Free Canyon Secret by Patrick Lee

and drank their tap beers. They made a passing glance at him as he entered. A young man and woman stood off to the left of the bar and played eight ball.
    David stopped by the bar and ordered a double shot of Jim Beam and quickly drained it. He picked up his can of Great Falls Select beer and walked over to the corner table near the west wall of the bar. He faced the door. His plan was simple. He’d tell the truth about the additional two months of fraudulent time cards and ask him for a way out.
    The large wooden door opened slowly and the late afternoon light from the outside poured into the dimly lit Blue Moon. The man in the expensive blue suit looked out of place as he stopped at the bar and ordered a bottle of Pepsi Cola. He acknowledged David’s wave and walked over and sat down at his table. “Thanks for coming, Dave. How’s your family in Butte doing?”
    David nervously took a long drink of his beer before he answered, “My little Anna is doin’ a lot better. I talked to my wife yesterday. The strike’s getting worse, and she’s worried about it getting rough. She’d like to move up here, but until Anna gets strong enough to get off the iron lung, she’s goin’ to have to hang tough in Butte. I’m goin’ down in three weeks or so.”
    “That’s good news, Dave. How’s it working out with your father-in-law working here?”
    “I ain’t seen him in a couple of weeks. I see my brother-in-law some and that’s been fun. He’s a good kid.”
    The man across from David calmly lit his Chesterfield and blew a large, perfect circle of smoke. He admired it as it disappeared into the air and then he looked at David. “We need to be sure of everything before the auditor digs into payroll. Accounts payable matches perfectly. Make sure—”
    “I, I have it taken care of. We’re in great shape.”
    The man systematically rubbed out the remains of his cigarette in the glass ashtray. His entire mood and demeanor changed and his pasted smile turned into a scowl. Without looking up from the ashtray he spoke, “Now with our other project, Dave. Everything is ship shape, right.”
    Perspiration rolled down David’s armpit and blood rushed to his face and neck, “Ya. We’re in great shape.”
    “You’re repeating yourself David. That concerns me a little bit. For your sake, we better be in great shape. As I was saying, Dave, make sure your records match mine. Bring them around Friday afternoon and we’ll compare. I want to see my deposits on our other project too. Follow.” He stood up, straightened his tie in the reflection of the mirror above the beer sign, and left through the side door.
    David sat motionless. His brain went numb while his stomach hinted at emptying his baloney sandwich lunch. He walked into the men’s room and splashed some cold water in his face. His pale face stared back at him in the cracked wall mirror. Oh shit! I’m in it up to my eyeballs. What the hell am I going to do with May and June? It’s all written in ink. The paymaster’s records will show I paid out five more checks than there are men for two months.

    Back in Martin City, Tim Nolan sat across from Tomas in the Club Café. He enjoyed watching the young man devour his cheeseburger deluxe and fries. It was obvious Tomas was in the middle of a growth spurt. Just in a matter of a month, his biceps and shoulders showed muscular definition. He ate like a man who faced his last meal. Tomas looked like he grew several inches just since his high school graduation a year earlier. His voice even seemed deeper and more man-like. Nolan guessed Tomas put on ten to fifteen pounds in the last couple of months.
    His thoughts came to an abrupt end as Tomas wiped the corner of his mouth with his paper napkin and their eyes met. “I think you and Dad are wrong about David. He’s really a good man. I’m gettin’ to know him, and—”
    “Bullshit, Kid. He’s a first class prick. Stay away from him. He’ll take you down the wrong