Chapter 2

JOSHUA

The same bead of sweat kept dripping down my forehead and I kept having to wipe it away with the back of my hand. The warm Snow Falls sun wasn’t showing me any mercy. Even with my shirt off and being out in the open, there was nothing I could do to cool off.

“Are you sure this isn’t going to be any trouble for you?”

I ignored the voice next to me and kept my head down.

Not a big deal. Just concentrate…

“It looks like it’s going to be a lot of trouble. The darn thing has been giving me trouble for the longest time…”

I sighed a deep breath then straightened up. When I saw the look on the older woman’s face, I couldn’t help but snicker softly at her.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“I’m fine,” I replied. “I’m just fine.”

“You know you don’t have to do this. It might be more trouble than it’s worth.”

“Mrs. Cooper, it’s no trouble at all. Believe me. It might take some time but I’ll get it done. It’s really the least I can do for you, what with you giving me a discount on rent.”

“Oh, nonsense. Nobody is renting that place out anyway. I don’t want you to have to deal with all this because you think you owe me something.”

“It’s nothing,” I said with a shrug. “Really.”

“Look at you. Slaving out here underneath the hot sun. At least take a break, will you? I made some iced tea.”

“I…”

Before I could stop her, she pulled out a small bottle from her purse. I sighed knowing I wouldn’t be able to refuse her.

“Okay,” I said with a nod. “I can take a break.”

“There you go.”

I moved over to the side of the small garage and collapsed in my chair. I never would’ve admitted it but it was nice to finally be able to take a break. Mrs. Cooper shoved the bottle into my hands and kept her eyes locked on me, a growing grin on her face.

“Try it,” she said. “I know you like my iced tea.”

“I do. And there’s nothing better than having it on a hot day like this…”

I took a huge gulp of the tea. It was cold enough to send a shiver down my spine. I let out a satisfied sigh and she smiled warmly at me.

“That’s good,” I said. “Why don’t you have a seat? If it’s not too much trouble.”

“All right… I think I will.”

She plopped on the seat next to me, clutching her purse while she looked around my garage.

Mrs. Cooper was a kind, unassuming woman. She was the kind of person who would take a stranger into her home if it looked like they were in any trouble. I knew that because she practically did the same thing for me.

“It’s been giving me so much trouble these past few months,” she said. “I really should just get rid of it.”

“It’s not as bad as you think it is,” I said. “It’ll run just fine when I’m through with it.”

“Still… It would be nice to have another car. Maybe I don’t even need a car at all. People these days get by just fine without them. I could walk. The exercise would be good for me.”

“That sounds like an idea.”

“Plus, I wouldn’t have to worry about watching over it. You know how people like to steal cars around these parts. Though I don’t see why anybody would have eyes for an old hunk of junk like that…”

Mrs. Cooper’s car was definitely old. The thing had more miles than every other car I’d ever worked on. It was remarkable that it was in as good of shape as it was.

“If you ask me, I kinda like it,” I said.

“You’re too kind, Joshua.”

“No, I mean it. All of the cars you see today are so fancy. This thing right here… It’s a real classic. You should be proud of it.”

“I think that’s the only reason I’ve bothered keeping it around. I remember when my husband and I went out in it. He picked me up for our first date in it, this thing.”

“No kidding?”

“Sure did. We drove up to the Northside. We headed to a nice restaurant. Had a real nice dinner. I knew right then and there he was the one for me…”

She stared at her car. A pale blue piece of metal beaten down from the sun and miles on the pavement. But I could see in her eyes all of the memories it brought back to her.

“It makes me think of him whenever I see it,” I said. “My best memories of him are with this car. I think that’s the only reason I keep this thing around.”

“It’s the only reason but it’s the best reason, Mrs. Cooper.”

She smiled softly at me.

“How about you, Joshua?”

“What about me?”

“Do you have anybody special in your life?”

“No,” I said with a laugh. “No husband. No wife.”

“Why is that funny?”

She narrowed her eyes at me. Even though there was a skeptical look on her face, I was still smiling.

“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “Having someone special in my life isn’t something I really think about.”

“You don’t have to think about it but it’s something you should consider. You never know when you meet the one. I’ve heard of some men and women going into heat when they least expected it…”

“So I’ve heard…”

Right now? Really?

The last thing I wanted to hear was an older woman explaining the birds and the bees to me but I wasn’t about to shut her up. I hid my smile behind another gulp of tea and nodded to her.

“Right now, the only thing I’m focused on is my work,” I said. “You can’t control destiny, so why bother worrying about it?”

“That’s an excellent way of looking at it. I always knew you were such a bright young man. You should look into working for one of the bigger garages. I’m sure they’re more than eager to hire someone like you.”

“I don’t know,” I said with a shrug. “The bigger garages always have higher standards.”

“Oh, don’t knock yourself. You’re hard-working. You’re smart. You’ve got what it takes. You should really look into it.”

“Maybe I will. One day. I get enough work as it is though. There are a lot of cars in Snow Falls. You can always use a good mechanic.”

I sealed the bottle up and handed it back to her.

“I should probably get back to work,” I said. “It’ll be a long time until it’s finished. Maybe the rest of the day.”

“I’m really sorry about having you working the rest of the day.”

“Please,” I said as I put my hands up. “I’ll be in the garage regardless. It’s nothing you need to worry about, Mrs. Cooper. I’m sure you have better things to do with your time than standing around and watching me.”

“I suppose you’re right. I’ll head home and make myself comfortable.”

“Now that’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

“Don’t work too hard now, Joshua.”

“I promise I won’t.”

I gave her a wink. I stared at the old woman to make sure she turned around and walked away. I didn’t mind having her around but the fewer distractions I had near me, the faster I could get my work done.

I took a deep breath and stuck my head back underneath the hood. The older woman’s car needed a lot of work but I knew exactly what kind of work it needed.

It was an ordinary day in the West Bay despite how unusually hot it was. Everybody walking along the streets was going about their day. There were the usual thugs and gangs roaming around but most of them minded their own business. I ignored the engines thundering by me. There were enough motorcycles in this part of town that it sounded like a storm was coming at times.

I was so focused I didn’t notice how loud the engine had gotten behind me. But I could feel someone’s eyes on me, forcing me to stand up straight and turn around.

The man sat on his bike. Riding boots. Baggy denim jeans. A plain t-shirt that didn’t do much to cover the muscles on his arms and chest. It didn’t help that he was sweating through it. His skin was tanned bronze with some ink on him.

He got up from his seat and took off his sunglasses.

Is that…

I narrowed my eyes, recognizing him immediately thought I wasn’t completely sure.

When he stared back at me with the same look I was giving him, I knew I was right.

“Sean?” I said. “Sean Sparrow?”

“Joshua,” he said bluntly. “Joshua Miller.”

“It’s… It’s been a long time. How long has it been?”

“Ten years. Ever since your sister… Well, I never kept track of it.”

“Right. It has been ten years… Right around the time you enlisted.”

“How is Lisa?” he asked.

The way he looked at me, I wasn’t sure if he wanted me to answer his question or not.

“Lisa is doing fine,” I said. “She… She doesn’t live in Snow Falls. She moved… North Peaks. Her and… Her and her husband.”

“Her husband… Right…”

He bit his tongue like he was trying to hold himself back.

This is awkward…

“Hey,” I said with a laugh. “I’m guessing you didn’t come here to talk about my sister. Nobody really knows that I’m here…”

“Right… Actually, it’s about something else. Did you hear about the accident last night?”

“I think everybody in Snow Falls heard it. It was just a few blocks from here. Probably just some drunk.”

“He wasn’t drunk.”

“Oh?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “And how do you know that?”

“Because I’m looking into it.”

“Are you a cop now? It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you…”

“Not a cop,” he said with a smirk. “Just a man who cares about the West Bay.”

“I see… I don’t know how I can help you though. I was in my apartment when it happened. Didn’t see a thing. Another explosion, another night in the West Bay.”

“Actually… you might know something.”

It was hard to believe that it was Sean. He still looked the same as I remembered him. Except for the muscles, tattoos and the clean-shaven face, of course.

But the way he looked at me, I was still having trouble believing it was him.

“The bike they found in the accident wasn’t any ordinary hog,” he said. “The ride was nice. Really fixed up.”

“And you think I’m the one who fixed it up?”

“I’m not accusing you of anything. Just wondering if you know anything about it.”

“I know,” I said with a nod. “It’s possible. The truth is, I’ve worked on tons of bikes. Tons of cars, too. And there are dozens of mechanics in the West Bay. Could be one of the rides I worked on. Or maybe it’s someone else. Is there any way to know for sure?”

“They’re still scraping up details from the crash. But it looks similar to the two previous ones.”

“Are you sure you’re not a cop?”

“I’m sure,” he said, a soft smile on his lips.

Why did I never notice that before?

There was something different about Sean. Something I couldn’t put my finger on. It was like meeting an old friend I was so familiar with even though it had been 10 years.

“I don’t know how I can help you,” I said. “But if you’re serious about trying to get to the bottom of this, I’ll do what I can. I can give you records of all the bikes I’ve worked on.”

“That’ll work.”

“But… It’ll take me a bit to put the paperwork together. I’m… I’m not very organized.”

I looked down and suddenly felt embarrassed. My shirt was off and I was covered in sweat and grease. The way Sean stared at me made me bite my lip to try and hide my smile.

“It’s no hurry,” he said. “Can’t solve this thing in a night. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you stop by the bar I’m working at?”

“Which bar?”

“Brickstone. It’s my crew’s clubhouse. Maybe we can have a beer and catch up.”

“Yeah… Yeah, that sounds like fun. I’ll be there tonight.”

He got back on his ride and revved his engine.

“It’s good seeing you again, Joshua.”

“Yeah… Good seeing you…”

I stood at the entrance to the garage and watched Sean ride off into the distance.

I shouldn’t have been looking so forward to having a drink with him tonight. There was a chance it would get awkward.

Who am I kidding? It’ll definitely get awkward.

I laughed to myself and stuck my head back underneath the hood. Sean was an old friend and he seemed to be doing something right. The least I could do was try to help him out.