Starks' Reality Read Online Free PDF Page B

together.
    Leaving father and daughter behind the building, he walked around the bar and across the parking lot, and followed the road to his own house.
    He thought about Heather Cooper as he walked. For whatever reason, she worked at giving h im a cold shoulder. Good thing. She could easily distract him.
    As she was doing at that moment.
    Refocusing, he considered calling the hospital again, but realized it was probably too early to get any questions answered. He had plenty of time to visit Tucker first.
    Jake swallowed hard.
    ~~**~~**~~
    For the past half hour, guilt had burned like molten lava in Heather’s stomach. When Starks told her about Ed Taylor, her first response was to worry about herself and her father. When Coop heard the news, he asked about Ed.
    She felt like a cold-hearted b itch. But someone had to worry about Coop and he wouldn’t do it himself. The responsibility had always fallen to her. It had become a habit over the course of her life.
    “The eggs are great,” he said, pointing with his fork. “You ought to try them.”
    Heather glanced down at her plate. “I’m not hungry.”
    “Don’t worry, Deuce, I’m sure Ed will be all right. He’s a strong old buzzard.”
    She stared at her father. The man smiled at her with a sweet naiveté as he chewed.
    “It’s not Ed Taylor I’m worried about,” she said. “If he got sick on our food, they’ll shut us down.”
    “Aw , don’t get worked up. I’m sure everything will be okay.”
    She stiffened. “How can you say that?”
    “It’s true. One way or the other, it’ll all work out. Life’s too short to worry.”
    Heather huffed as exasperation replaced her guilt. The man was impossible.
    Coop pushed his plate to hers and scooped her eggs onto it. “You sure you don’t want these?”
    She carried her plate to the sink. “What should I tell Tran?”
    Coop shrugged. “I’ll tell him what’s going on when I see him at the dock.”
    “You’re going fishing?” How could he even consider leaving at a time like this?
    “ There’s a big one out there with my name on it.”
    Heather shook her head as she washed her plate and silverware. No matter how hard she tried, she’d never figure out her father.
    “I like the new chief,” Coop said. “What do you think of him?”
    “I don’t,” she said.
    “He seems like he’s on the ball. To me, that is.”
    She spun around. “He’s a cop in Port Boyer. He’s no different than any other cop in this stupid place. Have you forgotten what happened last year?”
    The childish joy disappeared from her father’s face. “I remember. But maybe Boudreaux was right.”
    “About what? About you asking for broken ribs? Or about me begging him for sex?”
    He frowned. “N ot about you. But he may have been right about me. I might have been out of control. I don’t remember anything about that afternoon.”
    “You really think you started a fight with Tran?” The whole thing had been so absurd, she couldn’t believe he still doubted the truth.
    Coop dropped his fork into his plate and rose quickly. “You don’t know,” he muttered, as he hurried from the kitchen. The screen door screeched and bounced against the doorframe.
    Heather sighed as she picked up his plate and scraped it into the scrap bowl. She knew better than to discuss certain subjects with her father, like the episode a year earlier that had landed him in the hospital. She always got mad, and he always withdrew. When would she learn to keep quiet?
    As she washed the plate, she gazed out the window. Starks drove by in a sporty black car and turned onto Main Street. He glanced in her direction as he passed.
    ~~**~~**~~
    The only business open on Main Street at nine o’clock Saturday morning was the bakery. People walking toward the door stared at Jake as he drove by. How long would it take for the novelty to wear off?
    Probably longer than he’d be around.
    North of town, a narrow paved road ran to the bay and then ringed it