Read Online P'town Murders: A Bradford Fairfax Murder Mystery by Jeffrey Round - Free Book Online
Authors: Jeffrey Round
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closer—but not too close! He sensed something wounded beneath the friendly surface. He'd seen that look before. He was pretty sure he could guess what it was.
Nimble fingers laid his change out on the bar. Brad pushed it back. "It's yours," he said.
"Thanks!" The barkeep flashed a devastating smile. "Name's Perry, by the way."
Bingo! This was the man Cinder had mentioned.
"Frank," Brad said.
"You in town for a few days, Frank?"
"A week or so."
Brad picked up the glass and sipped. It lay just on the wry side of jet fuel.
"Whew!" he said. "Can I get a little tonic to go with that gin, Perry?"
Perry picked up the drink and returned it only slightly watered down. "Funny, you don't look like the easy-over type," he said.
Sex appeal in spades, Brad thought. "Depends who's doing the flipping," he said with a wink. "But I don't want to kill the night before it's begun. Truth is, I don't get many holidays and I like to remember them when I'm done."
"Where are you from, Frank?"
"Little town up north. Nothing to brag about. Haven't been back for a while."
Perry shrugged. "I hear you. We're all escaping something, and it's usually the past."
"Here's to escape!" Brad said, raising his glass.
"What do you do, Frank?"
"Inventor," Brad answered, knowing how it loosened people's tongues when he gave himself an interesting profession.
"Cool!"
Their conversation was interrupted by the approach of another customer, a baby-faced cowboy in training. The young man had that small-town gay-boy-becoming-a-man look of being slightly unsure how things worked. He could be staying at Romeo's Guesthouse right now, Brad thought, enjoying his first time ever in the gayest place on earth.
The boy stared at Brad and the bartender in turn. Perry popped the top off a beer and pushed it along the bar, taking his cash without any interest. The boy's open face said he knew what he wanted but was unsure how to get it. He drank and wiped the foam from his mouth with the back of his hand.
I'll bet he's a Hoosier, Brad thought, remembering a fond encounter with an Indiana native and his lasso one winter's night.
The boy's gaze got stuck on Perry as he turned to go back to the far end of the room. Every few feet he looked over his shoulder to see if the handsome bartender would return his attention.
"Beautiful kid," Brad offered when he'd gone.
Perry smirked. "You can have him. I've had my fill of beautiful young men."
"I guess it's pretty much the same thing day in and day out around here," Brad said. "One beautiful guy after another."
"You got that right," Perry replied.
"I've met a few of them myself," Brad said. "In fact, the last time I was in town I had my heart broken by one of the best. Some guy who said he lived here, actually."
Perry's face showed interest. "Yeah? Who was that? I might know him. You get to know everybody after awhile. There aren't that many of us townies."
Brad frowned. "You'd think I could remember his name, but after he dumped me I tried hard to forget it."
Perry laughed. "That bad, huh?"
Brad shook his head. "Naw, it's not coming to me. All I remember is that he worked at some swank guesthouse out near the dunes."
Perry's eyes flickered. "Lotta guesthouses in town," he said with a shrug.
"Yeah, but this one was special. It had no address."
Perry's ears twitched, as though he'd heard something at a distance.
"Ever hear of a really elite place out by the dunes?"
Perry frowned. "As I said, there're a lot of different places in town. It could be any one of them."
"Actually, I think I remember the guy's name... Ross Something-or-other."
Perry looked blankly at him.
"Ring any bells?"
"Nah," Perry said, picking up a glass and retrieving his dry cloth.
Liar, Brad thought.
Perry looked him in the eye. "What did you say you did again?"
"Inventor."
"Yeah, right," he said, returning to the far end of the bar. "No, I never heard of a guy named Ross who worked at any guesthouse here."
"Well, no matter," Brad
Nimble fingers laid his change out on the bar. Brad pushed it back. "It's yours," he said.
"Thanks!" The barkeep flashed a devastating smile. "Name's Perry, by the way."
Bingo! This was the man Cinder had mentioned.
"Frank," Brad said.
"You in town for a few days, Frank?"
"A week or so."
Brad picked up the glass and sipped. It lay just on the wry side of jet fuel.
"Whew!" he said. "Can I get a little tonic to go with that gin, Perry?"
Perry picked up the drink and returned it only slightly watered down. "Funny, you don't look like the easy-over type," he said.
Sex appeal in spades, Brad thought. "Depends who's doing the flipping," he said with a wink. "But I don't want to kill the night before it's begun. Truth is, I don't get many holidays and I like to remember them when I'm done."
"Where are you from, Frank?"
"Little town up north. Nothing to brag about. Haven't been back for a while."
Perry shrugged. "I hear you. We're all escaping something, and it's usually the past."
"Here's to escape!" Brad said, raising his glass.
"What do you do, Frank?"
"Inventor," Brad answered, knowing how it loosened people's tongues when he gave himself an interesting profession.
"Cool!"
Their conversation was interrupted by the approach of another customer, a baby-faced cowboy in training. The young man had that small-town gay-boy-becoming-a-man look of being slightly unsure how things worked. He could be staying at Romeo's Guesthouse right now, Brad thought, enjoying his first time ever in the gayest place on earth.
The boy stared at Brad and the bartender in turn. Perry popped the top off a beer and pushed it along the bar, taking his cash without any interest. The boy's open face said he knew what he wanted but was unsure how to get it. He drank and wiped the foam from his mouth with the back of his hand.
I'll bet he's a Hoosier, Brad thought, remembering a fond encounter with an Indiana native and his lasso one winter's night.
The boy's gaze got stuck on Perry as he turned to go back to the far end of the room. Every few feet he looked over his shoulder to see if the handsome bartender would return his attention.
"Beautiful kid," Brad offered when he'd gone.
Perry smirked. "You can have him. I've had my fill of beautiful young men."
"I guess it's pretty much the same thing day in and day out around here," Brad said. "One beautiful guy after another."
"You got that right," Perry replied.
"I've met a few of them myself," Brad said. "In fact, the last time I was in town I had my heart broken by one of the best. Some guy who said he lived here, actually."
Perry's face showed interest. "Yeah? Who was that? I might know him. You get to know everybody after awhile. There aren't that many of us townies."
Brad frowned. "You'd think I could remember his name, but after he dumped me I tried hard to forget it."
Perry laughed. "That bad, huh?"
Brad shook his head. "Naw, it's not coming to me. All I remember is that he worked at some swank guesthouse out near the dunes."
Perry's eyes flickered. "Lotta guesthouses in town," he said with a shrug.
"Yeah, but this one was special. It had no address."
Perry's ears twitched, as though he'd heard something at a distance.
"Ever hear of a really elite place out by the dunes?"
Perry frowned. "As I said, there're a lot of different places in town. It could be any one of them."
"Actually, I think I remember the guy's name... Ross Something-or-other."
Perry looked blankly at him.
"Ring any bells?"
"Nah," Perry said, picking up a glass and retrieving his dry cloth.
Liar, Brad thought.
Perry looked him in the eye. "What did you say you did again?"
"Inventor."
"Yeah, right," he said, returning to the far end of the bar. "No, I never heard of a guy named Ross who worked at any guesthouse here."
"Well, no matter," Brad
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