Page 23 of Ghost

The typing bubble pops up almost right away.

Riot:Well hello to you too.

Riot:This a friendly request or did you break something again?

I lean back against the couch and type.

Ghost:Three guys harassing the bar owner.

Ghost:Late thirties. One slick hair, two with him.

Ghost:I ran them off tonight.

A few seconds go by before he answers.

Riot:“Ran them off” meaning…?

I type back.

Ghost:Parking lot conversation got physical.

Another pause.

Then:

Riot:Of course it did.

Riot:Give me a minute.

I set the phone down and get up to grab another beer from the fridge. When I come back and sit down again the phone buzzes.

I pick it up.

Riot:Harlan has city cameras at the highway intersection and two gas stations within a block of that bar.

Riot:Rusty Iron itself doesn’t have outside cameras though.

That doesn’t surprise me.

Ghost:Pull what you can.

Ghost:They’ve been showing up all week.

A moment later another message comes through.

Riot:That sounds like the start of something.

Ghost:That’s what I’m thinking.

There’s a longer pause before the next message appears.

Riot:You don’t usually text me about three random guys.

I stare at the message for a second because he’s right.

Normally I would have handled it and moved on. Three guys trying to scare a bar owner wouldn’t be worth digging into. But something about the way they acted tonight stuck with me.

They didn’t seem surprised to see my cut.