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Brody stared at himself in the restroom mirror, not recognizing the man reflected at him.
He looked like a salesman.
No, he decided, he looked like a government hack.
Worse, he sighed. He looked like a mystery bookstore owner.
His shoulders slumped. Brody ran his fingers through his businessman’s haircut, then his tattooed hand touched his clean-shaven face. Next, he leaned in and examined his blue eyes. At least those were the same, he thought.
Well, they looked the same. Brody was starting to doubt himself.
He clicked off the light, stepped out of the bathroom, and moved to the front of the store. For a brief second, he thought he smelled the aroma of the ocean and felt a rise in humidity. He suddenly stopped when he saw the man leaning casually on the front counter.
Brody balled up his fists. “Ekleberry,” he muttered.
Special Agent Maxwell Ekleberry looked more like a Texas Ranger than an FBI man. He stood almost six feet tall, but his dirty cowboy hat and scuffed leather boots made him seem much taller. He wore a faded western shirt and dusty blue jeans. His gun and badge were noticeably absent from his hip, but there were wear marks at their usual positions. Brody imagined Ekleberry’s pick-up was parked someone not far from the store. The agent’s vehicle was much newer than the rust bucket the marshal service had provided Brody.
Ekleberry removed an unlit match from his mouth. “Nice place. You must be a real hit with the geriatric crowd.”
Brody looked to the front door. “How’d you get in here without ringing the bell?”
The FBI man shrugged. “Tricks of the trade.”
“The same tricks you pulled to get me into this town?”
Ekleberry put the match back into his mouth, tucking it to the side. “Ted said you were prickly about being sent here.”
“You talked with him?”
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I worry about you, Beau.”
“It’s Brody now.”
The G-Man snorted, barely containing a laugh. “I love the way you say that. It sounds like you’re a kid from 90210.”
“Don’t mess with this cover and get me killed, Ekleberry.”
“I’m not going to mess with it, Brody.” He chuckled after saying the new name. “I also didn’t send you here. Onderdonk said you accused me of doing so. It’s not nice to accuse people of things unless you have proof.”
The orange cat made an appearance then but stopped at the edge of the Cozy aisle to stare at the federal agent. He didn’t come any further into the shop. Instead, he gave the man in the cowboy hat a wide berth. Ekleberry noticed the tom and smirked.
“Didn’t figure you to be a cat person.”
“I’m not.”
“What’s its name?”
“Travis.”
The special agent sniffed dismissively. “That’s stupid.”
While Ted Onderdonk had a way about him that Brody weirdly respected, he did not feel that way toward the G-Man. The man had never been cruel, unfair, or dirty toward him, but Brody disliked him intensely. Mostly, it was because Ekleberry had jammed him up, and the big man would never forget it. There was always an underlying tension in his conversations with the agent. “Why are you here, Ekleberry?”
“To check on you.”
“But you’re not supposed to be here. Your part is done. You already ruined my life.”
“Maybe I wanted to visit this town and see how you were getting along.”
“Bull,” Brody said.
The agent shook his head. “You’re the only felon I’ve ever met who doesn’t swear.”
“My grandmother raised me to be a good man.”
“Who kills people.”
“I only killed those who deserved it.”
“You deemed them worthy of killing because they crossed the club.”
Brody shrugged. “I had standards for my work, which is more than most people can say. And you and the judge didn’t put much of a value on those men I put in the ground because you traded their lives for information to go after my crew.”
“A fat lot of good that did.”
“I can’t help it if your team couldn’t build a better case. I held up my end of the bargain.”
“I did, too.”
Ekleberry had indeed kept his word. When the agency wanted to renege on their deal, Ekleberry made sure everybody stayed true to the agreement. He did his job, but that didn’t mean Brody had to like the man. His eyes narrowed as he tried to intimidate the lawman.
The agent waved him off and said, “C’mon, Beau, gimme a swear word.”
The store owner’s glare faded. “It’s Brody and no. I won’t do that.”
“C’mon.”
“It’s the sign of a weak mind, Ekleberry.”
“Well, I swear,” the agent flatly said.
“I know you do, but you’re not going to do it here. Within these four walls, I make the rules.”
“You can’t stop me from doing it.”
Without warning, Brody punched the federal agent, knocking his hat off. The man immediately brought his hands up to his face to cover his mouth.
“Want to arrest me?” Brody asked.
Ekleberry kept his eyes on the bigger man as he bent over to retrieve his hat. He smacked it against the side of his leg before placing it back on his head. “You ever do that—”
Brody punched him again, although this time, Ekleberry jerked his head at the last second, reducing its impact. The punch still hit the agent, and he stumbled several feet backward until he bumped into the book spinner.
“What the hell?”
“Please arrest me,” Brody said, pushing his hands out in front of himself as if he was ready to be handcuffed. “Of course, you’ll have to explain to Onderdonk why you’re here. Maybe then he’ll move me to another town.”
The agent rubbed his hand over his mouth before saying, “I really was just checking on you.”
Brody moved behind the counter and crossed his arms. The two men stared at each other for several unpleasant moments.
Finally, the big man asked. “Are you going to buy something?”
Ekleberry’s eyes swept across the store. “Nope... I don’t read.”
Brody shook his head. “That’s pitiful.”
The G-Man pointed at him. “Watch it.”
That made him smile.
Ekleberry stepped back and adjusted the waist of his jeans. “Maybe I should stop in and check on that grandmother of yours.”
Brody’s smile faded. “You leave her alone, Ekleberry. You’ve checked on her enough.”
The federal agent chuckled as he walked to the door. “See you around, Brody.”
When he stepped outside, Ekleberry looked back through the store’s window. He then began yelling a series of expletives. Brody rolled his eyes. He wasn’t going to invest any further energy into the agent.
A group of people strolled by and watched as Ekleberry turned red-faced while loudly cursing at the store.
Finally, the FBI man ran out of steam, glanced around, and walked off.