Suzie’s House 394 : Shaking Hands

He looked like Martin. Or maybe not. This guy had sandy brown hair where Martins had been more of a light black. This guy was a lot taller. His face more angular. But there was something in his eyes a little off, the way it had been with Martin when he wasn’t sober. Walter wasn’t at all sure he wanted to meet this guy.

“My name is Andrew Banks. You can call me Drew.” The druggie stuck out his hand to be shaken.

“You’re an FBI agent?”

“Former.” Some shadow passed over Drew’s eyes as he said it. There was regret there.

“No, you’re nothing like Martin,” Walter muttered as he shook the man’s hand.

“What?” Drew looked at the other guy; the one who had been talking with Ned.

“Grandpa, this is Vin. He’s the one I told you about. The one who is going to find you when you get lost.”

The other guy had darker hair, but not quit as dark as Martin’s used to be. He had a nice smile and a good handshake. Walter liked him.

The four of them stood on the front porch of one of those old Victorian houses in the Willy Street neighborhood. It was a nice place, though it could use some paint. The smell of cookies wafted out when they opened the door.

“Actually,” Vin said. He looked at the floorboards and rubbed the back of his neck with one hand like a guilty little kid. “Drew is probably going to be doing as much as I am.”

“What?” Ned’s eyes went round.

“Well, when you want him found, it’ll be a kind of emergency, won’t it? I have other cases to work, and won’t always be able to get free. Like I said, Drew was an FBI agent up until a few months ago. He knows as much about missing persons as I do. Maybe more.”

“I’m not missing,” Walter grumbled.

Ned gave Drew a long, hard look.

“The fee hasn’t changed.”

“All right.” Ned nodded. “I hadn’t planned on the way this thing has evolved, but I guess it’ll be all right. Then you both should come with us to our place. I want you to meet Grandpa’s care giver.”

“Good idea.” Vin lead the way off the porch.

He and Ned seemed to get along very well. They took the two front seats of Ned’s car.

“Shall we?” Drew nodded toward them.

“These old bones don’t move so fast any more,” Walter complained and he eased down the steps, though in all truth he probably could have taken them at twice the speed.

“No hurry.” Drew matched his movements to his words, apparently content to keep pace with Walter. When they reached the car, he opened the door for Walter like he was the president.

“I could get used to this,” Walter said as he settled in the back seat.

Neither Vin nor Ned paid any attention and Drew was jogging around the car. They didn’t have far to drive, but a lesser man would have tried to make conversation. Walter held off because often silence would make a man reveal something where questions didn’t.

Instead, Drew settled in for the ride with perfect calm. Or maybe he was just drug addled. He stared straight ahead, unmoving. But when they pulled into the driveway, he got out and went around the car to open Walter’s door.

“I’m not a woman,” Walter grumbled.

“You’re our important client,” Drew countered.

Walter smiled despite himself. “Like a president.”

“Yep. Like a president.” Drew smiled back.

Ned opened the front door of his house, then stepped back, but not like he was letting them in. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’ve told Donny not to smoke in the house any number of times, but he’s the ninth attendant I’ve hired….”

Walter ignored Ned’s explanations and went in with the rest right behind him.

The place reeked of pot smoke. Right. Now Walter remembered. That was why he’d gone for a walk. He wasn’t sure how he’d ended up near the capital building.

Donny looked up from the TV with wide, alarmed eyes. He hastily stubbed his roach out on the bottom of his shoe and stuffed it in his pocket, then waved his hands through the smoke as if that would make a difference. He looked so much like Martin that Walter wanted to scream.

“Nice to meet you,” Donny said. He held his hand out to Drew for a handshake.

Drew hesitated. He looked at the palm as though it might be contaminated, and his eyes flashed angrily. Yet he still made himself shake, though apparently he couldn’t quite bring himself to call it a pleasure.

Seeing his anger warmed Walter’s heart. So the guy wasn’t just another druggie. Maybe this would work out well after all.

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