A Flicker of Doubt - Tim Myers [51]
“Nonsense, I pay my way and you know it. Ring these up so I can get started on my next pour.”
I did as I was told and totaled the supplies as she added more items to her pile.
Eve poked her head out of the storeroom. “I thought I heard voices,” she said, her words fading as she saw who my customer was.
“I’m going to walk Mrs. Jorgenson out,” I said, “Then I’ve got an errand to run.”
“Of course,” Eve said. “Nice to see you again, ma’am.”
“I’m sure,” Mrs. Jorgenson said in reply. She wasn’t big on mingling with anyone but the owner of the store, but I had to give Eve credit. She never gave up trying to engage the woman.
I walked Mrs. Jorgenson out to her car. As she got in, she said, “Remember, Harrison, there are more layers to this than you might realize. Watch your step.”
“Surely you don’t think Grover’s a threat do you?”
She pursed her lips. “If he takes it in his mind not to like you, you’ll live to regret it I promise you that I’ve seen it happen too many times before. Remember, he might sound like a sweet old man, but Grover is as sharp it a razor.”
I said good-bye, then jumped in the Ford truck and headed over to Graver’s barbecue stand and backyard. I had another reason to watch my step. It would be bad enough to be banished from ever coming back to Grover’s and miss that succulent barbecue, but if I got Markum blackballed, I wasn’t sure he’d ever be able to forgive me.
And I wouldn’t even be able to find it in my heart to blame him.
Chapter 14
I found Grover watching over the fire in his backyard pit. There were no cars parked by the road when I pulled the truck in, so I’d have his full attention.
“Good morning,” I said as I approached.
“Harrison Black,” he said neutrally. “The sign’s not out, or didn’t Markum tell you what to look for?”
“Actually he didn’t.”
“There’s an old red shirt I hang from a tree branch when I’m serving,” he said. “Other times I like to be left alone.”
There was no mistaking the tone in his voice, that this was one of those other times, but there was no pay I was going to wait to approach him about Runion with half of the power structure of Micah’s Ridge looking on.
“I need to talk to you about something, Grover. Believe me, I wouldn’t bother you if it wasn’t important.”
He poked a thick slab of wood under the cooker and watched the smoke a moment “Most folks don’t like to press me,” he said quietly.
There was a distinct chill in his voice now. “I’m worried about what Greg Runion is going to do to Micah’s Ridge.”
Graver’s gaze snapped from the fire to me. “What’s that got to do with me?”
“I know you’re backing him,” I said softly.
Grover tried to bring off a fake laugh, but he’d hesitated too long before deciding on his course of action. “Man, haven’t you heard? I gave all my money away when I came back home. Why else would I sell my barbecue from a place like this?”
“Look, I’m not here to refute the legend you’ve built up for yourself, and the last thing I want to do is anything that’s going to keep me from your barbecue, but | you can’t let him do this. Do you have any idea what the river’s going to look like? He’s going to destroy it.”
“It’s no business of mine,” Graver said abruptly.
“I wish I could believe that,” I said.
The fire under the cooker was now completely forgotten. “Mr. Black, I’ll ask you to leave now.”
“You can’t let him do this,” I said.
“I said go!” He was as furious with me as I was with him. “You’re not welcome here anymore.”
I gave up. There was no way I was going to be able to break through his resolve. “Fine, let it happen, then. It’s on your head, not mine.”
I was five steps away when he called out to me, “Mr. Black, hold up a second.”
Had he changed his mind? I turned and saw that look in his eyes, the look of anger and just a little hate for me. “You can tell Markum he’s not welcome here, either.”
I lost my temper. “That’s just plain mean, Grover. He had nothing to do with me being here. Banish me if you want