Read Online Caruso 01 - Boom Town by Trevor Scott - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Trevor Scott
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back into the floorboards. It didn’t knock him out, but he was dazed and confused. More than normal.
Tony left them there in pain, trying to figure out how one guy much smaller than either one of them could have done so much BOOM TOWN 59
damage so quickly.
When Tony went back into the bar, Dawn had a smile on her face.
“We could go into business together,” she said. “You beat the crap out of them, and then give them my card.”
The two of them went to the bar, where Tony bought a beer for him and another glass of wine for Dawn.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” Dawn asked.
“While you were studying traditional Chinese therapeutic techniques, I was learning Chinese and Japanese martial art forms.”
“You learned well, grasshopper.”
By now Tony saw the two geniuses had recovered enough to help each other through the crowd toward the exit. Blood streaked from the nose of each.
Having been distracted from his original intent for coming to the bar, Tony glanced at the bartender. Business had settled down some. The jazz band started playing a mellow tune; a soprano sax player trying out his best Kenny G. Tony thought he might be sick.
“Do you know the bartender?” Tony asked Dawn.
“Yeah. He’s here every time I come in.”
“Was he working the night Dan and Barb took the Italian guy home?”
“I think so.”
Tony nodded for the bartender, and he came directly to him, cleaning the bar with a wet towel along the way.
He was a tall skinny guy, with scraggly brown hair to his shoulders. His most remarkable feature was a nose that flared out at the end like a pig’s snout. That wasn’t a compliment.
“What can I get ya?”
“Dawn tells me you were working the night Dan and Barb Humphrey were...died,” Tony said, leaving it at that.
The bartender thought for a moment. “Work damn near every night,” he said. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
He had one of those squeaky voices, like someone had clamped 60
TREVOR SCOTT
his balls in a vise.
“I understand they left with an Italian guy,” Tony said.
He shrugged. “I don’t worry about who goes home with who around here. Don’t pay no attention.”
Funny. Tony hadn’t said anything about them taking the guy home.
“You knew Barb and Dan Humphrey,” Tony said. It wasn’t a question, because he already knew the answer.
“Yeah, I knew ‘em.”
A man plopped an empty mug onto the bar, and the bartender scooped it up and refilled it. Then he returned.
“About the guy they left with that night,” Tony said. “Is he local?”
“Don’t think so.” He was in deep thought now. “Drinks vodka gimlets. Two filberts.”
“That’s a helluva memory.”
“It’s my job.”
“I know about Barb and Dan coming in here and picking up play things. I don’t really care about anyone but the Italian they left with that night.”
The bartender scooped up some dirty glasses and plopped them into soapy water. Tony could see his eyes checking him out from the side.
“Sometime today,” Tony said.
He turned quickly and said, “What the hell you want from me?
I’m supposed to be a picture on the damn wall. People tell me shit they don’t tell their priest. I keep my mouth shut and remember what they drink. That’s it.”
“Dan and Barb are dead,” Tony said. “And there’s no such thing as bartender/client confidentiality.”
The bartender shook his head.
Dawn reached across the bar and grabbed the guy by the collar.
“Tell him what he wants to know, Bradley. Or he’ll beat the shit out of you like he did to those two assholes.”
He shifted his eyes from her to Tony, looking quite scared.
BOOM TOWN 61
Maybe even more frightened by her than Tony.
“He’s from Portland,” the guy said. With that, Dawn let him go.
“Keep going,” Tony said.
“He’s some hardware rep for a Portland lock company. He stays at the Riverfront every time he comes to town. Comes in here every night to see what he can score. More
Tony left them there in pain, trying to figure out how one guy much smaller than either one of them could have done so much BOOM TOWN 59
damage so quickly.
When Tony went back into the bar, Dawn had a smile on her face.
“We could go into business together,” she said. “You beat the crap out of them, and then give them my card.”
The two of them went to the bar, where Tony bought a beer for him and another glass of wine for Dawn.
“Where’d you learn to do that?” Dawn asked.
“While you were studying traditional Chinese therapeutic techniques, I was learning Chinese and Japanese martial art forms.”
“You learned well, grasshopper.”
By now Tony saw the two geniuses had recovered enough to help each other through the crowd toward the exit. Blood streaked from the nose of each.
Having been distracted from his original intent for coming to the bar, Tony glanced at the bartender. Business had settled down some. The jazz band started playing a mellow tune; a soprano sax player trying out his best Kenny G. Tony thought he might be sick.
“Do you know the bartender?” Tony asked Dawn.
“Yeah. He’s here every time I come in.”
“Was he working the night Dan and Barb took the Italian guy home?”
“I think so.”
Tony nodded for the bartender, and he came directly to him, cleaning the bar with a wet towel along the way.
He was a tall skinny guy, with scraggly brown hair to his shoulders. His most remarkable feature was a nose that flared out at the end like a pig’s snout. That wasn’t a compliment.
“What can I get ya?”
“Dawn tells me you were working the night Dan and Barb Humphrey were...died,” Tony said, leaving it at that.
The bartender thought for a moment. “Work damn near every night,” he said. “Wouldn’t surprise me.”
He had one of those squeaky voices, like someone had clamped 60
TREVOR SCOTT
his balls in a vise.
“I understand they left with an Italian guy,” Tony said.
He shrugged. “I don’t worry about who goes home with who around here. Don’t pay no attention.”
Funny. Tony hadn’t said anything about them taking the guy home.
“You knew Barb and Dan Humphrey,” Tony said. It wasn’t a question, because he already knew the answer.
“Yeah, I knew ‘em.”
A man plopped an empty mug onto the bar, and the bartender scooped it up and refilled it. Then he returned.
“About the guy they left with that night,” Tony said. “Is he local?”
“Don’t think so.” He was in deep thought now. “Drinks vodka gimlets. Two filberts.”
“That’s a helluva memory.”
“It’s my job.”
“I know about Barb and Dan coming in here and picking up play things. I don’t really care about anyone but the Italian they left with that night.”
The bartender scooped up some dirty glasses and plopped them into soapy water. Tony could see his eyes checking him out from the side.
“Sometime today,” Tony said.
He turned quickly and said, “What the hell you want from me?
I’m supposed to be a picture on the damn wall. People tell me shit they don’t tell their priest. I keep my mouth shut and remember what they drink. That’s it.”
“Dan and Barb are dead,” Tony said. “And there’s no such thing as bartender/client confidentiality.”
The bartender shook his head.
Dawn reached across the bar and grabbed the guy by the collar.
“Tell him what he wants to know, Bradley. Or he’ll beat the shit out of you like he did to those two assholes.”
He shifted his eyes from her to Tony, looking quite scared.
BOOM TOWN 61
Maybe even more frightened by her than Tony.
“He’s from Portland,” the guy said. With that, Dawn let him go.
“Keep going,” Tony said.
“He’s some hardware rep for a Portland lock company. He stays at the Riverfront every time he comes to town. Comes in here every night to see what he can score. More
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