The Book of Death (Bourbon Kid 4)

said.
    Kacy unclasped the silver chain
around her neck and held it out to Beth, the Eye of the Moon rested firmly in
the palm of her hand. ‘We were thinking of throwing it off the end of the
pier.’
    ‘Do you mind if I do it?’ Beth
asked.
    ‘It’s all yours.’
    Beth took the blue stone from
Kacy. ‘Do you still want the chain?’ she asked.
    ‘Nah, it’s okay,’ said Kacy. ‘It’s
worthless. Throw the whole thing in the sea if you want.’
    ‘You sure?’
    ‘Yeah. Go nuts. Chuck it as far as
you can.’
    Beth took a long look at the chain
in her hand. The Eye of the Moon was a beautiful stone, but it had been the
cause of many, many deaths in Santa Mondega. To keep possession of it was
dangerous. She looked back up at Kacy, her eyes close to tears again. ‘You
know, the last time I threw a necklace off the end of this pier, JD came back
to me.’
    Kacy reached out to Beth and
rubbed her arm gently. ‘Then you should definitely do it. It could be the sign
that brings him back again.’
    The two women embraced for a few
seconds. Kacy could sense from the way Beth clung tightly to her that she’d
made a good friend. Eventually, Beth peeled herself away and walked back to the
end of the pier. Kacy watched her take one last look at the Eye of the Moon in
her hand before, with one almighty throw, she tossed it out into the sea. It
hit the surface of the water and made a gentle plopping sound. Then it vanished
beneath the waves.
    Beth didn’t turn back right away.
Instead she continued to stare out to sea, looking to the horizon, as if she
hoped it would bring her some answers.
    Dante sneaked up behind Kacy and
slipped his arms around her waist. ‘It’s just like the end of Top Gun isn’t
it?’ he said. ‘You know, when Maverick throws Goose’s dog tags out to sea?’
    Kacy rested her head on his
shoulder. ‘Sweetie, it’s nothing like Top Gun.’
    ‘No. I think it is.’
    They argued about the relevance of
Top Gun for a while longer as Beth stared out at the sea. Eventually the three
of them left the harbour and headed to the Tapioca for a celebratory drink.
     

 
    Sixty-Three

 
    Six
months later

 
    Sanchez hated strangers coming
into his bar. Unfortunately for him, Flake fucking loved them and was regularly
organising events to encourage new customers into the Tapioca. It made Sanchez
livid, but he had to grudgingly admit that Flake had transformed the place and
profits were up because of her efforts.
    For the first time ever, the
Tapioca was hosting a wedding reception. Dante and Kacy had just been married
at the Church of the Blessed Saint Ursula. Sanchez quite liked Dante and Kacy,
so out of respect (and as a promise to Flake) he’d hidden the piss bottle away
and was serving only proper drinks for a change.
    Flake was out back with one of his
other new employees, Mental Beth. The pair of them had been bridesmaids at the
wedding. They were still wearing the pink dresses Kacy had picked out for them,
but instead of enjoying the festivities they were busy preparing a finger
buffet for the rest of the guests.
    Beth had actually turned out to be
a lot less mental than Sanchez had been led to believe. She was hard working
and got on really well with Flake, so he’d had to stop referring to her as
Mental whenever Flake was around otherwise he tended to get a clip around the
ear. He kind of felt bad for Beth too. The Bourbon Kid had vanished and it was
pretty evident that she was lonely and desperate to know what had become of
him.
    Dante was seated on a stool at the
bar. He was wearing a smart black tuxedo and drinking a bottle of Shitting
Monkey beer. He chatted with Sanchez whenever the bartender had a free moment.
Sanchez had never seen him look so smart. Then again, Sanchez had rarely been
dressed smarter himself. He too was wearing a suit, a fine bright yellow one
he’d picked out for himself at the local flea market.
    Dante had barely taken his eyes
off Kacy all day. Sanchez recognised the look too because he’d begun to look at
Flake the same way in recent months.
    ‘She sure does look beautiful in
that wedding dress,’ Sanchez remarked.
    ‘Yeah,’ Dante nodded. ‘Look at how
happy she is, mingling with all them people.’
    Kacy was standing by a table in
the corner. She was wearing a glistening white wedding dress and chatting with
a few of the other drinkers. In her hand she had a large glass of red wine.
    ‘Who are those people she’s
talking to?’ Sanchez