even if he didn't agree with it, dropped into an easy chair and sipped at his bottle of beer. "She went to see Joe, huh?"
"Yeah, and notice that she didn't waste any time doing it, either. Joe's jittery as hell. He's afraid his spotless tenure as judge is about to be flushed down the toilet."
"What did Alexandra want with him?"
"She asked some questions about why he rushed up Gooney Bud's incompetency hearing. Reede came to Joe's rescue, which was a smart move on his part."
"Reede?"
"Never asleep at the switch, is he?" Angus removed his boots and dropped them over the padded arm of his chair.
They hit the floor with a heavy thud. He had gout, and his big toe was giving him trouble. He massaged it thoughtfully while looking at his son. "What did you think of the girl?"
'I tend to agree with Joe. She's a threat. She thinks one of us killed Celina, and she's bound and determined to find out who.''
"She struck me that way, too."
"Of course, she's got nothing on any of us."
"Of course."
Junior looked at his father warily. "She's sharp."
"As a tack."
"And no slouch in the looks department."
Father and son shared a bawdy laugh. "Yeah, she is good-lookin',"
Angus said. "But then, so was her mama."
Junior's smile faded. "Yes, she was."
"Still miss her, don't you?" Angus shrewdly studied his son.
"Sometimes."
Angus sighed. "I don't suppose you can lose a close friend like that without it having a lasting effect on you. You wouldn't be human, otherwise. But it's foolish of you to pine for a woman who's been dead all these years."
"I've hardly pined," Junior countered. "Since the day I figured out how this operates," he said, touching the fly of his pants, "it hasn't gone inactive for long."
"That's not what I'm talking about," Angus said, frowning.
"Anybody can get laid on a regular basis. I'm talking about your life. Commitment to something. You were upset for a long time after Celina died. It took you a while to pull your shit together. Okay, that was understandable."
He pushed the footstool of his chair and sat up straight, pointing a blunt finger at Junior. "But you stalled, boy, and you haven't worked up a full head of steam since. Look at Reede. He took Celina's death hard, too, but he got over her."
"How do you know he got over her?"
"Do you see him moping around?"
"I'm the one who's had three wives, not Reede."
"And that's something to be proud of?" Angus shouted, his temper snapping. "Reede's made his life count for something.
He's got a career--"
"Career?" Junior interrupted with a contemptuous snort.
"I'd hardly call being sheriff of this piss-ant county a career.
Big fuckin' deal."
' 'What would you call a career? Screwing the entire female membership of the country club before you die?"
"I do my fair share of work around here," Junior argued.
"I spent all morning on the phone with that breeder in Ken tucky. He's this close to buying that colt by Artful Dodger out of Little Bit More."
"Yeah, what did he say?"
"That he's seriously thinking about it."
Angus came out of his chair, booming his approval.
"That's great news, son. That old man's a tough son of a bitch, I've heard tell. He's a crony of Bunky Hunt's. Feeds his horses caviar and shit like that after they win." Angus slapped Junior on the back and ruffled his hair as though he were three, instead of forty-three.
"However," Angus said, his frown returning, "that just emphasizes how much we stand to lose if the racing commission rescinds that license before the ink on it is even dry.
One breath of scandal and we're history. So, how are we gonna handle Alexandra?"
"Handle her?"
Favoring his ailing toe, Angus hobbled toward the refrigerator to get another beer. "We can't wish her away. The way I see it," he said, twisting off the bottle cap, "we'll just have to convince her that we're innocent. Upstanding citizens." He gave an elaborate shrug. "Since that's exactly what we are, it shouldn't be that hard to do."
Junior could tell
"Yeah, and notice that she didn't waste any time doing it, either. Joe's jittery as hell. He's afraid his spotless tenure as judge is about to be flushed down the toilet."
"What did Alexandra want with him?"
"She asked some questions about why he rushed up Gooney Bud's incompetency hearing. Reede came to Joe's rescue, which was a smart move on his part."
"Reede?"
"Never asleep at the switch, is he?" Angus removed his boots and dropped them over the padded arm of his chair.
They hit the floor with a heavy thud. He had gout, and his big toe was giving him trouble. He massaged it thoughtfully while looking at his son. "What did you think of the girl?"
'I tend to agree with Joe. She's a threat. She thinks one of us killed Celina, and she's bound and determined to find out who.''
"She struck me that way, too."
"Of course, she's got nothing on any of us."
"Of course."
Junior looked at his father warily. "She's sharp."
"As a tack."
"And no slouch in the looks department."
Father and son shared a bawdy laugh. "Yeah, she is good-lookin',"
Angus said. "But then, so was her mama."
Junior's smile faded. "Yes, she was."
"Still miss her, don't you?" Angus shrewdly studied his son.
"Sometimes."
Angus sighed. "I don't suppose you can lose a close friend like that without it having a lasting effect on you. You wouldn't be human, otherwise. But it's foolish of you to pine for a woman who's been dead all these years."
"I've hardly pined," Junior countered. "Since the day I figured out how this operates," he said, touching the fly of his pants, "it hasn't gone inactive for long."
"That's not what I'm talking about," Angus said, frowning.
"Anybody can get laid on a regular basis. I'm talking about your life. Commitment to something. You were upset for a long time after Celina died. It took you a while to pull your shit together. Okay, that was understandable."
He pushed the footstool of his chair and sat up straight, pointing a blunt finger at Junior. "But you stalled, boy, and you haven't worked up a full head of steam since. Look at Reede. He took Celina's death hard, too, but he got over her."
"How do you know he got over her?"
"Do you see him moping around?"
"I'm the one who's had three wives, not Reede."
"And that's something to be proud of?" Angus shouted, his temper snapping. "Reede's made his life count for something.
He's got a career--"
"Career?" Junior interrupted with a contemptuous snort.
"I'd hardly call being sheriff of this piss-ant county a career.
Big fuckin' deal."
' 'What would you call a career? Screwing the entire female membership of the country club before you die?"
"I do my fair share of work around here," Junior argued.
"I spent all morning on the phone with that breeder in Ken tucky. He's this close to buying that colt by Artful Dodger out of Little Bit More."
"Yeah, what did he say?"
"That he's seriously thinking about it."
Angus came out of his chair, booming his approval.
"That's great news, son. That old man's a tough son of a bitch, I've heard tell. He's a crony of Bunky Hunt's. Feeds his horses caviar and shit like that after they win." Angus slapped Junior on the back and ruffled his hair as though he were three, instead of forty-three.
"However," Angus said, his frown returning, "that just emphasizes how much we stand to lose if the racing commission rescinds that license before the ink on it is even dry.
One breath of scandal and we're history. So, how are we gonna handle Alexandra?"
"Handle her?"
Favoring his ailing toe, Angus hobbled toward the refrigerator to get another beer. "We can't wish her away. The way I see it," he said, twisting off the bottle cap, "we'll just have to convince her that we're innocent. Upstanding citizens." He gave an elaborate shrug. "Since that's exactly what we are, it shouldn't be that hard to do."
Junior could tell
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