The Gentlemen's Hour

57

Regarding the next morning’s Dawn Patrol, there’s dawn . . .

. . . but not much of a patrol.

Boone, Dave, and Hang are out there, but Johnny and Tide are 404.

“Johnny must have got hung on a case,” Dave observes.

“Probably,” Boone says.

“Yeah, but where’s Tide?” Hang asks.

“He was at The Sundowner last night,” Dave says.

“He say anything?” Boone asks.

“About what?”

“I dunno,” Boone says. “Anything.”

Great, he thinks. Lie to the friends you have left.

“He was quiet,” Dave says. “A big Buddha statue sitting at the bar, banging beers. I left early, had a date with a nurse from Frankfurt. The Euros are here in force, man. The beach is like the freaking UN.”

“Weak dollar,” Boone says.

“I guess.” Dave looks at Boone funny, like, What aren’t you telling me?

Boone sees it and ignores it. Can’t tell you what I can’t tell you, bro, and you’ll find out about it soon enough anyway.