Tuesday Evening, December 23rd, 2014
The Boar’s Head Bar & Grill
“Hey babe, I'm up here at The Boar's Head with Holly and Shane. Janet will probably stop by too. Why don't you come on up and have a drink with us and help us celebrate a little?”
“What are you celebrating?” Dana's question came back across the phone.
“Closing out some big cases, and ending the year on, hopefully, a high note.”
“Sounds good but your sister's over here right now. I'm helping her wrap gifts for the kids away from their prying eyes.”
“Bring her along. I'm sure she could use the break.”
By the time Dana and Kris arrived 20 minutes later, the party was in full swing. Gates had come and brought his fiancé and even Joe Treadway showed with his wife on his arm. Some of my other deputies that weren't on duty for the evening came too.
Dana bussed me on the cheek as she sat down. “Wow, It's a little busy in here for a Tuesday night. Does everyone here work for you?”
“Almost, babe, almost.”
“So, you were able to nail your collars for all the burglaries, I take it?”
“Not quite; there's been a new wrinkle, but they'll be sitting in jail for the next few days and no threat to anyone else having some holiday fun.”
Barb Wysocki, the owner, came over to the table. “Dana, it's so nice to see you,” she said. “Where have you been keeping yourself?”
“You know that now that mama's done decorating your house, she's been working on the store right?” At Barb's nod, she continued, “She opened Saturday.”
“Really? That's great! I'm going to have to get over there and talk to her and see what kind of deals we can work out between us.”
I looked at Barb, “Why are you working here tonight anyway? It's Tuesday."
“Casey needed the night off for a family thing so you're stuck with me tonight.” We all laughed. “Mel, Holly, refills?” Barb asked me.
“Naw, I'm good for now,” I told her but Holly raised her nearly empty glass.
“Same thing,” she said.
Dana and Kris placed their orders and Barb went over to the bar to fill them.
When the door swung open while we were waiting and Janet Mason walked in, I signaled to catch her attention. She sauntered over, looking around all the while.
“Have a seat. Janet, you know my wife Dana. This is my sister Kris.”
As she sat down, she stuck her hand out to my sister, “Nice to meet you Kris.” Mason looked at her and then at me and then back at her. “Hey, wait a minute!”
The three of us laughed.
“You're pretty quick,” Kris said. “Not everyone picks up on it right away since we wear our hair different and all.”
“She's a detective; she better be quick,” I told my twin.
“How are you liking it working with Mel, so far?” Kris asked her.
Janet had a coughing spell as she tried to respond. “It's...um...fine,” she rasped.
“Are you all right? It doesn't sound like it's been fine.” Kris shot me a look.
“We got off to a bit of a rocky start,” I told my sister, “but everything's good now.”
Janet, still not able to talk, smiled at me saying 'thanks' with her eyes.
“Okay, here we go,” Barb said, as she placed a beer in front of Dana and then a daiquiri in front of my sister. “And, you've added another I see.”
“Barb, this is Janet. Janet, Barb owns this place now and she's done an amazing job cleaning it up. It used to be a real pit and responsible for a lot of our evening and weekend business.”
“I was admiring it when I came in; very nice.”
“ Well thanks! So you're a deputy too?” Barb asked Janet.
“Detective. I've only been with the department a couple of weeks...moved back home from Indiana. I grew up here in Zanesville.”
“What's your last name?”
“Mason. Yours?”
“I'm back to using Wysocki...what everyone knows me by around here. Where did you go to school Janet Mason?”
“I went to Zanesville and to COTC after that.”
“Hmm. Well, I'm sorry I'm being so nosy but you look so familiar to me,” Barb told her.
“You look familiar to me too.”
“Ahem,” I cleared my throat. “I hate to break up this game of 20 questions but I think those guys over there are trying to get your attention Barb.” I pointed to a group of guys that had come in and took up residence a couple of tables over.
She looked in the direction I was pointing and then turned quickly back to Janet, “What can I get you to drink hon?”
“Whatever's light on draft.”
“Be right back.”
Barb moved over to the table of guys and spent a couple of minutes talking with them and taking their orders. She returned shortly and placed Janet's draft down, telling her, “I'm not done quizzing you yet.”
She continued over to deliver two pitchers and a round of shots to the table of men and hung there for another minute as they talked with her some more. I watched, curious as she looked our way, laughed and looked back at the guys. I concentrated hard in the din of conversation, jukebox music and pool balls clacking and I heard her laughingly tell them, “I don't think you want to do that...it's a table of mostly married women and all but one are cops but, I'll ask them if you want.”
A protest rose up from the table and I chuckled as Barb sidled back over to us.
“Ladies,” she said, her back to the other table, “you almost had a round of drinks on them but right now they're over there playing a game of 'who's not the cop.”
“Technically,” Dana put in, “two of us aren't.”
“Oh honey,” Barb replied, “you may not be serving right now but everything about you screams cop.”
I tipped my head just slightly toward Holly who was on my left and said to Barb, “Maybe they should be playing a game of who's the only one who’s both straight and single.”
“Is that right?” Barb asked, her eyes on Janet.
An hour later, Dana, who turned out to be a real pool shark, and I had mopped the barroom floor with first the team of Kris and Holly and then Shane and Joe. I was looking around to see if anyone else felt like taking a beating when Holly said, “Look who's getting cozy over at the bar.”
I turned that way in time to see Barb walking away from the end where Janet sat, laughing at something that had transpired between them, I smiled too.
My wife came up beside me and nudged me, “What's got you grinning over here?” She looked in the direction I was looking.
We watched as Barb handed a beer across to a customer, took his money and put it in the till and then moved right back to Janet.
“That could work,” I said. “They both need somebody new in their lives.”
“I'll be surprised if it goes beyond a night of casual conversation,” Dana replied. “Barb is still grieving badly over Lisa's death.”
“And Janet is living her grieving over the loss of what her mother once was and will never be again. They could help each other through their grief.”