“That’s Matthew.” Manny looked like he’d sucked a lemon.
“What’s his deal? He’s friendly to the other guys in here but he blows you off?”
Manny cackled. “That’s because I think he’s full of mierda de toro, and he knows it.”
“That means ‘bullcrap’, right?”
“A little less delicate, but you got the general idea.” Manny took a sip of coffee.
“So, what’s his story?” Bones asked as he watched Matthew open his laptop, turn it on, slip on a pair of reading glasses, and then look around to see if anyone was watching. “He’s a writer, I take it.”
“Not really. He’s a schoolteacher in the next town over, but wants everyone to think he’s a big-time writer. Claims he’s working on ‘something huge’.” Manny waggled his fingers as he said the last. “He’s published a few books, but I think only his mom has read them.”
Bones chuckled. “This seems like a weird place to work on a book.”
“For him, it’s more about the image than it is about actually succeeding. He’s here for two reasons: to get attention, and to keep an eye on Mari.”
Bones shifted in his seat. “Is that her boyfriend?”
Manny nodded. “I don’t know what she sees in him. She’s a good girl, and smart, too. She went to college for a couple of years but came back when her abuela got cancer. After the old lady died, the life just left Mari. She took a job here and hasn’t left since.”
A cacophony of conflicting thoughts ran through Bones’ mind. Odds were, Matthew was the one who had given Mari that shiner. Bones’ inclination was to drag the guy out back and introduce him to Bones’ fist. But he didn’t know for sure that Matthew was the culprit, and if Bones landed himself in jail, he’d definitely miss out on Vegas.
Manny seemed to read his thoughts. “There’s not much anyone can do for her until she’s ready to stand up for herself,” he said. “Believe me, we keep trying. Nobody’s giving up on her.”
Bones nodded. Up at the bar, Mari and Matthew were engaged in a heated discussion. Matthew jerked his head to the side and glared at Bones, who responded with a wink.
“Oh no, Boss, why did you do that?” Manny whispered. “Now he’s going to come over here, and homes wears way too much cologne.”
Manny was correct on both accounts. Back ramrod-straight, chest puffed out, and elbows slightly cocked, Matthew stalked over to their table, a sickly-sweet cloud of musk preceding his arrival by almost a full second.
“You got a problem, mister?” Matthew asked.
“I got a whole list of them,” Bones said. “Starting with an asshat who’s interrupting me while I’m trying to enjoy my beer. Think you can help me with that?” He grinned at Matthew, who was clearly sizing him up.
Finally, the man’s lips drew back in a mirthless smile. “You’re a funny guy. I’ll have to write you into a book sometime.” He stood there for a full three seconds before returning to his seat at the bar.
“You hurt his feelings,” Manny said in a low voice. “He wanted you to ask him about his book. You know, treat him like a bestselling author, like that Harry Potter guy.”
Bones didn’t bother to correct Manny. He gulped down the last of his beer and held up the empty bottle to signal Mari that he’d like another.
“So, what does he write about?”
“He wrote some weird science fiction stuff, but now he says he’s doing some serious investigative work, and that when he’s finished, everybody will be blown away by what he’s discovered.” Manny smirked.
“Any idea what he’s working on?”
“Rumor has it,” Manny said, leaning forward, “he’s been asking questions about aliens.”
Chapter 3
Bones slowed from a jog to a walk as the rocky hills came into view. The orange ball of the late afternoon sun hung low on the western horizon. Colored the same dirty, reddish-brown as the rest of the landscape, the hills cast long shadows across the cactus-dotted landscape. It would have made a nice painting if he was into that sort of thing.
Having nothing better to do, Bones had gone for a run with this dark spot on the horizon as his target. The hills had looked taller from a distance and he had hoped maybe they would offer some decent climbing, but up close they weren’t all that impressive. It was only the flat lie of the surrounding land that lent this place the illusion of height.
When he reached the base of the closest hill, he stopped and took a swig of water. Tepid as it was, it was still refreshing in this dry climate. He probably should have brought more than a liter but he hadn’t planned on running this far. Not for the first time he wondered how the hell he was going to kill time out here in this empty patch of dirt.
He took a moment to walk along the base of the hills, examining them with casual disinterest. Though none of them were more than eighty feet tall, the edges were steep. Wind and perhaps a little bit of rain had scoured their surfaces clean, leaving bare stone with only the occasional clump of weeds stubbornly clinging to it surface like patches of beard missed during a hurried shave.
He soon came upon a heap of tumbled down rock. A quick inspection told him that changes in temperature had caused the rocky hills above to crack and large portions to shear off. Here the face was almost perpendicular in spots.
“Looks like a good place for a free climb.” He took another swallow of water, capped the bottle, and stowed it in the shade under some loose rocks. He would want the rest of it for his trek back to town.
He took a minute to choose his way up. What he was about to do was foolish, he knew. Free climbing was dangerous and to do it without a partner even more so. But, Bones was reckless even at the best of times. Boredom tended to turn it up a notch or three.
When he was finally satisfied that he had selected a route that was sufficiently challenging but unlikely to kill him, he began his ascent. It felt good to work muscles that had gone largely unused since he’d begun his cross-country drive. He wasn’t one for sitting around for very long, and his body seemed to be chastising him for a couple of sedentary days. Twinges of pain danced across his back and shoulders as he made his way upward. Higher and higher he climbed, his fingers and the toes of his shoes picking out every crack and crevice. Spiderlike, he clambered up the first fifty feet before he hit a dead end. That was all right; it only added to the challenge.
He backtracked a few feet, mentally plotted a new route, and moved to his left until he could resume his ascent. He was almost at the top when things got ugly.
At that moment, one toehold and one handhold chose to give way simultaneously. He cursed as he felt himself slipping down the hill. He held on tight with one hand, his fingers digging into the split rock. His shoulder wrenched and hot pain burned along the length of his arm. If he had torn his rotator cuff he was going to be pissed.
“Look on the bright side,” he grumbled. “At least no one’s around to see you dangling here like a…”
The roar of an engine and the crunch of tires on rocky ground made a liar of him. He steadied himself, finding new hand and footholds, and looked back to see who was coming. A battered Jeep drew a dusty line across the parched earth as it approached. Figuring he didn’t have any friends in this neck of the woods, and knowing this was public land, and therefore he couldn’t be trespassing on anyone’s private property, he turned and resumed his climb.
The rumble of the Jeep grew louder, bringing with it the twang of country music. Bones closed his eyes and winced.