Dead Highways: Origins Read Online Free PDF Page A

“George had guns and they always made me nervous.”
    “George was my grandfather,” I said.
    Officer Robinson nodded. “Believe it or not, I don’t like guns much either, but sometimes they’re necessary as a last resort.” Grandma looked like she wasn’t paying any attention. Perhaps she hadn’t heard a word he’d said. He looked back at me. “Just something to think about,” he said, and then rejoined his uniformed buddies.
    And think about it I did, like Lionel Richie.
    All.
    Night.
    Long.
    Until the next morning, the day before Valentine’s Day, when I decided it wouldn’t hurt to go have a look around. There was a gun store not too far from the bookstore. Guns Unlimited, it was called. Yeah, sure, I’d have a look around, that’s all. I never thought for a second I’d actually buy a gun, let alone fall in love.
    But that’s exactly what happened.
    I fell in love with a gun named Sally.

Chapter 8
     
    Three days later, I put her on the MasterCard and brought her home, but I didn’t dare introduce her to grandma. We had to keep our relationship a secret, see. Sally had to hide in my pants just to get her upstairs where I wanted her, and from there stay hidden in an old shoebox under my desk. I was Bill Clinton, and she was my Lewinsky. Every so often, I’d take her back to Guns Unlimited to play with her, and she’d again have to hide in my pants where grandma couldn’t spot her. I felt like a nerd gangbanger, only I didn’t kill people. Not yet, anyway.
    Other than the time me and Sally spent getting to know each other, a lot happened over the next few weeks.
    First, we decided to keep the store open. Grandma’s old lady friends would certainly be happy. The insurance money paid for all the repairs and the cost of an alarm system, which I had one hell of a time teaching grandma how to use. We had to get the front window fixed, and replace some of the bookshelves, but most of the books were still in decent shape, those that weren’t soaked with gasoline. It was no fun sorting the keepers back onto the shelves, but it kept me busy, kept my mind off the fact that Lori managed to survive the car crash on The Walking Dead.
    Every few days Officer Robinson would check in on us and update me on the status of the investigation. And it was always the same. Bad Moses had gone missing. No sign of him. No witnesses. The trailer park crowd wasn’t talking. They had a warrant out for his arrest. They’d find him eventually. Just have to wait it out. He said they brought Peaches in for questioning, but she was no help. He’d always end our chat by telling me to keep my eyes open and to call him immediately if I spotted Moses. And I’d always tell him I would.
    I was settling back into my normal, boring life. Burying my face in a book. Hot dogs at the Haji-Mart. Long looks at Naima, the Indian princess.
    And Kevin.
    Dear God, Kevin.
    It had been a month since I’d seen him. I began to think maybe he’d joined Moses on a vacation getaway, perhaps on a cruise to the Bahamas, or just overdosed or something.
    Can you even overdose on weed?
    Anyway, I knew the day would come. I couldn’t avoid him forever.
    I was forced to change it up on this day. Aamod was being extra lazy and never filled the roller. It wasn’t even running. That meant no hot dogs or taquitos or egg rolls, not even the sausages that looked like dried-up dog turds. I could tell Aamod was in a bad mood, which was typical of him, so I didn’t bother saying anything about it. Instead, I searched the store for damn near twenty minutes for something else that could satisfy my appetite, something still in date. Aamod must have thought I was going to steal something because he watched me like a hawk. Finally, I settled on an assortment of powdered donuts and other pastry items, and a thirty-two ounce Coke.
    After paying, I headed outside and noticed Kevin come around the corner to my left. I tried to pretend that I hadn’t seen him, but I swear