Read Online Gin Palace 02 - The Bone Orchard by Daniel Judson - Free Book Online
Authors: Daniel Judson
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businessmen, a town justice or two, anyone with money. He could pull in a half-dozen favors on a given day and still have clout to spare.
Years ago he had run for mayor and lost badly. The man who had beat Frank for the mayor’s seat had upon taking office tried to get Frank’s license pulled. He sicked the Chief on Frank but nothing ever came of it.
I stayed out of things, or tried to. But when Frank wanted something from you he had a way of getting it.
The only lighted window in town belonged to Frank’s office, and for most of my walk along Main Street my movement was the only activity I could sense. Every now and then a car would pass, and as it did I would keep my eyes on the sidewalk but listen carefully for the sudden seizing of brakes and quick swinging open of doors. Last night’s bout with my stun-gun friend was still fresh in my mind. My right kidney wasn’t likely to let me forget for a while. But none of the cars that passed stopped or even slowed down. I followed the sound of their tires as they continued on behind me or ahead of me till I could hear nothing more but the sound of my own walking through the solemn morning.
The sound of the leaves crunching stiffly beneath the soles of my work boots never left me once. They announced my presence and direction with each step. I passed the Village Hall and wondered about Augie, where he was and if he was okay. I kept my head down and my eyes on my noisy feet as I crossed the alleyway that separated the Village Hall from the clothing store above which Frank kept his office.
The cold was pretty much well inside me when I opened the street door and started up the narrow stairs to his office. I knocked on his office door, then waited for his low voice before I entered. When I did I found him sitting behind his desk, under a single reading lamp, the phone pinned between his ear and shoulder. In his thick hands was an open file, and behind him one of the filing cabinet drawers was open, pulled out a little past halfway. I remembered again the night I got drunk and turned Frank’s office upside down, pulling each drawer from their cabinets and scattering the contents across the room. It was after that night that I decided not to drink for a while. I made it a habit and kept with it till Tina came and stayed with me and all that nonsense between us started.
Frank looked up at me and gestured me in with a quick wave of his hand. His eyes stayed on me for only a second. I closed the door behind me and leaned on the wall near it, my hands in the pocket of my denim jacket. I let the warmth touch me and looked down the length of his office, toward the narrow window at the back that overlooked the parking lot behind the police station. Then I heard the sound of a car door closing coming up from the street outside the large front window. I went to it and looked down at Main. One of the patrol cars parked outside the Village Hall was backing out into the street. It paused for a moment, the reverse lights went out, and then it headed north, into the direction from which I had come. I didn’t know which place was more unsafe for me, the street below or this office above it.
I half-listened to Frank’s side of his phone conversation while I waited.
“I don’t care,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. Do what you have to do. Yeah. Just let me know. As soon as you can.” He turned his hand and glanced at his watch. “Yeah, that’s fine. Okay. Okay. Let me know.”
He hung up the phone with his left hand and laid down the file with his right and looked at me.
“You look like shit, MacManus.”
I ignored that. “What’s going on, Frank?” I didn’t look at him, but from the corner of my eye I could see him close the file and stand and return it to the open cabinet drawer. He slid the heavy drawer shut, locked it and pocketed the key, then picked up a paper to-go cup of coffee from his desk top and took a sip.
“I don’t know what you know,” Frank began,
Years ago he had run for mayor and lost badly. The man who had beat Frank for the mayor’s seat had upon taking office tried to get Frank’s license pulled. He sicked the Chief on Frank but nothing ever came of it.
I stayed out of things, or tried to. But when Frank wanted something from you he had a way of getting it.
The only lighted window in town belonged to Frank’s office, and for most of my walk along Main Street my movement was the only activity I could sense. Every now and then a car would pass, and as it did I would keep my eyes on the sidewalk but listen carefully for the sudden seizing of brakes and quick swinging open of doors. Last night’s bout with my stun-gun friend was still fresh in my mind. My right kidney wasn’t likely to let me forget for a while. But none of the cars that passed stopped or even slowed down. I followed the sound of their tires as they continued on behind me or ahead of me till I could hear nothing more but the sound of my own walking through the solemn morning.
The sound of the leaves crunching stiffly beneath the soles of my work boots never left me once. They announced my presence and direction with each step. I passed the Village Hall and wondered about Augie, where he was and if he was okay. I kept my head down and my eyes on my noisy feet as I crossed the alleyway that separated the Village Hall from the clothing store above which Frank kept his office.
The cold was pretty much well inside me when I opened the street door and started up the narrow stairs to his office. I knocked on his office door, then waited for his low voice before I entered. When I did I found him sitting behind his desk, under a single reading lamp, the phone pinned between his ear and shoulder. In his thick hands was an open file, and behind him one of the filing cabinet drawers was open, pulled out a little past halfway. I remembered again the night I got drunk and turned Frank’s office upside down, pulling each drawer from their cabinets and scattering the contents across the room. It was after that night that I decided not to drink for a while. I made it a habit and kept with it till Tina came and stayed with me and all that nonsense between us started.
Frank looked up at me and gestured me in with a quick wave of his hand. His eyes stayed on me for only a second. I closed the door behind me and leaned on the wall near it, my hands in the pocket of my denim jacket. I let the warmth touch me and looked down the length of his office, toward the narrow window at the back that overlooked the parking lot behind the police station. Then I heard the sound of a car door closing coming up from the street outside the large front window. I went to it and looked down at Main. One of the patrol cars parked outside the Village Hall was backing out into the street. It paused for a moment, the reverse lights went out, and then it headed north, into the direction from which I had come. I didn’t know which place was more unsafe for me, the street below or this office above it.
I half-listened to Frank’s side of his phone conversation while I waited.
“I don’t care,” he said. “It doesn’t matter. Do what you have to do. Yeah. Just let me know. As soon as you can.” He turned his hand and glanced at his watch. “Yeah, that’s fine. Okay. Okay. Let me know.”
He hung up the phone with his left hand and laid down the file with his right and looked at me.
“You look like shit, MacManus.”
I ignored that. “What’s going on, Frank?” I didn’t look at him, but from the corner of my eye I could see him close the file and stand and return it to the open cabinet drawer. He slid the heavy drawer shut, locked it and pocketed the key, then picked up a paper to-go cup of coffee from his desk top and took a sip.
“I don’t know what you know,” Frank began,
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