Page 57 of Ride the Lightning

They left the restaurant a short time later. When they neared Savannah, a promo came on for the nightly news. “Who killed Earl Ison?” a familiar voice asked. “That’s what I’m going to find out. Tune in at eleven and—”

Felix growled and stabbed a button on the radio to change the station. “Fucking Jude Arrow.”

“Not a fan of The Straight Shooter?” Jonah asked, straightening in his seat. He’d started to get drowsy with a full belly, but Felix’s irritation perked him up.

“He’s a sanctimonious prick,” Felix snarled. “I’d like to give the arrow shoved up his ass a good twist.”

“Whoa,” Jonah said. “Such hostility. How do you know him? He hasn’t been with the local news for long.”

“Journalism school,” Felix spat out like the words tasted terrible. “He went to Atlanta afterward and became a big deal. If I cared about him even slightly, I’d find out why he left Hotlanta for a much smaller market.”

Jonah looked at his friend and noted Felix’s rigid posture, firm jaw, and white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. Yeah, he didn’t care even the tiniest bit. Jonah let it go because he wasn’t an annoying shithead like Felix and Rocky.

Oh, fuck that. Being a shithead was much more fun. “Or you could use your investigative reporter skills to ferret out the information.If you cared, that is.”

Felix released the steering wheel with one hand so he could flip Jonah off. “Kiss my ass.”

Felix’s ass was definitely not the one Jonah longed to kiss.

By the time Jonah collected his car and drove home, it was already after six. He’d spent the last leg of their journey back to Savannah on the phone looking for a plumber who could replace his water heater. Everyone he called was booked solid for weeks, and none of them offered emergency services, which was odd since they could charge double for their labor.

Defeated, dingy, and wishing he could shower, Jonah changed into a pair of clean sweats and a T-shirt before calling Royce.

“Hey, big guy,” Royce said when he answered the phone. “Why do you sound like Eeyore?”

Jonah chuckled, then explained his predicament.

“This is your lucky day,” Royce said enthusiastically.

“It is?”

Royce laughed. “I just happen to know a guy who has amazing plumbing skills.” Jonah heard a loud snort coming from the other end and suspected it came from Sawyer. “What?” Royce asked.

“Do you remember the last time you tried to help a friend with a plumbing issue?” Sawyer asked, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

“It was a freak thing,” Royce said defensively.

“You nearly flooded Candi’s upstairs bathroom,” Sawyer said. “You can’t be trusted.”

“Oh, yeah?” Royce asked. “I haven’t begun to show you my prowess around the house yet.”

“I’ve got your prowess right here,” Sawyer quipped.

“I’ve changed water heaters plenty of times,” Royce argued.

“How many is plenty?” Jonah asked, reminding them he was still on the phone.

“At least twice,” Royce replied. “It’s easy. Have you already purchased a replacement water heater?”

“No. I’ve been out of town interviewing people for our current podcast investigation,” Jonah replied. “I can get one pretty fast though, except I don’t have a vehicle large enough to haul it.”

“I got you covered there too. I have this new badass SUV, and the only thing I’ve hauled so far is groceries,” Royce grumbled. “Call Sal at Sal’s Hardware. He’ll know everything we need to replace the water heater. You can pay for the order over the phone, and I’ll swing by and pick it up in about an hour, then head over to your place.”

“Thisismy lucky day,” Jonah said.

“Famous last words,” Sawyer warned, raising his voice to be sure Jonah could hear him.

“Why are you yelling in his ear?” Royce asked. “I have you on speakerphone, asshole.”