After the police left, I’d gone back to my hotel, slept for a few hours, and showered. Just as I was checking out of my room, Vince texted me.
Vince: Do you have time to meet up for lunch before you head to the airport?
Me: Sure. You want to meet somewhere near the office?
Vince: No. There’s a pizza joint across from your hotel. Let’s meet there.
Me: Sounds good.
I expected that he wanted to talk about the case one last time before I made my way back to Texas, although I had seriously been considering canceling my flight and pushing it back another day or two. What happened last night hadn’t sat well with me, and apparently it hadn’t sat well with Vince either.
To my surprise, lunch with Vince also included Frank, Wade, and Archer.
“Gentlemen,” I greeted as I sat down at a booth that was quite possibly the farthest one away from the door and around none of the other patrons.
Yeah, this didn’t sit well with them either.
“How much of a fee would you incur if you canceled your flight?” Frank asked me.
I smirked, knowing he was thinking the same thing I had thought earlier.
“It’s fully refundable up to the point I check in,” I explained. “I bought that kind specifically since I didn’t know how long you’d need me.”
“We’d like to bring you on as a contractor—paid, this time—if you’re willing to stay for a few more days,” Archer said.
“You think it’s an inside job.” I surmised, having drawn the same conclusion myself.
“After last night, it’s the only thing that makes sense,” Wade chimed in. “Having managed the Watering Hole for two years before Tammy took over, I know the ins and outs of many things, and if I was going to break in and rob it, that’s exactly how I would have done it because I knew where everything would be—cameras, the money, the security system, everything.”
He used his fingers to tick off the list of things he’d mentioned and then turned to Archer.
“The changes we made to the security system after the first break-in—only our staff and the pub staff knew about it,” Archer explained. “The person who broke in last night knew about the changes.”
“The only thing they didn’t know was that you and Tammy would be there after some…late-night activities,” Frank said, a small smirk on his face for the latter part of his comment.
“Do you mind if I consult with two men I trust back in Texas on this?” I asked, figuring Chase and Ghost could perhaps give me ideas.
“Go for it,” Vince replied. “Honestly, it’s why we want you to take this on. We’ve been discussing this for the last few hours and realized we’re too close to it. We need someone outside both businesses to investigate.”
“My relationship with Tammy gonna interfere with this?” I asked because I’d realized one thing this morning, and that was that I wanted to keep things going with her.
I knew it might be tough since we lived in different states, but last night—before the break-in—had been incredible. But I’d also gotten to know her over the last week, and I liked what I knew. So, if I stayed for another week or so, I’d be continuing to lean into that.
“We don’t suspect her, so it’s likely a moot point,” Archer said.
“She’s got an alibi for last night that’s solid,” Vince added, the same smirk on his face as his father’s moments ago.
“Hard might be a better choice of word than solid,” Frank joked, causing the other men in the group to either groan or roll their eyes.
I just shook my head and then looked at Archer, who seemed to be spearheading this. “What do you need from me?”
“Keep doing what you’re doing by visiting Tammy at the bar, but focus on our staff,” Archer replied.
“People like Axel?” I asked, noting his absence, even though he had a deeper connection to the bar than Vince and Archer certainly did.
“Do we think he did it? No,” Vince answered. “But as my cousin so duly noted, it’s best not to rule anyone out just yet.”
Archer had been a cop before joining his cousin Vince and the rest of the gang for this private security business, which was where I suspected his proneness to crossing all his T’s and dotting all his I’s came from. I was already planning to do it, but good to know we were on the same page.
