Page 62 of Special Agent Murphy

He’d fed them some malarkey about rescuing his sister. And that he had no intention of letting the bastard she’d run away with, or his criminal family, beat on her again. He’d manipulated their soft underbellies about having the right to protect his family.

“So, they fought her?” Murphy was stringing a line and hoping for a bite. “Are you sure they’re not on Serge’s payroll?”

Buddy at the end broke in, “Nah. Serge made it seem unlikely there’d be trouble. So, when he offered the deal, they took the cash, thinking it would be the easiest money they’d ever made. Both those dudes needed extra dough what with the holidays only a few weeks away. I bet they’re kicking their own asses now.”

Murphy laughed along with the others. “Regretting dumb decisions after the fact is a pretty useless sentiment.”

“Yep. Christmas presents be damned. Those fifties cost them bigtime.”

“What about the others? There were at least two or three more who jumped in.”

“Hey, it’s a battle. The guys get a little heated up and a free-for-all takes over. They skedaddled right after it stopped. Can’t say I know any of them other than Freddie and Hank.”

The rest at the table nodded in agreement. “They’re not locals, maybe a biker gang looking for some fun. We get that kind here often.”

“So… they wouldn’t know Serge any better than the rest of you.”

“That’s about it. Only saw him around for a couple of weeks before Saturday. He’s not an old-timer to the place.”

“Not like you, Tiny.” The general guffawing let Murphy gather that the huge man called Tiny spent far too much time around the joint.

“Speak for yourself, ya prick.” Tiny spoke softly to the teaser. The smile in his voice showed he didn’t take offense but enjoyed the camaraderie.

Murphy waited until the next lull and showed his phone to the table again. “There was another woman involved called Gina Cummings. And, her man, Alex Traver. Did you know this couple?”

Tiny nodded, the only one in the group. “Yeah, I’ve seen them around. Come to think of it, they cozied up to Serge about a week ago. When they’d arrive, he’d move over to a table with them and buy their drinks. At the time I wondered why, but figured it was none of my business.”

Murphy’s shrug and nod showed understanding, and Tiny’s expression remained comfortable. No way Murphy wanted to make waves.

Tiny spoke again, a shrewd look on his face. “What happened to them?” He watched as Murphy chose his answer.

“Why you asking?”

“Just a feeling. Your face turned cold when you brought them up.”

“Probably because they’re both dead at the hands of your buddy Serge and his partner. You sure you never saw Serge with another dude in here? We know there’s at least one other man involved.”

“Nope.”

Murphy saw the same denials in all their faces. What pissed him off was they were all believable.

The welcomer voiced what the others at the table were obviously in agreement with. “You figure he might have been setting Gina and Alex up to cooperate in the kidnapping? They were the ones to bring Misti Bond here that night. And it was here where the kidnapping took place.”

“Looks like it.”

“I liked Gina. One night, she bought me a beer.” The fourth guy at the table, who’d sat quietly during the conversation, finally found his voice. Coming across as the group’s chump, Murphy decided he’s just as happy as if he was normal. But he paid him the respect of taking him seriously.

“Well, thanks, guys. If you remember anything you think might be helpful, call it in and tell them it’s for Murphy.”

Again, he signaled the bartender for another round, shook hands and returned to where Kayti was trying to persuade a stubborn cowboy she wasn’t interested.

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