Needful Things - Stephen King [69]
"Officer?" a quiet voice asked.
Norris gave a little cry and leaped back from the window. For one wild moment he thought he was going to fill his pants after all-the perfect end to a perfect day. Then the cramp passed and he looked around. A tall man in a tweed jacket was standing in the open door of the shop, looking at him with a little smile.
"Did I startle you?" he asked. "I'm very sorry."
"No," Norris said, and then managed a smile of his own. His heart was still beating like a triphammer. "Well maybe just a little.
I was looking at that rod and thinking about old times."
"That just came in today," the man said. "It's old, but it's in awfully good condition. It's a Bazun, you know. Not a well-known brand, but well-regarded among serious fishermen. It's-" "-Japanese,"
Norris said. "I know. My dad used to have one."
"Did he?" The man's smile broadened. The teeth it revealed were crooked, but Norris found it a pleasant smile just the same.
"That is a coincidence, isn't it?"
"It sure is," Norris agreed.
"I'm Leland Gaunt. This is my shop." He held out his hand.
A momentary revulsion swept over Norris as those long fingers wrapped themselves around his hand. Gaunt's handshake was the matter of a moment, however, and when he let go, the feeling passed at once.
Norris decided it was just his stomach, still queasy over those bad clams he'd eaten for lunch. Next time he was out that way, he'd stick to the chicken, which was, after all, the house specialty.
"I could give you an extremely fair deal on that rod," Mr. Gaunt said. "Why not step in, Officer Ridgewick? We'll talk about it."
Norris started a little. He hadn't told this old bird his name, he was sure of it. He opened his mouth to ask how Gaunt had known, then closed it again. He wore a little name-tag above his badge.
That was it, of course.
"I really shouldn't," he said, and hoisted a thumb back over his shoulder at the cruiser. He could still hear the radio, although static was all it was putting out; he hadn't had a call all night. "On duty, you know. Well, I'm off at nine, but technically, until I turn in my car-" "This would only take a minute or so," Gaunt coaxed. His eyes regarded Norris merrily. "When I make up my mind to deal with a man, Officer Ridgewick, I don't waste time. Especially when the man in question is out in the middle of the night protecting my business."
Norris thought of telling Gaunt that nine o'clock was hardly the middle of the night, and in a sleepy little place like Castle Rock, protecting the investments of the local business people was rarely much of a chore. Then he looked back at the Bazun rod and reel and that old longing, so surprisingly strong and fresh, washed over him again. He thought of going out on the lake with such a rod this weekend, going out early in the morning with a box of worms and a big Thermos of fresh coffee from Nan's. it would almost be like being with the old man again.
"Well "
"Oh, come on," Gaunt coaxed. "if I can do a little selling after hours, you can do a little buying on the town's time. And, really, Officer Ridgewick-I don't think anyone is going to rob the bank tonight, do you?"
Norris looked toward the bank, which flicked first yellow and then black in the measured stutter of the blinker-light, and laughed.
"I doubt it."
"Well?"
"Okay," Norris said. "But if we can't make a deal in a couple of minutes, I'll really have to split."
Leland Gaunt groaned and laughed at the same time. "I think I hear the soft sound of my pockets being turned out," he said.
"Come along, Officer Ridgewick-a couple of minutes it shall be."
"I sure would like to have that rod," Norris blurted. It was a bad way to start a trade and he knew it, but he couldn't help it.
"And so you shall," Mr. Gaunt said. "I'm going to offer you the best deal of your life, Officer Ridgewick."
He led Norris inside Needful Things and closed the door.
Wilma