Part 12 (1/2)
”I'm picking her up myself,” A.J. said.
Nick stood up. ”Maybe I'll head into the village and check out the Black Falls nightlife.”
A.J. grinned slightly. ”That won't take long.”
Nick parked in front of the Black Falls library across from the town common. It was open, lit up against the dark night.
Looked cozy.
He took a sanded, shoveled walkway through the middle of the picturesque common and crossed Main Street to Three Sisters Cafe. It was closed, but lights were on and he could see Myrtle Smith and Dominique Belair with a patchwork quilt spread out over a couple of tables they'd pushed together. They had needles and thread in hand and were doing what appeared to be a few last-minute st.i.tches.
Nick didn't think he'd ever actually seen anyone quilt anything.
He wondered if Rose could quilt any better than she could knit.
He left the two women to their sewing and continued down Main Street. The temperature had dropped fast with nightfall. The village was dark and quiet, but O'Rourke's appeared to be filled with people. He could hear raucous laughter inside as he mounted the sanded concrete steps.
A three-person band was setting up opposite the bar and nearly every table was filled with Vermonters and tourists enjoying their drinks and the hearty food.
Nick sat on a high stool at the bar. Liam O'Rourke took his order. ”Sean's told me about you,” Liam said. ”You two have been friends for a long time.”
”Ever been to Beverly Hills?” Nick asked him.
”I like winter.”
”You could come in summer.”
”Too hot.”
”That's Arizona. Most of the time Beverly Hills is relatively mild.”
”Then why the fires?”
”It's dry.”
”Fire season's over out there?”
”Fires can happen anytime, but the peak season is September and October. We're relatively wet and cool right now. That helps keep fires down.” That was the short answer. Nick doubted Liam wanted the long answer. ”It's good you like Vermont. Is your cousin Bowie here?”
”I don't have patience with troublemakers.”
”You mean Bowie or me?”
”I mean anyone who makes trouble.”
Did that include Hannah Shay? Derek Cutshaw and his friends? Rose?
”Have you seen Robert Feehan today?” Nick asked as Liam set a frosted beer gla.s.s in front of him on the worn bar.
”Not in a week or more. Same as what I said yesterday when you were here with Rose.” In case you're testing me, Liam's tone said. ”I told the police the same thing, so don't think you're being subtle.”
”I'm not the subtle type.” Nick glanced at a narrow, vertical menu. ”I'll have the beef stew.”
”Salad?”
”No, thanks.” He grinned. ”Stew's got carrots and onions.”
Liam didn't seem amused.
Another big guy who looked a lot like Liam entered O'Rourke's. The stonemason, Nick thought. Bowie O'Rourke, currently on probation after taking on Derek Cutshaw right here in his surly cousin's bar.
Liam made what pa.s.sed for introductions, handed his cousin a c.o.ke and moved down to the end of the bar. Bowie stood next to Nick. ”How's Hannah doing in California?”
”Loves it,” Nick said.
”Is Sean spoiling her?”
”Trying, but she's stubborn and self-sufficient.”
”Her brothers? They like it there?”
Nick knew Devin Shay, the older of Hannah's two younger brothers, better than he did Toby. ”They like California even more than Hannah, at least for now. Devin's working for Sean and starting on the road to becoming a smoke jumper. Toby's mountain biking to his heart's content. He likes being an exchange student. I think he'll end up finis.h.i.+ng his senior year there.”
”Hannah still studying for the bar?”
”Every day by the pool, but I don't know if she's signed up to take it yet.” Nick sipped some of his beer. ”She seemed happy to have Beth come for a visit.”
Bowie nodded, not touching his c.o.ke. ”Hannah's like a sister to me,” the stonemason said, making it sound like a warning. ”We grew up in a hollow out past the Whittaker place.”
”So I hear. What about Rose Cameron? Is she like a sister to you, too?”
Bowie glanced sideways at him. ”What difference does it make to you?”
Nick took no offense. ”I've been trying to figure out why Derek Cutshaw might have gone to the Whittaker place when he did. I've picked up an undercurrent around here. I think he had something going on with Rose, and you knew. You weren't just keeping him from spouting off about Hannah last year in that fight, were you?”
”Rose wasn't even in Black Falls then.”
”Hannah's one of her closest friends, and she was here. So were all three of Rose's brothers. If Cutshaw was out of control and lied or exaggerated about her in front of everyone-or even told the truth, shared a secret-”
”Now you're the one going too far,” Bowie said darkly.
”I don't care about any history between Cutshaw and Rose. If you intervened to keep him from embarra.s.sing her, then good for you. It's a small town. She's entrusted with people's lives. She didn't need some drunken idiot carrying on about her. I only care that she's safe.”
Bowie relaxed slightly. ”Derek was an SOB, especially when he'd been drinking. He was manipulative, controlling and self-absorbed. Everything had to be his way.”
”Was he potentially suicidal?”
”No.”
”You didn't hesitate.”