Jack sat at the bar, staring into a glass of the best single-malt Jimmy’s offered, and wondering how long it would take before someone called the cops.  Jimmy himself had taken station across the bar from Jack, drying glasses and watching him with a wary eye.  The owner allowed no one else—bartender, waitress, or patron—within two stools distance of Jack.

“You waitin’ on someone?” Jimmy asked, placing a tumbler on the shelf.

“Possibly,” Jack said without looking up.  “I’ll know for sure when they get here.”  He picked up his glass, upended it, and drank the contents in one gulp.  When he set it on the bar, he pushed it toward Jimmy and pointed, asking for a refill.  Jimmy pulled a bottle from beneath the bar, poured Jack anot...

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