Page 69 of An Evil Heart
“I know who he is.” When his pants are buttoned and zipped, he takes the chair. “I know he’s the one got killed.”
I take the sofa, lean forward, put my elbows on my knees. “You heard anything about that?”
“Not really. People are surprised mostly.”
“How well did you know him?”
“Just seen him in the bar. Last six months or so, he was a regular.Drank a lot of Heineken. Liked to dance. Play pool. Smoke cigarettes out back.”
“You ever see him with anyone?”
“He came in once or twice with his pals from work. You know, that construction crew.”
“Anyone else?”
“Came in with some Amish dudes a few times. I mean, they weren’t dressed like pilgrims, but you can tell they’re Amish.” He touches his hair, gives a half smile. “Fuckin’ Dutch boy haircuts crack me up.”
“You ever see him with a woman?”
“I seen him with plenty of women. Dude never came in with one, but he never left alone.”
Wayne Graber’s reluctance to talk about it scrolls through the back of my mind. “English women?”
“A different one every time.”
“You ever have any problems with him? Arguments? Or fights?”
The bartender’s eyes sharpen on mine. “I never saw anything inside. I mean, I’m behind the bar and stay pretty busy. Most of the guys who come in are well-behaved. Especially the Amish.”
I can tell by the way his eyes skitter away that there’s something there. He’s not trying to hide it, but he wants me to work for it. “What about outside?” I ask, knowing that’s where some of the problems occur because I’ve responded to a fight call once or twice myself.
“You’re not asking me to break the bartender’s code of silence, are you?”
Next to me, Mona clears her throat.
I hold his gaze, wait.
Jimmie looks away, considering, then nods. “Karn drank too much, and he couldn’t handle his booze. Got shit-faced on a regular basis. Whateverfemale he was with usually drank too much, too. Most of the time, it was harmless stuff. Young people acting a fool. A spilled drink. Smoking in the bathroom. A little pelvis grinding on the dance floor.” He sighs. “A few weeks ago, I heard things got carried away out in the parking lot.”
“How so?”
“He took a girl out there. To his buddy’s car, you know. And they started going at it in the back seat.”
Next to me, Mona leans closer.
“You mean they were having sex?” I ask.
“Might’ve started out that way; I don’t know. But they ended up getting into a knock-down, drag-out fight. She must have said no or changed her mind, because Karn got pissed.” He grimaces. “Real pissed. We’re talking Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Next thing I know this chick rushes into the bar, shirt ripped half off. She’s drunk and crying, face all smeared. She was marked up, too.”
“What kind of marks?”
He shrugs. “Scratches from what I could see. From him pawing at her.”
“Did he hit her?”
“I asked. She said no, but her face was marked up.”
“Black eye? Cut lip?”
