Chapter 14“So, why here?” Jack enquired, not for the first time since they met, and not for the first time this evening. Determined to make Brinley come up with a logical explanation of why he moved somewhere so rural when clearly used to much bigger towns and a more sophisticated lifestyle, Jack refused to relent.
The same expression always came into Brinley’s eyes as telling as an eye roll, while the man searched for something pacifying to say. This time, Brinley also pursed his lips. After the beer, Brinley had switched to a sparkling apple juice, claiming he wanted something sweet, and now lifted the bottle to his lips. After taking a sip, he studied the label, a stalling tactic.
“I wanted…a new start.” The halting manner in which Brinley spoke told Jack he told the truth. “I went th
