Earl grinned. "Give it time.”
The muscles in my jaw flexed. "I suggest you take your meal to go. Now!”
"And who are you to say what I should do?"
"I own this restaurant, and I reserve the right to refuse service to anyone. Especially someone who is being rude to my employees.”
"I'm not being rude," Earl said. "Maybe there's been some kind of misunderstanding. I promise I'll be on my best behavior. Scout’s honor," he said, raising his hand.
I stood there and stared at him, making the moment as uncomfortable as possible.
By that time, Jack stepped into the bar. He spotted the scumbag right away and was ready to go off on him.
I pulled Jack aside and said, "Let's let him finish, then escort him out."
Jack's face reddened. "He's got no business being here. He tracked you down. It's not hard to figure out who owns this place. He wants to play games, let's play games. It's not going to end well for him."
I shared Jack's sentiment, but I didn't want to escalate the situation.
JD and I flanked Earl at the bar.
He kept his head down and finished his burger, chewing his food and smacking in the most obnoxious way possible.
Harlan sat at the end of the bar, glaring at the guy. The old Marine looked like he was ready to put a bullet in Earl. He probably would have if I asked.
The scumbag finally finished his meal, and we escorted him out of the bar. He winked at Teagan. "See you later, sugar.”
"No, you won't," I said, grabbing his arm, escorting him out. "If I ever see you back here again, I'll arrest you on sight for trespassing. You've been warned. You're not welcome here."
"But it's such a good restaurant," Earl said. "The food was really good. You've outdone yourself.”
"Get off my property," I said.
Earl smiled. "Okay. Okay. I can see when I'm not wanted.” He spun around and marched across the parking lot to a beat-up, light blue imported pickup truck. It was older and had a little rust where the quarter panels had been dented, and the paint was cracked. He hopped in, started it up, and drove out of the lot.
I watched him go, then called the sheriff. "I found Earl," I said, then told him the story.
He said he'd send a patrol unit. With any luck, they’d spot him and follow.
I walked back into the bar and joined Jack and Teagan. "Are you okay?"
She nodded. "I'm fine. That guy just freaked me out. I just got weird vibes about him."
I told her who he was, and she shivered. A grave look played on her face. "That guy is a killer.”
"Your intuition serves you well. If he comes back, you call me. I'll handle it.”
"Believe me, he won't make it through the door. I'll let you know right away.”
JD and I ordered food to go, and we took it back to theAvventura. We chowed down on the sky deck with Madelyn and recapped the day.
Jack got a text, and the screen glowed his face as he responded. A sly grin curled his lips. After the exchange, he said to us, “If you two will excuse me, I have some business to attend to. Can you handle the night shift?”
“I think we’ll be just fine,” I replied.
“Don’t wait up for me,” he said.
I had no doubt he was off to frolic with Ginger and Cinnamon.
