CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

 

Burger World was doing a brisk lunch rush…

I took a big chance, left Ally my gun so she could hold Miranda and Devereaux until the police showed up.

“Hey,” Miranda had said, “does she know how to use that?”

“Not really,” I said, “so if I was you, I’d sit still or she might accidently blow your head off.”

When I left, they were staring at her with wary eyes…

 

 

The girl, Angie, was at her register, a pained look on her face. At the next register was somebody I didn’t know, a skinny kid. I went up to her register, drawing hard looks from the people in line.

“Hey, Angie, is Mr. Woodley in?”

She looked at me, took a moment to recognize me, then said, “He’s in his office. You know where it is.”

There were too many people there for me to hop over the counter, so I went to the door. She had to take a moment away from her register to buzz me in.

“Hey—” the new kid started.

“It’s okay, he knows Woodley,” Angie told him.

He backed off.

As I walked back to the office, I drew a long look from Greg, the big kid Angie was going to have toss me out that first time.

When I got to the door the manager was staring down at his desk, his hand supported by his hands. I don’t think he had any work, I think he was just silently bemoaning the fact that he worked there.

“Mr. Woodley,” I said.

He looked up, saw me, and a relaxed smile came over his face.

“Oh Christ, an adult,” he said. “I’m so tired of dealin’ with kids.”

“Can I come in?”

“Come on in, come on in,” he said. “Close the door, if you want.”

I did want, so I did.

“What’s up?” he asked. “Any news on who killed Temp? There ain’t been nothin’ in the newspapers, yet.”

“Can you tell me, how did Temp get along with the other workers here?”

He shrugged. ‘Seemed to be okay. He wasn’t here that long.”

“What about the people on his shift? Angie, and Greg?”

“Well, you know, that’s funny,” Woodley said. “He got along pretty good with Angie, but Greg didn’t seem to like that.”

“Was Greg stuck on her?”

“I don’t pry into my employees’ business, but I think they went out a time or two. Now Temp, he was a nice, pleasant lookin’ older guy, you know? And he treated her nice. She’s kind of a sad girl, not happy with how she looks. I heard her complainin’ one day to one of the other girls, sayin’ she couldn’t lose weight, and she didn’t know how to use make-up, stuff like that.”

“But that didn’t matter to Greg, huh?”

“I guess not but look at the poor kid. He ain’t the pick of the litter either, if you know what I mean.”

“Kind of like Baby Huey, huh?”

“Hey,” he brightened. “That big, yellow, baby cartoon duck.”

“Right.”

“Or are you talkin’ about that soul singer from the sixties? You know, Baby Huey and the Babysitters? He died in nineteen seventy of an overdose.”

“No, no,” I said, “the first, one, the duck. That’s who Greg reminds me of.”

“Oh, yeah…” he said, shaking his head. “But that Baby Huey, the singer? I remember Curtis Mayfield wanted to sign him—”

“I don’t remember him,” I said, firmly. “I’m talking about Greg.”

“What about Greg?”

I looked through the shoebox sized window on the door. Greg was putting together burgers and chicken sandwiches, but suddenly he looked over at the door, as if he could feel me watching him. I ducked back.

“Did he hate Temple Kessenger?”

“Of course not!”

“How can you be that sure?”

“I heard Greg telling Temp about that building Temp had his apartment in,” Woodley said. “Why would he help him if he hated him?”

“Maybe the hate came later.”

“But why—oh, you mean, because of Angie?” He laughed. “Mister, I think you got the wrong idea. Angie ain’t the kinda girl one man would hate another man over. Or kill him? No.”

“Well,” I said, “I’m going to ask him about it. You mind if I use your office?”

“I guess not. But you’re gonna see how wrong you are. Want me to get ’im?”

“That might be best.”

He got up, opened the door and walked over to Greg. He spoke to him and jerked a thumb my way. Greg nodded, started walking my way, and then suddenly started running in another direction.

“Shit!” I snapped, hurrying from the office. “What’d you say to him?”

“Just that you wanted to talk to him about Temp.”

“Is he going out the back?”

“Yeah but wait.” He grabbed my arm. “You go out the front and make a left. He’s gotta come down that alley. It’s the only way out.”

I turned and ran for the front door, Angie and some of the customers staring after me.

“What about my Around-the-World Burger?” I heard somebody yell.

I went out the front and turned left. After a few steps I came to the mouth of the alley Woodley had mentioned. As I did, I could hear Greg’s footsteps coming toward me. When I turned in, I saw him, running toward me, but he was looking back over his shoulder for me.

Baby Huey or not, he was a big kid carrying a lot of weight, and he was running as hard as he could. Because I have a bit of a belly, I have a pretty good center-of-gravity. Nevertheless, I knew this was going to hurt.

I turned my shoulder and headed right for him. When he turned around and saw me, it was too late.

For both of us.