Page 33 (1/2)

He spotted the break in the trees signaling the bar’s parking lot "Here ya go," he told her

The parking lot was full, or nearly so, when they pulled even with the bar It wasn’t a big lot--just ts in front, perpendicular to the highway The rows had just enough room between them to maneuver, with spaces for four or five trucks to park side by side And trucks were just about the only kind of vehicle anyone ever parked here Colin surveyed the crowded lot and frowned It looked ht, than a weekday afternoon One of the logging crews must have shut down early

He drove past and made a U-turn, then parked his Tahoe in the last space next to the highway, driving right into to it with the front of his truck facing outward, so that he could make a fast exit, if it came to it It probably wasn’t necessary, but it wouldn’t be the first tihts were as coh

His tires were barely off the highway asphalt, his door opening right into traffic, if there’d been any A Dodge Ra truck with four wheels on the rear axle--was parked next to him, nose in to his tail A scant few inches separated the two trucks, with the other guy’s passenger side squeezed right up against his

He checked the highway and slid out of the truck He went to close the door, but stopped when he realized Leighton was clier seat, rather than atte raised hientleman, Colin held the door open while she levered herself onto the console and over with a surprising a across his seat and out onto the dusty roadside

She grinned at hi up at the rusted and bullet-pocked sign that hung fro lot

"Paul Bunyan?" she asked, eyeing what had once been a fairly decent rendering of the huge lumberjack in his red plaid shirt, arlanced over at the bar and back again, giving hirimaced "Yeah, well The couple who opened the place back in the day were university professors from down south somewhere They retired up here and opened this place You’d think they’d know better, being professors and all But while they were expecting the bar froot was a lot closer to Cops When Leon’s dad bought the place off of then It was cheaper than buying a new one, and the name’s okay This is lumber country, you know"

"Who’s Leon?"

"Leon Pettijohn He and his wife Ellen took over froot here, but word is the old hts, but Ellen works at the grocery in town Far as I know, she never cohton shifted her attention, her eyes scanning the nearly full parking lot beforeon to the bar itself Not that there was le story, concrete block building, with a satellite dish on the roof The whole thing was painted black, and Colin knew if you got close enough it looked like the paint had been rolled on thick by so it done right The only as a tiny triangle of filthy glass set in the front door The bar was set well back into the woods, with thick tree trunks crowding around the three sides that didn’t face the parking lot Those trees blocked out what sunlight there was, leaving the whole building surrounded by bluish-gray shadows When co a rather sinister feel

Colin took another look at the trucks crowding the lot "Fuck it," he said and followed Robbie to the back of the Tahoe Yanking open the cargo hatch, he grabbed his vest and pulled it on with a feift ed "Toocrews shut down early But could be our guys are having an i in there"

Robbie frowned, then turned to look at Leighton and shook his head Swearing under his breath, he pulled over the huge duffel, unzipped it and dug out his own vest Leighton wandered back, her gaze sharpening when she sahat they were doing

"What’re you thinking?" she asked Colin Her right hand was resting at her waist, just inside her jacket Not touching her weapon, but close enough that she could get to it She felt it, too Soht

"I think maybe you should wait here," he said "This isn’t exactly a place for ladies"