Page 18 of August
“What’s happened?” He told him that he didn’t know. “Perhaps if you were to be a little more forthcoming, I’d be able to help you figure it out. Is it Carrie? Shipley said that she’s working on the computer system to set it up for her needs to be able to set up an online grocery ordering app. I had no idea that she’d have to take out the things that they’d—”
“I can’t date her.” He asked him why he couldn’t assuming that he meant Carrie? “I don’t know. I don’t think of her like that. She’s like…I don’t know, a sister to me. Much like the other women are in the family. The thought of having sex with her, even if that were to happen, gives me the willies.”
“Okay? I’m not sure what that means about her, but why were you thinking about her and sex?” He told him as he got up to pace. “So you were trying to think of her in a way that would tell you if she was going to be your wife. I guess I can understand that. Most of us were in love with our other half in about twenty minutes after we met them. And you’ve known her for how long? Long enough to be a good friend to her, right?”
August thought it was funny that his brother was thinking along those lines. He didn’t have to find Carrie as his wife, but still he was. Like it was a done deal to be having her as his wife. She also came with a great deal of baggage too. Like eight family members that had no business being out on the street much less related to the very kind and special person that Carrie seemed to be.
When he finally left, his next client was brought in. Almost as soon as he shook the man’s hand, he knew that he wasn’t going to be doing business with him. His hand was wet with sweat and he was covering up his body odor like he was bathing in some kind of too sweet cologne. August thought he could use a proper bath as well as clean clothing.
“What can I do for you, Mr.—” It made him want to run for cover when he realized he was more than likely talking to one of Carry’s brothers. “Mr. Wally Sharp.”
No wonder he felt like he was casing him. But he looked around the office to make sure that there was nothing that could have been broken that he’d be all that sorry for. Wally said that he had a check that he needed to cash.
“I’m sorry, I’m not a bank. I invest people’s money into projects of new businesses so that they get a bigger return on their money.” He wished at that moment that he was a vampire or something. He knew they had some kind of trick where they could talk to each other without actually speaking. “As for cashing your check, I don’t even have any money here.”
“I’m wanting to invest this check then and get more money than it’s worth. That’ll be a win-window for the two of us.” He told him that there might not be a return on his money for several weeks up to years. “Nah, I don’t have time for that. You take this here check—my mom signed it over to me so you don’t have to check on her—then when you make a reward on it, then you can give me that too. But I’m going to need that check back if you can’t cash it. Momma wanted me to have it for…she just wanted me to have it.”
“Yes, I see.” He handed the check back, suddenly afraid for Carrie and her mother. “When you have some cash, bring it around to make an investment for something that will pay you something in return. However, not right away.”
The man took the check and stood up. August started to let out a long breath when he sat back down in the chair. There was a gun pointed at him, and he didn’t want to die. Again, he wanted that vampire thing about immortality. While contemplating that hypothesis, he decided to ask Sharp aboutit as a distraction.
“Do you ever wish you could be a vampire? I mean, like the ones that you read in those books that have women crushed up against a man on the cover? I don’t read them myself, but I remember Mr. Grable reading them. She told us it was her guilty pleasure.” Wally asked him what he was going on about. “I don’t know. That thought sort of came to me when I saw that you had a gun pointed at me. The mortality of my life. I have a wife and three kids, too. Also, one coming along in a few months.”
“If I was going to shoot you, it would be for you having four kids. Christ, how do you even manage that?” He told him that he loved them and his wife. “Well, goody for you. I’d just as soon have my wiener attached to my head than to have even one kid.”
“I’m just saying I’d very much hate to die.” Wally told him that he’d better cooperate then. “Sure, sure. What is it you wanted to know? I’m usually not a man that warders around town so if you want information about that, I don’t have it.”
“You’re a nutball. That’s what you are. You are completely off your rocker. My mom is like that. Can’t have a conversation with her without her asking you a hundred times who you are. It’s annoying, too, when she stares at you like a halfwit.” Nodding again, he felt the collar of his shirt start to strangle him a little. “You seen my sister?”
“I don’t know…don’t you have like four sisters or something? That’s what I read in the County Flyer the other day. Something about you or one of your brothers are going to prison.” He might should have thought about what he was saying before he spoke and lost his head to the gun like Wally did. “I don’t get into town much, but I do remember something about that.”
He needed to keep his mouth shut. However, it was like his lips were flapping on their own, and he had no control over them. When the front office door opened, he’d have been thrilled if it was that he knew other than this man. Even his secretary had left for the day. Instead, it was Shipley.
August thought that things had gone from bad to worst. She was going to get him killed, and he knew it. When she leaned over him to get a hug from him, she dropped something into his lap. Out of instinct, he put his hands over it and was happy that it was a gun. At least now she wasn’t armed, and he might get out of this with an ass-whapping. Then she called him darling.
“I’m sorry, what?” She asked him if he was ready to go, and he nodded when she did. While he didn’t know what was going on, he did wrap the gun in his hand like he was going to use it. The only time that he’d shot a weapon was at the shooting range. And never at anyone that was tempting him to shoot them. How was he to shoot his way out of here while Shipley was at his side? He had a sudden thought in his mind about some Texas show that he’d watched.
“Me and him, we got some business. He’s going to tell me where my sister is.” Shipley told him that one of his sisters was hiding out from him, and two of them were out looking for him as he’d gotten their mother’s check. And what about the last one. Where’s she at?”
“I don’t know one from the other.” He nodded and told Shipley that there were a lot of the Sharps around. “It’s doubtful that any of you are sharp, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Nah, now, we all have the same last name. Well, Syble don’t. She was married for a time, but she’s been calling herself Sharp for a long time, and it stuck, you might say. Hey, did you know that he won’t cash a government check for you? If that don’t beat all, I don’t know what would. I just needed him to cash it, but he said he ain’t no bank, but he’ll take your money anyway to investigate for you. That don’t beat all.”
“Yes, it does.” She turned to look at him. “Are you finished up here, August? We have a dinner date with some friends of ours.” Christ, he nearly didn’t understand what she was talking about. She was trying to get him out of the building with Wally.
“I have to get going, Wally. When you find your sister, I hope you get what’s coming to you.” He said that he would, but he had one more question. “What’s that?”
“Your wife here didn’t mention Carrie. And that’s the one I’m looking for.” Apparently, he wasn’t as stupid as he thought that the man might be. “You see, she’s done quit her job, and she’s kidnapped my momma.”
“If Carrie is your sister, as you said, how is it that she was able to kidnap your mother? I mean, wouldn’t she be able to visit with her too? He shook his head, and that was supposed to be an answer. “I’m sorry, she’s not your sister, or is she? I believe that it will make a difference to the police if you were to go to them with this kid—”
“I don’t need the damn police, you idiot. They asked way too many questions. Just tell me where they are, and I’ll be on my way. Or we wait here until you got you a functioning mind so that you remember where they are.”
They both stood up, and August pointed his gun at Wally, smiling at him as he spoke. “You’re not going to shoot me. We both know that. Not only is your weapon on safety, but your fly is unzipped.” That’s all it took for Shipley to take Wally down to the floor.
He looked at his zipper first, though he didn’t know how with all his belly fat hanging over it, but he looked at the gun in his hand second. It took him a little bit longer to see his Glock, one that cannot have a safety unless you’re not holding it, but his zipper really had been down with his shirt tail hanging out of the zipper opening.
Shipley was still laughing when the police came in to help them out. She was going on about vampires and werewolves that he’d been talking about earlier. He didn’t see what the hell was that hilarious but she laughed all the more when Locke and Alex showed up as well.