Peggy brought Graham’s breakfast sandwich out on a plate. She took his mug and refilled it but never asked any more questions about Grady. Graham ate quickly, left a ten on the counter, which more than covered his food and coffee, and left her a generous tip. When he got outside, he went back to his car and drove it around the back, freeing up space in front for a patron.
Graham parked in the alley, parallel along the edge of the pavement. Most of the merchants parked back there, giving them easy access to their back doors. He unlocked the rear door to the Whale Spout and stepped into the cold dark space. He fumbled for the light switch, moved it to the on position, and closed his eyes as the overhead fluorescent lights flickered until they illuminated the room. He referred to this space as dry storage and the recycling area, where he kept the bar’s stock of paper products, trash bags, and cleaning supplies. The room was barely over a year old, and he’d had Bowie build it after a series of break-ins, which he believed to be carried out by his brother. Ideally, Graham would’ve preferred to install a reinforced door facing the back alley. However, the building where the Whale Spout lived was old and not in the best shape. Bowie’s suggestion was to build a room blocking immediate access to the bar, which he could reinforce with newer construction. Graham agreed, knowing even though the multiple-door system was a pain in the ass, there was no doubt they needed security. He pushed his six-digit code into the keypad, waited for the mechanical lock to slide away from the doorjamb, and stepped into the original yet smaller back room of the bar.
Stacks of boxes, crates, and kegs gave him pause when he entered the room. He had forgotten to do inventory on Wednesday and had planned to do it Friday after the holiday. Graham fully expected to find a list of items Krista took from the back room to cover what she needed up front. He would worry about it later.
Graham went around turning on the lights, the fryers, and the grill, along with the dartboards and jukebox. He flipped the sign from closed to open and made sure he unlocked the door. He wanted people milling around, coming in, and eating. Graham needed the distraction, anything to take his mind off his brother.
He found himself standing in the middle of the bar, jumping out of his skin when the door flew open. He swore aloud to the ghosts who haunted the Whale Spout, quite certain he could hear them laughing at him, calling him a scaredy-cat. Normally, the haunting didn’t bother him, but he was on edge with everything.
Luke, Bowie’s black Lab, took advantage of the door being open and strolled into the bar. Graham laughed and went behind the counter to get him a treat. Seconds later, Bowie stepped in and pulled the door shut behind him. “Morning,” he said as he sat down at the bar.
“Isn’t it a little too early for a drink?” Graham said to his friend.
“Aren’t bartenders supposed to serve their patrons any time of the day?”
“I’m turning over a new leaf,” he replied, smirking. Still, he set one of his custom-made coasters down and asked Bowie what he’d like to drink. Bowie ordered water and agreed with Graham. It was too early to drink. “Are you working today?”
“Yeah, starting a remodel at the old gristmill. Someone from Texas bought it.”
“What are they doing with it?”
“Turning it into a house.”
“That’ll be cool, especially if they run the water mill.”
“How’s Grady?”
“Shit,” Graham said as he reached for his phone. “I meant to text my mom and have her call me.” He sent a message to his mom, looked to see if Rennie had texted him back, and, when he saw she hadn’t, set his phone down. “When I left last night, he was still in the coma. The doctor hoped they’d be able to bring him out of it today or tomorrow, although his organs are pretty damaged.”
“If he recovers, it’ll be a long road ahead for him.”
“If,” Graham repeated.
Don, one of the three cooks employed at the Whale Spout, announced his arrival, which earned a loud bark from Luke. He came into the bar and filled his large plastic cup with pop and said he’d be out back cleaning. Graham wondered how busy they were over the weekend. He needed to pull the register tapes and check profits.
“You heading back to Port A tonight?”
Graham shook his head. “Tomorrow after work. I have to sit down with Krista and see if we can make some changes to the schedule. Tonight, Peggy is going to help me put some stuff together for my mom, and I’m going to try and get my dad to go up there.”