Part 14 (2/2)
”You should probably go home and check on your wife,” he said. ”She might be having a baby.”
I pulled my phone out of my pocket. No missed phone calls or texts. I'd been smart enough to turn the volume all the way up just in case.
I put it back in my pocket. ”She would have called. She's fine.”
”So what are you confused about now?”
”The fracking thing,” I said. ”At your house. Tell me about that again.”
He looked at me, puzzled, then shrugged his shoulders. ”They called me first. I told them to buzz off. Then a guy showed up at the door. Young guy, nice looking, all friendly and salesy. He knocked on the door and I was ready to push him off the porch. Until he told me the kind of money he was offering.” His mouth twisted in thought. ”I looked at the paperwork and it looked pretty legitimate. A whole load of cash to do a little digging on the north side of our property. We talked for a few minutes. Told me to call him when I'd finished thinking it over. I haven't done that yet.”
People were walking by, water bottles in hand, waving at the air with fairground maps and programs, trying to cool themselves off.
”Remember the guy's name?” I asked.
He s.h.i.+fted on the bench and pulled out his wallet, thumbing through it. ”He gave me his card. Told me he was the rep for all of Rose Petal. Made some crack about how he was going to be the fracking king of Rose Petal.” He pulled out a card. ”Here it is. Corey Stewart.”
He handed me the card. It was a simple rectangle made of white cardstock. His name was on there, along with a simple logo for Taitano Resources, a phone number, and an e-mail.
”Mind if I keep this for a while?” I asked.
”Why? You gonna see if he'll check out your backyard?” my dad asked.
I smiled at him. ”Yeah. Think I will.”
29.
Victor pointed the neck of his beer bottle at me. ”You are actually becoming an investigator.”
We were on my back deck, under the trellis, the grill warming, drinking beer. I'd called him when I left the fair after talking with my dad, told him what I'd learned, what I wanted to do and, surprisingly, he'd agreed to come over, as long as I provided some dinner and beer.
”I think that was a compliment,” I said.
”I think it was, too.” He glanced at the bottle. ”I better not have any more or we'll be kissing.”
”Kissing my knee, maybe.”
He ignored my insult. ”When's this guy supposed to get here?”
I glanced at my watch and sipped from the beer. ”Any minute.”
On cue, the doorbell chimed inside the house.
”Punctual,” Victor said with a smirk. ”Friggin' sales guys.”
”Feel free to jump in if you think it's necessary,” I said.
”Gee, thanks for your permission, d.i.c.k Tracy. You ain't that good yet. Don't let your empty head swell.”
The gla.s.s slider slid open and a guy in his late twenties with slicked-back hair wearing a bright green polo s.h.i.+rt and khaki pants and an obnoxious smile stepped out in front of Julianne, who was munching on a giant pickle wrapped in aluminum foil.
”I'll scream for you if the kid falls out,” she said in between bites, patting her belly.
”Perfect,” I said, smiling at her.
She closed the slider and the guy's smile brightened even more. ”What a great lady. You are very lucky.”
I stood. ”Yes, she is and yes, I am. I'm Deuce. And this is my friend, Victor.”
”Corey Stewart,” he said, shaking my hand enthusiastically. If he was taken aback by Victor's midgetness, he didn't show it, smiling just as broadly at him and extending his hand. ”Corey Stewart.”
Victor slid out of the chair and shook his hand. ”Yeah. Hey.”
Corey surveyed the backyard. ”Man, this is a great layout. Love the deck and the trees are terrific. Bet your kid loves playing out here.”
Victor rolled his eyes and slid back into his chair.
”Oh, thanks,” I said, then gestured at the empty chair next to Victor. ”Yeah, she does. Have a seat. Get you a beer?”
”Ah, can't, on the job, but thanks.” He set down his leather shoulder bag and eased into the chair. ”When's your wife due? Julianne, was it?”
”Yeah. About a week ago.”
He chuckled. ”Whoa. She wasn't kidding, then, about screaming, was she?”
”She rarely kids about anything.”
”Well, I don't want to take up too much of your time, then,” Corey said, setting his hands on his thighs. He smiled at Victor, who returned a fake smile. Corey looked back at me. ”You said on the phone you were interested in a lease estimate and a.n.a.lysis.”
”Right,” I said. I wasn't, but he didn't need to know that quite yet.
He opened his bag, pulled out an iPad and started tapping away at it. ”Mind if I walk the yard for a minute?”
”Have at it.”
He hopped down the stairs and walked slowly along the fence line.
”Watch out,” Victor whispered. ”You're not careful, you'll end up buying a used Buick from him or something.”
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