Thirty-Four and a Half Predicaments
Page 66

I was the only one who seemed to notice.
Neely Kate took a sip of her drink and leaned her hip into the table. “Sure. Just you and me. How about a little wager?”
Dirk’s eyes lit up and he rubbed his thumb against his fingertip. “A wager, you say? What kind of wager?”
She moved closer to him and lowered her voice. “Dirk, you’re such a captivating man. Worldly, mature, a quick thinker. Just the kind of guy I’m interested in. How about if you win, I’ll pay you fifty bucks.”
Dirk laughed. “Why are you wantin’ to throw your money away like that?”
She put her hand on his chest and her fingers crawled up to his neck. “Maybe I’m feelin’ lucky.” She batted her eyelashes. “And if I win, you’ll give me what I want.” Her innuendo was pretty doggone clear and the way his eyes lit up told me he was falling for it hook, line, and sinker.
He swallowed. “So I win either way, huh?”
She just gave him a coy grin. Little did he know that Neely Kate’s idea of a prize wasn’t anywhere near the same as his.
“Fifty bucks, huh?” He took a long drag of his beer and set it on the table before grabbing the rack. “Well, if you’re sure… I’ll even let you go first.”
She fluttered her eyelashes. “You really are a gentleman. Deal.”
He set up the table and she moved to the end, cue stick in hand. She lowered over the table and all pretense of being a dumb blonde was gone. She lined up her shot and the balls scattered, two solid colors slamming into pockets. She spun around and flashed him a look of surprise. “Well, would you look at that? Look what I did, Rose!”
I didn’t have to fake my surprise. I’d had no idea she could play pool. “Oh, my word! Dirk, you’re an amazing teacher!”
Dirk suddenly seemed less confident.
Neely Kate flashed him a smile, then proceeded to sink two more balls before missing a shot. “Your turn, sweetie.”
Dirk picked up his cue stick and stumbled around the table to take his shot. He stood up grumbling after just barely missing the pocket. “Something’s wrong with the table.”
“There’s nothin’ wrong with the table,” Jed said in a low tone from his seat.
Dirk lifted his hands. “Okay, okay. Maybe I had a bit too much to drink.” He didn’t seem surprised to see Jed. Maybe he sat out here quite a bit.
Neely Kate gave Jed a glance, then turned toward Dirk. “A deal’s a deal. Besides, I’ve had two myself.” Sure enough, her bottle was empty. She turned to Jed again. “Could you trouble yourself to get me another, sugar?”
Jed looked at me, catching me by surprise. He must have noticed she was getting sauced. I nodded. I’d tell her no, but I worried she’d raise a fuss. Besides, she was a grown woman capable of making her own decisions, even if this one seemed like a bad one.
Jed headed for the bar as Neely Kate studied the table, lined up her cue, and sunk another ball. By the time he came back to deliver her drink, she had one solid ball on the table compared to Dirk’s three striped ones. She put it into the side hole and said, “Eight ball, right corner pocket.” Then she proceeded to do just that. “Now I get what I want. Sit down in that chair over there and answer some questions.”
“You cheated,” Dirk shouted, his face beet red. He clenched his pool stick in his fist and he looked like he was considering using it for something other than shooting pool.
Jed was at the table in seconds. “We take accusations of cheating very seriously, Dirk. Be careful of your words. And your actions.”
“She played me,” he whined.
Jed put his hands on his hips and eyed Neely Kate up and down. “The lady can’t help it if you’re a fool, Picklebie. Now sit your ass down and pay up.”
He shook his head. “Betting on a pool game’s illegal in Fenton County.”
Jed’s eyes darkened. “Like that ever stopped you before. Sit.” His voice boomed, drawing the attention of the two teenage boys who had clearly skipped school and were still playing at a table toward the front of the room.
Dirk sat on a stool at a high-top table, bracing himself as he swayed back and forth like a sheet hung to dry in the wind.
There were only two stools at the table, so I pushed Neely Kate onto the other. I was about to go grab a third when Jed dragged one over for me. His eyes searched mine and I knew he was hoping for some sort of explanation. Finally he said, “I’ll be sitting over here, makin’ sure there’s not any trouble.”
I nodded, then sat on the stool and turned to Dirk, whose eyes were half closed. “Look, Mr. Picklebie. I promise we’re not tryin’ to bamboozle you. I only want some answers. That’s all.”
“Fine,” he huffed, obviously still sore at Neely Kate’s deception.
“You said you started diggin’ into the switchin’ parts. What did you find out?”
Uncertainty filled his eyes. “I’m not sure I should be talkin’ about it. It was all pretty hush-hush back then, ya know?”
“But it was twenty-five years ago,” I said, lowering my voice. “Surely it’s no big deal to tell me now.”
“Why do you even want to know?” he grumbled.
“I’m just curious.”
He took a drink of his beer, refusing to look at me. “Curiosity killed the cat, you know.”
“Good thing I’m not a cat.”