Page 63 of All Along The Watchtower

“Order up!” Bonita’s call saved me from having to decide.

But as I swung to pick up the food, I knew the answer was both.

CHAPTER 29

FORD

Bree was officially hiding.

It had been three days since The Kiss, and I hadn’t seen her once. She’d already been out when I’d tried to stop by before taking Peyton to school. If she’d come home before going into work, she’d done it with a stealth that would’ve made a SEAL proud. She’d been getting home late from the Brewhouse. Busy or avoiding me? Maybe some of both. I’d stayed up each night, making sure she actually got in okay, but I hadn’t gone over. I hadn’t wanted to leave Peyton alone. But more, I hadn’t wanted to risk what might happen if Bree and I were alone together in a space where we wouldn’t get interrupted.

She needed time. I also knew she’d argue she needed space, but this was as much as I was willing to give her, which was part of why I’d sprung Peyton from her algebra homework for us to go grab dinner at the Brewhouse. I also hoped to find some way to talk to Peyton about the stolen shipment of her stuff. There’d been no word from the shipping company or the police, and I knew I couldn’t put this off forever. I hoped delicious food and good atmosphere might soften the blow a little.

I pulled into the Brewhouse lot, and Peyton was out of the car before I’d even killed the engine. She bolted through the frontdoor, making a beeline for the corner booth where Ed and the other Gray Beards were settled.

“Hi Ford’s daughter!” Milt called out, his hearing aid squealing.

Wally smacked Milt’s shoulder. “Her name is Peyton, you old coot.”

Milt cupped a hand behind his ear. “What? Who’s praying?”

Was he ever going to get his hearing checked?

Peyton slid into the booth beside Ed, already pulling out her phone to show him something. My kid had adopted a whole gaggle of honorary grandfathers, and they’d taken to her like she was their own flesh and blood.

“We found another discrepancy on that map,” Ed told her, leaning in close. “See here? The original survey shows…”

I couldn’t make out the rest as the other Gray Beards chimed in with their own theories about whatever treasure hunting project they had going. The sight of them all fussing over her made my chest tight.

These men had been fixtures at the Brewhouse since… well, since it was still the original Tidewater Tavern. They’d watched me grow up, razzing me about everything from my first crush to joining the Navy. Now they were doing the same for my daughter.

My gaze swept the room, looking for Bree. She was behind the bar, looking harried as she pulled beers and poured drinks. As it was Friday night, the place was jumping.

The hostess appeared at my elbow, a couple of menus in hand. “We’ve got a table for you and Peyton over in the corner.”

I didn’t want to throw Bree off her game, so I followed Carly to our seat. A few minutes later, the Gray Beards dispersed, most of them heading out, so Peyton finally came to join me.

“Getting somewhere on your treasure hunting project?”

“We think so. Mr. Ed is trying to narrow down our search parameters.”

I pretended to study the menu while keeping an ear on Peyton’s excited chatter about the treasure map project. Despite the change in name, the core of the menu hadn’t changed in years. I could recite it in my sleep.

“Did you hear about the break-in at the O’Connell Fishing Company?” A woman’s voice carried from the next table.

“The place where that Galef guy worked?” her companion asked.

“Yeah. Well, used to work. I heard he got fired like two weeks before he died. Something to do with shady doings with Atlantic Fisheries. Anyway, the place was torn apart, just like his apartment. Their poor office manager, Lindsay Messina, surprised the intruder and got attacked. Police aren’t sure if it’s connected to Galef’s murder, though.”

“Wouldn’t surprise me if it wasn’t. Atlantic’s been stealing other companies’ catches for years. Is the office manager okay?”

“Yeah. Concussion, I think, but O’Connell’s son showed up. He’s keeping a close eye on her.”

It was possible that the murder and the break in at O’Connell’s weren’t connected. As the woman had said, Galef had been fired a week or two before the murder. But given that Galef’s apartment had also been tossed, that suggested someone was looking for something they believed Galef had. The question was what? Had that been why Galef was killed? Unfortunately, the guy seemed to have plenty of enemies. All the scuttlebutt I’d heard suggested he was a real asshole to most people. That hadn’t made the police department’s investigation any easier.

“Hi folks! Ready to order?” Our server appeared, notepad in hand.

“Peyton?” I gestured for her to go first.

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