“No, of course not,” he said, with disgust. “I think they hire one or two local guys for security up there overnight, but that’s it.”
“Yeah, probably guys who don’t really have regular jobs maybe?”
“Not all. I think old Joe over there took on one of the jobs, looking for extra money for his grandkid.”
“That’s a nice thing to do,” Eton said.
“That’s the guy Joe is though,” he said.
Eton nodded. “Is there a problem with the grandkid?”
“Yeah, he’s got some leg issues that need surgery, and he needs equipment to help him recover, so Joe was picking up some shifts, trying to raise some of that money.”
“Well, if it wouldn’t insult him,” Eton said, “I’ll be happy to donate a little bit. I mean, I don’t have a ton, but anything would help a family like that.”
The butcher looked at him warily, but his gaze warmed considerably. “Well, he’s right over there in the coffee shop. You can go talk to him about it, if you like.”
He looked over to see an older man, sitting there outside. “That’s him at the table?”
“It is,” he said.
“I’ll go do that.” Paying for his bacon, he smiled and walked out to the street. As he crossed the road, he walked into the little coffee shop, ordered a coffee, and took it outside. He looked at the man seated there and asked, “Are you Joe?”
Joe stared at him and said, “Yeah.”
“I was just talking with the butcher,” he said. “He mentioned you were working up at that condo project, doing some night security work to raise money for your grandkid.”
“Yeah, he ought to stick to butchering.”
Eton motioned at the chair and asked, “Do you mind if I sit down for a moment?” Joe looked at him, then the chair and just shrugged. “I’m sorry that your grandkid is having some issues.”
“It’s my grandson,” he said. “And the butcher talks too much.”
“My fault probably because I was asking questions,” he said. “So I’m interested in helping out a little. I don’t have a ton of money, but, if a few dollars would help out, to make things a little easier,” he said, “I’m up for it.”
Joe looked at him in surprise. “Why would you do that?”
“Because not everybody in the world is an asshole,” Eton said sincerely.
At that, Joe burst out laughing. “You could have fooled me,” he said. “The bastards could have covered the thing with the medical insurance, but they wouldn’t. The surgery itself is covered but not the equipment he needs at the other end. And you can’t do one without the other, so it’s off until we can raise the money.”
“Must be tough having to go back to work after you’ve retired.”
“It is, and it sucks too. It’s not just tough. My bones like to stay abed at nighttime, not chasing strangers driving up all those roads.”
“Strangers?”
“Yeah, there’s been traffic up and down that damn place. You’d think they’d let us security guards get a decent nap, but, no, of course not.”
“Strangers? Can’t be too many of those around here.”
“Well, you are one of them, now that I think about it,” he said.
Eton immediately introduced himself and explained where they were staying.
“Ah, yeah, we often get people from that Airbnb stuff,” he said. “It’s all garbage.”
“Well, it looks like a good source of income for people who need it,” he said.
“Maybe, maybe the people don’t just need it, they want it,” he said. “I’ve come to understand that needs and wants are very different things at this point in my life.”
“I’m sorry. That’s a hard lesson to learn, isn’t it?”
“Well, I learned it,” he said. “I just didn’t expect to have to do it again.”
Eton pulled some cash from his wallet and handed over four hundred dollars and said, “Put this toward the expenses,” he said. “Let’s get that boy on the road to recovery.” With that, he picked up his coffee, smiled at Joe, and said, “I hope you have a better day.”
Joe nodded, as he accepted the money, clearly flustered. “Thank you. I don’t know what to say. Thank you.”
“Not an issue,” Eton said, as he took his leave. He decided that maybe, instead of continuing to ask around, he’d drive a little farther into another town and start looking for answers there. One thing was for sure; he needed a new source now. He didn’t want to cause any alarms locally. He wasn’t ready to stop checking things out though.
As he walked back to his car, Joe called out to him. Eton turned back and looked at him. He couldn’t hear the old man, so he walked back, saying, “I’m sorry. I couldn’t hear you. What did you say?”
“I was just saying thank you again,” he said. “Getting a little closer every day, and maybe, pretty soon, I’ll leave that bloody security job.”
“The condos are almost done anyway, aren’t they?” he asked. “Surely they don’t need the security guards for much longer?”
“Maybe not,” he said. “I don’t much like being up there. People are walking around in the dark, where they shouldn’t be.”
“Did you tell the bosses that?”
“I did, but they won’t do anything about it,” he said.
“Well, if you think there is any danger, it’s sure not worth risking your life for,” Eton said in all seriousness. “Surely they are at the lock-up stage by now. And then, if someone breaks in up there, it’s an insurance matter.”
The security guard looked at him for a long moment and nodded. “Maybe I’ll have a talk with them.”
“Are you there all night?” Eton asked.
Joe shook his head. “Midnight to six.”
Eton managed a completely honest grimace on his face. “Not my ideal time to work,” he said. “Especially outside.”
“That’s exactly the problem,” he said. “My old body isn’t meant to do that anymore.”
“Well, I mean, if you need the money, then it’s certainly understood,” he said, “but, if you can make your way without doing those hours, it will be better for you.”
“Isn’t that the truth? Still, I’ll have to think about it.”
“But, if you think you’re in any danger, you can call the police, right?”
He shrugged and said, “Well, I won’t.” He shook his head. “It would take hours for them to get there, especially at that time of night.”
At that, Eton stopped, then walked over, and, pulling a little notepad out of his pocket, he jotted down his cell phone number. “You can always call me, while we’re here anyway,” he said. “I’ve got special ops and militarily background,” he said, “and I could get there pretty quickly. Don’t put your life in danger.”
There must have been enough sincerity in his voice for the other man to believe him because he took the note and nodded. “I sure don’t want to quit, if I don’t have to,” he said.