Page 43 (1/2)

"Sure"

"Sa for yourself’ And he says how this is a nice place, and an old buddy of his used to come here"

"And he mentioned me by na the Bloody Mary together and strained it into a stelass I’d assumed it was for a custoht," he explained "Got to get the heart started"

"Sound policy"

He took another sip "The iether"

"He was a cop?"

"Used to be, would be ot his naot ot that far"

"What did he look like?"

He frowned "You know," he said, "I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention Middle-aged, not fat, not skinny Sort of average He was drinking Scotch, I remember that much, and I think it was Johnnie Red, but I couldn’t swear to it"

"And he talked about et here now that you weren’t drinking anymore, and how you used to be a bourbon drinker"

"He remembered that"

"But what he couldn’t remember," he said, "hat your favorite bourbon used to be"

"Ah What did you tell him?"

"I don’t think you had a favorite But he wanted an answer Say it was a special occasion What was that bourbon you would order then? Like he used to know, and he wanted his memory refreshed"

"What did you tell him?"

"I don’t know if I ever poured it for you," he said, "and what difference did itit now? But he had to have an answer, Mr Have So on about how one particular brand of poison was the best in the world, and I think it was Turkey, but it ht have been Evan Williaood as either of them You remember the conversation?"

I shook my head

"No reason why you should This was years ago But it stuck in my mind, and a day or two later I had a taste of it uess the label?"

"You tell me"

For answer he reached and dren the bottle from the top shelf Maker’s Mark

And he hesitated for a second or two, it couldn’t have been any longer than that, and then he replaced the bottle on the shelf

"So that’s what I told hiuy, Matt?"

"I had an idea who it was," I said, "and your description nailed it down"

"Yeah, I’lasses, if that helps Was it okay what I told him?"

"Sure"

He hesitated, then said, "You know, it’s funny Just nohen I had the bottle into ask me to pour you one"

"Really"

"Just for a second How long has it been?"

"Just about a year"

"No kidding? That long?"

"A year today, as a matter of fact"

"No shit Jesus, you knohat I aluess it doesn’t, does it?"