Read Online Breaking Point by Jon Demartino - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jon Demartino
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was a pretty healthy meal.
I washed it all down with another cup of caffeine and went out to the car. This would be a good time to have a look at Matt Barr, the first name in both of Charlie Wilson's books. Hawkeye Lens and Scopes was located along the Coralville strip, which is a bunch of little malls and stores on both sides of Highway 6. The road runs east into Iowa City and back the other way to Tiffin. On the maps, and from behind the wheel, Coralville looks like the western half of Iowa City to me, but it isn't. I drove south on Route 965 and picked up Highway 6, east.
The store should have been on my left and it was, occupying a one story frame building next to Buck's Small Engine Repair. On the sign for Hawkeye Lens and Scopes was a cutout of a camera, with a flashbulb that lighted up every few seconds. On either side of the two dimensional camera were similar cutouts of a telescope on a tripod and a pair of binoculars. The siding was painted blue, with a bright white door and window frames. The plate glass sparkled in the glossy frames.
Inside, it was bright and seemed smaller than I expected. To the rear were about seven telescopes set up on tripods. They were pointed out the wide back window toward a stand of small evergreen shrubs that overlooked a pond. Bird feeders hung from the shrubs and on poles set in the ground among them. From the store I could see a few ducks on the pond. I focused the nearest scope on them and my suspicion was confirmed. They were Mallards.
To my left was a glass case that also served as a counter. Cameras and camera lenses filled its shelves. A row of wooden shelves on the right held binoculars and smaller telescopes and cases. Behind the glass showcase, a red-headed man sat, resting beefy forearms on the top of the case. His burly, Paul Bunyan-like form seemed perfect for this shop.
At closer inspection, he was thinning a bit on top, but more than made up for the loss with a full red beard and an abundance of finer, lighter hair that covered his arms.
"Hi there," I said as I approached. "How's business?"
"Pretty good. How you doing?" he answered.
"Good. I was looking for Matt Barr. Is that you?"
"No, Matt's off today, but he'll be back next week. Let me check, though." Turning to a calendar on the wall behind him, he pushed a thick finger across the numbers and came to rest on Monday the twenty second.
"Here. Yeah, he'll be back in here Monday at nine o'clock. Is there something I can help you with? I'm George." He extended a huge hand.
George seemed in step with the rest of the Iowans I'd met so far. The folks here were about as friendly a bunch as ever crossed the prairie.
I handed him one of my new business cards. "Did you know Charlie Wilson? He was the salesman for Regis Optics?"
"Sure. Just to say hello to, though. Matt's the owner and he did all the buying." George looked at the card for a moment, scratching his head before he went on. "I think Matt did some pictures for him awhile back, so we might have his address on file if that helps."
I knew his address but the news about the pictures piqued my interest.
"Sure," I said. "That'd be good."
George excused himself and went through a door at the rear of the right-hand wall. The door had a reversible sign on it. It was currently turned to read "OK." I went over and peeked at the other side. "Darkroom, Keep Out" was printed on it.
When George emerged a few minutes later, he was frowning.
"That's really odd." he said. "There isn't a
I washed it all down with another cup of caffeine and went out to the car. This would be a good time to have a look at Matt Barr, the first name in both of Charlie Wilson's books. Hawkeye Lens and Scopes was located along the Coralville strip, which is a bunch of little malls and stores on both sides of Highway 6. The road runs east into Iowa City and back the other way to Tiffin. On the maps, and from behind the wheel, Coralville looks like the western half of Iowa City to me, but it isn't. I drove south on Route 965 and picked up Highway 6, east.
The store should have been on my left and it was, occupying a one story frame building next to Buck's Small Engine Repair. On the sign for Hawkeye Lens and Scopes was a cutout of a camera, with a flashbulb that lighted up every few seconds. On either side of the two dimensional camera were similar cutouts of a telescope on a tripod and a pair of binoculars. The siding was painted blue, with a bright white door and window frames. The plate glass sparkled in the glossy frames.
Inside, it was bright and seemed smaller than I expected. To the rear were about seven telescopes set up on tripods. They were pointed out the wide back window toward a stand of small evergreen shrubs that overlooked a pond. Bird feeders hung from the shrubs and on poles set in the ground among them. From the store I could see a few ducks on the pond. I focused the nearest scope on them and my suspicion was confirmed. They were Mallards.
To my left was a glass case that also served as a counter. Cameras and camera lenses filled its shelves. A row of wooden shelves on the right held binoculars and smaller telescopes and cases. Behind the glass showcase, a red-headed man sat, resting beefy forearms on the top of the case. His burly, Paul Bunyan-like form seemed perfect for this shop.
At closer inspection, he was thinning a bit on top, but more than made up for the loss with a full red beard and an abundance of finer, lighter hair that covered his arms.
"Hi there," I said as I approached. "How's business?"
"Pretty good. How you doing?" he answered.
"Good. I was looking for Matt Barr. Is that you?"
"No, Matt's off today, but he'll be back next week. Let me check, though." Turning to a calendar on the wall behind him, he pushed a thick finger across the numbers and came to rest on Monday the twenty second.
"Here. Yeah, he'll be back in here Monday at nine o'clock. Is there something I can help you with? I'm George." He extended a huge hand.
George seemed in step with the rest of the Iowans I'd met so far. The folks here were about as friendly a bunch as ever crossed the prairie.
I handed him one of my new business cards. "Did you know Charlie Wilson? He was the salesman for Regis Optics?"
"Sure. Just to say hello to, though. Matt's the owner and he did all the buying." George looked at the card for a moment, scratching his head before he went on. "I think Matt did some pictures for him awhile back, so we might have his address on file if that helps."
I knew his address but the news about the pictures piqued my interest.
"Sure," I said. "That'd be good."
George excused himself and went through a door at the rear of the right-hand wall. The door had a reversible sign on it. It was currently turned to read "OK." I went over and peeked at the other side. "Darkroom, Keep Out" was printed on it.
When George emerged a few minutes later, he was frowning.
"That's really odd." he said. "There isn't a
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