“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Ash admonished. He got an idea. “Since neither one of us has plans, how about we get together for dinner tonight?”
“Why, Detective Reynolds.” Ker coyly batted his eyes. “Are you asking me out on a date?”
Ash chuckled. “Well, I was thinking more of two friends just hanging out, but sure. Why not? You seem like a nice guy, and God knows I don’t have enough of those in my life right now.”He couldn’t remember the last time he’d flirted with anyone, but this felt good.
“Oh, um, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply …” Color rose in Ker’s cheeks.
“Relax, I’m just busting your balls. So whaddya say? Let me buy you dinner?”
“The truth is, I don’t have a lot of friends, so yeah, I’d really like to have dinner with you.”
“Great. It’s still early, so I’ll get my groceries and head home, but I can pick you up around seven, okay? We can go to Tavern on the Wharf if that’s okay with you.”
“That’s perfect.” Ker pulled a business card from his wallet and wrote something on the back before handing it to Ash. “Here’s my address and cell number.”
Ash got to the house where Ker lived just before seven. It was a typical two-family home, often called a tenement, a style extremely popular in most of New England.
Just got to your place.
Be out in a sec.
“Hey,” Ker said, sliding into the front seat.
“Hey yourself. How was your afternoon?”
“Good,” Ker replied. “I followed your lead and did some laundry. I tell ya, some days I really hate adulting.”
“Tell me about it. I wasn’t sure how busy it would be at the Tavern on a Saturday night, so I made a reservation for seven thirty.”
“Good idea. I didn’t even think of that.” The local tourist season was mostly in the summer, but the fall got its share of sightseers visiting Plimoth Patuxet Museums, so one never knew how busy restaurants in the area might be.
The restaurant’s parking lot was full, but Ash found an empty spot a couple of blocks away, and they ambled along the water to the restaurant. It was almost full when they walked in, and Ash said a silent prayer of thanks that he’d called ahead.
A few minutes after they were seated, their server took their drink order—a club soda with lime for Ker while Ash got a Coke with lemon.
“Just so you know,” Ker started, “I don’t drink alcohol. Well, not anymore. But I don’t mind if you do. I probably should have told you before we got here.”
“Hey, it’s not a problem. I thought about getting a beer, but frankly, I’m kinda glad you got a club soda. Hank, my partner, is working on a case of ours this weekend. While I don’t expect him to call me about anything, it’s probably best that I don’t have any alcohol just in case.”
“Oh, okay. I didn’t even think of something like that.”
Their server delivered their beverages, and they asked for a few minutes before deciding on food.
“I want to tell you something right from the start,” Ker continued. “You seem like a really nice guy, and there’s something I want you to know up front.”
“Sure.” Ash looked him in the eye. “You can tell me anything.”
“I’ve had a problem with both drugs and alcohol in the past. These days they call it substance use disorder, but when I was growing up, it was just drug addiction or alcoholism, so that’sstill how I think of it. I smoked a little pot when I was younger, but as an adult, it was pills, usually oxycodone.”
“Honestly, I wondered about that when you said you didn’t drink and also last week when you told me you had some problems last year. But you said it was in the past, so I’m guessing it’s not an issue anymore.”
“Well, once an addict, always an addict, but except for the mistake I almost made a year ago, I don’t use anymore. Right after college I was doing construction and fell off a scaffolding. My doctor prescribed oxycodone for the pain, and frankly, I liked how it made me feel.” Ker sipped at his beverage. “I got out of control, and some friends staged an intervention for me. Honestly, they probably saved my life.”
“I’m really glad you had people in your life back then to help you,” Ash said sincerely.
“Anyway, I went into rehab and saw a counselor at that point, and aside from another relapse a few years later, I’ve been on the straight and narrow. I attend Narcotics Anonymous meetings pretty regularly and have a sponsor there, which really helps. But stress is a real trigger for me, and I had a major blowout with my family, which led to my near relapse about a year ago.”
“I’m gonna take a guess here and say it involved your dad’s grocery stores?”
