The Maine Events, Rodney Riesel [best books to read in your 20s TXT] 📗

Crane,” Rose replied.

“Where's your partner?”

“Who, Tucker? He's not my partner. He was just riding withme that day.”

“Someone told me he used to be a cop in Boston.”

“Yeah, for a few years, then he moved back here.”

“How long's he been back?”

“Oh, it must be going on three years, I think. Why?”

“Just wondering.”

“Who was it talking to you about Tucker, Mya Duffy?”

“Why would you say that?”

“Because Tuck mentioned you and her were going to dinner, orsomething.”

“How would he know about that?”

Rose shrugged. “I don't know. Small town, I guess.”

“Yeah, small town.”

“You're still coming over for dinner Saturday, right?”

“Wouldn't miss it, but I'm having trouble finding a sitterfor my dog.”

“Bring him along.”

“Are ya sure?”

“Yeah, that's fine. Him and Starsky can run around thebackyard together while we're eating.”

“Starsky?”

“My lab.”

“Your lab's name is Starsky?”

“And I bet you can't guess my cat's name.”

“I'm going to take a wild guess, and say, Hutch.”

“You got it.”

“Cute.”

“Oh, and the reason I stopped: we finally caught up withVinny Tubbs and Myron Spoon.”

“Did you arrest them?”

“For what?”

“Coming to my motel with guns, and trying to—I don't know,do whatever they were trying to do.”

“Did they ever actually pull their weapons on you?”

“Well, no, but they showed them to me.”

“They showed you weapons they're licensed to carry. Theydidn't break any laws there. Did they threaten you in any way?”

“Well, not really.”

“So then what am I supposed to arrest them for, asking youto take a ride with them?”

Allen didn't know what to say. He just stared at Rose.

Rose put up his hands. “Crane, you and I both know thatwhatever those two men were up to, it was no good, but until they actuallybreak a law, I can't arrest them.”

“If you're lucky, maybe next time one of them will shoot me,and you can make an arrest.”

“That would be great,” Rose joked, “but not until afterdinner. My wife would be pissed if you ended up dead before she got to meetyou.”

“I wouldn't want her to be disappointed,” Allen said. “I'lltry to stay alive for at least a few more days.”

Rose snorted as he climbed into the cruiser. “I'm gonna holdya to that, Crane.”

“Okay, pal,” Allen said, as the car pulled away, “let's goget that breakfast.”

Chapter Fourteen

Jacob and Oliver were throwing a ball back and forth in thegrass out front of the Sunrise Motel when Mya pulled in to pick up Allen.Frankie ran from boy to boy as they tossed the ball over his head, playing keep-away.He barked and snapped his teeth at the rubber ball.

Allen walked through the office door. He was dressed in bluejeans, a black, long sleeve dress shirt, and a black sport jacket. He woreblack dress shoes and had shaved for the first time since arriving in YorkBeach. When Allen climbed into Mya's car, he rolled down the passenger sidewindow. Mya backed out of the parking space and stopped.

“The key is under the mat,” Allen said.

“Okay,” Jacob replied.

“Try to have Allen home early,” Oliver quipped.

Jacob laughed. “Yeah, and he likes it if you cut up his meatfor him.”

Allen shot the boys a look. “Let's just go,” he said.

“What was that all about?” Mya asked as they pulled away.

“Long story,” he said. Allen glanced in his side mirror tosee Jacob and Oliver thrusting their hips, gyrating, and everything else a boyof twelve thought sexual intercourse looked like. He just shook his head.

“What's that one boy's name?” Mya asked. “The boy with thelong blonde hair.”

“That's Jacob.”

“Is he a local boy?”

“No, why?”

“He just looks familiar to me.”

“The other boy is local—Oliver something.”

“Huh.”

“So, where are you taking me this evening?”

Mya looked stunning. She had on a long white sundress with afloral pattern of red roses and green stems. Her long brown hair was styled ina braided bun with a feather barrette accent. Around her neck was a blackvelvet choker. A gold pendant dangled from a four-inch gold chain attached tothe choker. Allen glanced down at where a slit in the dress revealed herperfectly tanned thigh.

“Tonight we'll be dining at Fox's,” Mya informed him.

“Foxy's?”

“Fox's.”

“Oh, I was gonna say, Foxy's sounds like a gentlemen'sclub.”

“It's a lobster house. Sorry to disappoint you.”

“I'm not disappointed at all. I love lobster, and I haven'thad one since I've been here.”

“How many gentlemen's clubs have you been to sincearriving?”

“None of those either.”

“We'll make that our second date—not.”

“I thought this was our second date. What was last night?”

“That was just ice cream … with a kiss on top.” Mya hit herblinker and took a right onto Nubble Road. “Fox's is nothing fancy, but thefood is really good, and I asked for a table with a view of the light house.”

“How romantic.”

“No, I'm just trying to get you in the sack,” Mya guffawed.

Allen laughed. “That sounded almost too sarcastic,” he said.

Mya hung a right on Sohier Park Road, and made a quick leftinto the parking lot of Fox's Lobster House. Allen stared at the lighthouse asshe drove.

“The Cape Neddick Light,” Mya said in the monotonest ofmonotones. “Also referred to as the Nubble Lighthouse. Built in 1879, it sitson Nubble Island. It was added to the National Registry of Historic Places in1985. A photograph of the lighthouse was included along with photos of theGreat Wall of China and the Taj Mahal as an example of one of Earth's mostsignificant man-made structures, in the event the space probe falls intoextraterrestrials hands … if they do indeed have hands.” Mya looked over atAllen. “How was that?”

“Very informative.”

“Wait, there's more. I can tell you about the wreck of the Isidoreoff Bald Head Cliff in 1842; to this day local fishermen claim to see the ghostship sailing past the lighthouse on pale moonlit nights. And Nubble Island'smost famous resident, a twenty-pound tomcat named Mr. T that liked to swim tothe mainland and back.”

“Let's save it for dinner.”

“You got it.”

Allen and Mya got out of the Volt and walked toward theentrance. “Does everyone in town know all of the lighthouse's trivia?”

“I don't know. I only do because I used to work as a tourguide for the York Trolley Company. You've probably seen the big red