Eximere (The River Book 4) by Michael Richan

shook no. “I have my own, but it’s not
generational,” Jonathan said.
    “Mine either,” Myrna said.
    “Well,” Steven said, “Roy and Eliza can study Roy’s book. It
goes back four generations. There might be something there.”
    “What about you?” Roy asked.
    “I’m going to find Roger Danvers at that shop,” Steven
answered, “and find out what he knows about the Unser house.”

Chapter Five
     
     
     
    Behind the knick knack shop was parked a dirty white Ford
truck with a shell on the back. The back door to the shop wasn’t locked or even
closed all the way. Steven could hear someone inside moving things around. He
knocked on the door, then opened it and said, “hello?”
    From Jerry’s comments he was expecting to find a drunk passed
out on the floor. Instead he found a sharply dressed man, wearing wire rim
glasses, moving a stack of boxes from in front of a workbench.
    “Yes?” the man said, turning to Steven. “Can I help you?”
    “Pardon me,” Steven said. “Are you Roger? I heard that you
used to be a guide at the Unser estate.”
    “Yes, that’s true,” the man replied.
    Steven approached the man with his hand extended. “My name is
Steven Hall. I’m in town with my father and some friends.”
    “Nice to meet you,” the man said, shaking Steven’s hand.
    “I’m sorry to just drop in like this, I can see you’re busy,”
Steven said, “but we’re in need of some help, and I was hoping you might be
able to give me some information.”
    “Not really busy,” Roger said, grabbing another box and
moving it to a stack on the other side of the small room. “Just gotta get to
this workbench today. The wife’s got a honey do list a mile long and last night
she got pissed about it. I need to make it look like I’ve started something.”
    “Ah, gotcha,” Steven said, smiling.
    “Why do you want to know about the Unser house?” Roger asked,
continuing to move boxes.
    How much do I tell him? Steven wondered. I can’t tell him the real reason.
He’ll think I’m nuts. I need to bluff like Roy.
    “We’re both historians, my dad and I,” Steven said
hesitantly, unsure if he’d picked the right lie. “He’s a bit more obsessive
about it than I am, prefers to research from books. I prefer to talk to experts
who know a place.”
    “Writing a book or something?” Roger asked.
    “We might, depending on what we find,” Steven said, hoping to
intrigue the man enough to get him to cooperate. “We’re a little competitive
with each other. I’m hoping to beat him by unearthing some things about the
place that he can’t find in historical documents somewhere.”
    “Oh, there’s all kinds of interesting things about that
place,” Roger said. “Things we learned when we worked up there. I doubt they’re
in books.” He stopped moving boxes and turned to look at Steven.
    “Sounds like your expertise might help me,” Steven said.
    “Are you an open-minded person?” Roger asked. “’Cause some of
what I know about the place is a little unusual.”
    Steven smiled. “Buy you a cup of coffee?”
    “Tell you what,” Roger said. “If you’ll help me move these
boxes out of the way to clear a path to the bench, I’ll have finished my chores
for the day and will talk to you about the Unser house as long as you want.”
    “Deal,” Steven said, stepping forward to grab a box.
     
    ◊
     
    “Back so soon?” asked Bess. “Oh, I see you found Roger!” She
smiled. The restaurant was empty. Howard and Jerry had left for the morning.
    “Is there any other place in this town to get a cup of coffee?”
Steven asked her.
    “No hon,” Bess said, “there isn’t.”
    “Sit at the bar?” Steven asked.
    “It’s easier for me if you do,” Bess said. They walked to the
bar and sat, ordering coffee. Bess poured the cups and disappeared into the
kitchen.
    “I’d be happy to buy you breakfast for your time,” Steven
said. “If you’re hungry.”
    “Nah, already ate,”