In Search Of Dreams

Episode 19

5:03 and Rob is entering Gareth’s, irritated
that he’s late. He scans the tavern. I should
have asked Percy what he looked like, he thinks,
then his eyes land on an exceedingly clean-cut
young man, sitting straight in a chair at a table.

He sits at attention. That must be him. He walks
over. “Percy?”

Percy nods and stands, extending an arm the
size of a country ham ending in a hand the size
of a catcher’s mitt. Rob shakes his hand and
introduces himself.

“Robert Carter” he says, looking up at the
man.

Rob had always considered himself to be
fairly good-sized, an even six feet tall, muscular
and fit. Quarterback on both his high school and
college football teams; fighting fit. He’s used to
being in the company of Marcus, who, while an
inch or so taller, is pretty scrawny.

Next to Percy Andersen, Rob feels like a runt.

“Is that what I think it is?” Rob asks, sitting
now. Percy sits as well, nodding, sliding the
folders over to him.

“Yes. These are the repair forms, these are the
accident reports.”

“There’s a lot here,” Robert remarks, opening the
folder. “You hungry?”

“I’m always hungry,” Percy says. “And I smell
fried chicken.” He looks hopefully towards the
door to the kitchen.

“Gareth” Rob calls, waving him over.

“Another meeting, Robie?” Gareth asks, sauntering
over.

Rob cringes, and Gareth grins. Rob says
nothing, refusing to engage him. “My guest here
claims he smells fried chicken.”

“You have a good nose, my…” he pauses as his
hand connects with Percy’s shoulder, ” large
friend.”

“Well, then, set us up. I have a feeling that
Percy here can probably put away a fair
amount, so don’t be stingy.”

Gareth chuckles and nods, wandering away.

“Business expense,” Rob says just as Percy is
opening his mouth to protest.

“Thanks,” he says.

Rob flips through the forms. “These are even
in chronological order. Very nice. That will make
things very helpful. May I borrow these for a
while?”

“Yes, of course. Alined doesn’t know I have
them anyway. But how do all of these relate to
Tom’s death?”

“Well, this trial ain’t strictly about just Tom.

Loretta isn’t out for cash compensation. She
wants things to be safer, better for everyone
there.”

“Oh,” Percy leans back, slightly surprised.

“That’s really…”

“Thoughtful?” Rob supplies. “Ah, chicken,” he
says when Gareth sets a platter heaped with
chicken on the table for Rob and Percy. He
also gives them each a plate with some greens
and cornbread. “And cornbread, too. Gareth,
you’ll make some man a mighty fine wife one
day,” he says, laughing as Gareth smacks him
on the back of the head and walks away. “Hey!

We need some drinks here, man!”

Gareth returns a minute later with Dr. Pepper
again, knowing that Rob is working and won’t
be drinking any alcohol, and he prefers Dr.
Pepper over anything else.

“So. Where were we? Ah. What I plan to do with
these,” he points to the folders with a chicken
leg, “is cross-reference them to determine
which of the accidents relate to repairs that did
not get done.”

Percy nods, his mouth full. He swallows. “Damn,
this is good chicken. And that’s a good plan. I
wish we could get the originals of these repair
requests. That would prove that they haven’t
been done. See this space here?” He points to a
blank on the bottom corner of the form. “That
would be initialed by the maintenance man
when he completes the repair. That’s the only
way we would know. And the originals would be
in Alined’s office. Or in Trickler’s desk.”

“Trickler?” Rob takes his notebook out now.

“Dennis Trickler. Alined’s, um, ‘personal
assistant.’ Really he’s a sniveling little yes-man.

I think he’s queer for Alined, the way he follows
him around.”

“Um, okaayyyy…” Rob doesn’t quite know what
to make of this information. “So it’s doubtful
we’d be able to convince him to testify against
your uncle, then.”

“Please don’t call him that,” Percy says, making
a face.

Rob had noticed that Percy has not once
referred to Eugene Alined as anything other than
“Alined.” Not Uncle Eugene, not Uncle, not even
Eugene. “So what’s going on with you and him?

He gave you a job but you hate him. What
happened there?”

Percy bites his lip and looks at his plate.

“Percy, if you don’t tell me, Boudreaux will drag
it out of you on the witness stand. It’s better if
I know everything up front so we can be
prepared for anything. I realize it’s probably
difficult, but I may be able to spin it to our
advantage.”

“Well, there is something you should know about
Alined,” Percy says.