Chapter One
Charlie hurriedly scribbled another line, glancing up once more before looking at his work. His head bobbed left and right as he considered how well today's letter was going.
He was seated at a small desk in his office, an open-air arrangement with only three walls, practically part of the living room. He looked at the clock in the other room and asked how much time he had left before she came down. Not long, he decided, looking at the paper and considering how to close his note to Roxanne.
He had gotten into the routine of getting ready a little earlier than his wife, so he could do just this sort of thing. Little surprises to keep the magic alive and the fire burning. A fantastic breakfast, a favorite broken nick-knack fixed and polished, or a love letter. Or two. OK, a few love letters.
Hearing a noise from upstairs, he jotted down one last line and leaned back, reading the whole through once quickly. Yes, not bad at all. He preferred to take his time with these little notes; they mustn't look rushed. But he had to hurry this morning, like so many of late. Things had been so busy the last couple of weeks, and many strings were coming together.
"Grover!"
The cat was out again, and she was looking for him. And there, steps on the stairs. She's coming!
Charlie placed an astronomy book nearby over the letter; it should be dry by now and turned his chair to look out the window overlooking the front yard. It's not an inspiring view, though there are undoubtedly many of those in Nelson, the small Colorado town he and his wife call home.
Traditionally known as a skiing resort, the town had become something more over the past few years, thanks to Mayor Marty Deebs and his endless promotions. So was it almost Oktoberfest again?
"I need to be going," Roxanne said as she entered the living room.
Charlie casually looked out the window, a stupid look on his face. "Huh. Yeah,"
Roxanne finished attaching an earring and walked past him into the kitchen, smiling as she went by. Charlie smiled back, looking away from the view outside for her. "It's a bit early to be hiding love letters, don't you think?"
Watching her disappear into the kitchen, no doubt to check outside the backdoor for her cat, Grover, Charlie pulled his letter from beneath the astronomy book. His practiced hands folded it quickly, making quick, neat creases while he checked to ensure she was not coming right back into the room. "Who said anything about a few letters?"
"A few?" Roxanne asked from the other room, the sound of the back door opening.
The remark informed Charlie that he said more than he meant to. He flinched and then spotted what he was looking for. Then, mentally kicking himself, he continued with his plan. "I was, uh, just making a list."
He crossed to the other side of the room and lifted a canvas sheet laid over a telescope. Then, carefully, he placed the letter atop the main tube of the instrument so it would be held in place until the cover was removed, then fall. "I had a bad feeling something might go wrong today, so I made a list. In case of, you know, trouble."
Hearing the back door close and Roxanne muttering a minor curse upon the missing feline, Charlie quickly crossed the room and sat at the desk once more, as if he were relaxing in an awkward pose.
"Meeting your friends is a big day, plus the new zoo. It's got the smell of trouble."
"Oh, so you can smell trouble coming now?" She asked playfully as she came back into the room.
"I can smell everything!" Charlie replied, motioning to his nose.
Roxanne leaned in, and they kissed, a comfortable kiss between a happily married couple. She enjoyed their banter but knew better than to believe a word of it.
"It might come in handy too; have you heard the news?"
Roxanne sat on the couch, reaching between the cushions looking for something. "Do you mean the new zoo or the big award?"
"Small potatoes!" said Charlie getting up from the desk, looking over himself to ensure he was ready to start the day. He wore his usual uniform; black pants, a white shirt, a black tie, and a baseball cap with the Nelson Volunteer Fire Department patch emblazoned on the front. "I'm talking about the cocaine."
"Cocaine?"
"Yeah, that's right, cocaine," Charlie told her as he moved to lift a cushion on a lounge chair. "The last few days, it's been everywhere from what I hear. Can you imagine? Cocaine, right here in Nelson." Finding her keys beneath the cushion, Charlie held them up with a jingle, gaining Roxanne's attention.
"Unbelievable."
Charlie was unsure if she was talking about the keys or the sudden cocaine epidemic, but he continued. "No, really, no one knows where the stuff has come from, but it's all over town from what I hear. The Mayor is supposed to call a meeting and everything."
"I need to be going. I told them I would meet them at Dixie's." Roxanne said as she took the keys from Charlie and leaned in for one last kiss.
"I know I've been busy, but I swear I'm looking forward to meeting them," Charlie said to her as the phone rang. Then, ignoring the phone, he followed her outside as far as the porch, watching as she got into her open-top Jeep.
"Have fun with your cocaine, Charlie," Roxanne said as she started the Jeep.
"I'll save some for you," he teased, smiling and waving as she backed out and drove away. Then, hearing the phone still ringing, Charlie walked inside and picked up the old-fashioned landline. "Hello? Mayor Deebs, what is up?"
Charlie's eyebrows rose in surprise at what he had just heard, and he looked at his wrist. "I was just about to go to the store. Meet you there in half an hour?" The wrist had no watch on it.
"OK, sometime before closing then, I'll pencil you in. Bye."
'I'm walking, yes indeed, and I'm a-talking...'
Looking up as he headed down the hill towards his shop downtown, Charlie spotted a gaggle of elderly, chattering women ahead. Sophie, Dottie, Nina, and Lydia. Or, as he had come to think of them, the four ladies of the apocalypse. Seeing them was no surprise, in and of itself. The four had been inseparable and the butt of a few pranks by Charlie over the years. But seeing them like this just made him a little sad. The timing was all wrong.
Usually, Charlie would have something ready to shock or mislead the poor ladies, some brand of mischief. But today, he had nothing. He was unprepared, which made him a little sad. Charlie wished them good morning by giving the ladies a small wave of his hat as he passed.
The greeting stopped the four in their tracks, so absorbed in their banter that they did not even notice him until that moment. "Have you seen the newspaper this morning?" Asked one, another adding, "He's probably behind the whole thing."
"Newspaper?" He said, not even turning back to respond. "Are you kidding? Those things scare the Dickens out of me!"
Such a missed opportunity, he thought to himself.
Chapter Two
The man heard a noise coming from the direction of the houses and panicked. Then, after quickly collecting a few items from the ground around him and piling them into a blanket, he moved away.
He stopped several trees away, peeking around to see a woman he remembered. Yes, she was the one who had hung the blanket out to dry on a clothesline, the blanket he now had all his belongings in. She looked at the evidence of his campsite, noting the litter and other debris from his brief stay in the woods.
With a panicked glance, the woman backed away and then ran back towards the nearby row of homes. Moving in the opposite direction, the man proceeded to find look for some other spot to hide in. Soon he heard the distant blare of a police siren answering a call nearby.
Chapter Three
Charlie put the last items into the bag and held it out to the young couple in one hand, the other offering them their change. "Come again some time."
The young couple thanked him and headed out the door, finding it held open for them by Ben Howell, the chief of police.
Chief Howell was a serious-looking African-American man in his late 40's, a former semi-pro football player. He still looked like someone who might enjoy physical violence and had a demeanor to match. Behind him stood the Mayor of Nelson, Marty Deebs, an eccentric-looking man in his late 60's wearing a plaid lounge coat.
As the two men came in, Charlie moved to clear some items that had accumulated throughout the day from two chairs he had purposefully arranged for this meeting.
"Charlie, do you have a minute? Ah, good, you have somewhere to sit," Mayor Marty Deebs said as he moved to take a chair. "I got dogs barking in my Hush Puppies. How are you doing, Charlie?"
"Pretty good, just had the best sale of the day. Chief." Charlie nodded to Chief Howell as the man took the other chair.
"Bales." Howell sat lightly on the edge of the chair seat, ready to stand at a moment's notice. Charlie had always thought the man was a little too high-strung, a little too on edge all the time. Still, he respected him as a professional colleague; and he kept the town in good order most of the time.
"We've got big news, Charlie. I'm sure you know about the award we were being considered for. You know the one, Charlie, I've only been talking about it for weeks.
"Best small town in Colorado, 1996." Said the chief with a forced smile.
"That's right," Added Deebs quickly. "And, well, we've won, Charlie!"
Smiling, Charlie moved to shake the Mayor's hand. "Well, alright. Congratulations, all that promotional stuff is finally paying off."
Reaching to shake the police chief's hand, Charlie first received a dark, unamused look from under the rim of Howell's cowboy hat. Then, slowly, the man reached up, took Charlie's hand, and shook it, never breaking eye contact. "Charmed."
"Look, Charlie, we came by to let you know that we have decided that we should all go there for the ceremony," Deebs said.
"The whole town? How great!"
"No, don't be silly, just the elected officials." Howell cut in before Charlie could continue. "And myself. All the town officials, but you."
"Excuse me?"
Deebs sat forward to explain. "We need someone to stay; it's only for a week, Charlie. And well, you have your friends up from Arizona, so we figured that someone could be you."
"Besides, you're not an elected official." Added Howell.
"Well, neither are you, but you're going."
"Oh, I'm going. I get to drive." Howell stood and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small keyring. He held it out towards Charlie, who was just staring at it.
"What...wha...why?"
"We need someone to be here, someone the folks trust, Charlie. That's you." Deebs said with a professional, practiced smile. A smile that Charlie knew oh, so well. He was screwed.
"There's something you're not telling me," Charlie said as he reached over and took the keys from Howell.
"Yes, a couple of things. Howell, you first."
"We busted some wannabe mobster last night, found some cocaine on him," Howell said as he turned towards the door. "He's in the pokey now and your problem for the next 48 hours."
Charlie could still not believe what he had just heard. "Are you both insane? I can't be responsible for a prisoner; I'm a fireman."
"We can't hold him without charges for longer than that. So, just let him out tomorrow night. The evidence is over at Dixie's, in case the Sheriff involves herself."
"Why Dixie's?"
"Because she has a safe, and I'm not giving anyone access to the one at the station. Not to anyone Charlie, not even you." The chief said as he backed one more step towards the door.
"And the other good news?' Charlie asked as the Mayor also made to leave.
"Well, now that you mention it, remember that zoo we're planning to build next spring?"
"Uh-huh."
"Well, some animals have already arrived, mixed up with the freight."
"I got lemurs." Said the police chief.
"Lemurs?"
"That's right, Lemurs. I got them all penned up in a cell. Had to spend all night making it escape-proof." The police chief informed him.
Charlie took a small step in place, resettling his feet while his eyes squinted just a bit. His mouth was working but could not form one of the many questions his brain was firing out simultaneously.
"What...wha...how?"
"Chicken wire." The police chief said to his unasked questions. Well, one of them, at least. "It's the only stuff that will hold them in, and they can't chew through."
"We think they can't chew through," Deebs added as he stepped closer to making his escape. "Look, Charlie, some other animals may come in; we're not sure. Nothing you can't handle, just some monkeys..."
"Chimps," the chief said from just outside the door, correcting the Mayor.
"A couple of buffalo..."
"Bison."
"And a camel or two," Deebs added as he looked at the waiting police chief, seeing his impatience and eagerness to hit the road. "You'll figure it out, Charlie. Good luck, bye."
As the Mayor and police chief walked away, Charlie moved to stand in the doorway, sarcastically asking, "Anything else?"
Deebs turned and held up a finger. "Now that you mention it, we might have a bear in town trying to hibernate. I don't know, something about unlocked doors and some bedding. It was in the newspaper. Do bears make nests?"
"Not exactly," said Charlie. "What am I supposed to do about a bear?"
Deebs shrugs his shoulders. "How should I know." Deebs turned to look at Howell, asking without speaking for his opinion.
"Just put it in a cell, and we'll add it to the zoo," said Howell with a genuine smile. "Bye, Charlie."
"So, like I was saying, this place could be like another Aspen," Deebs said as he walked away, putting his arm around Howell's shoulders. "Do you know how much the Chief of Police makes there?"
Charlie looked down at the keys he was still holding in his hand. 'What the hell just happened?' He asked himself.
Chapter Four
Nelson was a fun place, especially in the wintertime. The easygoing Colorado culture and copious access to weed, and apparently cocaine now, also meant that Charlie was not often surprised by eccentricity. It was damn near his stock and trade. But mobsters, lemurs, and possibly a bear?
"When this week is over, I'm taking Roxanne away for a few days. Maybe do some of that outdoor hot-tubbing I keep hearing about." Charlie said to himself as he crested the hill, seeing his home come into view.
He had enough on his plate this week without the Mayor dumping the entire town into his lap. The return of Comet Charlie had reignited the long-distance friendship between Roxanne and her old coworkers at 'the big scope' in Arizona. After a few phone calls, they decided to travel to Nelson for the reunion to see the Comet return together.
There are three of them, two men and a woman. Charlie had barely spoken to any of them since they arrived almost a week ago, and he could tell it was starting to upset Roxanne. Of course, he figured they would already be gone, having spent the day with his wife, but maybe, just maybe, they would still be around?
It's not like he was trying to avoid them. On the contrary, he liked these people; he remembered how Roxanne and the others would sit and talk science, only some of which he understood. The thought always reminded Charlie of how intelligent and unique his wife was. And pretty, of course; she's not hard to look at either.
"Definitely going to do some hot-tubbing," Charlie said as he walked past his old van, then stopped. Stepping closer to the van, Charlie peered in a side window, getting as close to the glass as his nose would allow.
"Hmmmmm. What have we here?"
Then a glare on the window caught his eye, and he realized it was light from inside the house reflecting off the window of his van. The sun was setting, and inside he could see her. He smiled and stared for a minute, watching Roxanne moving into the living room. Is that wine? Thinking he might not be too late to meet the scientists, Charlie rushed up the stairs and opened the door to his home, smiling at Roxanne.
"Sorry I missed them. Again." Charlie said as he saw Roxanne enter the living room, holding two glasses and a bottle of their favorite wine. Setting aside the astronomy book he was reading, Charlie moved his coat and made room for Roxanne on the sofa.
"The only town official for a whole week," Roxanne noted as she sat next to Charlie and started to work the cork on the bottle. "You should make some new laws."
"No need. I already have an actual live human being prisoner."
"Really?"
"Yes!" Charlie said excitedly. "I'd tell you the rest, but you wouldn't believe me."
"We don't have to talk shop, Charlie," Roxanne said to him, her eyes meeting his before offering him a straw for his wine glass. "Have some wine. Relax."
Charlie smiled because, of course, she was right. She had spent most of the week without him and wanted his full attention.
"Did you say you were studying?"
"I'm still trying to find out how many fewer calories a light-year has compared to a regular year," Charlie explained. "I'm just trying to keep up."
"You don't have to know everything about everything, Charlie," Roxanne said, taking a sip before snuggling in a bit more. "You can just be yourself."
"Can I?" asked Charlie. "I'm an acquired taste, or so I've been told."
"Dixie says that to annoy you, Charlie."
"It's just that when I met you, I knew you were looking at Chris; I felt like I was in the shadows..."
"You were. You were literally in the shadows, Charlie." Roxanne said, breaking in with a laugh.
That was, of course, how they had met, he and his wife. Chris, the handsome firefighter with a head of rocks, had come to town at the same time as Roxanne. Soon he had fallen in lust with her at first sight; who could blame him. Still, not knowing how to string two words together to save his life, he had turned to Charlie to give voice to his thoughts. Not deep thoughts, mind you; more like desires. Or urges.
Charlie groaned; it got worse the more he remembered. "I still can't believe you ended up with me."
"Yet here I am. I remember the romance."
"I remember a little romance, but mostly I think it was, well, corny."
Roxanne sat up, reaching for the bottle of wine to fill their glasses. "But you do corny so well."
"I do not!" Charlie said in mock offense. Then smiling and taking his now refilled wine glass back from Roxanne, he added, "Polite of you to say, though."
Roxanne leaned over, kissed Charlie, and then resettled on the sofa facing him. She could recognize one of Charlie's moments coming, and she didn't want to miss a second of it.
"I do corny rather average. Well, maybe a little better than average." With this, Charlie looked defeated and said, "Oh, who am I kidding? I'm the king of corny."
Charlie turned in his seat just a bit, facing Roxanne a little more face-on. "Remember the letters from back then?"
Roxanne smiled. "How can I forget? They were..." Roxanne trails off, her memory searching for a word from the past.
"Honest," offered Charlie. Then, looking a bit sheepish and perhaps embarrassed by his own words, he turned to set his wine glass on the table.
"How many letters are you hiding for me to find right now, Charlie?" asked Roxanne, a playful smile on her face.
"A couple of dozen," Replied Charlie off hand as he returned to reading his book a little too casually.
"Well, they are sweet, not corny." She said, getting up and setting down her wine glass on a side table.
"If you say so," replied Charlie, turning a page and looking fascinated by what he was pretending to read.
Thinking their little game over, Roxanne turned her attention across the room to the sheet covering her small telescope. Small being a relative term, of course.
"The comet should be visible with the naked eye now, but I'd still like to take the scope out anyway." She pulled the sheet up and over, dropping it behind the telescope.
Feeling something hit her foot, Roxanne looked down to see the small, folded letter that had fallen with the sheet. Smiling, she reached down, picked it up, and looked at it. Then, Roxanne turned to look at Charlie and found him standing across the room, smiling lovingly at her. Narrowing her eyes, one eyebrow cocked, she held up the note for him to see.
"Corny," he said sheepishly.
"I'll be the judge of that." She replied, turning to unfold the paper.
She starts to read, her head swimming with words as only Charlie has ever written for her.
"I feel alive, sharing an orbit about you with glistening stars, each moving with the beat of your pulse."
Roxanne continued reading another few lines, then looked up at Charlie, but he was not there. "Charlie?" She asked about the empty room, turned to check the office nook, and then looked towards the kitchen.
"Charlie?" She called once more, checking each room in turn. Soon she returned to the living room, where she saw the astronomy book he had been holding now resting on the table.
Then she smiled, having figured out where he went. The comet is back, and he's been reading astronomy. It was a bit cool but not chilly. She headed out the front door, dropping the letter on the book as she passed. She walked out and looked up, smiling.
He's up there, and she knew it. She grabbed hold of the lattice on the side of the porch, climbing it like a ladder. Then a window seal, a small step to the top of a gable. Slowly, carefully she made her way to the roof.
She had never understood why Charlie liked the roof much. Perhaps it was the isolation, maybe something else. Tonight it was the romance of the 'glistening starts' he had written about for her. Soon she was on top, and Charlie was there looking at the sky.
"I'm sorry," She apologized as she moved close to him. "I love the letters, Charlie. I don't care if they're corny, so long as they are honest."
Without a word, Charlie turned to her, took her into his arms, and kissed her.
Overhead, just the faintest ball of fuzz can be seen.
Comet Charlie has returned.
Chapter Five
The following day held yet another typically glorious Colorado morning as Charlie prepared to leave for the day. He had a lot of things to do today, like visiting the police station and checking in at the firehouse.
It was finally the weekend, which meant all the guys would be hanging around, probably trying to burn the place down somehow. Half of him wished they could actually pull it off just once. Then, it would be one less thing to worry about.
The temperature was slightly lower than yesterday, and that was from the day before. Oktoberfest was definitely coming, so he thought. Of course, that would mean doing the little things around the house to prepare for winter. He added a few more items to his mental to-do list as he passed by his van, then stopped.
"Dixie just called; she said she'll take care of the store this morning," Roxanne called to him as she came outside, closing and locking the door behind her. She noticed Charlie inspecting his van, something off. "Is something wrong?"
Charlie grabbed the side door handle and slid the door open just a bit. "The door is ajar, and there are blankets inside."
Roxanne stepped closer and looked inside for herself. "We had a visitor?"
"I think it might have been that bear I keep hearing about."
"So now you have a prisoner and a bear, Charlie?"
"Yes. And lemurs too, but technically they belong to the chief. It's going to be a long week." Charlie slid the door closed, pulled out his key to lock it, and then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he pulled the door open just a bit, leaving it ajar once more as he found it.
"You're not going to close it? What about the bear?" Asked Roxanne.
"I'm not trying to keep him out; I'm letting him in," Charlie said as he turned to walk Roxanne to her Jeep.
"OK, why?"
"Let us just say the Zoo has come to Nelson a bit early, shall we?"
Roxanne gave Charlie a quizzical look, getting into her Jeep, trying to decipher his strange behavior this week. "When this is all over, promise me you'll explain it to me."
"I promise. Scout's honor."
"Were you ever a scout?" Asked Roxanne, seeming to weigh the possibility for a second before moving on. Then, getting serious for a moment, she says to Charlie, "Remember, I'm bringing them by the firehouse around noon. I want you to get to know them."
"I'll be there. See you then." He says with a kiss, then watches as she backs into the street and drives away.
Turning to look at the scene once more, Charlie is more sure than ever that he has solved the mystery of the hibernating, nesting bear.
Chapter Six
Charlie pushed through one of the double doors of the police station and stopped. The place is quiet, the only sound of the door closing behind him, cutting off most of the light in the room. There was no one there; none of the four desks were occupied. He asked himself if he was even in the right building for a moment.
He was about to step outside and check to be sure when he heard a sound and noticed a bit of light pouring from an office door. Pushing open a pair of miniature saloon doors, he walked towards the office, taking note of the nameplate beside the door. It reads Chief Ben Howell.
Inside he found Andy sitting in the chief's swivel chair, feet up on the desk, reading a book. Andy was one of the veteran volunteers at the fire department. Still, his regular job was working here as one of the town's jailers. He looked up and gave Charlie a polite hello, then went back to his book, his mouth silently reading along.
Charlie thinks about pointing out how this is technically his office for the next week. So technically, that was his desk Andy has his feet on. But instead, he decided to try on Howell's hat.
"Don't get up," Charlie said as he walked past, taking note of the title of Andy's book, The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus. "A little light reading, eh?"
"It was on sale. I don't get it, though." Andy said, flipping back and forth between two pages, trying to find his place.
"It's about accepting failure," Charlie explained while looking at himself in a mirror. "You should probably pass it around the firehouse when you're done with it. So how's the prisoner?"
"She likes the monkey chow a lot; so do the others. The guy in cell one," Andy says, holding up one hand palm down, rocking it back and forth in a gesture. "Him, not so much."
"Oh yeah? What does he like?"
"He likes to play chess. He's no good at it." Andy said as he moved a finger along with the page, still looking for where he left off.
Deciding he didn't like the chief's hat, Charlie took it off and plopped his baseball cap back on instead. "Chess, eh? Maybe I should go give him a visit."
Andy pointed with one hand to a set of keys lying on the desk, his eyes firmly on the page of his book. "Remind him he owes me twenty bucks."
Seeing a stack of paper cups next to a coffee machine, Charlie poured a cup before taking the keys off the desk and heading out of the office. Charlie passed a few large bags of monkey chow on his way to see the prisoner, all in a neat stack on the floor. He wondered if there would be camel chow piled there soon as well.
Charlie unlocked and opened the door by inserting the key into the door lock. There were two cells, the one further from him surrounded by chicken wire. Inside are several grey lemurs, staring at him and not moving. He can see an open bag of monkey chow and some spare chicken wire sitting just outside.
A chessboard rested on an overturned box next to the closer cell, within easy reach of the prisoner.
The man inside is lying down on the bed, looking at Charlie. He looked bored. He wore a suit, the jacket rolled into a makeshift second pillow. "Good morning. Any chance I can get out of here."
"You're in luck," Charlie told the man with a smile. "The charges are being dropped. So you'll be out tomorrow."
"You know," said the man as he swung his legs over and onto the floor, sitting up. "I'm thinking keeping me in here with them is a violation of the Geneva Convention or something. I mean, look at all those dropping over there."
Looking past the man and into the neighboring cell, Charlie did see a lot of little piles littering the floor. "I'll see about getting someone on it. Wanna play a game?" asked Charlie, gesturing to the chessboard.
"Sure, why not." said the man as he got up and stretched.
"I brought you some coffee," Charlie said as he placed the cup next to the chessboard, then turned and grabbed a folding chair resting against a wall. He arranged the pieces as the prisoner settled into an identical chair inside his cell and reached for the coffee.
"Mmmm, thanks for this. It's not half bad." said the prisoner. "The names Manny; nice to meet you."
"You're welcome," said Charlie with a guarded look, not wanting to get too friendly with the man. But, at least he was polite. "Charlie."
"That's a good name," said Manny as he moved a pawn. Charlie moved the opposite pawn, and the game began. A few moves passed, the man sipping his coffee, and Charlie was just waiting for the right moment. "So no charges, huh?"
"No charges," said Charlie, moving his bishop. "I am curious, though, why Nelson?"
"Excuse me?" replied Manny, sacrificing his knight. "What do you mean?"
"There have to be better places to peddle the stuff," said Charlie, taking the knight. The grimace on the man's face tells Charlie it was not a sacrifice, just sloppy play. "I mean, why come to Nelson to sell cocaine?"
"Oh, that's what you think?" Manny made another move. "I'm not selling; I got that here like I told the guy with the funny hat."
"Really?" Charlie looked up for a second, then back at the board. "I mean, people smoke a lot of weed here, but coke?"
"Yeah, well," Manny said before draining the last of the coffee. "I suppose if there was coke for sale in this town, you would know."
Charlie sat back, straightening to look at the prisoner, but said nothing, missing his turn. Did he mean that the way it sounded?
After noticing the missed turn, Manny looked up to see Charlie still processing his words. Then, gesturing in the general direction of Charlie's face, he added without apology, "I just meant with that nose, you would know where a guy could score some coke, right? So, it's your turn."
Charlie's eyebrows went up a bit. "Tell me more."
"Well, if you dropped your oar in the water, you could safely make it back, all the same, with a nose like that. Am I right?" Manny said with a laugh.
Charlie smiled, then leaned back in and moved a piece. He liked the guy's honesty. "I meant about the cocaine."
"It's everywhere, don't you know? I've been offered coke at least three times since I got here. I've got your queen cornered."
Charlie just let him talk, hoping to get more information from him. Of course, Charlie would have to rethink a few other things if this guy was telling the truth, like the bear. "Uh-huh, three times. I'll take your other knight, thank you."
"How can you, a cop, not know your town has a coke problem? Get that bishop out of there."
"I'm not a cop," Charlie said. "I'm supposed to feed the lemurs."
The prisoner looked up from the board as Charlie made a move. Then, he noticed the patch on the front of the hat. It read 'Nelson Volunteer Fire Dept.' "You're a fireman. Like Chris."
His worst fears confirmed, Charlie put on his stupid face, trying to look casual. "Chris? How do you know Chris? Friend of yours, is he?"
Manny paused for a moment, thinking through the encounter with this man with the large nose from the beginning. "Yeah, that's it. A mutual friend and all that. Do you know where I can find him?"
"No, sorry. Haven't seen the man in years." With that, Charlie stood, pushing the chair back with his legs. "We're done here."
"Was it something I said?" asked Manny as Charlie headed for the door. "Aw, come on, at least finish the game!"
Charlie backed out of the cell area, opening the door behind him while facing the prisoner. "Checkmate," Charlie said, his eyebrows accentuating the word.
Manny turned and looked down at the board as the door to the cell block closed with a click. "Well, I'll be..."