off to meet Tyler?”
“Yep. We’re going to hang out for a couple of hours.”
“You got a ride to the barbecue?”
“No problem.”
“Bring Tyler.”
“Nah. Mia’s got plans for him later.”
Five miles from the bank, two men leaned against a railing at Albany’s All American Fun Park.
“Isn’t this kinda weird,” the skinny, windblown one said, “two grown men meeting here?”
The slick operator wearing stylish sunglasses said, “Nope. Everybody assumes we brought kids. We’re just two strangers making small talk while the kids have fun. Smile and wave once in a while, to no one in particular.”
The speaker smiled and waved to fifteen kids playing video games. Then, just as a loud bell rang and everyone turned toward the Fascination tables, he reached in his bag, took out a bulging sack, and dropped it into the other man’s open backpack.
The second man reached down and zipped up his bag. “Will there be more, or is this it?”
“I’ll contact you. Don’t try getting in touch with me. That keeps us at a distance. It’s better this way.”
“For you, maybe. What about me?”
“Hey, it’s easy money. I could find someone else to deal with if you’re getting cold feet. Give it back and I will.”
“No. I’ll do it. You want the money now?”
“You wrapped it in foil and put it in a brown paper bag like I told you?”
The skinny man nodded and waved at some middle schoolers on a ride.
“Good. When you see me by that foosball machine, leave the money here at the base of this post and walk away. I’ll just stroll on over and pick it up. No one sees us together again.”
Nathan, Shane, and David gathered in Adam Mitchell’s backyard, on a flat lawn with a scattering of pine trees on the perimeter. Outside Adam’s ranch-style brick house edged with variegated willows, they sat at a dark-gray cast aluminum table with matching chairs. Adam’s gas grill was black and stainless steel with a side table on the left and a spare burner perfect for keeping the baked beans warm.
Shane was still in the same loud yellow shirt Adam had razzed him about. The other guys weighed in on it mercilessly. Everyone had enjoyed the feast—chicken, steak, burgers, and Victoria’s killer potato salad. Now the wives and kids were gathered inside, leaving the men to themselves.
While the guys picked at the last of their meals, Adam gathered his tray of secret ingredients and started toward the house.
Nathan finished off his bottle of water and launched it. The bottle hit the far rim of the trash can and fell in.
“Bet you can’t do that again,” Shane said.
Nathan reached for Shane’s Coke can.
“Hey, I’m not done!” Shane grabbed it from him.
“Okay, when you’re finished, I’m gonna do it again.”
Adam walked back to the table after being interrogated inside by Victoria and Kayla. “They’re in there with the kids dying to know what we’re talking about. I told them we’re debating the Falcons’ roster for this fall.”
“Speaking of which,” Nathan said, “I saw Bartkowski’s photo on your wall. I’m a few years younger than you, but he was still playing when I was in middle school.”
“Well, he’s got a special place in my heart,” Adam said. “Watching the Falcons was one of the few things I ever did with my dad. When he was home, I mean. He was an Army colonel, and he had important friends with contacts in the Falcons’ front office. That’s how he managed to wrangle that photo for me. He missed my high school graduation, so that was his makeup gift.”
“That’s a pretty good makeup gift!” Shane said.
Adam said nothing. But he thought how nice it would have been for his dad to have come to his graduation and given him the signed photo.
“Well, this barbecue was great,” David said. “It reminded me of my dad. He used to grill all the time.”
“Mine too,” Adam said. “Speaking of dads . . . that e-mail the sheriff read the other day? You
“Yep. We’re going to hang out for a couple of hours.”
“You got a ride to the barbecue?”
“No problem.”
“Bring Tyler.”
“Nah. Mia’s got plans for him later.”
Five miles from the bank, two men leaned against a railing at Albany’s All American Fun Park.
“Isn’t this kinda weird,” the skinny, windblown one said, “two grown men meeting here?”
The slick operator wearing stylish sunglasses said, “Nope. Everybody assumes we brought kids. We’re just two strangers making small talk while the kids have fun. Smile and wave once in a while, to no one in particular.”
The speaker smiled and waved to fifteen kids playing video games. Then, just as a loud bell rang and everyone turned toward the Fascination tables, he reached in his bag, took out a bulging sack, and dropped it into the other man’s open backpack.
The second man reached down and zipped up his bag. “Will there be more, or is this it?”
“I’ll contact you. Don’t try getting in touch with me. That keeps us at a distance. It’s better this way.”
“For you, maybe. What about me?”
“Hey, it’s easy money. I could find someone else to deal with if you’re getting cold feet. Give it back and I will.”
“No. I’ll do it. You want the money now?”
“You wrapped it in foil and put it in a brown paper bag like I told you?”
The skinny man nodded and waved at some middle schoolers on a ride.
“Good. When you see me by that foosball machine, leave the money here at the base of this post and walk away. I’ll just stroll on over and pick it up. No one sees us together again.”
Nathan, Shane, and David gathered in Adam Mitchell’s backyard, on a flat lawn with a scattering of pine trees on the perimeter. Outside Adam’s ranch-style brick house edged with variegated willows, they sat at a dark-gray cast aluminum table with matching chairs. Adam’s gas grill was black and stainless steel with a side table on the left and a spare burner perfect for keeping the baked beans warm.
Shane was still in the same loud yellow shirt Adam had razzed him about. The other guys weighed in on it mercilessly. Everyone had enjoyed the feast—chicken, steak, burgers, and Victoria’s killer potato salad. Now the wives and kids were gathered inside, leaving the men to themselves.
While the guys picked at the last of their meals, Adam gathered his tray of secret ingredients and started toward the house.
Nathan finished off his bottle of water and launched it. The bottle hit the far rim of the trash can and fell in.
“Bet you can’t do that again,” Shane said.
Nathan reached for Shane’s Coke can.
“Hey, I’m not done!” Shane grabbed it from him.
“Okay, when you’re finished, I’m gonna do it again.”
Adam walked back to the table after being interrogated inside by Victoria and Kayla. “They’re in there with the kids dying to know what we’re talking about. I told them we’re debating the Falcons’ roster for this fall.”
“Speaking of which,” Nathan said, “I saw Bartkowski’s photo on your wall. I’m a few years younger than you, but he was still playing when I was in middle school.”
“Well, he’s got a special place in my heart,” Adam said. “Watching the Falcons was one of the few things I ever did with my dad. When he was home, I mean. He was an Army colonel, and he had important friends with contacts in the Falcons’ front office. That’s how he managed to wrangle that photo for me. He missed my high school graduation, so that was his makeup gift.”
“That’s a pretty good makeup gift!” Shane said.
Adam said nothing. But he thought how nice it would have been for his dad to have come to his graduation and given him the signed photo.
“Well, this barbecue was great,” David said. “It reminded me of my dad. He used to grill all the time.”
“Mine too,” Adam said. “Speaking of dads . . . that e-mail the sheriff read the other day? You
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