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Hawk finished his beer and said, “I’ll have another. Gus?”
“I think I’ll have a scotch.”
“Well, if you two are both partaking, I guess I will have a dry martini.” Remy grinned at Gus.
“And maybe bring us a couple of menus,” Hawk added.
Remy glanced at him and winked. That was probably a smart idea. She wasn’t the least bit hungry, but if she was going to indulge in a martini, then food would be a must.
“So, I walked by the store. It’s closed.” Gus frowned.
Remy let out a long breath. “I know. It’s going to be closed for a while, Gus. I haven’t gotten it back together yet.”
“You should’ve called. I would’ve worked on it today. We could’ve had it back in order and had it opened tomorrow.”
She shook her head. The waitress showed up with their drinks, and Gus raised his glass. “Since we’re in an Irish pub,sláinte!” They all sipped their drinks.
Remy set hers on a napkin, then cleared her throat. “Actually, Gus, that’s why I want to talk to you. It’s going to be a while before I can open the store because it seems Gramps had something that a lot of people want. I have a feeling the shop might be broken into again once I set it to rights. Gramps’s apartment was searched as well. It’s a mess, but neither of them seems worth putting in order until I know what’s really going on.” She studied Gus’s face. “Do you know what they’re looking for?”
Gus’s gaze skittered away from hers, and he took a large gulp from his drink.
Hawk leaned on the table. “Gus, people tried to hurt Remy today. They’re going to continue to chase her down until we can figure out what exactly they’re looking for.”
Gus gasped and he darted his gaze toward Remy. “Are you okay? Your grandfather would never forgive me if anything happened to you. He’d want me to watch out for you. You come stay with me. I’ll keep an eye on you and make sure you’re okay.”
She smiled and touched his arm. “That’s kind of you, Gus, but I’m okay. I’ll be better if you can tell us what you know.” She was trying to be gentle with the elderly gentleman. He was a good man and a family friend from before she’d been born, but at this moment, she wanted to shake him until his teeth rattled. He knew something, and she needed to know it. Now.
“I… That is, I’m not sure…”
“Tell us what you know, Gus, and start at the beginning,” Hawk advised. “We know about the hidden door.”
Gus’s shoulders immediately sagged, although she couldn’t tell if it was from relief or something else.
“You know about that then?” he asked.
Hawk nodded. “But what do you know about it?”
Gus took another sip of his drink and swallowed. “I don’t know a whole lot other than it’s some sort of club. Your grandfather would never tell me details. Just that it was his job to let people in. I asked if he was like a bouncer, but he just laughed and said the club was his key to success. Then he’d laugh some more like that was a big joke. I never understood it.”
Remy’s own shoulders sagged. She was hoping for more. “Is there nothing else you can tell me?”
Gus thought for a second. “I know that it’s been around a long, long time. I remember Remington and I as little kids, hiding in the aisles back when his dad ran it as a locksmith shop. We’d frequently see your great-grandfather let people down those stairs.”
Remy blinked. “My great-grandfather? Are you sure?”
“Yes. Remy and I used to wonder what was down there, but we were too afraid to ask. We weren’t supposed to know anything about it.” He gazed off across the bar, and his eyes went out of focus. “I remember when we were older and your great-grandfather was ill, Remy came over to our place. Millie was alive then. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. I remember asking him what was wrong, but he wouldn’t say. He just said he found out what the mystery was, and it wasn’t good. I think he and his father had words about it. He never did tell me anything else.”
Remy took a sip of her martini. So, this whole thing had been in her family for generations. They’d all been a part of something not so nice. That didn’t make her feel good about her heritage. She was Remington Maxwell Tanger the Fourth, and it looked like the Second and the First had both been involved in something shady. Maybe it was a good thing her father had died, or he probably have been involved in this mess, too. All this made her wonder about the first Remington Maxwell Tanger. How did he get involved in the first place?
Hawk asked in a quiet voice, “Gus, do you think Remy came to accept this whole thing?”
Gus bobbed his head back and forth. “Yes and no. I think he accepted it, but I don’t think he loved letting all of those suspicious people into the basement. He never really revealed the purpose, or even that it was part of a society, but he was philosophical about it. He said he didn’t have a choice, so he might as well make the best of it. That was his nature, you know. Lemonade from lemons and all that. He had to go to meetings occasionally, although he never said as much. But I knew when they traveled internationally, it had something to do with the secret. He and Clissy would make a big vacation out of it. Paris, London, Hong Kong. They made it into an adventure.”
“I remember some of those trips,” Remy said. “They seemed to have a lot of fun.”
Gus nodded. “They even brought me and Millie along a few times. We did have a lot of fun. Remy used to say to me that he had to do whatever it was so he might as well enjoy himself and spend the money it made him. Your grandfather was very generous to me and Millie. He made sure we had everything we ever needed, and then some. He even paid for some of Millie’s medical expenses.”
She patted his arm again. Gus was lifting a heavy weight off her shoulders. Her grandfather was a good man. He made the best out of the circumstances and made sure to take care of friends and family. Who could ask for more than that? She let out a breath she didn’t even realize she’d been holding and took a sip of her drink.Here’s to you, Grandpa.
