Page 4 of Shadow Running
Benny nodded.“I can’t pay you much, but I’ll work off the fee.”
“Never mind that right now,” I said, leaning forward in my chair.“Let me ask you some questions.I want you to answer them honestly because they’ll help us in our investigation.All right?”
“Okay,” he said, downcast.
“Do you know if Greg’s addicted to anything?Crystal, markette, opiates?”
“I don’t know,” Benny said.“He never seems high to me.He’s articulate, but doesn’t talk much.And he’s smart.Way smarter than most people I’ve met.”
“How about enemies?Has he ever mentioned anybody who might wish him harm?”Dante asked, looking interested.
Benny thought for a moment.“I don’t think so.He’s a little paranoid, but I put that down to PTSD.Some of the men who go to war can’t handle the memories.”
“You’re right about that,” I said, thinking that war and battle made for a rocky foundation for the rest of your life, especially when the men were young.Hell, I’d seen too much in my own days on the streets.If I’d had to add in constant fighting, as well as being terrified I was going to be blown away by some nameless enemy, it would make me paranoid, too.
“Thing is…” Benny paused for a moment, staring at the floor.I didn’t rush him.
“You see, the thing is…Greg’s one of the few people I consider a friend.I like him.I don’t want to see anything happen to him.He’s had a rough life, and he doesn’t deserve any more problems.”Benny shrugged.“So do you have time to look into this?”
I nodded.“We can fit it in.We have a light caseload this week.You don’t have a picture of Greg, do you?That would go a long way.”
Benny pulled out a folded piece of paper.“I thought you might ask for a picture, so I found this.I went to the library and looked him up.It was taken when he was in the special forces, so he’s aged, but he still basically looks the same.Turn his hair gray, add a few wrinkles and a scruff of a beard.”He handed me the photo.
I looked at the photocopy.Greg Swift had been a rugged, patriotic type.But even back then, there was a certain look in his eyes… A faraway gaze that told me that he wasn’t living in the moment.
“How tall is he?Weight?Any identifying marks that you can think of?And what does he generally wear?”Dante opened his tablet to take notes.
Benny thought for a moment.“He’s about five-ten, one-sixty pounds.He’s lean—almost gaunt.His hair’s mostly gray and he wears it in a ponytail.His moustache and beard are salt-and-pepper.He has a limp on his left side, and his clothes…” He paused, frowning.“Blue jeans, but they’re pretty beat up.He owns a couple of sweaters.He has a blue rain poncho, and old combat boots.Oh—he has… In his right ear.What do you call them?The things that make big holes in the earlobe?”
“Gauges,” I said.“You’re pretty observant.Does he have any tattoos?”
“Not that I know of, but I’ve never seen him without a long-sleeve shirt or sweater.That’s about all I can think of.He’s one of the shopping cart people…he has a shopping cart that he carries some of his possessions in.And it’s still there, at his tent in the encampment.I tried to chase off somebody who wanted to take the space.I couldn’t, so I took what he had and bagged it up and I’m keeping it at my apartment.”
“Anything else that you can think of?”Dante asked.
Benny took another doughnut.“Let me think…Oh, yeah.He’s been going to some sort of meetings lately, but I can’t remember the name of the organization.NamedLet Us Help Youor…something like that.”His voice caught as he added, “Do what you can, Legs.He’s a good man.I’m worried about him.”
“We’ll see what we can find, Benny,” I said.“I can’t promise anything, but we’ll check it out and see what we can find.”
With that, Benny thanked us and headed out, promising to let us know if he thought of anything else in the meantime.
As he left, I glanced at Dante.“What do you think?”
“I think Benny may end up losing a friend,” Dante said.“Usually when someone goes missing from the encampments, it’s never good news.”
“Well, we’ll check it out.I never knew Benny had a heart on him.I mean, I’ve always kind of liked the little weasel, but damn, this makes me think he may be redeemable.”I laughed.“I could be wrong, but Benny seems to actually give a damn about someone besides himself.”
With that, we gathered our things and prepared for our morning meeting in the breakroom.
CHAPTERTWO
“So,there it is.I’m taking the case pro bono.I know full well that Benny can’t afford us, but he’s got my curiosity piqued now.Orik—” I paused as Orik’s phone rang.
He glanced at the Caller ID.“My mother-in-law.Hold on,” he said, moving away from the table.Orik’s wife, Hilda, was pregnant with twins, and she could pop any day.Seconds after he took the call, he let out a shout.“I’ll meet you at the hospital as soon as I can…No, I won’t speed…No, I won’t stop on the way.Yes, Ana, I promise.I’ll see you soon.”
“Well?”I asked as he turned.“Is it time?”
“Yes, my girls on are on the way!”Orik was a massive man, six-foot-eight and as much of a Viking as they came.He was a priest of Odin, and he looked right out of some Norse legend, with long red hair, braided back, and a long red beard.He was already the father to two sets of twin girls, and now another pair was on the way.He called them his ‘little Valkyries’ and was a proud papa.
