“Thing is, Glory, I got a call wondering about a, and I quote, ‘loud thunking sound’ from a nervous lady at Heavenly Shores. I followed the sound out here to you. Technically I can charge you with disorderliness or disturbing the peace.”
“Yeah, that sounds like thelikesof me all right,” Glory muttered. “Disorderly anddisturbing,” she said darkly, pulling her arm back again. “And charging me sure sounds like the likes of you.”
He sighed. “C’mon, Glory. Dammit. Put that rock down. Don’t throw that thing.”
The irony was that she had assembled a little pile of rocks, which were neatly lined up next to her, and he suspected that when she’d finished throwing that collection, she’d be done. If that didn’t sum up Glory, he didn’t know what did.
She turned around and she lowered her throwing arm, but she didn’t let go of the rock just yet.
He’d never known her to do anything violent, per se, to anyone else unless it was in defense of someone she loved. Or herself, of course, he thought, remembering that she’d bitten old Leather Vest.
But she was in a mood tonight he could truthfully say he’d never witnessed. It was a dark, ironic mood.
“Okay, I’m gonna ask you something I never thought I’d ask anyone. Why are you throwing rocks at a billboard, Glory?”
She didn’t answer for a moment. “Felt mean. Felt like throwing something. Thought I might like to throw something at their smug... fluffy... faces.”
She spun and hurled that rock like a minor league pitcher.BAM.
It didn’t really answer his question.
“I see,” he said carefully. “Alcohol improve your aim any?”
He saw her mouth twitch up at the corner. Albeit sardonically. “Not so’s I’ve noticed. Can’t throw hard enough to make a hole in that thing, anyway, though I’d love to. I’ve been aiming for that middle guy’s glasses. You know I’ve got good aim.”
“I do know that.”
“Remember that time I got the window out of that abandoned house three miles up Whiskey Creek in one throw?”
“Still kick your butt at horseshoes, though.”
“As if,” she muttered. She hurled the rock in her hand, missed, and bent down to pick up another one.
“Hey, I thought I heard you were going out with that Hollywood guy tonight.”
He hadn’t actually heard that. He was fishing. And he knew full well that was not a professional question, and it was off topic. But she might just be drunk enough to answer it, and he didn’t get to where he was today without knowing an opening when he saw it.
“Franco?” she said so airily and affectionately Eli’s back molars immediately ground together. He was amazed he didn’t emit sparks. “Nope. Not tonight. Gave me his card, though. Wants to take me to dinner.”
She hurled another one and missed entirely. “Crap,” she said softly. And picked up another rock. “What about you and Blondie McBlonderson, Eli? You got athinggoing there?”
He gave a short, stunned laugh. But he was suddenly encouraged. “Bethany?”
“Yeah. If you say so. You like her?”
He hesitated. “Yeah,” he said truthfully.
Glory didn’t reply. But she’d frozen with the rock in her hand, like an Olympic shot-putter.
“Hey, Glory? Why don’t you take a break and sit down beside me for a second?”
She turned to look at him assessingly. Rock still clutched.
“Just as friends. Not gonna cuff you.”
He pushed the cruiser’s passenger side door open. Tipped his head toward his shoulder beckoningly.
She narrowed her eyes at him, assessing the truth of this.