From an early age, Hammond Ruddock Jr. knew that the secret to making a decent living was to find what people wanted and then sell it to them. As a schoolboy, he’d done well on door to door sales for the school. In college, he’d traded in textbooks and contraband. But when Hammond Ruddock Sr. had fallen stone dead from an aneurysm, leaving his son the shell of a building that was paid off and connections with the county apparatus, well…it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see what the locals wanted and would pay for.

Ruddock’s was the preeminent bar in the local area for a few reasons. First and foremost, Hammond Ruddock kept the place clean and served a good array of local favorites. He even took requests, buying bottles on the house so long as patrons paid by the glass. With the occasional life music, video poker, and well-maintained pool tables and dartboards, Ruddock’s was often the only place where there was anything to do. The free wi-fi didn’t hurt either–that day’s password came with your first purchase.

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