you?” I ask Hank. He’s dressed in a suit.
“Never married,” he says. “I’m an attorney in downtown Austin.”
“Good, good.”
Hank looks at his watch—a Rolex. “I do have a meeting pretty soon, so I’m not going to be able to stay terribly long. Long enough to eat that big American breakfast though.”
George chuckles. “If there’s one thing the Tucker boys never turn down, it’s a free meal.”
Our waitress returns with our meals.
Hank gives her a wink. “This looks delicious, sweetheart.”
Ah, not married. I can see why. Already I can tell he’s a lifelong bachelor and a big flirt.
“Looks delicious,” I agree, smiling.
The waitress blushes. “You enjoy your meal, gentlemen.”
Hank shakes his head. “I’ve got to tell you, she’s a cutie, but I don’t stand a chance next to those baby blues of yours.”
Right. My eyes. I’m the only one of five children to inherit my father’s blue eyes.
“Yeah, you’re something, Dirkwood,” George says. “Not that I check out men on a regular basis or anything.”
“My mother’s Mexican, and my father’s white. I’m the only one who inherited his blue eyes.”
“I’d bet your siblings are mighty envious,” Hank says.
Hank’s a nice-looking man. He doesn’t look much like Ted at all. Only in the eyes. Ted had nice eyes. Warm and brown.
I add salt and pepper to my eggs and then mix them with the hashbrowns.
“So…about your brother’s death.”
“Why are you so interested again?” Hank asks.
“True crime,” I say. “I knew him a long time ago, and always thought there was something fishy about how he just disappeared one day.”
“All I know,” George says, “is that he was shot in a barroom brawl in some dive outside Summer Creek.”
“Right. That’s what you said.”
George cocks his head at me. “So you’re telling me you knew our brother fifteen years ago?”
“That’s right.”
“Pardon me for saying it, but you look too young to have known him fifteen years ago.”
I clear my throat. “I get that all the time. Turned forty last month.”
“Well I’ll be goddamned,” Hank says. “Not only do you have those bedroom eyes, but you look young for your age.”
I nod.
Lying does not come naturally to me.
In fact, I hate it.
But sometimes you have to do things you don’t want to do for the greater good.
I learned that lesson a long time ago.
It was reinforced when my brother went to prison for Eagle.
“So…” I say. “Were they ever able to find out who shot your brother at the bar?”
“Unfortunately, no,” George says. “We asked a lot of questions, but whoever had the gun got away. No one was able to name him. Said it was a stranger they’d never seen there before.”
Right. Nice coincidence. My father paid them all off.
“Who started the brawl?” I ask.
“Nobody knew the answer to that question either,” Hank says.
I look at Hank. He’s an attorney. But maybe he wasn’t when this all happened. “Doesn’t that strike you as kind of strange?” I ask him.
“I’m not a criminal lawyer,” Hank says, “but yeah, the whole thing is odd. I’m sure George already told you that Ted didn’t drink. So why the hell was he in a bar?”
“That’s what I’d like to find out,” I say.
“Why the interest now?” George asks. “I get that you like true crime, but this case is about as cold as my coffee.” He flags our waitress, holding up his cup.
I shrug. “Just always seemed strange to me. And now it seems even stranger still, since you said he didn’t drink. In fact, now that you mention it, all those times we played Monopoly, he never did join me in a beer.”