Darkness Falls

Chapter 6

Jack Russell opened the door to the Witch's Brew and Pub and found an already sparse crowd looking back at him–while he stood there for a moment; cradling a couple of loose manila file folders tucked under the crook of his arm.

"Hmm..." he breathed out with some latent appreciation. "This should be interesting."

A gust of wind blew past him, which irritated one of the regulars sitting at the counter.

"In or out buddy. But whatever you do, close the fucking door. This isn't a barn!" He snapped out irritably, then returned to what he was drinking in front of him.

Eyebrows raised in both surprise and amusement, the man stepped inside and let the door shut on its own accord.

"Easy, Ralph." The bartender behind the counter chided the guy with salt and pepper hair–complete with a receding hair line. "He didn't know."

Ralph downed a shot of his Kentucky bourbon in one fell swoop and then said gruffly, "Whatever, Charlie. Gimme a'nudder."

The woman leaned over and took a sharp whiff.

"I think you've had enough, Ralph." She decided firmly. "Why don't you go home and sleep it off? Come back when you're more than sober."

The man looked at her incredulously. "After only three drinks? For what I'm paying out?"

Charlie nodded. "Yes. You've had enough, you old buzzard. Now go. I don't want to see you back here until later tonight."

Ralph tried to get off his stool and nearly fell backwards on his own accord, if not for the quick hands of Jack himself–having come up to the bar with questions of his own.

Charlie looked at him for a second, giving him the once over, and said curtly, "You want something, stranger? Whiskey? Beer? A Three Shot Fireball?"

Jack shook his head and helped steady the old man on his own feet, to which Ralph just shrugged off his good deed with a drunken slur of his own.

"Goddamn Commies..." he complained under his breath. "Always stealing my fun."

"You're welcome." Jack offered with a bemused look of his own, after the old man staggered away from him, a bit off kilter, but managed to get out the door on his own.

"Sandwich then? Pork bellies? Jojo's?" The woman rattled off the top of her head, before giving him a menu to pore over. "I would recommend the house special for $7.99. It comes with a free beer."

The man chuckled, but passed on her offer.

"Actually, I'm on the clock here. Work and all."

The woman looked at him with new appreciation. "Really? And who do you work for?"

"Doctor Aleia Falls, M.D. Falls County's chief medical examiner and sometimes pain in my ass for having to make me drive all the way to Kensington and back on a hunch."

"Must be some hunch." Charlie mused, wiping out a couple of tall glasses with a clean linen towel of her own. "Where did you say you hailed from again? You didn't tell me."

"Birmingham." The man revealed to her. "And yes, it was quite the drive down here too. Three traffic accidents and a backed up lane near a construction site."

Charlie whistled softly. "That's quite the haul." She amended. "So if you're not here for a meal or a drink, what's your pleasure?"

"Actually, something to eat would be welcome. I didn't grab anything before I jetted out this morning. So I've been running on empty since then." Jack confessed.