Sean pulled up next to Nowhere and grabbed the ice first. All of this reminecing caused Sean to say a silent 'thank-you' to Gene. Nowhere was the best thing he'd ever done. Truth was the first to greet him. Then his only bar keep, Leon, came out of Nowhere and grabbed the ice from him with only a grunt of salutation. Sean turned around got the rest of today's errands and headed inside to the cool darkness of Nowhere.

As he entered the airlock today, it was still hot, but Sean paused listening very eagerly. Truth was not barking. All he could hear was the faint hum of the air conditioner. No music.

He stepped into the bar and Truth got up to greet him. Tail wagging violently as per the usual. One of the chairs paid the price but withstood the punishment without breaking. "Hey boy, where's Leon?" as he scrubbed Truth behind his ear with one hand while putting down the ice.

"Leon?" he picked up the bag again and walked towards the bar. He started a pot of coffee. Sean preferred coffee most days, yesterday had been an exception and he was paying the price today. He had already had one pot but he needed more and he liked having a fresh pot available for the locals.

He noticed that half the bar was empty. "Shit." The door to the airlock opened. "Leon?"

"Nope!" Sherriff Gordon walked in "guess again!" He was smiling the way he always does whenever something was wrong, but you weren't it. Truth bounded over in two giant leaps and bowled into the big sheriff's thighs. This would have staggered an average sized person. The sheriff came to a mock attention and saluted "Greetings Major Truth!" he dropped the salute and kneeled down to scrub the dog's belly.

"Hey Wally. What are you doing out here? You seen Leon?"

"Yep. Well, nah. I tried to call the house, but i didn't catch you in time. I don't know how to talk to you on that device you carry with you. Wally pointed to Sean's BlackBerry that he carried for work. But I figured I'd come tell you not to 'spect him." the large man grinned again. It seemed his favorite part of the job was giving people bad news. But you had to ask. Wally Gordon enjoyed watching the pieces fall together for people the same way he had put them together.

Sean generally worked from six in the morning until around lunch time at his job. He had quit to save his marriage. When that didn't work out he was lucky that they still needed help, but on a contract basis. "Why should I not expect Leon today, Sheriff?" He was here in an official capacity, Sean would address him so.

"Him and another fella were picked up over in Madison. The other fella got away, but they're holdin Leon." the grin widened.

"Does this have anything to do with my missing hooch?"

Wally Gordon looked shocked. It was an act. "Why Mr Sean, did someone break into your house and steal your personal, for your own use, supply of alkie-hol?" Fake shock gave way to real laughter. Why else would he be here at 2 o'clock on a Wednesday?

"Shit." Sean was running an illegal speakeasy. The sherriff was one of his regulars. His only deputy was not. Sean's joint was an open secret. But since he didn't have a license, anything that was done here left him in a legal grey area. For instance, if an employee, or former employee, stole his inventory and got picked up for Lord know's what, then there was very little real recourse that Sean could take.

Yesterday's events, if things had gone down a different, violent, path would have probably ended things here for Sean. The old lady was right, he never liked having the police here in an official capacity. Right now was evidence of that.

The laughter stopped. "I'll see what I can do to get some of that back for you Sean. But I don't have high hopes." He stood up and clapped a big paw on Sean's shoulder. "You got enough for tonight? Or should I bring my own?" Wednesday was Wally's league bowling night. He bowled with two other regulars.

"Nah, I got enough for tonight. Prolly enough to get through the weekend. This will definately put a hole where I don't need one dug. We'll see." Sean was wondering if there would be a business past Sunday. Sunday was dry in the county. If anyone wanted a drink on Sunday they better have stocked up. It was his best day.

"Say, I heard y'all had some trouble out here yesterday. What was that all about?"

"Some old lady and her son causing a disturbance, not wanting to pay their tab. Imagine that, coming out all this way and thinking you can not pay" Sean just stuck with the old woman's lie as it was plausible and the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm telling you, screen 'em first. You got something special here, Sean. You could raise prices and just shuttle them in and out from town. Partner over with some of the hotels as an "inclusive" or "exclusive" deal, sumptin. Locals will come and go but then you could control the tourists." It was an idea that Wally and Sean had discussed over a round of drinks a few months ago when Wally's deputy had to come out and remove a couple of tourists from the place. Wally had joked that the sheriff's department was a Rowdy Tourist shuttle service. The deputy looked as his boss with open derision. Wally didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah, I can't even keep a bartender out here Wally! How am I going to afford a shuttle driver? And a bus?" Sean was getting desperate. Nowhere was built mostly with his savings besides Gene authorizing the initial pour behind Sean's back. The unasked for loan from Gene had finished the construction and "decor" as it was, plus kept the place going for the first two years. The second loan was on purpose after a waitress, Lori, had stolen the month's take. Sean learned after that to keep all cash in the gun safe in his house. Once it got to ten thousand he took it to the bank. He'd heard that anything under ten grand wasn't worth tracking for banks and the IRS. Or was it the SEC? FTC?

Having close to eight thousand dollars taken from Nowhere woulld have closed the doors at that point, but Lori's dad was a standup guy. He ended up loaning Sean fifteen grand, but interest only on seven of it. Made sense since his kid owed Sean eight.

"Simple! Hire Jay Morris! He's got that new Tarus SHO he's always strutting Main on when he's not on duty. Plus he's got access to the County shuttle bus." Jay Morris was Wally's deputy.

"Are you suggesting that Deputy Morris do something illegal?"

"Heck nah. He's gonna want to replace me someday. Nobody'd vote for him yet. So I figure I got five or ten more years. Nah, we'd start a business and sub-let it from the County. Then when I retire and Jay takes over, I'll need something to do." Wally seemed to have it all figured out.

"We? And how am I going to pay Jay?" Sean had some ideas now. His current troubles and yesterday's events both receding like a morning tide. "Wait, I could advertise an authentic Hillbilly experience on the BBS!"

Wally looked puzzled.

"You heard of the Internet, Wally?"

The smiled on Wally's face widened again. "Yeah. They put it in my office back in '97. Dispatch uses it mostly."

Sean waved his hand to get Wally back on track. "The BBS is just a bulletin board. It'd be like putting a 3x5 on the bulletin board down at the laundry, 'cept it'd reach the whole world."

"So what'd you want me to tell Jay?"

"If I get out of this weekend, I'll holler at you, okay? For now, nothing. But I'll see if I can bring in some tourists and save this place. Thanks Wally."

"Sure thing. Like I said I'll be back tonight. Oh, and I'll see if the boys over at Madison will release any of your stock too."

"Right, thanks again Wally. See you tonight." Sean and Truth walked out of the door behind Wally. No need to lock anything up he was going up to the house to get on the Internet and he didn't expect any of the 20 until after 5. That gave him about 3 hours, at least he had the place to himself and he didn't have a teenager trying to use the phone while he was working. He hope 3 hours was enough at 56k.