Tick cringed. Everyone was doing what he should have done.
“Hey, let’s take a walk on the beach. Show me how much of this glorious paradise is yours.” Pete hopped off the swing and yanked at Tick’s arm, jerking him to his feet. Then they were in each other’s arms, hugging each other and pounding each other on the back.
“Sometimes life out and out sucks. It doesn’t mean it won’t ever get better, it just means you have to work harder at making it right. Hey, what about the bird? Do you have to put it in a cage?” Pete asked, hoping to drive the stricken look off his brother’s face.
“When did you get so smart? The bird is a free spirit. He just moved in one day and decided to stay. I don’t even remember what day or year it was. Suddenly, he was just there. We get along just fine, but he’s a tad salty.”
“When I was lying in a hospital doped to the eyeballs for my pain, I had a lot of time to reflect. A lot of time. Hey, I can tell when it’s going to rain within three hours. If my bar and grill goes belly-up, I can probably get a job as a weatherman. You always gotta look at the positive. You got a bed for me, or do I have to sleep on the floor?”
Tick doubled over laughing. “That is an accomplishment. Not to worry, I have one of those blow-up beds that come in a sack, and the only reason I have it is Andy keeps saying he’s coming down here. Since he hates to fly, I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”
Tick looked up at the star-filled night in time to see a shooting star flash across the sky. He wondered if it was an omen of things to come. A light breeze ruffled his hair as he strode along. The ocean’s warm water lapped at his feet and ankles. It was so soothing, he knew that if he ever left here, he would miss this nightly ritual.
A long time later, Pete said, “What the hell is that?” pointing to that place. “It looks like something you might see at the gates of hell.”
Tick frowned. He hadn’t realized they’d walked so far. A full moon rode high in the sky, outlining the enormous building that stood like a dark avenging something or other. “I have no idea. The village people refer to it as that place at the end of the beach. As far as I know, it’s uninhabited. I never come this far on my nightly walks and usually I go the other way. I’ve never seen anyone around the place or on the beach, at least I haven’t during the day. I thought I heard someone there crying once, though I’m sure it was an animal. At night I think someone comes and goes. I’m not sure why, never really cared to find out. It was being completed when I was just coming out of my drunken stupor. I never really cared enough to inquire and, besides, who would I ask? I can tell you one thing, it cost a bundle to build. That’s for sure.”
“Are you sure it’s empty?”
“No, but I never see anyone. I hear voices late at night sometimes if I’m out walking. No boats coming in. I’ve heard a motorboat. The coast guard rips by five or six times a day. Usually the same boat. I can tell by the sound of the engine. And when they start to approach that thing, they throttle back, so it’s my guess they’re keeping their eye on it. In order to get there on foot, you have to go past my place. I never see any lights, so I just assume it was built by some drug lord who got caught, and the place just sits there now because everyone is afraid to go near it. No one wants to get caught up in anything drug-related or whatever goes on there during the night.”
“What do you think, Tick?”
“You know what, Pete, I try not to think about it. I have enough of my own problems without worrying about an empty building and the coast guard keeping an eye on it.”
“Does anyone check on it?” Pete asked.
“You mean aside from the coast guard? Maybe the DEA, the DOJ, hell maybe ICE has an eye on that thing. Aside from all the drive-bys I’ve heard, no one else has been poking around, at least to my knowledge. Why are you so curious about an empty building?”
“You live just down the beach from it, Tick. Those drug people shoot first and ask questions later. I would think with your background, you’d be a bit more curious.”
“You trying to spook me, Pete?”
“Hell, yes, I’m trying to spook you. You need to keep your wits about you. Jesus, there’s not a soul to be seen except for you and me. If no one checks on you, you could be shot dead and no one would know but that damn parrot, and I doubt you’ve taught him how to call 911.”
Tick turned around and started back the way they’d come. “I think we’re both tired, and it’s time to go to bed. If you like, we can check it out tomorrow in daylight.”
“Yeah, let’s do that. You’re right: It’s been a long day.”
To Taste The Wine Page 38
