The Wall Lake Mystery

Chapter 34: The Tavern

"Come off it, I've got the money," said Lawler. He slapped a quarter on the counter.

The barman smiled and filled two glasses. "Surprised a crazy coot like you got somebody to drink with." His grin was clearly visible, despite his large, dark moustache.

"'Coot' my ass," replied Lawler. "You're nigh on three years older than me."

Wilcox laughed and shoved the mugs in our direction."So who the hell are yeh?" he asked me, not unkindly.

"Doctor Watson," I said, holding out my hand to shake.

"Dean Wilcox," he replied, shaking my hand. "You're one of those detective fellows, aren't you?"

"I am indeed," I replied, taking a swig of the beer. It was not as bad as I expected.

"How goes it?" he asked. "'Cause from the talk I've heard, it's been tougher than sticking a wet noodle up a wild cat's ass."

I gave an involuntary snort. "A colourful, and surprisingly accurate description."

"Ain't it though?" replied Wilcox with a grin.

"I'm here to keep my mind off it, to be honest," I replied.

Wilcox nodded knowingly. "This is the place to do it. Plenty more where that came from," he added, gesturing to my glass.

The tavern was quite busy, with most seats filled and voices talking over one another to be heard. It was not a large space, but large enough for the little town, it seemed.

"Is it always this busy?" I asked.

Lawler shrugged. "Not during harvest or planting, that's for sure. But it's too cold today to do much of anything, and a number of folks are still snowed into town. The railways are cleared much more quickly than dirt roads, especially when the stuff keeps coming down."

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see that the stool next to me was now occupied by none other than Jack Kelly, the oldest of William Kelly's children.

"Young Mr. Kelly!" said I. "Lawler here was just telling me that some country dwellers were marooned in town due to the weather."

"Yes, sir," the lad replied. "Me and my dad are stuck here till morning, at least."

"You don't seem all that upset about it," I said with a chuckle.

The boy grinned. "Not at all. It means I get to come to the tavern. 'Course, Dad only lets me get one drink, but that's all right."

"Bet yer boots it's all right, lad," said Mr. Kelly with a snort.

Lawler chuckled. "You don't need any more than that," said Lawler. "At your age, a drink or two can make you more comfortable, but more than that, you'll make a fool of yourself." He cast a sideways glance at Kelly. "If only your father listened to his own advice."

"Now then," said Kelly in a warning tone, "what's that supposed to mean?"

Lawler laughed. "Just that some evenings, it's a good thing your horse knows the way home."

"Shut your gob," he returned without malice, waved a hand, and turned to me. "Good to see you again, Doctor. And Jack, don't forget what Frank and Will asked you to tell the Doctor if you saw him."

"Oh, right," replied Jack, who had clearly forgotten.

Kelly nodded. "Keep him out of trouble, Lawler; I need to have a quick word with McGloin."

"Sure thing," replied Lawler.

Jack turned to me. "My brothers would love it if you'd drop by sometime so they can talk your ear off and show you some things they've collected. Mostly jars of rocks, I think, but probably also that little brown caterpillar they rescued. And Will is still in awe that a single adult in the world didn't shout at him for sneaking away from school."