Rook Garner

Rook is a mutant who runs his pawnshop since before the Eisenhower administration. He and Louie Lamintz ran guns to Ethiopia and they also fought in the same regiment during the World War III.

When Louie opened the Brew & Stew in Chandler Avenue, Rook was told of an empty shop which he bought and opened his Rook's Pawn Shop which also has an alley around the back with an entrance to the sewers. Chelsee Bando helped him make some connections with the black market.According to Tex Murphy, he is crusty and mean-spirited by with a heart of gold. Rook lets Tex buy things on credit, and then nags him ruthlessly until he pays up.

Rook also subscribes to a trade paper Jewelry Weekly. He is also very environmentally conscious and cares for all paper to end up in the paper-only trash can. He also saves his copies of the Bay City Mirror for recycling, but the bums steal them for blankets.Clint the chocoholic bum slept in the garbage can outside his shop, until Rook demanded rent from him.

Rook plays an
 important role in Tex's cases.During the Under a Killing Moon case Rook
 is first contacted by Lucia Pernell from The Bay City Mirror regarding a
 series of burgalries that occur in Chandler Avenue later revealed to be
 carried out by Mick Flemm.Rook even becomes a victim of Flemms when an
expensive bracelet worth at least $80,000 which he took in for only
$8,000 is stolen and eventually returned by Tex(it is revealed the bracelet was part of a scam run by Mick Plemm and his girlfriend).This helps Tex regain
his confidence and eagerly accept an offer from the Countess Rainer and later gave the location of the trade paper which led him to Franco Franco who gave him the location of the Hubah.Later on he gives Tex a silver dollar he needed to gain entry to the Moon Child via the Broken Skull.By
this time he had already began a business relationship with Margaret
Leonard who had given him a large,rare and very valuable collection of
Tesla items from her when she moved into Chandler Avenue to spy on her
daughter Chelsee.Rook begins to become very fond of her even trying to
help her and get close to her.When Thomas Malloy moved into the Ritz Hotel he pawned a black dagger which he wanted to have temporarily for safe-keeping and kept the pawn receipt.After Thomas went missing and was sought after by his collegue Gordon Fitzpatrick ,Tex went to his room and was knocked out by "The Black Arrow Killer"(In fact Rook lost $20 in a bet that Gordon had sought Tex for a job)when he awoken he found a pawn receipt and trades it in for a black ceromonial dagger(but only after having to pay an extra $250).Tex later uses it to solve an important puzzle in the Mayan temple in Yucatan.Later on Tex is looking for Lucia Pernall in
relation to his investigation into the "Black Arrow Killer" he is
directed to Rook from Louie who had also met her.He gives Murphy her
name,business card and thus allows him to contact her making her a
valuable asset.Rook further assists him by giving him a book called "Yucatan made Easy" for $30 which helps Murphy translate an important letter sent to Malloy that he had difficulty in deciphering.

In 2050 Carlos Maldonada,under instructions from Mason
Bauers attempted to bribe Rook to give him the name of the source of
the Tesla items but Rook having grown fond of her refused to put her in
danger.Rook tells the now amnesiac Tex that over the years he grown to like the new hard talking,cynical Tex particulary because he began to pay cash upfront and stated that after Chelsee went missing he was asked procure some valuable items including a fabrege egg.When Tex had reverted to his old self Rook became despondent and wanted to help him as much as he could so he could regain his memories and thus get the Tex he liked back.Tex was able to procure a zipline and anvil in the alley behind his shop that would help him break into the water tower on Rusty's Funhouse roof thus allowing him to procure the Nitro Stalkers Freeze Gun and break into Maldanados office respectively.Later on he would ask Rook about the freeze gun and he informs Tex that after the case was solved he pawned it to Rook for money who then sold it to the Night Templers and also revealed they were based in Rusty's Funhouse.Procuring the freeze gun gained Mojo's trust and thus allowed Tex to get the video clip Bauers sent to Maldonado which would prove his innocence in the murders of the other P.I. and Margaret Leonard to Danwicz.He would also lead him to the location of Count St.Jermaine who was looking for Tesla items from his pawn shop and help him determine the type of car used in the abduction of Mason Bauers which he said was strangely all white inside.Before her death,Margaret Leonard had made plans to wipe Tex's
memory of the previous seven years and before doing so made final
preparations to ensure Tex would succeed.This included giving Rook one
final item a book written by Nikola Tesla himself that with a puzzle
inside housed a small compartment containing a spare key to her
apartment so Tex would be lead to Count St Jermaine and Mantus who held
the Telsa Egg she had stolen from him.Rook agreed to hand it over to Tex
 if anything happened to her.He wished Tex good luck in finding her killer stating that he tried to grow close and help her in any way he could but "she was a woman of secrets".When Saffyre became an occupant of The Ritz Hotel and worked as an escort,Rook became a frequent customer and according to Saffyre:"*didnt have old fashioned tastes*"

## In the novel

Rook was visited by Roy O'Brien who gave him an antique watch (which actually contained the Winter Chip inside) which Rook bought for $50.

Being a mutant, his shop was one of those vandalized by the members of the Crusade for Genetic Purity.

He uses to harass Tex Murphy, as in the time when he was in Brew & Stew and skimmed through the "Men Seeking Men" personal ads. Rook mocked Tex for stooping to the use of personal advertising. Tex did not care to explain him that he was looking for some coded messages.

Rook is again seen later playing chess with a French-speaking mutant. Their dialogue makes Tex realize the solution of a riddle sent to him by O'Brien. Following his instructions, Rook found and gave Tex the watch which was left for him.

After the destruction of the Moon Child, Tex felt happy that all his mutant friends were still alive, even Rook.