Free Wicked Is the Whiskey: A Sean McClanahan Mystery (Sean McClanahan Mysteries Book 1) by T.J. Purcell Page B

that Preston often came by himself.”
    “Clive told me Preston was smitten with one of the girls who worked her.”
    “Yes, that’s right. Her name was Erin. She wasn't a dancer, though. She served drinks. A very sweet girl.”
    “Can you tell me more about Erin?”
    “Well, she worked here for about six months. She was a very private person, but when you spend as much time together as we do, you can’t help but open up a little. Her story was heart-wrenching.”
    “Go on,” I said.
    “As I understood it, she married young and had a daughter. Her daughter got very ill — a rare leukemia. Her husband didn’t want the responsibility and ran off. Erin had a good job as a teacher at a private special needs school, but she had to quit her job to care for her daughter full time. Her mom cared for her daughter on the three evenings she worked here at the lounge. It certainly wasn’t her dream job, but our waitresses do very well here. And she needed money to pay for her daughter’s care. But her daughter had an aggressive form of leukemia that few people survive. The child didn’t survive, either, and shortly after that Erin lost her mother.”
    “That’s very sad,” I said.
    Brenda nodded.
    “After that happened, we never saw her again. We never saw Preston again, either. We found it odd that they both stopped coming at the same time.”
    “Do you know where I might reach her?”
    “No, I don’t,” she said. “We tried to find her many times. But we had no records on her. We pay our waitresses cash under the table. When she was scheduled to work she always showed and did a good job.”
    “No cell phone number?”
    “The number she gave me went out of service after she left,” said Brenda. “I know this because I tried calling her. Probably one of those throwaway phones.”
    “She never said what area she lived in?” I said.
    “She said she lived out in Donora, a good 45 minutes away, but she always worried someone she knew would stop in when she was working. It was clear she valued her privacy, so we never tried to breech it. Is she in trouble?”
    “I’m not sure what is going on,” I said, “but I must find her. She may be in danger.”
    “Oh, goodness, what kind of danger?”
    “I don’t know for certain,” I said. “You’re sure you don’t know anything more about her and Preston?”
    “No, only that he was smitten with her. As far as we could tell, she was just friends with him. When he came here by himself he was interested in her, not the dancers.”
    Brenda took a deep drag on her cigarette.
    “God, I hope Erin will be all right,” she said.
    “You and me both,” I said.
    “She was really special,” said Brenda. “I’ve met a lot of hardened women in this line of work, but I must say, Erin was just a wonderful girl. She was genuine and good hearted. But at the same time, she was very firm. She never needed a bouncer. If a guy got out of line, she was always able to handle it herself. I hope she will be OK.”
    I stood and shook her hand, then headed back down to Mick. Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Tax Man” was playing loudly on the speakers.
    Mick was lying on the stage on his back. 
    An attractive young dancer expertly folded a dollar bill, then set it on his nose. In an incredibly seductive manner, she pressed her bosoms together and snatched the dollar bill off of Mick’s nose. 
    “Hurry, Kid,” shouted Mick as he saw me coming down the stairs. “Get me a $20.”
    And so I did.  

 
Chapter #21
     
    Bob Meinert was waiting for me at the pub.
    “I have some interesting information for you,” he said, “some very interesting information.”
    Bob opened his leather case and took out his portable computer. He set it on the bar and turned it on.
    “Before I tell you what I found, let me first tell you what I didn’t find,” he said, sitting across from me.
    It took only a few seconds for his computer to resume. He turned the screen so I could see it.
    “First of