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.
