Unhinged Read Online Free PDF Page A

shame.” His face didn’t show any pity, however. He only seemed eager for tabloid-worthy news. Perhaps Ryan had turned this kid down. He seemed like he’d have sex with a barstool if it showed interest.
    â€œDo you remember seeing him leave with anyone Friday night?” I said, then waited for some inappropriate slur to fly out of Ron’s mouth.
    â€œNo.” Roger picked up a tall glass to clean. He gently stroked it with a rag. “I said hi to him when he came to get a drink, but I didn’t see him leave.”
    â€œWhat was Ryan’s drink of choice?” Ron asked.
    â€œSeven and Seven.”
    â€œHe ever drink absinthe?” I asked.
    â€œNo. Our bouncer does sometimes. I mostly serve it to people who want to try it or just want to get totally hammered.”
    I glanced at Ron. “All right. Who else was here?”
    â€œJosh, the other bartender, just called in a few minutes ago. He saw the news, too. He told me he didn’t see Ryan leave with anyone, either.”
    â€œCan we get the full names and addresses of everyone who was here, so we can ask them ourselves?” I asked.
    Roger grabbed a pen and paper.
    â€œWho owns this place? We’ll need to talk to them, too,” Ron said.
    â€œWell, the owner is en route to Key West. I’m managing while he’s gone. I’ll give you his voice mail. He can call you back.
    â€œThe bouncer, Kenny Toliver.” He reached under the bar for what appeared to be an employee address list. “He’d be your best bet. There’s another bouncer who roams around as a spy and cleans stuff up, but he’s new and doesn’t know Ryan. I think he’s straight if that info helps the case at all. His name is Kyle Singleton. It was just Kyle, Josh, me, Kenny, and the DJ, Lamar, working that night. But we have a tight little community here. If anyone saw anything, it’s sure to come out, whether they tell one of us or go to you directly.”
    Roger delicately wrote down all the addresses and handed the paper to Ron, who gave him a police card. Roger then looked at me, expecting another card. I nodded, and we turned to walk out when I heard him say, “Oh, Detective Dupree? Stop by sometime when I’m on duty and you’re not.”
    â€œYou’re a little too desperate for me.” I winked as we left.
    Ron just shook his head.

    â€œToliver doesn’t live far,” Ron said when we got into my Jeep again. “His place is on Decatur near Esplanade Avenue. We can stop at Cafe Du Monde afterward.” He wiped his face and neck with a handkerchief.
    Being hot and tired myself, I was surprised that Ron wasn’t bitching about the weather. He accepted the humidity with no mind. I hated my Jeep in the summer. Everything in it was blistering hot to the touch unless it was raining or dark out. Most times, I could barely keep my hands on the wheel.
    â€œThat Roger guy liked you.” Ron smiled as we drove among tourists at a snail’s pace. “You two would make a sweet couple.”
    â€œHe wasn’t my type,” I responded. “Besides, I like older guys with potbellies who carry a gun to overcompensate for their little peckers.”
    â€œOw. I’ll be feeling that one tomorrow.” Ron laughed, then fell silent for a moment. “I’ve been seein’ a bunch of reelection commercials. Who are you gonna vote for for president? Vorhees or Cornell?”
    â€œVorhees,” I said with certainty. “He’s homegrown, ya know? He’ll do the most for us here. I think he comes off as a badass sometimes, too. You kinda need that in office, right? Cornell seems like a flake. Unless I personally know the candidate, how do I know which one is full of shit? Odds are, both of them. They make their promises during the campaign and their excuses later.”
    Politics. I hated politics.
    Ron, on the other hand, apparently got some energy back with