Chapter 4
Chapter Four
I t was safe to assume that Theo was not a serial killer or an evil mastermind.
“Dummkopf!” Theo gasped in frustration.
He almost got himself in the face again with the Microban as he attempted to pry back the tongue of a rental shoe and spray the disinfectant inside it.
Dewey didn’t laugh at people. Ever.
He was a firm believer that pride always came before the fall and he had made his share of mistakes. Dewey would probably look like an absolute clown if he had to spend a day in Austria, doing whatever it was that Theo used to do there. Of course, there was no logical reason why Dewey would, so he was back to wondering why there was a lost Austrian in his bowling alley.
But Dewey had come perilously close to laughing when Theo blasted himself in the eyes with the spray and released a torrent of German curses. He would have been convinced right then and there that it was all an elaborate prank, if any of Dewey’s friends had enough money to hire an actor of Theo’s caliber.
“Mist!” Theo dropped the bottle and tossed the shoe, covering his right eye.
“Let’s get you to the bathroom,” Dewey sighed, guiding Theo around the counter and the snack stand. He led him to the door and held it open. “Need help finding the sink and rinsing?”
“I think I can manage, danke!” Theo attempted bravely, waving in front of him so he wouldn’t bump into anything.
“Holler if you need a hand.”
Dewey let the door close after Theo, grimacing as he returned to the front desk. A soft buzzing sound had him searching around until he spotted Theo’s phone next to the register. The caller ID said “Matteo vH” and Dewey’s brows jumped as a breathtakingly beautiful young man who had to be related to Theo and another beautiful, yet menacing punk clone stuck their tongues out at him from the screen.
The call ended and a message flashed, warning that three calls had been missed before the phone started vibrating again. Dewey hissed at the picture of Theo’s brothers, deciding to answer it. He had no right touching Theo’s phone, but there might be an emergency and Dewey didn’t want them to worry.
“This is Theo’s phone,” Dewey said, squeezing an eye shut. “He’s not here at the moment, but he’ll be back shortly.”
“What do you mean, he’s not there at the moment?” a voice and an accent very much like Theo’s demanded. “Where is he and who are you?”
“He’s in the restroom and I’m his…boss,” Dewey said with a baffled shrug.
“His what?”
Dewey could understand the confusion. “His boss.”
“His boss? Theo doesn’t have a boss. He’s the boss. And he doesn’t work. Who are you?”
“My name’s Dewey and I’m pretty sure it’s still my place…”
There was a hard snort from Matteo. “And what is it that my brother does there?” he challenged, making Dewey push out another hard sigh.
“You know, we haven’t quite figured that part out yet. But he’s only been in Oslo?—”
“Oslo?” Matteo echoed loudly.
“Not the—” Dewey started and planned to clarify but Theo raced from the restroom and snatched the phone from him. “Sorry. It kept ringing and I didn’t want them to worry…” Dewey said but Theo gestured dismissively and whispered an apology over his shoulder.
“Won’t be more than a moment,” Theo said and quickly paced away. “Was geht, Teo? I told you, everything’s fine… That gentleman?” he asked, stealing a glance back at Dewey and laughing. “Boss, friend, guide… He’s been a marvelous help since I arrived,” he continued. “Stop worrying.”
Theo took the conversation to the other side of the alley but Dewey was reassured by the few tidbits he had gleaned. It had been a very brief exchange, but Matteo had at least confirmed that Theo had been telling the truth about his brothers. They existed and they were concerned about him.
That was a hell of a lot more than Dewey could say about his own brother and decided it was a mark in Theo’s favor that he was missed. Theo didn’t seem to find it as flattering, muttering apologies and rolling his eyes when he returned.
“Everything alright?” Dewey asked.
“Everything’s fine. Except that Teo isn’t happy, now that he got what he asked for,” Theo said and Dewey made a knowing sound.
“I could write an essay about brothers who got what they deserved. What did Matteo want?”
“For me to spread my wings and do something for myself,” he said with a wild wave around him.
“Ah. So you’re here on a dare?” That made a little more sense to Dewey but Theo shook his head.
“Nee, nothing like that. He merely pointed out that he didn’t need me there in Manhattan, playing mother hen anymore. Neither does Eli. That was sort of the…impetus,” Theo said with a nod and brightened, but he had lost Dewey. He wasn’t interested in a long-winded philosophical explanation.
“The impetus? Is there a faster way to the end of this story?”
“Ha!” Theo gave Dewey’s chest a playful swat. “You’re very funny, Brooks. It got me thinking, though: what else is there for me, beyond being Leo’s, Matteo’s, and Elio’s brother? That’s why I’m here. But Matteo thinks he’s hurt my feelings and that I’ve left out of spite.”
“Spite makes sense, too.” Dewey’s head tipped from side to side as he considered. “I could see someone staying in Oslo to prove a point. It’s like the world’s most boring endurance challenge.”
“It’s not that bad,” Theo argued. “You must like it here or you wouldn’t stay.”
Dewey shrugged. “It’s all I know and I’m one of the reasons this place is so boring. I’m…the boss of boring,” he said with a gotcha look, making Theo wince.
“I would still be answering his questions if I tried to explain this.”
He had a point because Dewey had dozens. “Do you owe him money? Is that why you’re hiding from him?” he asked and Theo let out an indignant splutter.
“I may be guilty of raiding his bathroom before I left,” he said as he rolled a hand vaguely. “But I would never take anything of actual value from my brothers.”
“Yeah… I can believe that part pretty easily,” Dewey said. “Let’s try to finish these shoes without sending you to the hospital.” He passed him the bottle then pointed at the hole on the nozzle. “Aim that inside the shoes,” he said slowly.
“Got it, boss,” Theo said with a dazzling smile and gave it a test spray.
He was able to finish the rest of the shoes without incident and there was time to kill before Cassie arrived with lunch so Dewey decided to assess Theo’s bowling skills.
“What are you, a 12?” Dewey had guessed as he retrieved Theo’s fancy leather Oxfords from under the counter. He had loaned Theo his spare boots but they had to be at least a size too big.
Theo held up his hands. “Possibly.”
“Possibly? What’s your European shoe size? That should be pretty simple to convert,” Dewey assumed, but Theo looked even more puzzled. “Let’s see what these say, then,” Dewey said and searched Theo’s shoes for a size number. “All I can find is ‘Conti, TVH0017.’ Are those your initials? What’s the V for?” Dewey had asked as he studied the inside of Theo’s leather shoe.
Theo’s cheeks turned pink and he winced sheepishly. “Possibly. An Italian gentleman in London made those for me,” he whispered with an apologetic wrinkle of his nose. “I’m sure one of these will fit,” he said, dismissing his shoes as he planted his fists on his hips and surveyed the racks behind them.
“Go ahead and knock yourself out, Cinderella,” Dewey told him and stood back while Theo tried on several pairs.
Eventually, Theo confirmed that he was a size 12 and pranced behind the counter, strangely delighted as he tested out his new shoes.
“What do you think, Brooks? Am I ready to bowl?” he asked, then stretched an arm across his chest like he was about to go for a run or lift a weight.
“Sure…” Dewey replied with a toss of his chin at the lanes. “Let’s see what you’ve got. I’ll turn on 2 for you.”
“Ausgezeichnet!” Theo cheered excitedly before hurrying around the counter and jogging over. “Here we go!” he said as he selected a ball from the stand behind lane 2.
“Here we go,” Dewey parroted, his brows climbing up his head as he waited to see what kind of bowler the baffling Austrian turned out to be.
Dewey’s expectations were low, but they should have been a lot lower.
“Wait!” Dewey called and hurried over when Theo drew the ball back, keeping it even with his shoulder. “What are you gonna do? Shot-put that at the pins?”
“Oh. Is this not the right way?” Theo had asked cluelessly.
“No, that’s not the right way,” Dewey replied with a shake of his head. He took the ball and gestured for Theo to stand back. “Like this,” he said and slowly went through the proper motion before letting the ball go. It rolled in an easy arc, striking the #3 pin and taking out the 2, 5, 6, and 10.
“Klasse!” Theo had declared, earning a soft grunt from Dewey.
“Not really, but roll the ball, Theo. Don’t throw it or you’ll dent my lane.”
“I see. How about a quick game? I’m keen to learn more,” Theo said with a hopeful look.
Dewey was tempted. Nothing had ever looked as ridiculously wrong as watching Theo lobbing balls into the gutter like his arm had fallen asleep. For a moment, Dewey imagined how easy and fun it would be to show off and goof around with Theo.
Wednesdays were one of their slowest days and there were fewer shoes to process in the morning because Monday and Tuesday nights were quiet too. He almost said yes, but his thumb was already throbbing from that first roll and Dewey was secretly smarting because it should have been a strike. He would have been laughed at, if anyone who knew him better had been watching.
“You go ahead and keep practicing. I might as well get the deposit ready to run over to the bank since you’re here to watch the front.”
“Very well, then,” Theo said with his usual charm and offered Dewey an elegant half bow. “Just… holler if you need me,” he added, smiling cheekily and looking tickled to use another piece of American slang.
“I’ll holler if I need you,” Dewey confirmed as he saluted Theo, escaping to his office with his tail between his legs.