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“Then drop it, okay. I said she was nothing important so just leave it at that.” He stormed to the door and retrieved his keys from the dish.
“Where are you going?”
“Out.”
I was afraid to ask but did it anyway. “When are you coming back?”
“I don’t know.”
The door slammed behind him, rattling the pictures on the wall. Pictures of us from vacations, hanging out at some of our favourite locales and in general, just being happy. And if Mitch was going out for a while, so was I. But I was going sleuthing.
Rather than drive to the airport and log into the computers to get Jasmine’s full name off the passenger manifest list and probably break a dozen confidentiality laws, I took the temporary high road and went to Amber’s, a dear friend of mine.
Amber’s Ale was a pub she owned and managed just a half block off the beach, and had an impressive outdoor sitting area, when the weather was nice. Otherwise, the bar blocked off the outdoor side and focused on selling drinks to the locals during the winter months. Amber had designed the floor plan to work all year long and considering it was one of the busiest pubs on the beach strip, I thought she was uber successful.
I walked into the musical styling of the Beach Boys playing from the 1960s era jukebox.
“S’up, chum?” She started to pour me a cool one, but I stopped her before she got very far.
“Not tonight. I need a clear head.”
“Everything alright?”
“No, I don’t think so, but I don’t know. Yeah, maybe.”
“Wow.” She whistled. “You are confused as all get out.”
I looked into Amber’s golden eyes.
“Geez, you look like you’re ready to cry.”
I nodded.
And she shook her head. “Not in my bar. You start crying, and Denny over there will chime in about his sister, and Georgina will think it’s time for buddy chat about some loser or something wild like that, and she’ll come over and sit with you. Nope, no tears in my bar.” She handed me a tissue and lowered her voice. “All that being said for the benefit of my patrons, what’s got your knickers in a knot?”
“Mitch.”
“Oh, frick. What’s with the men around this place lately? Is it something in the air?” She leaned on the hardwood bar. “What’ll I get you to drink?”
“Just a Coke.”
“Fair enough.” She filled a glass with ice and using a dispenser, topped it up with the dark soda, adding a cherry on top. “For you. Feel free to spill it. Your thoughts, not the drink.”
It was a weak attempt at humour.
“I think Mitch had an affair.” There, I voiced it. Something I’d been holding back for too long. Ever since the day Jasmine arrived, it’s been nagging at me. I bobbed the straw up and down in my drink and watched as the bubbles burst one by one when they reached the top. Something I totally understood.
“No shit! When?”
“Years ago.”
“And it’s only coming to light now?”
“His mistress got off the plane with her son. Their son.”
Amber’s jaw hit the top of the bar and she slammed it shut, her eyes narrowing into thin slits. “The bastard.”
“I was going to go and pull her personal information from the flight manifest.”
