Between Limestone Ruins

Chapter Twenty-Three

The whole team wound up at a bar across from their motel long after the sun had set. The rain had stopped and the moon and several hundred stars danced amongst the clouds, unbeknownst to the gang, who were inside and now all several drinks in, save from Doc and Sammie, who didn't drink anyway, and had the important designation to keep everyone alive.

They had met back up at the police station to hear Sammie's report on the analysis of the letter Walker was sent. The ink and paper were generic. The envelope had been sealed with water and had no DNA on it. Nothing had even the slightest bit of a fingerprint that didn't match someone within the police force that touched the letter after delivery. Their monster knew how to cover his tracks.

That's how Jenn, Nora, Hannah, Walker, and Johnathan ended up piss-ass drunk on a Thursday evening in an old pub in Kingston. It started with tequila shots and had yet to end; they were drinking to forget. And they would be forgetting enough to put smiles on their faces however temporarily.

Johnathan and Walker frequently drank together and were beers deep past tequila and playing pool with Nora, who tagged along on boys' night some nights anyway and completely capable of keeping up.

Drunk Hannah and Jenn were trying to master darts, something neither of them were having success with, despite being excellent marks-women when sober. They did not frequently drink to excess. 

"You see Hannah," Jenn slurred as she lined up her next shot. "It's all in the hips." With that she let the dart fly and it stuck solidly into the wall right of the board.

"Welp, that looks like a clear sign to stop playing," Hannah giggled.

"Yep, time to go cheerlead for pool."

"Who are we rooting for?" Hannah asked as they cross the bar to join the rest of the party at the pool table. Sammie, who was sober and Nora, who was not, were kicking Walker and Johnathan's asses. Sammie wasn't by any means as good as the other three, but the alcohol seemed to even the playing field.

Doc watched on like an amused father figure from the booth they had dumped all their stuff at next to the pool table they'd claimed an hour ago.

"Hmm, hard to say," Jenn mused. "Nora gets points because she's a lady, but she's a sore winner. Then again so's Johnathan."

"And Walker?"

"Walker's funny ya see cuz you'd expect him to be cocky and shit right? But honestly I think he just enjoys the competition and the fun of it, win or lose, ya know? Wicked good at pool though."

Hannah stopped in her tracks to try and decipher Jenn's slurs. She waded through the fog in her brain weighing her options.

"Okay well then I guess I'll cheer for him!" She concluded and started back toward the pool table, where Nora was lining up a shot.

"Vargas, you should have learned years ago flashing your bra isn't as distracting as you think it is," Johnathan chirped; Nora's low cut shirt hung provocatively at the angle she was posed in for her shot. 

Jenn took a seat at the table with Doc and Hannah joined Walker where he waited for his turn against the wall. Nora clunked the stick against one of the striped balls which ricocheted and managed to sink two.

"You know, Miller, it isn't always about you and your dick," she countered before taking three more shots, sinking three more balls.

"Who's next bitches?" She purred when her turn finally ended.