“So what are you doing here? You wanna put that gun away now?”
“I’ll keep the gun out.”
“Suit yourself.” He started walking closer to me.
“Stop,” I said.
“Son, if you wanna shoot me, then fuckin’ shoot me. Lord knows I’ve lived long enough.”
I sighed. I didn’t sense any threats coming from this old man, and his story seemed plausible enough. I could tell that he didn’t have any obvious weapons on him, and I figured that even if he did, I could outdraw him anyway.
I slipped my gun into my jeans. Randy smiled big.
“Well now, that’s better. You wanna tell me what you’re doin’ here after all these years?”
“Hiding,” I said.
“That so?” Randy said. “Not a bad place to hide, you know.”
“I agree.”
“How much supplies you got in there?”
“Just what was already stocked.”
“So my stock, then.”
“My cabin. My stock.”
Randy smiled. “Sure, Gatesy. Sure.”
“Just Gates,” I grumbled.
“Look, Just Gates. Why don’t we go inside? I’m tired and I know there’s a good bottle of whisky in there.”
I stared at him for a second, not sure what to do. He was clearly just a nice old man, but I didn’t want to put Piper in any danger.
“What did my father used to wear on his left hand?” I asked Randy.
“That damn stupid Mason ring or some shit, whatever it was.” He grunted. “The hell you still testin’ me for? Must be hidin’ from somethin’ serious.”
That was right. In every picture I’ve ever seen of my father, he always wore his masonic ring on his left hand ring finger. He rarely wore his wedding ring, though. I didn’t want to put Piper into danger, but this man clearly knew my father, and probably knew him better than I did.
It was hard to pass up on the chance to talk to someone that really knew him. It was probably an unnecessary risk, but we were relatively safe. Plus, there was plenty of time to kill.
“I have a girl with me,” I said to him. “Her name is Piper. You should forget you ever saw her as soon as you leave. Got it?”
“Sure,” he said, shrugging. “Couldn’t care less about a piper.”
I nodded and opened the door. “Come on in.”
He smiled and we went inside together.
Piper was siting at the kitchen table. She stood up as soon we stepped inside. Randy smiled big at her.
“Well, you must be the piper,” he said.
“Nice to meet you.” She gave me a look.
“Pipes, this is Randy. He lives around here. He knew my father.”
Understanding bloomed across her face. “Well, then,” she said. “You should come inside and get comfortable.”
“Don’t mind if I do,” Randy said. He went into the kitchen area and opened a cabinet. He fished a bottle out from behind some pans and poured three drinks. He passed them out before sitting back down at the table.
“That’s better,” he said. I held my drink loosely, still standing. Randy slugged his drink back and poured another before raising his glass for a toast. “To dead ol’ Ron King, the best bastard I ever knew.”
“Here, here,” I said. We all drink. Piper made a face and I grinned at her.
“How long have you lived around here?” she asked Randy.
“Hell, most of my life.”
“And did you know Gates’s father well?”
“Pretty good, I’d say. Ron used to come up here, oh, three or four times a year. We’d spend a day or two fishin’ and huntin’ and drinkin’, which is what he wanted to do and I’m always willin’ to do. Then he’d disappear.”
“Randy has been taking care of this cabin,” I told Piper.
“Ah,” she said. “That explains it.”
“Sure does,” Ron said. He frowned, looking around. “How long you two plan on bein’ here?”
“Not sure,” I said. “As long as we want, most likely.”
“Sure, sure,” Randy said. “I was just thinking, not much stuff in here. How about I come up with some supplies tomorrow morning?”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “That’s a nice offer.”
“I’d expect to be paid,” he said, laughing. I relaxed a little bit. “I could use a little pocket money and I bet you two could use a little food. What do you say?”
“Sounds good,” Piper said quickly before I could answer. “Thanks, Randy. That’s really nice of you.”
“Of course.” He poured three more drinks for the group and knocked his back immediately.