Free The Alligator Man by James Sheehan Page B

down. At least he thought it was Billy. He couldn’t tell for sure until Billy got up from his barstool and ambled over.
    “So you found the neighborhood bar?”
    “Yeah, I didn’t want to drink with the tourists.”
    “I don’t blame you. Hey, it’s really good to see you after all these years. And I know your dad will be excited to know that you’re here. I was just on my way back over there.”
    “I’ll save you the trip. My father woke up this afternoon and Alex ushered us all out after that. He said he wanted Tom to sleep until tomorrow’s surgery.”
    “Oh, so you got to see each other?”
    “Yeah.”
    “How did that go?”
    “It went.”
    “That good, huh? I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “It wasn’t bad. It’s just—what do you say after twenty-eight years? How are you supposed to feel?”
    “I don’t know.”
    “Neither do I, Billy.”
    “At least you’re both still alive and maybe you can sort things out.”
    Kevin finished his drink and ordered another. “Billy, what are you drinking? Let me get you one?”
    “Jack on the rocks. Thanks.”
    “No problem. So tell me what you do up here in St. Albans.”
    “Not a whole lot of anything. I work part-time at the supermarket. I help Kate out at the ranch some. There’s not too much work around here since Dynatron went under two years ago.”
    “I read about that. That company screwed all its employees.”
    “Not that company—Roy Johnson. And Roy Johnson didn’t just screw his employees, he killed some of them. My wife, Laurie, died of leukemia when our insurance was canceled and she lost her doctors. My best friend, Jimmy Lennox, committed suicide because he was in debt up to his fuckin’ ears. And that’s just my people.”
    Kevin realized that his problems with his father paled in comparison to what happened to Billy. The man had a gaping hole in his heart. He tried to say something upbeat.
    “Well, Roy Johnson got his.”
    “Yeah. It’s a small piece of justice. It doesn’t bring people back. It doesn’t put money in ordinary people’s pockets. But it’s something. They should line every one of those guys up and shoot ’em.”
    “Who?”
    “You know. The CEOs who bilk their employees and shareholders out of everything and walk away with millions. They oughta be shot.”
    Kevin didn’t disagree with the assessment but he knew it was time to change the subject. “Did you and Laurie have any kids?”
    “Yeah, two. Thomas and Heather. Thomas just started high school this year. Heather is in sixth grade. They’re great kids. They just lost their mother when they needed her most.”
    Kevin thought Billy was going to cry but he didn’t.
    “They’re with my sister tonight.”
    They drank in silence for a few minutes after that. Kevin was about to finish his drink and leave.
    “Don’t leave yet,” Billy said. “Let me buy you a drink. And I’m sorry for being so morose. It’s just a place I can’t visit without getting upset.”
    “I understand. I’d feel the same way. Sure, I’ll have another. I’ve only got to walk two blocks.”
    They kept it light after that, talking about sports. Billy was an avid sports fan, especially basketball. He had played in high school. Kevin started to relax and enjoy himself. Billy had an easygoing way about him when he was off the subject of Roy Johnson and the devastation that he had wreaked on his family and others. He was funny and he made Kevin laugh. They had a couple more drinks and left together walking down the street side by side.

Chapter Nineteen
    S heriff Frank Cousins initially wanted to shoot somebody when he read Carlisle’s report about his interview with Freddie Jenkins. That somebody was Vern Fleming, whom he had stationed in Gladestown to oversee the investigation. Why the hell was he letting Carlisle do such an important interview? But he read the report again and he realized that Carlisle had covered all the bases and then some. Vern probably doesn’t even know