“Where abouts?”
“Chalmette. Just east of New Orleans.”
“I know it well.”
I cocked my head. “You do?”
“Ridden through the quarter plenty of times. Go through Chalmette every time we head across to Slidell. Is Tooley’s still there? They had the best poboys.”
“Tooley’s is a landmark. I’m sure it's still there, though I haven’t been home in years.”
“Why’s that?”
“My mother died when I was young, and my father took to the bottle. I left home when I turned eighteen.”
“Sorry to hear that, Maggie. How’d you end up in Durango?”
“The truth? My car broke down, and I just stuck around.”
He chuckled a warm, rich sound, and his vice president returned.
I stood and pushed the chair back. “Well, I’ve taken enough of your time. Thank you.”
He lifted his chin. “I’ll think about your offer.”
“I appreciate that. You know where to find me.”
He winked. “That I do.”
I heard his friend asking what that was about as I walked away.
That night, I stared at the ceiling until late, wondering if there was even a shot Rock would come through for me.
The bell above the door tinkles with the arrival of more customers, shaking me from my memories.
I push off from the counter. “We need a restock on Coors.”
Ray nods. “I’m on it.”
That night, the bar is hopping. It’s spring break for the college in Ft. Lewis, and the place is packed. That’s why it's loud, and I don’t hear the commotion at the front door until the first gun blast that takes out a chunk of ceiling tiles.
Women scream, and men shuffle back.
I whirl to see three men in full black leather, wearing ski masks. The first one has a shotgun aimed at the crowd.
“Get back. All of you. Cooperate and you won’t be hurt.”
The second and third vault over the bar top.
One grabs Ray by the collar and shoves him toward the register. “Open it up. Now!”
Another goes down the line of customers, demanding wallets, which they drop into what looks like a pillowcase complete with tiny blue flowers. I frown at the oddly feminine item in the man’s gloved hand.
When a group at a table by the front gives the first guy trouble, he shoots out the plate-glass window, and women scream.
Shattered glass rains down on the tile floor.
Then the guy upturns a table, and glasses and a full pitcher of beer crash to the tile.