Chapter 116

I took a couple of OTC pain pills and washed them down with the coke. I put the unopened bourbon bottle in my duffel bag. Then I watch a couple of episodes of an old single season TV show on the computer. I had been surprised to find that there were complete sites specializing in those things. Lots of them were perfectly good drama series, which couldn't find an audience. There were a lot of British series on the site as well.

It was almost nine, when I headed out for the dockside lounge. It was located in what had once been a downtown cafe. I was absolute sure of it, even without asking. The front window was plate glass. The name of the place had been attached to the glass on the inside then a black background painted. It was the way a really cheap bar would have done it. The bar had been the lunch counter and even had a row of round low stools. The first couple had been removes so that customers could line up there, It was the 'you sever you own table' area. On first glance I could tell that the grill area behind the counter served as a beer storage cooler and keg holder for the five beer taps. They seemed to have several brands of draft on tap.

I went to the 'you tote it area'to order a dark beer. The bar maid took my two one dollar bills and gave me fifty cents change. There were cheaper beers, but I only planed to have the one.

I looked around to see whether the waitress had shown up. I found that she sure as hell had, and was sitting with two men. I walked to the table and asked her, "So which one is mine?" I spoke before I looked at them. When I did, I thought I might have fucked up. They didn't look old enough to be in the place."

"Well this one," the forty something year old waitress said, "is my son. The other one is his friend from school. So I guess you get them both." She said smiling up at me.

"I'm sorry. I am still learning not to say the first thing that comes to mind, even if it is witty," I said.

"Not to worry, they came to meet you. I told them you might come." the waitress said.

"Really why?" I asked.

"You are the closest thing to famous, we have around here." the blond young man, who was her son said. "The paper made a big deal about what you did. The TV people picked it up and ran it as well."

"Jesus, there must really be nothing happening around here, if I got that much press." I said.

"Okay, so I guess you know my name," I said after taking a drink from my beer glass. What are yours." The waitress's son was Jamie and his friend was Bruce. "I am ashame to have to ask this, but what is your name honey," I said directly to the waitress.

"They call me Paris at work." She saw my curious look and went on. "I really want to go to Paris one day."

"Someone asked her, why she was working as a waitress, and she told them to save for a trip to Paris. They all thought it was a wiseass answer so they nicknamed her that." her son added with a smile.

"Well whatever the reason, I love it. To run into a woman named Paris in Augusta Maine will be an interesting story," I said.

"I'm glad you find it interesting. Now. tell us about you. We find you interesting. Start with what happened to your hand."

"Gee, to explain about the hand I have to go back some." I told the abridged version of Warren County and the abridged version of the Undercover assignment, finally the abridged story of the great dismal swamp shoot out with the SBI. Then the fact that I had gone to work for a private security outfit."

When I finished James said, "Holy shit," that was all he said but he had a look almost like he was in awe of me. That was far from what I had in mind. I decided, then and there, to never tell it again.

"Yeah I might write a book, but it would be fiction. I actually was a traffic cop in a small town, when Swamp Dog came calling. I never did anything but write a few tickets. I broke my hand in a traffic accident and lost my police certification. They hired me because I work cheap. But I can spin a hell of a yarn." I realized I had ruin my chances to get laid, so I added it's getting late, I need to head on back. I'm going to be around a day or two, maybe we will meet again."

"Let me walk you to your car. This place can get rough at night," Jamie said.

I saw the look his mother shot at him and said, "I'll be okay but thanks."

"Got to take a leak," Bruce said he stood and walked to the door with me. He didn't stop there he walked me to the big black SUV. "You know we don't believer the first story was a lie, the paper did a background check on you and had some of the same things you told us."

"Well they get answers to the questions they ask. So they only find out what they want to know for an interesting story." I replied.

"Where are you staying?" he asked.

I thought about it a little longer than necessary then thought, what the hell, he isn't the waitress's son. "That place down by the river,"

"What room?" he asked.

In answer I showed him the key. Then I got in the company SUV and drove away. When I got home I had pretty much forgotten about him. I opened the bottle of bourbon and poured myself a drink.

I had the computer coming on line while I mixed it. I knew that the wait time was a couple of minutes. I took my first sip of the drink as I moved into an adult chat room. I slipped easily into my online persona. My life was pretty much a no go, since I realized it sounded unlikely for a woman to have been involved in so much and still want to sit in an adult chat room.

My on line persona was a divorced woman a few years older than me. She operated her dad's business after her retired. So she was a professional woman but of a small business. My online persona was much more believable than the truth.