Read 2 A Deadly Beef for Free Online Page B

don’t mind my eating while you ask.  I hate cold French fries
more than just about anything in the world."
    "Even
more than war and pestilence?" I asked.
    He pondered
that for a moment, and then he replied, "No, those would both have to go
higher up on the list.  Perhaps I misspoke."
    "Listen,
I’ve often wondered about it, but I’ve never come right out and
asked you.  Do they call you The Major because of your military
service?"
    "No,
I never participated in any branch of the armed forces," he said as he
smiled and took a bite of the first fry.
    "Then
why does everyone in town call you The Major?" I asked.
    "Do
you happen to know my older brother, Matthew?"
    I
nodded.  "He comes in here for breakfast every Thursday morning at
six-thirty," I said.
    "And
have you noticed that in all of the years since you took over The Charming
Moose from your father that I’ve never come in on a Thursday morning
myself?"
    "To
be honest with you, I hadn’t really noticed," I said. 
"What’s wrong?  Don’t you two get along?"
    "No,
not in the slightest.  We never have, and I’m afraid at our ages, we
never will.  You see, Matthew has never been happy with having a little
brother."
    It was
hard to think of this silver-haired man as anyone’s little brother, even
thought I knew that it was a fact.  "What does that have to do with
your name, though?"
    "He
started referring to me in elementary school as The Major, and I’m afraid
it caught on, even at that young age."
    "But
what does it mean?"
    "Can
you keep a secret?" he asked me softly.
    "Not
from my husband," I said.  "Everyone else is
negotiable."
    "Even
Moose?"
    "Even
Moose," I said.
    "Very
well, then.  The Major wasn’t the full nickname he gave me, at least
not at first.  He loved to say that I was a major pain in his rear, though
he’s never been nearly as delicate about it as I have been."
    "And
you don’t mind folks calling you that now, based on what it’s
derived from?" I asked. 
    "Ah,
there’s the rub.  Victoria, do you want to know my real first
name?"
    I
nodded.  "Sure.  Is that a secret, too?"
    "Absolutely. 
My full given name is Hillary Grace Hitchings, legitimate names taken from
ancestors of mine long dead who had been equally cursed in their own times. 
Believe me when I tell you that I embraced the name ‘Major’ with
every ounce of my being, since the alternatives were much worse."
    I
stood and smiled.  "I hope you enjoy your meal, Major."
    "There
is no doubt in my mind that I will," he said.  "It was pleasant
chatting with you."
    When I
got back to the counter, I noticed that Greg had been watching us. 
"That took an extraordinarily long time to deliver a burger and
fries."
    "I
stopped to chat for a minute," I said.
    "About
anything in particular?"
    "I’ll
tell you tonight.  Oh, that reminds me.  Moose wants to go out
investigating this evening, so we’ll have to eat something here before we
go home."
    Greg
grinned at me.  "That shouldn’t be a problem.  I believe
I’ll be able to whip something good up."
    "I
think so, too," I said.
    "Should
we try to eat a bite together now, or wait until we close?"
    "Let’s
take a chance and try it now," I said.  "I’m starving,
though I don’t quite know why."
    "Snooping
around is hard work," he said.  "Do you have any preferences,
or should I just surprise you?"
    "I’m
feeling lucky tonight," I said.  "Go on; give it your best
shot."
    Ten
minutes later, Greg came out of the kitchen with two plates.  They were
both sporting his famous fried chicken fingers, lima beans cooked just the way
I liked them, and complementary sides of cranberry sauce. 
    "How’s
that look?" he asked.
    "Like
a dream come true."
    We
each got half a dozen bites in before a crowd rushed into the diner, and then
it was time to take care of them .  I smiled at Greg as he took the
plates away, and then I got to work making sure that everyone was fed as fast
and as courteously as possible.
    Such
was the life of a