When the guy in the black leather turned to look at the table where Luis was sitting, he poked his buddy and whispered something Luis couldn't hear. And that was when Luis remembered they were the guys he and Jase had almost run over when they'd first arrived in town.
Luis reached under the table and squeezed Jase's leg. He gestured toward the two guys with his head and said, “Do you remember them? We almost ran them over.” Luis looked at Matthias. “They just walked into the street out of nowhere and we didn't see them coming.”
Jase shrugged. “I'm sorry. I don't remember. They're total strangers.”
Beth Anne set down her coffee mug and said, “Hey, they're kind of cute. I'm glad you didn't run them over. I like the one with the black hair. He's got a cute butt in those jeans.”
Matthias turned and gave them a quick look. Then he turned back and said, “Be good, Beth Anne. They look like they could be trouble. The last thing we need is trouble from a couple of straight country boys out here in the middle of nowhere.”
Luis agreed. But he wasn't sure how straight they were. He remembered the way they'd looked at him when they'd seen him hugging Jase in the car. He'd never forget the way the guy in the leather jacket had groped himself. Luis was hoping they wouldn't recognize him. But a minute later, both of them walked over to the table and the one with the sweatshirt and goatee said, “Well, look who's here. We didn't think we'd be running into you again.” He was talking to Luis, looking directly at him. He spoke with a sense of attitude and entitlement, like most young men with limited intellect.
Luis smiled. He'd missed the goatee the night before because it had been so dark. He said, “Hey,” and looked down at his empty muffin plate. They reminded Luis of the guy named Snake he'd fooled around with the summer he'd graduated from high school in Tennessee. Snake had also fucked his twin brother, Gage, that same summer behind Luis's back. Whenever Luis thought about that time in his life, he felt a strong burning sensation in his stomach. For some reason Luis could never understand, guys like this saw Luis and gravitated to him without a minute's hesitation.
Jase smiled and squared his back. “Is there anything we can do for you guys?” They were both still gaping at Luis. It must have bothered Jase.
Beth Anne turned to the guy in the black jacket, the one she thought had a cute butt. She rubbed his sleeve and said, “I love your jacket. It's so rough and strong.”
The guy in the black leather ignored Beth Anne completely and said, “We just came in to grab some coffee.” Before he turned, he glanced at Luis and said, “See you later.”
Luis looked up. “See you later.” He watched them turn and walk over to the counter.
The large woman in the yellow and white tent dress unfolded from her chair. She nodded at the two young guys, turned, and walked toward the exit. Luis watched the way her body swayed back and forth, as if every step she took was an extreme effort.
“Why don't we ask those guys about the Glatenfrissle compound?” Matthias said. He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. “I'll bet they are local and I'll bet they know exactly where it is. I'm dying to see that place, and there's nothing else to do around here until he roads are open again.”
“I'll go ask them,” Beth Anne said. “What's the name of the place again? Gattenfuzzle?”
Luis could see Beth Anne was intrigued by the two men. She couldn't take her eyes off the backs of their jeans.
Jase said, “I think we'd better leave well enough alone. There's something about those two that I don't trust. I don't appreciate the way they look at Luis.”
Luis said, “We already asked them about the compound right after we almost ran them over and they said they knew nothing.” He knew Jase couldn't remember.
“Don't you want to see the compound?” Matthias asked, turning to Luis. He sounded wounded. “I thought you were interested in seeing it. It can't hurt to ask again.”
Luis shrugged. He didn't want to hurt Matthias's feelings. “I guess I do. But I'd rather ask someone else, not them.”
After the two guys took their coffee and exited, Micky brought the check to the table and Matthias asked him about the Glatenfrissle compound. At first, Micky gave Matthias a blank stare. When he regained his composure, he said, “I never heard of no place like that around here. Can't help you none.” Then he dropped the check on the table and left so fast he almost jogged back to the kitchen.
“He's lying,” Hood said. “He's heard of the compound, but doesn't want to say anything.”
Matthias frowned. “But why? I don't get it.”
Luis shrugged. “I once went to a little town in New Jersey with a friend. We were looking for a fortune teller who was supposed to be very good. But everyone we asked in town told us they'd never heard of her.”
“What happened?” Jase asked.
Luis sighed. “We finally found someone who would help us, and we found the fortune teller in a small house without a sign, on a little side street at the end of town. Evidently, the people in town didn't want anyone thinking their town was known for fortune tellers. People can be weird that way.”
“Maybe there's some deep dark secret out there at the compound no one's supposed to know about,” Matthias said. “You can barely get any information on the Internet. Luis is right. They love to cover up old skeletons in small towns.”
Jase took the check and reached into his pocket for his wallet. “I think it might be a good idea to just go back to the cabin and wait until the roads are open. If this compound is locked up and closed, we won't be able to see anything anyway without breaking the law.”
Matthias shrugged. “I just want to see the outside. I'm curious. It sounds fascinating.” He reached over to take the check from Jase. “I'll get this one. You got the last one.”
Jase shook his head. “I insist.” He refused to release the check.
“Maybe we could walk around town and see if anyone knows anything about the compound,” Hood said. “I'm getting a little curious, myself.”
“I guess it couldn't hurt,” Jase said. “But I think we should be careful.”
“Jase is right,” Luis said. “They hate outsiders in towns like this. I come from a small town not much larger than this one and we distrusted anyone passing through whom we didn't know. We always felt as if they were laughing at us behind our backs.”
“We'll be as careful as possible,” Matthias said. Then he glanced down at Beth Anne and frowned. She'd just pulled a small mirror out of her purse and she was applying bright red lip gloss with a thin brush. “And Beth Anne will be a perfect lady.”