Page 27 of Snowbirds
“Except for you, Ivan.”
TEN
Chris
Apparently, tea with a former motorcycle gang leader was what was next. Chris needed to learn never to ask that question.
“You have a granddaughter?” Susie beamed across the table at Gunnar. “We need to hear all about her.”
Chris was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that they were sitting around talking about life with the president of the Velvet Devils—who were vastly reformed. Next he knew, they’d be swapping recipes. His mom was going to have Tyrone’s and Gunnar’s phone numbers programed into her cell before they returned to wherever they were staying—or lived.
They hadn’t actually said what they were doing in Surprise yet, or why they’d been by Buckley’s numerous times.
“Her name is Hazel, and she is the reason we stopped by the other day and today. She’s a real genius, gives her dads and me a run for our money.” Gunnar grinned and pulled his cellphone out of a vest pocket, holding it out so they all could see a selfie-style picture of a young girl suited up in a wet suit and snorkel and giving the camera a thumbs-up.
“She’s lovely and adventurous,” Susie said.
“Thank you. I like to think she takes after me,” Gunnar said, settling back into his seat.
The other riders had opted to meet up with Gunnar and Tyrone later that evening instead of joining them. Which was good because, as much as his mother might have wished it, her patio was just not large enough.
“She’s also grounded from the internet until she’s eighteen,” Tyrone added dryly.
“Oh?” Chris said. “What happened?”
Gunnar rolled his eyes. “Somehow, Hazel found out about this neighbor of yours, Cleevus Buckley, from the internet. Took her about two seconds to figure out he’s selling black-market taxidermy, and she packed to come down here on her own and torch the place. I think she gets that from me. Luckily, Dutch and Foster stopped her just as she was boarding the ferry. Dutch called and I promised her we’d talk to him.”
“Ah, but even better than you, er, talking to him,” Ivan said before Chris did, “we have legal resources. After what we saw last night, Chris is putting a call into Fish and Game.”
“I am?” Chris asked.
“You definitely are. We both saw what he has in there. Not. Legal. Some of that I bet people can’t even possess.”
They’d work out the legality of their accidental search later. They had been doing a legitimate wellness check after all.
“Fine. I guess I’m making a call.”
“She sounds wonderful, Gunnar,” Susie said. “I can tell you’re very proud of her.”
“We both are.” Gunnar shot Tyrone a glance so full of tenderness that Chris had to blink at its brilliance. “Hazel is all about protecting endangered animals and resources, she’s our very own… what’s that young woman’s name?” he asked Tyrone.
“Greta Thunburg,” Tyrone said. “If her dads ever un-ground her, we plan on taking Hazel on a trip to Iceland and Norway, see some puffins and maybe Beluga whales.”
“Yeah, except I’m afraid she’ll make us walk there instead of fly, in order to reduce our carbon footprint,” Gunnar said. The expression on his face told Chris he might actually try to walk if Hazel required it.
“Does anyone have a guess where Buckley is?” Ivan asked, bringing the conversation back around. “Chris and I asked around at the market today, and no one has seen him recently.”
“No idea, I swear on Hazel’s head,” Gunnar said.
“So that wasn’t you last night?” Ivan asked. “We heard engines and gunfire.”
“We didn’t hear anything,” Susie exclaimed.
“That does not come as a surprise, Mom,” said Chris.
“No, we went bowling,” Tyrone answered. “Massive bowling alley, forty lanes. Next year we’re going to try and convince Dutch, Foster, Becca—Foster’s sister—and Hazel to come down over winter break. Go to the Grand Canyon, visit Joshua Tree.”
While the rest of the table talked about what there was to do and the best time of year to do it, Chris made a quick phone call.
