Chapter 33
Bernie looked at her watch as she walked into R.J.’s. It was a little after nine. She was on time but not too on time. Too on time would mean she was anxious, which was something she didn’t want to give the appearance of being. Especially considering who—or, if she was being grammatical correct, whom—she was meeting.
The place hadn’t changed much since she’d left, she reflected as she spotted Rob nursing a beer at the bar. Same paneling on the walls, same dartboard on the far wall, same pool table in the back, same sign in front of the bar proclaiming, The Hell with Apples. Two Pills a Day Keeps the Doctor Away.
Since it was a weekday night, the place wasn’t crowded. As Bernie made her way towards Rob, she estimated she knew maybe five people here. In days past she would have known everyone. She couldn’t decide how she felt about that. Bittersweet would be a good word. That or conflicted.
“Not like L.A.,” Rob noted as Bernie sat down on the bar stool next to his.
At least he was on time, she thought. Joe had always been a half hour late. Usually more.
“That’s for sure.” She surveyed the crowd. The people who frequented R.J.’s tended to be teachers and contractors and small shop owners. Unlike the bars she’d gone to in L.A., where everyone was in “The Industry” or wanted to be. “I like this better. It’s more relaxed.”
“Me too.”
Bernie took a deep breath.
“There’s something I should tell you before we proceed.”
Rob cocked his head.
“I’m listening.”
“I’ve sworn off men.”
“Really?” Rob said.
“Yes. Really.”
“What a coincidence,” Rob replied. “I have too. See. We have a lot in common already.”
Bernie laughed.
“Bad time out in L.A.?” Rob asked.
“You could say that.”
“Me too. See. There’s another connection.”
Bernie could feel herself relaxing and she didn’t want to. This guy is way too charming, she thought as the bartender came up.
“Hey, Brandon,” Bernie said to him. “I thought you’d be in Maui by now.”
“I was and now I’m here again. All that sun and surf began to get to me.” He smiled at Bernie. “I’d heard you were in town.”
Bernie spread her arms.
“And here I am back at the old place.”
“And looking really good too, I might add.”
Bernie grinned and made a mental note to thank Janet for selling her the skirt and top.
“I also heard,” Brandon continued, “that Libby wasn’t too pleased about paying your cab fare.”
“You could say that. She’s deducting it from my salary.”
“Harsh.” Brandon put his elbows on the bar and leaned on his hands. “Very harsh. You back for good?”
“For the summer at least.”
“Cool. It’ll make life around here more interesting. Be careful of her,” Brandon confided to Rob. “She stirs things up.”
“So I’ve noticed.”
Rob grimaced and Bernie wondered if he was thinking of Geoff Holder’s body as she indicated the bottle of Brooklyn Brown in front of him.
“I’ll have what he’s having,” she told Brandon.
“Another similarity,” Rob noted. Then he said to Brandon, “I’ll have another one and some of those peanuts.”
Brandon nodded. A moment later he was back with their order. He set the beers, glasses, and peanuts down in front of them.
“How’s Libby doing?” he asked Bernie.
“Okay,” Bernie said. “Considering . . .”
“She must be feeling bad about Tiffany.”
“Well, she’s not feeling good.”
“The police were in here asking me and Mary about her before they arrested her.”
Bernie furrowed her brow.
“Asking what?”
“If she’d ever said anything bad about Lionel. Stuff like that. I told them no.”
“And had she?”
Brandon laughed. “Shit. Who hasn’t?” And he moved away.
Rob watched him go. “That’s helpful.”
“But true. Actually, no one but Tiffany has ever said anything nice about Lionel. At least not that I remember.”
Rob nodded absentmindedly. “I didn’t know your sister was Tiffany’s friend.”
“Best friend,” corrected Bernie.
“And that’s why you were out at the place?”
“You got it.” Bernie poured her beer into her glass. “Did you know that an iced glass makes beer foam up more, not to mention kills the taste?”
“Why am I not surprised you know this?”
“I know lots of things.”
Rob raised both his eyebrows, then lowered them.
“I bet you do,” he agreed.
Bernie could feel herself flush. Red alert. Red alert, she told herself. Change course. She smoothed down her skirt, suddenly conscious that it was riding up around her thighs.
“So,” she said. “Where did you grow up?”
Rob popped a peanut in his mouth and poured his beer into his glass.
“Changing the subject, huh? That’s okay. I’m a military brat so I grew up everywhere. How about you?”
“I’ve always lived here, and I’ve wanted to leave for as long as I can remember.”
“And now you’re back again.”
Bernie nodded.
“Would that have something to do with why you’ve sworn off guys?”
Bernie took another sip of her beer. “It would.”
“Are you going to make me drag the story out of you?”
“It’s banal.”
“I want to hear it anyway.”
Bernie shrugged and told him.
“There’s a good side to this,” Rob said when she was done.
Bernie looked at him incredulously. “Like what?”
Rob took another sip of his beer.
“You’re here for your sister. It sounds as if she could use some support.”
“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Bernie conceded.
“Besides, if you weren’t here, we couldn’t have met.”
“Kismet,” Bernie said.
“Synchronicity,” Rob offered. “Although, on reflection, Karma might be a more applicable word.”
“I agree,” Bernie said.
“After all, I used to be a writer.”
“Are you working on anything now?”
How sweet. He’s actually blushing, Bernie thought as he replied.
“A murder mystery.”
“Can I read it?”
“You really want to?”
“I really do.”
“When I’m done.” Rob studied the two men throwing darts for a moment, then turned back to Bernie. “I have some procedure questions.”
“You want to talk to my dad?”
“That’s where I was going.”
Bernie made a circle of peanuts on the counter and started eating them. “I’ll ask, but he doesn’t like talking to people he doesn’t know since he’s gotten sick.”
“That’s what my mom said.”
“She’s right.” Bernie finished her beer and signaled Brandon for another one. “Speaking of mysteries,” she said. “My sister found out who Janet was.”
“Who?”
“It’s not a who, it’s a what. Janet’s Automotive Parts.”
Rob groaned. “Do I feel like an idiot? It isn’t as if I haven’t seen that truck before. Obviously I should turn my hand to something other than a mystery.”
“Me too,” Bernie said. “I’m certainly not getting very far on this Tiffany thing.”
“Maybe because there’s no place to get.”
“Maybe,” Bernie conceded. “But I told Libby I’d help her until we’ve exhausted every possibility, so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Rob took another sip of his beer.
“I don’t know if I should tell you this or not.”
“And why is that?”
“Because your sister isn’t going to like this.”
“You’re not telling her, you’re telling me.”
“You’re not going to like this either.”
“I’m a big girl . . .”
“So I noticed,” Rob cracked.
Bernie punched his arm. “Just tell me, goddamnit.”
Rob rubbed his bicep. “That was pretty good.”
“I used to do Boxercize.” He’s so adorable, Bernie thought as she leaned towards Rob and whispered in his ear, “Tell me now or I’ll kill you.”
“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” Rob put his glass down and faced her. “About four weeks ago I came into Geoff ’s office, and there were Geoff and Tiffany going at it full tilt on top of Geoff ’s desk.”
“Geez.”
“But that’s not the worst part.” Rob finished off his beer. “The worst part is I was showing Geoff ’s wife, Mary Beth, in at the time. It was their anniversary, and she was dropping by to take him out to a surprise lunch.”
“Well, that would certainly explain some things,” Bernie said, thinking back to her conversation with Mary Beth.