Chapter Eight

Stef’s Steak House and Saloon was exactly what she expected, rustically decorated with logs and brick, with a large, round fireplace in the middle, and a very crowded dining room. When they arrived the hostess pointed them toward the bar and said that, despite their reservation, which had been made late in the day, there would be about an hour wait.

She knew the wait would be just fine with Griffin, who had told her when they’d pulled into the parking lot that most of the gossip would be found in the bar. “Keep your ears open,” he’d said. “Something tells me my appearance will light a spark.”

He was right. They skirted the dining room as they made their way to the doorway in the back with a wooden sign that declared, ‘Saloon’. She heard the words, “Flack,” and “Wow, look who’s here,” as they passed tables. A few people turned and stared. They had agreed in the truck that they wouldn’t tell each other what they’d heard, or seen, until after they were done with dinner and back in the truck. But it was hard not to pull on his sleeve and say, “They’re talking about us.”

The bar was stuffed full, but they managed to find two stools, but they were not together. A couple moved down to free up one so Griffin and Jett could sit together. When the bartender came up Griffin ordered himself a soft drink, “As he was driving,” and asked her what she wanted.

“Margarita, no salt, frozen,” she said.

“Same thing you had last night,” he said.

“It’s my favorite,” she replied.

While they were sipping on their drinks, Jett glanced around the room. When she met the gazes of several people they looked away guiltily, and she knew they were looking at the man suspected in the attack that was, obviously, the talk of the town. It was all she could do to hold her tongue and not say, “You’re the center of attention.”

It didn’t take long before a man came up and doffed his hat in her direction. “Ma’am, be careful of this one. He’s got a bad temper, you know.”

“Not as bad as yours, Brett.” Griffin pointed at him. “Where were you last night?”

“Not out conking Portland over the head,” the man said. He held his hand out in Jett’s direction. “Brett Mayo. Welcome to Bear Creek.”

“Jett Montgomery,” she said.

“Watch this rascal,” he said in a repeat of what he’d already said. “So Flack, where were you last night? Hopefully not killing Portland.”

Jett stiffened. Had the man died and they hadn’t heard about it?

“Last I heard he was still breathing,” Griffin said. Jett could hear the nerves in his voice.

“For now,” Brett said. “I talked to a paramedic today when he came to carry a camper out. He said Portland was unconscious and non responsive when they took him into Vegas.”

“Do you own a resort, too?” Jett asked.

“I work for the forest service,” he said. “Many campers don’t take heed of our high altitude, and they get the sickness. We had to carry a man out today that took his hiking a bit too far.”

“Is he okay?” Jett asked.

“Sure, in and out of the ER after being given some oxygen,” he said. “Last I heard he and his wife had rented a hotel room and decided to tour an art gallery or two tomorrow.”

“That’s good,” Jett said.

“So the general gossip around town is I’m guilty?” Griffin asked.

Brett drained the glass he held and Jett watched him. She pegged him to be around forty, very muscular with slightly thinning dark hair. But he was handsome, and she wondered if he played at Tres Lobos West at all, or if he was vanilla. She made a mental note to ask Griffin.

Brett set his empty beer mug on the bar and held up a finger. “Yeah, you’re guilty, Griff,” Brett picked up his new beer. “My wife tells me you and Portland had a knock down drag out fight at the lodge yesterday.”

Jett snorted. “There were no punches pulled.”

“So you saw it?” Brett said. “Were you his alibi for last night, too?”

Was it her imagination, or had the room gone quiet? It seemed as if everyone was listening to see what she said, so she decided to give them what they wanted.

“He was in my bed, yes.”

Brett laughed. “You just broke the hearts of every unmarried, and some of the married, women in the Magic Circle.”

Jett felt the heat rise in her face. She took a drink of her margarita and glanced around once more. Yes, nearby people were openly listening now. She wondered how many of them were locals, and knew what was happening, and how many were tourists, and just enjoying a bit of local drama.

“Do you live here?” Brett asked.

“No, Santa Fe.”

“Just here to take a trip into Tres Lobos West?”

Well, that answered her question about whether Brett and his wife practiced BDSM.

“Jett’s a paralegal helping me with some things,” Griffin said.

“And the alibi is just an extra added benefit?”

“Mind your own business,” Griffin said, but there was humor in his voice.

Jett decided the two of them were friends, and not just the ones who had a beer every once in a while. It made her wonder why he was here alone, drinking and gossiping. Was his wife at a table? Had he left her alone there?

“What are people saying the fight was about?” Griffin asked.

“A woman.” Brett inclined his head in Jett’s direction. “Was it about something else?”

“Well, you know Portland, he’s a few eggs short of a dozen, always has been.” Griffin shrugged. “I had nothing to do with the attack.”

“I told Stef that,” Brett said. “You’re too calm and cool to attack someone.”

Stef? “Does your wife own the steak house?”

“She does, Miss Jett,” Brett said. “For fifteen years now. She’s brings in the dough so I can play in the trees.”

They all laughed. Jett sipped on her margarita, and Griffin took a drink from his soda.

“Have you heard about Portland fighting with anyone else?” Griffin asked.

“Nope,” Brett said. “And trust me when I tell you I’ve been prodding people for information. No one, and I mean no one, said he had a specific beef with anyone else. He’s not the most likeable guy, but you’re the only one he ever had a fight with. He really wanted that land.”

“Screw him,” Griffin whispered.

“I’ll keep my ears open,” Brett said.

“If you help prove me innocent I’ll cover for a weekend at Tres Lobos West for you and Stef.”

“And we’ll take it,” Brett said. “I’ll be in touch. But first I’ll go and check on your table.” Before he left, Brett leaned in and whispered something in Griffin’s ear.

“Got it,” Griffin said before Brett turned to Jett. He doffed his hat to her and said, “Nice to meet you.”

He left and Jett poked Griffin in the chest. “He’s a good friend to have.” She wanted to ask if he knew Brett from high school, but she knew there was too much of an age difference. She’d say at least five years. “What did he say?”

“He is.” He drained his glass and asked for a refill. “I’ll tell you what he said after dinner. Right now I’m starved. I hope the table is ready soon.”

“How can you be hungry? We’ve eaten all day.”

“I’m a growing boy,” Griffin said, just as the hostess approached them, menus in hand. “Now, let’s go eat.”

***

Jett sighed, then undid the button on her jeans. She felt as if she’d eaten more that day than she had in her entire life. She’d also had two margaritas, both of them stronger than what she was used to from the restaurants at home.

Griffin climbed in behind the wheel and put the key in the ignition. “What did you think?”

“I can see why people drive from all over to eat here,” she said “Then they have to fast for three days after so their body can process all the food.”

“Best steak in the area,” he said as he started the truck. “We didn’t get much attention once we were in the dining room.” He put the vehicle in gear and backed out of their parking spot.

“True.” Jett cleared her throat and continued, “The only person to visit our table, besides the waiter, was Brett. What did he pass you while I was eating cheesecake?”

She expected him to chuckle, but instead he sighed. “You don’t miss much, do you?”

“I’m a paralegal,” she said. “I notice things around me, and pay attention to my surroundings, even if I’m tipsy. What did he give you?” He didn’t answer and she said, “Remember when you told me you don’t play games?”

“I should have told him to wait until you were in the bathroom,” he muttered.

“Did he bring you information about the attack? Did he find something out?”

“I can unequivocally answer no to those questions.”

Jett stared out at the darkness around them. “I have to take issue with the use of the word unequivocally. So he gave you absolutely nothing that had to do with the case?”

“The case?” This time he did chuckle. “What are you, a detective?”

“I read a lot of novels,” she said. She didn’t want to say that she didn’t really have an exciting life, except for spanking night. “Don’t leave me in the dark.”

He was silent, and she was sure he was thinking things over.

Finally she said, “Oh my stars above, you’re thinking about dropping me off at my cabin and doing a bit of sleuthing with whatever he gave you, aren’t you?”

“I don’t want to be rude, but this really has nothing to do with you.” He was taking the curves slower this time.

“I beg to differ. I’m your alibi, remember? My ass is deep in this.”

“Maybe it should be your red ass,” he said.

“Redden my bottom all you want,” she said. “Just don’t leave me out. We agreed on the way there that we would discuss things on the way back.”

The truck seemed to slow. “Fine. The forest service has land that backs up onto Portland’s land. He gave me the key to the gate so I can get in, then hike over to Portland’s land and have a look around.”

“In the middle of the night?”

“You want me to go during the day, when Tricky and his friends are there?”

He had a point. “Speaking of Tricky, you haven’t heard from him in a while, or are you keeping that from me, too?”

“No, I haven’t heard from him.” He leaned over and she watched as he pulled his phone from his pocket. He tossed it to her and said, “My code is 443322.”

“Original,” she said as she unlocked the device.

“Call Tricky, and put it on speaker.”

“Don’t you have hands free with this truck?”

He waved his hand around the cab. “In case you haven’t noticed, this isn’t exactly a new model.”

Jett wanted to tell him there were things you could buy to hook into the radio system, but she decided now was not the time. Tricky answered after the first ring.

“Behave, because you’re on speaker,” Griffin said. “Any news?”

“The only real news is my wife is pissed you ate someone else’s cooking tonight,” Tricky said.

“So he didn’t die?” Griffin said. She could hear the relief in his voice.

“He’s holding his own,” Tricky said. “The real news, at least to me, is my boss is not coming back from his trip. He told me to handle it.”

“The one big crime in our area in quite some time and he’s continuing to fish?” She saw him tighten his grip on the wheel. “That doesn’t sound like him. He usually sticks his nose into everyone’s business.”

“Yeah, I thought about that,” Tricky said. “So did the state police. They asked when he was coming back, and when I said he was not leaving his vacation they sort of stared at me. They’re concerned that you’re the main suspect and my best friend to boot.”

“How do you sort of stare?” Jett asked.

Griffin burst into laughter and Tricky muttered, “Crap, you two are one of a kind. I’m hanging up now.”

“Wait!’ Griffin cried out. “Do they really think you’d overlook evidence because of our friendship?”

“I guess so,” Tricky said. “Mind your manners on this one, Griffin. They’re watching us all, and if Portland dies, they’ll be putting us all under a microscope.”

“Do they know Tres Lobos West is an adult resort?” Griffin asked.

“Yup,” Tricky answered. “But it’s not illegal. The guests are not paying for sex, just for a quiet place to have a good time. That’s clearly stated in the contract. Guests can meet friends in the bar, and if they like each other what happens between them is their business.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” Griffin said. “Is that what you told them?”

“Yes,” Tricky said. “Listen, Griff, keep your nose clean. Don’t do anything to put you in their crosshairs, anymore than you already are, got it?”

“I hear ya,” Griffin said.

They said their goodbyes and Jett hit the red button to end the call. “So we’re going back to the resort?”

“You are,” Griffin said.

She put her hand on his thigh. “Take me with you. Like I said, I read a lot of detective novels, and I notice a lot of things. Please don’t shut me out.”

“Are you going to threaten to tell the cops I went if I don’t take you?”

“No.” She moved her hand up his thigh. “But I will let you stick that wonderful dick up my butt when we’re done.”

“Not in your pussy?”

Jett giggled. “I might as well have two sore holes when I drive home tomorrow.”

“Can I have my way with you first?”

“Yum,” she said.

“That means you’re going.” He slowed the truck again. “But I’m in charge. If I say pull back, you pull back. Got it?”

“Yes, Mr. Flack,” she said. “I will behave and obey your orders. Hopefully we’ll find something to clear your name, so we can go to the cabin and play.”