Stalker

Chapter 2-2

The rest of the week went as they usually did, with Jake and Kelly dealing with clients and their various problems.

Saturday, Jake spent the morning cleaning his apartment, and the afternoon doing laundry at a nearby Laundromat and grocery shopping. By the time evening came around he was more than ready to get out of the house and have some fun. Well, as much fun as I can have hanging out at The Copper hoping a friend shows up to talk to. I’m not going to pick someone up, or let them pick me up. I don’t need that kind of aggravation.

He dressed casually, in jeans and a pale blue shirt, ran a comb though his hair and a finger over his mustache, in an effort to tame both of them, and took off. Because the bar wasn’t too far away he decided, as he often did, to walk. It was a balmy evening, for April, and he figured the exercise would do him good after spending most of the day doing chores, which didn’t require any real exertion other than carrying his groceries and laundry to and from the car.

Maybe I should join a gym. He considered that idea for all of two seconds before shaking his head. He didn’t carry any extra weight on his six-foot frame and he wasn’t one of those men who believed that they had to look like a bodybuilder to succeed in life. I’m fine the way I am, as long as I get in some walking or running every once in a while. He picked up his pace, jogging the last two blocks to the bar.

“The missing has been found,” the bartender said when Jake squeezed in at the end of the bar.

“I was here on Monday,” Jake pointed out.

“I wasn’t, so…” The bartender grinned. “Your usual?”

“Yep, thanks.” Jake took a long pull on his beer when it arrived then looked around. There were several guys he knew by sight but none of his friends seemed to be there. At least not that he could see from where he was standing.

He eavesdropped on a couple of conversations going on close by, mentally lifting an eyebrow when one of the men related, in detail, the plot of an ongoing TV show despite the fact that fellow he was with had told him to stop because he hadn’t seen that episode yet.

Jake had almost finished his beer and was considering whether to order another one or leave, as there still was no one he knew and wanted to talk to.

“You look bored,” someone said from behind him.

Jake turned to see who had spoken and shrugged. “It’s one of those nights when everyone seems to be somewhere else.”

The man laughed. “Not from where I’m standing. There’s hardly room to move in here.”

“Okay, you have a point,” Jake agreed, easing over enough to let the guy get to the bar and flag down the bartender.

“You having another one, Jake,” the bartender asked when he arrived to take the guy’s order.

“I’m debating,” Jake replied.

“Please do,” the guy said. “That way I’ll have someone to talk to. By the way, I’m Russ, well Russell, but no one calls me that. You’re Jake, at least according to our friendly bartender.”

“I am. Jake Marshall to be exact.”

Russ grinned. “Russ Foster, to be exact. Nice to meet you.”

“Jake?” The bartender pointed to his almost empty bottle in question.

“Sure. Why not?” Looking at Russ, Jake asked, “Are you a local? I don’t think I’ve seen you in here before.”

“I moved into an apartment building a couple of blocks away last week,” Russ replied. “Are you?”

“Yep. I’ve got an apartment about a mile from here. I’ve been there, damn, for six years?”

Russ chuckled. “You asking or telling me?”

“Telling. As long as we’re trading information, what do you do and why this area?”

“Because I found a decent place at a price I could afford,” Russ replied. “I work at the central library, downtown, as a security officer. Not terribly exciting since it’s mostly about stopping people from sneaking books out and keeping the homeless who use us as a safe place to catch some sleep from causing problems.”

“That happens a lot?”

“Not really. They’re mostly quiet because they don’t want to be kicked out. A lot of them do read while they’re there and they’re fairly good about putting a book back where they found it.” Russ took a drink then asked, “What do you do?”

“I’m half-owner of a private investigation agency.”

Russ snapped his fingers. “That’s why your last name rang a bell. Marshall and Bennett Investigations, right?”

Surprised, Jake replied, “Yep.”

“When I first got to Denver I thought about seeing if I could get a job as an investigator but my training is in security, thanks to my uncle who owns a security company back east. I worked for him for a couple of years before deciding it was time to see the world. I got as far as Denver, discovered I liked the city, and went from there. I checked out a couple of PI agencies and was told I didn’t have what they needed. I never got to yours, but it was on my list until I found the library job.” Russ grinned. “That was TMI I’m sure, coming from a stranger.”

“I did ask,” Jake said. “If you had contacted us it wouldn’t have done you any good. We’re a two-person agency. Well, three-person if you count our receptionist s***h secretary.”

Laughing, Russ replied, “And here I was going to ask if you were hiring. Bummer.”

“Sorry.”

They went quiet, then, sipping their beers. On Jake’s part it was because he didn’t know what else to talk about since he wasn’t at the bar to see if he could pick up someone.

“What do you do for entertainment?” Russ asked a few minutes later.

“Other than hanging out here, which is only occasionally?” Jake lifted a shoulder. “Read, go to movies if there’s one that looks interesting.”

“Sounds like me,” Russ replied. “A billion things to do in the city, but most of them aren’t much fun if you’re doing them alone. You know what I mean?”

“Big time. I’ll drive up to the mountains sometimes on the weekend. Stop for lunch in Idaho Springs or Georgetown, but like you said, doing it alone leaves something to be desired.”

“Maybe…” Russ hesitated. “Do you like zoos?”

“I suppose. It’s been forever since I’ve gone to one.”

“Okay, I know this is out of the blue and we barely know each other, but I was planning on checking it out and if you don’t have any plans for Sunday…”

“You don’t work Sunday’s?”

“Nope. I’m off Sundays and Mondays.” Russ looked hopefully at Jake.

Is he desperate for a friend? He doesn’t seem like a guy who would be, but then I barely, no, I don’t know him. At least he’s not trying to pick me up the usual way, if that’s what’s on his mind. What could it hurt to spend an afternoon at the zoo with him, as long as I make it plain that I have to be somewhere else Sunday night? Which is the truth since I’ve got to stakeout Mr. Fry’s store after he closes.

“I’m game for the zoo,” Jake replied. “I’ve got something to do Sunday evening. Work. Staking out…well what doesn’t matter.”

“Understood,” Russ said and it seemed as if he did when he added, “The joys of being a PI. You do what needs to be done when it has to be done, like it or not.”

Jake nodded. “Exactly. Like my partner. She spent the beginning of the week in KC looking for a runaway.”

“Your partner’s a woman?” Russ asked in obvious surprise.

“Yep, and very good at the job. We make a great team.”

“I see.” Russ looked thoughtful as he finished his beer.

Jake debated before saying, “She’s married, and not to me. If she was, I wouldn’t have gone along with your zoo idea.”

“Okay, that makes sense. Besides, you’re here which should have clued me in you don’t have a woman in your life.”

Jake snorted. “Look around. There’s quite a few women here, with and without a man in tow. This is a local bar in a very gay-tolerant neighborhood, so it gets everyone, gay and straight.”

“True. I’m still getting acclimated. Before I moved, I lived in Highland. It’s pretty much a family area, old families.”

“A nice place to visit, for the restaurants, but I wouldn’t want to live there,” Jake replied with a grin.

“Yeah. I think I’m going to like Hale a lot better. Are you going to have another one?”

“I presume you mean a beer, and no. I’m not a big drinker. Two is generally my limit. What time do we want to meet at the zoo, and where?”

“By the ticket booth, maybe at one?”

“That works for me.” Jake eased past Russ. “I’ll see you then.”

“All right. Good night.”

“Night.”

As Jake left the bar he wondered what he was getting into, if anything. I bet I was right. He wants someone to do things with and I won the lottery since I agreed to the zoo. We’ll go, and it’ll probably be the end of it. He’ll decide I’m not his kind of guy and I’ll agree. It’s not like my first instinct was to drag him home to bed. He’s nice, as far as I can tell, but that’s it.