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He had Da's eyes-like Qui
Those had all gone to Qui
Qui
Lucky for all of Chicago, Michael had found his niche as a Cook County assistant state's attorney, where his fine brain and wicked lip helped keep the streets clean.
As Qui
How many times had Qui
The Qui
Michael and Pat's argument had deteriorated into a dispute over the name of a short-lived family dog from the late seventies. These two could argue about the color of the sky, Qui
"The damn dog's name was Caesar," Michael said, looking shocked. "I can't believe you don't remember that."
"Caesar?" Pat laughed. "Do you really think our father would have allowed an animal with that fruity name into our house? The dog's name was Jake."
"What are you, nuts?" Michael said, laughing. "If we ever owned a dog named Jake, then my dick is the size of the Space Shuttle… "
Qui
Qui
He felt the dark, rich stout slide down mellow and smoky at the back of his throat and sighed. A pint was always best at Keenan's, in the company of his brothers and in the memory of John.
"So, how's lifestyles of the rich and fatuous, Stacey?" Pat smiled at him.
"Oh, it's rough," Qui
"Tell Pat about the household hints chick. He's go
"Really?" Patrick took a reverent sip of his own pint and eyed his older brother. "The new one or the dead one?"
"The dead one would be easier to handle." Qui
"The dead always are," Pat said broodingly. "It's the living that piss me off to no end."
"Bad day in the confessional, Father Pat?" Qui
"The usual." He waved his hand and sighed. "So somebody's stalking Homey Helen? What the hell for, to get their hands on her secret recipe for window cleaner?"
"Haven't quite figured that out yet," Qui
"I've seen her on TV," Michael offered. "She's a complete babe. Now tell Pat who she used to date."
Qui
Pat nearly spit out his beer. "Jaysus! No way!"
Qui
"My God, is the poor woman daft or just a rotten judge of character?" Pat asked.
Qui
"My shit-stained drawers are too good for Timmy Burke," Michael quipped.
"Yeah, well I had to go talk to the man this morning."
Both Pat and Michael went silent.
"He's a possible suspect, like all her old boyfriends," Qui
Pat cleared his throat. "How long had it been since you talked to him, Stace?"
"I don't know. Mom's funeral, I guess, so a couple years."
Pat nodded silently, feeling Michael kick him under the table. "What?" he whispered, scowling at Michael. "Stop it, you eejit."
Qui
"Who's Audie?" Michael asked, confused.
"Oh. Homey Helen. Her real name is Autumn Adams-people call her Audie."
Pat set down his beer and smiled at Qui
"So did you tell this Audie person how important she was to Mom? How she made our lives an anal-retentive hell?"
Qui
Michael jerked back as if Qui
"Shit… " he hissed to himself, rubbing a hand over his face. Qui
"Need I remind you you're under oath, Stacey?" Michael draped a big arm around his brother's shoulders and gri
"So he likes her, so what?" Pat said, frowning at Michael. "It's not a big deal. Leave him be."
"The hell it's not a big deal!" Michael's eyes went wide. "I think it's the first time he's brought a woman to his house since Laura took off. Am I right?"
Pat's eyebrows shot up. "Really? Is that true, Stace?"
He wasn't responding to his brother's taunts in his usual brusque fashion, and Pat wondered if Stacey still hurt over Laura-it had been more than a year since she'd had a fling with Timmy Burke and then left with the radio disc jockey. And good riddance to her, Pat thought. She wasn't right for Stacey, not that anyone in the family ever dared say so to his face.
Pat studied his older brother carefully, almost hearing the gears inside his brain as they clicked into place.
"Uh-oh," Pat whispered, turning to Michael, suddenly making the co
"Hel-lo," Michael said in singsong.
"Shut up, both of you," Qui
Michael's lips flapped together in a sudden burst of laughter and Pat joined in. "Well, of course you'd like her, Stacey!" Michael said. "She's your fantasy woman!"
"Martha Stewart… " Pat began.
"And Carmen Electra," Michael finished for him.
"So we were wrong-she does exist," Pat whispered respectfully, before he and Michael began laughing again. "No, really, I think that's great, Stace," Pat said. "So how much do you like her?"
Good question, Qui