Chapter 1
Duke leaned against the bar admiring the view. Mail delivery was a good thing-a very good thing.
"If he sees you looking at her like that, Bobby Jack will kick your scrawny butt clear into Canada."
"Yeah..." Duke admitted with a smile, "last time Bobby Jack caught me admiring his property he broke two of my ribs and busted up my face. I think I was seven, and the property in question was a football...and I don't think his capacity to share has improved any. "
"Not about his wife anyway...boss, you just going to stand there in a daze or are you going to read that mail?" questioned Kelli playfully throwing a wadded napkin at him.
Duke shuffled quickly through his mail and abruptly stopped. Sandwiched between two bills was a letter from his professor friend, and it was open. Trying not to look obvious, he ducked behind the bar and started reading. The letter began
Dear Duke:
In my meanderings in academic minutia, I came across some information concerning the tattoo you were querying. I am enclosing said information. I think you will find it quite an interesting read.
Be careful,
Professor Thomas Hayes
Duke checked the envelop...it was empty. There was no enclosed information. Someone had opened the letter and taken it...someone from Haven no doubt.
Grabbing his cell phone, Duke quickly dialed Audrey.
"Hey, it's me."
"How quickly can you get to the Gull?"
"Yeah, it's important."
Roughly fifteen minutes later Nathan and Audrey were seated across from Duke at a back table.
"What's up?" started Audrey.
"This," said Duke pulling out the letter and envelop from his pocket.
Audrey quickly scanned the page with Nathan looking on. "So where is the rest of it?" she questioned.
"That's just it...the envelop was open. Someone took the rest of it."
Nathan smirked at Duke. "You called us down here because you think someone stole part of your mail?"
"Yes...but it was an important part."
Audrey sighed. Like always, it was up to her to make peace between them. "Look, it probably just got sliced open in transport and fell out; or maybe the professor forgot to mail it. You know how absent minded professors are. It's probably sitting on his desk buried under a stack of final exams...so, what's the lunch special?"
Duke looked beyond her to the wall behind the bar. Professor Hayes was about the opposite of absent minded as a professor could get. Duke was willing to bet that even on a bad day the man could not only list everything on his desk-he could probably tell you when each item arrived on the desk and when it would be expected to be dealt with and returned.
"Duke?" Audrey's quiet voice brought him back to the conversation.
"Yeah, I'll send Kelli over," he said leaving the table.
...
A few minutes later the Gull patrons-if any were looking-saw Duke leaving. His shirt hanging loosely around him in an attempt to hide the gun jammed into the back of his pants. His walk showed purpose and resolve.