laughed. “You better watch it. I’ll leave you out for the Blue Boy tonight.”
“Blue Boy?” Dennis asked.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “Just one of this building’s tall tales. Maybe I’ll sit you boys down around the fire one night and tell them all to you over a glass of wine.”
“Or three,” Matt said.
“So,” Dennis started. “Uh...this morning...”
“Poor Lloyd.” Margot shook her head. “He just ain’t been right for a long time. Ever since his girlfriend went missing.”
“Went missing?”
“Yeah. He swore someone took her, but the police said she left him. She left a note about running off with her ‘sweetie’—”
“Darling,” Matt interrupted.
“‘Darling.’ That’s right. Anyway, he just sorta went downhill ever since. Poor guy.”
Matthew nodded. “Better off in an asylum.”
Dennis turned to Mike. He had a forced and awkward smile on his face and Dennis could tell he didn’t like hanging around so many new people. He probably got called over here by Margot and then couldn’t figure out a way to leave. Probably better give him one. “When you gotta get home, pal?”
“Um…soon, I guess.”
Margot took her sunglasses off and sat up. “Home? I thought you two were roommates?”
“Yeah. We are. But Mike’s still got a month on his old lease, so he’s taking his time moving in.”
Mike nodded.
“Good,” Margot said. “I was afraid I wasn’t going to get to see you again.” She patted Mike’s knee.
“Oh, we’ll be around,” Dennis said. “We should probably get going.”
“Yeah.” Mike stood and straightened out his shirt. “It was nice talking to you guys.”
Matthew grunted and closed his eyes.
“Anytime,” Margot slid her sunglasses back on and smiled. “Just knock when you wanna do it again.”
Dennis took one last look at Karen swimming before dragging Mike off.
When they were on the elevator, Mike sighed. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
Dennis laughed. “Man, that Margot chick is all over you.”
Mike’s face was red. “No.”
“Right.”
“You think?”
“I think.”
“Hmph.”
Dennis almost warned him away from her, but thought better of it. Maybe it would do him good to get laid. Especially by an older woman. Maybe she could get him to grow up a little.
“I’ve got some laundry in the wash. You really need to get home soon?”
“Yeah. I guess…I mean…well, I’m definitely going to tell them tonight.”
“Good.” Dennis patted his friend’s back. It seemed
Margot’s influence had started already.
* * *
Sweat dripped onto the table in a fast rhythm. Tap-taptaptap. Tap-tap-taptap. Jack rubbed his hands and forearmsdry with an oil-stained rag. The heat under the lights of hisworkroom made it difficult to focus on soldering the tinyboard in his voltage meter. He wished he could do withouttwo or three of them, but knew better. There could be noshadows here. Not in this room.
When he was done he slid the board back into place, reconnected wires, and tested it on some batteries. Satisfied that it worked, he pulled a notebook labeled “anomalies” from his shelf and committed the last several weeks of readings to memory. Then he pulled his regular notebook down and started his rounds.
He always started on the roof and worked his way down. There were no readings out of the ordinary this time (except for the elevator, but its being out of the ordinary was nothing out of the ordinary and required an entire notebook of its own). He kept his Maglite clicked on the entire way, dispelling any shadows he came across. He had never had a problem anywhere outside of the basement, but didn’t want to take any chances.
When he finished, he grabbed the plastic grocery bag from his fridge, went outside, and trekked through the thick brush of the forest away from Raynham and the supermarket. He slid down a hill, dirt and leaves flying through the air, and came to rest against a small concrete rise.
“Blue Boy?” Dennis asked.
“It’s nothing,” she said. “Just one of this building’s tall tales. Maybe I’ll sit you boys down around the fire one night and tell them all to you over a glass of wine.”
“Or three,” Matt said.
“So,” Dennis started. “Uh...this morning...”
“Poor Lloyd.” Margot shook her head. “He just ain’t been right for a long time. Ever since his girlfriend went missing.”
“Went missing?”
“Yeah. He swore someone took her, but the police said she left him. She left a note about running off with her ‘sweetie’—”
“Darling,” Matt interrupted.
“‘Darling.’ That’s right. Anyway, he just sorta went downhill ever since. Poor guy.”
Matthew nodded. “Better off in an asylum.”
Dennis turned to Mike. He had a forced and awkward smile on his face and Dennis could tell he didn’t like hanging around so many new people. He probably got called over here by Margot and then couldn’t figure out a way to leave. Probably better give him one. “When you gotta get home, pal?”
“Um…soon, I guess.”
Margot took her sunglasses off and sat up. “Home? I thought you two were roommates?”
“Yeah. We are. But Mike’s still got a month on his old lease, so he’s taking his time moving in.”
Mike nodded.
“Good,” Margot said. “I was afraid I wasn’t going to get to see you again.” She patted Mike’s knee.
“Oh, we’ll be around,” Dennis said. “We should probably get going.”
“Yeah.” Mike stood and straightened out his shirt. “It was nice talking to you guys.”
Matthew grunted and closed his eyes.
“Anytime,” Margot slid her sunglasses back on and smiled. “Just knock when you wanna do it again.”
Dennis took one last look at Karen swimming before dragging Mike off.
When they were on the elevator, Mike sighed. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
Dennis laughed. “Man, that Margot chick is all over you.”
Mike’s face was red. “No.”
“Right.”
“You think?”
“I think.”
“Hmph.”
Dennis almost warned him away from her, but thought better of it. Maybe it would do him good to get laid. Especially by an older woman. Maybe she could get him to grow up a little.
“I’ve got some laundry in the wash. You really need to get home soon?”
“Yeah. I guess…I mean…well, I’m definitely going to tell them tonight.”
“Good.” Dennis patted his friend’s back. It seemed
Margot’s influence had started already.
* * *
Sweat dripped onto the table in a fast rhythm. Tap-taptaptap. Tap-tap-taptap. Jack rubbed his hands and forearmsdry with an oil-stained rag. The heat under the lights of hisworkroom made it difficult to focus on soldering the tinyboard in his voltage meter. He wished he could do withouttwo or three of them, but knew better. There could be noshadows here. Not in this room.
When he was done he slid the board back into place, reconnected wires, and tested it on some batteries. Satisfied that it worked, he pulled a notebook labeled “anomalies” from his shelf and committed the last several weeks of readings to memory. Then he pulled his regular notebook down and started his rounds.
He always started on the roof and worked his way down. There were no readings out of the ordinary this time (except for the elevator, but its being out of the ordinary was nothing out of the ordinary and required an entire notebook of its own). He kept his Maglite clicked on the entire way, dispelling any shadows he came across. He had never had a problem anywhere outside of the basement, but didn’t want to take any chances.
When he finished, he grabbed the plastic grocery bag from his fridge, went outside, and trekked through the thick brush of the forest away from Raynham and the supermarket. He slid down a hill, dirt and leaves flying through the air, and came to rest against a small concrete rise.
Similar Books
