Chasing a Blond Moon(41)

He parked in the lot behind the Best Western and walked down Shelden Avenue. The Douglass House Saloon was in a brick building with towers on the corners, its bricks a brilliant orange in the low afternoon sun. He walked inside to a cloud of smoke and liked the smell. There were lots of towns in the process of banning smoking, but so far U.P. bars were being exempted. Good thing. When people couldn’t smoke in bars, the bars would go belly-up. Or there would be a revolt.

The interior was made of wood, darkened by smoke and age. Tiffany-style glass chandeliers hung from high ceilings, creating atmosphere but delivering little light.

Gus was at a booth in the dark back bar, dressed in civvies.

“How’d the meeting go with Grinda?” he asked.

“Good. She was cooperative.”

“I told you a long time ago she’s good people. You just have to earn her trust.”

“Somebody snared a bear with steel cable down in the Tamarack River country.”

“A first?”

“For us. Apparently it happens in Alaska.”

“Says who?”

“Joe Emmarpus’s granddaughter.”

“The one who took over his practice?”

“Am I that far out of touch?” Service asked.

“If I lived with Maridly, I’d be out of touch too,” Gus said. Service knew his friend still missed his late wife, Pracie. He had occasionally dated other women since her death, but had not connected for any length of time with anyone. He spent most of his time with his sons when they were home, or with Shark Wettelainen.

Gus checked his watch. “Any minute now.” Looking up, he said, “There he is.”

Service turned and saw his son in the outer bar. He was accompanied by Karylanne Pengelly, whom he’d met at Walter’s dorm. As then she wore a loose T-shirt, no bra or makeup, and frayed denim cutoffs. They had another girl in tow. She was dressed in a black blouse and capris and had a bright pink sweater wrapped around her shoulders. Karylanne was talking animatedly to the other girl and Walter was looking around.

Gus waved and Walter Commando nodded and guided the girls into the back room.

“This is—,” Walter began.

“Karylanne Pengelly,” Service said. “We met at the dorm.” He took pleasure in the surprise on his son’s face.

“This is Enrica,” Walter continued, introducing the other girl. She had long hair tinted with blonde streaks and a thin, lopsided face that made her look both vulnerable and sexy. “Grady Service and Gus Turnage—both out of uniform,” he added as they slid into the booth.

The two officers slid over to make space.

“I talked to Maridly,” Walter said. Service assumed this was the boy’s way of preempting him, by letting him know that he knew his father was unhappy about his actions. Having signaled that he knew, Walter launched into the purpose of the meeting.

“Gus told me about Professor Pung and his son, Terry. We did some asking around and Karylanne found Enrica.” He nodded at the girl, who looked nervous.

It was cool in the tavern, but Service saw that the girl was perspiring.

She spoke haltingly. “Last year I was, like dating this football player from Wisconsin. His uncle has a place up on Lac La Belle, near Mt. Bohemia?” the girl began. It irked Service how some young people turned declarative statements into questions.

“Go on,” Karylanne said.

“Okay, but like, do I have to get into, you know, like the details?”

“Just tell them what happened,” Karylanne gently urged.

“Okay, like last spring this guy, he took me up to his uncle’s place, and we like, you know?”

“What’s the uncle’s name?” Gus asked.

“Masonetsky. I think he lives in Iron Mountain.”

Karylanne squeezed the girl’s hand.

“We like, ate some stuff and got a little drunk and smoked a little weed, ya know, and the next thing I knew it was morning, and like, I didn’t feel so good?”

“Hangover?” Gus asked.

“Well, yah,” she said, “that, but I like, felt like stuff happened during the night I couldn’t much remember and I thought it was like a really bad dream, but like, I was really sore . . . down there, ya know?” She glanced at her lap.

Her face was red, and she wouldn’t make eye contact. “So I said to the guy, the football player, did we like . . . ? And he said, ‘Yeah, three times.’ I was upset and I told him I’d never done it before and he said, ‘It didn’t seem that way last night.’ I was like, really bummed, but it was done and hey, ya know you’re gonna do it sooner or later, right?” She raised an eyebrow at Karylanne and implored support with her hands. “Anyhow, he made us breakfast and I tried to go along with it, ya know? But the next thing I know, I’m feeling dizzy again and I’m back in bed and this guy is on top of me and I told him to get the hell off me, and I started hitting him. I made him take me back to campus. I yanked all day and all night and I still felt bad on Monday for classes.”