Kapitel 75: Coconut Custard Season (March) Part 2
Somebody drove by the house and honked their horn, breaking the spell. Fabian leaned his forehead against hers as both of them gasped for breath.
"Wow!" Lisa panted. "What brought that on?"
"You are incredibly sexy when you're angry and it's not at me," Fabian smiled. Lisa laughed.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I don't usually get like that." But having him call her sexy and obviously think so set off a charge inside of her that felt like rockets.
He ran his fingers through her hair, remembering her face when she'd defied William. That was the Lisa he remembered. That was the strong, feisty child. Brave and intrepid.
"Do not apologize for that," he told her. "You've been hiding entirely too much of yourself. I understand why you've felt the need to be well-behaved, but I'm not sure it's good for you."
"Fab, I can hardly go around saying what I think all the time. I wouldn't have lasted a day in the diner and I'd lose all my friends."
"Sweetheart, you are not going to lose all of your friends. Being angry when you're angry is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, it's good for you. No wonder you get headaches. Sometimes it's good for you to be ... not so well behaved."
She smiled up at him and he ran his fingers through her hair.
"Mom said you and Craig egged me on that whole summer you were here."
"I'm not suggesting that you be naughty like you were in the canoe when you almost got us both killed," he told her. "You're old enough to moderate it. You might want to talk to my dad some time. He's a very good psychologist and could probably help you get a little more balance. You're beautiful, sweetheart, but you are gorgeous with a backbone."
"That's an interesting thought, Fabian. I just might do that." She thought about it. Steve had tried to tell her the same thing when he had counseled her after she broke up with Fabian. She listened to everyone else's problems but never really dealt with her own.
"Dad won't judge you, sweetheart. He'll just listen, and sometimes he has good suggestions about how to deal with things. I talk to him a lot. You're always welcome to come to me when you need to talk, but I think Dad could probably help you learn to get things out of your system. I'm serious -- I think you might have fewer headaches."
A few miles outside of Twin Mills, just on the other side of the river, is a real dive bar called The Frog Pond. There was always a bar there, before the land was given to the state for the game preserve, and the owner didn't want to sell. Sometimes, it draws a really rough crowd.
Dante liked The Frog Pond. He'd always been a little on the wild side, and the dive bar reminded him of his wilder biker and trucker days. He still rode his Harley and drove a rig, but it wasn't the same now that he was older. He was looking forward to driving rig again for the Morenos. He liked being on the road. He'd started it at first to get away from Marlene, but discovered that he really did like the traveling.
He pulled his hog into the parking lot of The Frog Pond and was very surprised to see a white Mercedes in one of the handicapped spots. There was no handicapped placard or license plate on the car. Dante pulled out his phone and snapped a few pictures. He wondered whether to say anything when he went into the bar and decided not to right away. He'd wait a little while and get the lay of the land first. Jim, the bartender, nodded at Dante as he came in. Dante gave him a smile and a two-fingered salute, then another to the biker regulars playing pool in the corner. Jim opened a bottle of Dante's usual beer and put it on the bar. Dante paid, took the bottle, and went to his usual out of the way booth.
A man in a very expensive-looking suit came out of the men's room. Dante guessed that this was the jerk who owned the Mercedes in the handicapped spot. He surreptitiously took a picture of the man with his phone. He couldn't get over the feeling that he'd seen this man somewhere before. The man didn't seem to notice him and sat in the booth behind Dante. They were sitting back to back, separated only by the upholstery of the booth and a thin plywood panel.
Dante had almost decided that maybe he was in the mood for a confrontation and would say something about the parking space after all when he caught the reflection of the door opening in the Jack Daniels promotional mirror he was facing. Another familiar face walked in to the bar. This was about to get interesting -- the newcomer joined the man with the suit in the booth. Dante quickly checked through his cell phone, found what he was looking for, and put the phone on the seat next to him.
"You really pick great places to meet. This place is disgusting.
From the proximity of the voice, Dante figured this was Mercedes Man.
"We can't meet in town and you know it. Nobody from town would come here. Twin Mills people are too stuck up to go near this place."
"I have to say I agree with them in this instance. Did you finish the first stage?"
"I did. I seriously doubt we'll get enough rain to keep the orchard alive, and the trees won't get water any other way."
"The cherry trees bloomed."
"They'll be the only ones. Come later in the spring, there will be an orchard full of dead trees. And if any manage to make it, there are other ways. I have a friend who does tree removal. He's got stuff that can take out the toughest tree. I'll just unplug the irrigation again and pour it in. Don't worry about the trees."
"Good. How squeamish are you?"
"Not at all. You want the tenants gone now, I imagine."
"Precisely. I thought I could get permits to tear down the buildings and subdivide, and the town zoning board decided that no I can't."
"Why not? That's ridiculous."
"Isn't it? Supposedly because the properties are already being used, or some such rubbish."
Mercedes Man's companion laughed a truly evil laugh.
"Not for long, it won't be. Dead trees aren't much use."
"So I got to thinking," Mercedes Man continued. "If the buildings would happen to ... disappear, the property wouldn't be in use any more, would it? And if I can't get a permit to tear down the buildings, they'll have to disappear another way."
"I can help you with that. Fire is excellent in these situations. It's pretty to look at and doesn't leave a lot of evidence behind. It would also save you money on demolition. And it's fun to use."
"I was hoping you'd say that."
"For a little extra, I could frame your niece -- make it look like she was a little careless. I've been doing fire for a long time and almost managed to get someone else arrested for it once."
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein