Will could practically hear the calculatorwhirring between Taylor’s ears, but it didn’t take a genius to workthis out. South Florida had been a mob stomping ground since thedays of Al Capone and Meyer Lansky. So it was pretty much what Willhad figured. Cousin Dennis had got on the bad side of some goodfellas.
Mist Bend looked just like Will remembered.Old houses and small family businesses. The area had been firstsettled in 1874. It had started out as a farming community, but itsmain industry these days was logging. There was little to convincethe next generation to stay put and invest, and nothing to attracttourists. In Will’s opinion, it was the perfect place to retire oneday. Except now of course, his retirement plans would be contingenton what Taylor wanted.
He gave Taylor a sideways look. Meeting it,Taylor raised his eyebrows. And Will shook his head, smilingfaintly.
Grant dropped them off in front of thepolice station on Bridge Street. It was a small, square brickbuilding with bullet-proof windows, cement flower planters, and aflag pole positioned in the single square of lawn.
Taylor climbed out of the truck, then Will.He leaned into the cab. “I’m just going to say hi to Jack Hardy andgrab my keys. Why don’t you join us for a beer?”
“Thanks. I’ve got to get back,” Grant said,looking straight ahead.
“To do what? Watch wrestling? Come on,Grant. You can spare time for one beer.”
Grant faced him, his expression tight. “No,I can’t, William.”
“Suit yourself.” Will slammed the cab doorshut a lot harder than he had to.
Grant gunned the motor and roared away downthe wide, mostly empty street. Will stared after him.
“Okay, I admit it,” Taylor said, behind him.“I should have stayed home this trip. My being here is complicatingthe situation.”
“The hell,” Will exclaimed. And though hehad privately thought the same thing before they left for Oregon,Grant’s rude and mule-headed behavior had completely changed hismind. He turned on Taylor. “I want you here. You belong here.”
“Sure,” Taylor said. “But I just —”
“I don’t. Come on.”
Will led the way up the cement walk. Despitethe bullet-proof glass, the entrance was an ordinary swinging glassdoor. He pushed through.
“Holy shit,” said a heavy-set bald man ofabout thirty, rising from the desk in a glass fronted office. “Isthat the Will Brandt?”
“Jack Hardy, is that you?” Will returned.“You’re Chief of Police now? Didn’t anyone else want thejob?”
“No. Nobody else wanted the job. Why wouldthey? It’s a lousy job.” Jack shook Will’s hand.
“This is my partner, Taylor MacAllister.”This time Will didn’t care what interpretation Jack or anybody elseput on partner. He was getting good and goddamned sick ofworrying about how other people felt about his personal and privatelife. “Jack and I went to high school together about a hundredyears ago.”
“Nice to meet you, Jack.” Taylor offered hishand.
“High school? We played footballtogether. Took the Lumberjacks all the way to the statechampionships twice. Those were the days. Our current team’s on aten-game losing streak.” Jack pointed to a series of framedphotographs of the Mist Bend Lumberjacks in action. “This guy wasthe best quarterback we’ve had in twenty years.” He shook Taylor’shand. “You another fed?”
“Used to be.”
“We’re flying solo now,” Will said.
“No shit? You left the DSS?”
“We decided to go into business forourselves. Security consulting.”
“Security consulting? What’s thatentail?”
“Anything it needs to,” Taylor said, andthey all laughed.
“I hear that,” Jack said. He handed Will’skeys over. “Your vehicle’s in the parking lot out back. Your dadsaid you’re not pressing charges?”
“No. I forgot I told my cousin he couldborrow my SUV if he needed to.”
Jack guffawed. “Another one of the crazyBrandt cousins, is that the story?”
“That’s the story.”
“Have it your way.” Jack’s fair, plump facegrew serious. “You know Jem Dooley is out?”
“Yeah. Seems he dropped by this morning tosay hi.”
“Anybody else and I’d say it was allbluster, but I’m not so sure about Jem. There was always somethingnot quite right about that guy.”
“He just got out of prison. It’s hard tobelieve he’d risk going back this soon.” Will asked Taylor, “Whatdid you think of him?”
Taylor shrugged. “You don’t have to be smartto be dangerous.”
“I agree with your partner,” Jack said. “Ithink Bill needs to keep an eye out for Jem.”
* * * * *
“You want to grab some lunch now?” Willsaid, as he and Taylor walked out to the parking lot. “Or you wantto see the sights?”
“Let’s eat.” Taylor’s sunglasses hid most ofthe bruising around his eyes, but that split lip looked painful ashell. Will, still smarting in tender places from his collision withcardboard boxes and trash bags earlier in the week, felt a jab ofsympathy.
“How about I take you to the place with thebest selection of microbrews in town? You can drown yoursorrows.”
“My only sorrow is Cousin Dennis is out ofmy reach.”
“That’s my boy.” Will gave Taylor’s shouldera friendly bump with his own.
They drove to Tucker’s Tavern, which was arustic-looking building with a giant mill wheel out front and anold-fashioned painted tavern sign with a mermaid patting a dolphin.What the mermaid and dolphin had to do with anything, Will hadnever understood, but the sign had hung there as long as he couldremember.
He held the front door for Taylor andfollowed him inside. It was dark and quiet, except for a radioplaying from a back room. The tables and bar were empty. A tall,curvy young woman with waist-long brown hair was wiping downtables. She smiled hello. Then her expression changed. She droppedher yellow sponge. “Oh my God. Will Brandt?”
Will looked closer. And closer still. Hisjaw dropped. “I don’t believe it!”
She threaded her way through the tables, andhe met her halfway, picking her up. “Madonna Agnelli?”
She was grinning, shaking back thatbrown-honey waterfall of hair. “Not Agnelli anymore. I married JimTucker.” She gestured to the bar and the taps. “Home sweethome.”
“Jimmy Tucker. No way!”
Madonna laughed. “That’s right. Yourarchrival, Will.”
It occurred to Will that he was stillhugging her, that her long, shapely legs were wrapped around him,that they were not in college anymore, and that his boyfriend waswatching their reunion with a profound and utter
