Read Online Shallow Creek by Alistair McIntyre - Free Book Online

come to talk to you before you were released?”
    Brendan nodded to Michelle absently as he scanned the familiar menu.  Schmidt’s hadn’t changed a bit in his absence.  That wasn’t necessarily a good thing.  His memory was a bit fuzzy on the quality of the food in the old diner.  He wasn’t sure if that was from his hiatus, or just from getting his skull pummeled two nights ago.  At the thought of his run-in with Fisher’s goons, his hand moved to his head and probed around the various bumps and bruises.
    “Are you going to press charges?” she asked, ignoring her own menu.  She probably h ad the thing memorized by now.
    “I gave them my statement,” he responded, looking into her blue eyes for a moment.  “We’ll see what happens next.”  Hopefully what happened next would be Brendan’s fist cracking Fisher’s skull open.
    “You talk to Marcus yet?”
    “I called him to say thanks for the free ride to the hospital, but he’s too pissed to talk to me.”
    “He tell you to stop snooping around?”
    Brendan sighed . “Yeah, said he wouldn’t help me anymore, and that I should quit while I’m ahead.”
    “In fairness, he did take a shot for you .”
    “Ha.  He said they shot him in the back with a beanbag gun,” Brendan said with a rueful smile.  “A cop getting taken out by a police weapon.  Sucks for him.  He says his head hurts pretty bad from smacking it on the ground.”
    Conversation continued in that vein.  Michelle would ask questions Brendan didn’t care to answer, and Brendan would provide unsatisfactory answers.  Brendan’s burger and Michelle’s salad appeared, and the two ate mostly in silence.  They gave each other the awkward smiles that friends often give one another when they realize they don’t know a damn thing about each other anymore.
    Despite Brendan’s protests, Michelle settled the bill.  He walked her to the door, where the y stepped out into the cool night.  Cool was a relative concept at this time of year.  Cool just meant bacon wouldn’t cook on the hood of a truck left in the sun.  When Brendan moved towards Michelle’s truck, she put a hand on his arm.
    “Why don’t we get a drink at Trish’s?” she asked.  “You can make up for letting a girl buy you dinner.”
    Brendan started to protest, but Michelle slapped his arm and burst out laughing.
    “I’m just kidding, Tenny .  You don’t owe me anything, but you should still buy me a drink.”
    “What about the kids?” he asked, wondering about Michelle’s children, who he guessed were actually his niece and nephew.  It was funny that he’d never thought of that until now.
    “I got a sitter, and she’ll stay up all night texting her boyfriend, if she hasn’t already invited him over for a romp on my couch,” Michelle replied.  “ Ugh, teenagers are gross,” she added with a wink.
    Brendan laughed and the two walked across the street from Schmidt’s to where Trish’s neon lights beckoned all-comers.  Inside, the same bartender from a couple of days ago welcomed them warmly and asked what they wanted before they even reached the bar.  Apparently Brendan’s mauled face didn’t faze the young woman, because her smile didn’t skip a beat as he ordered a bottle of Shiner, while Michelle opted for a frozen margarita.  While they waited, Brendan and Michelle alternated between looking at each other and glancing around the bar aimlessly.  Blind dates probably went smoother than this.  The bartender returned and Brendan paid cash.  Armed with alcohol, the pair found a booth in the corner.
    “So you read any good books recently?” Michelle asked.  Both of them cracked up a bit, and the laughter vented some of the odd anxiety between them.
    “Yeah, John Scalzi’s got some great sci-fi stuff I’ve been into recently.  What about you?”
    Michelle grinned.  “Between Twilight and Fifty Shades of Grey , I’m set for life.”
    “I have no idea what those are, so I’ll have