hot water. He closed his eyes and shook his leg free of the phantom tentacle.
Only gets better.
* * * * *
Where the fuck is that bitch?
Matt licked the vanilla ice cream and stared daggers at Emily Young’s empty driveway. She never came home last night. Out whoring it up in the Old Port. That’s where all the pretend uppities went to let loose. Well, except for Janice. He smirked at the memory of taking her from behind. He tossed the remainder of his cone into the trash and walked to his Escalade. He had half a mind to drive down to Portland and hunt for her faggoty blue Jetta. Slash another tire.
What the hell. He had nothing else planned for the day. He’d check a couple hotel parking lots. If they turned up empty, he’d head to the Maine Mall. He picked his Oakleys up from the dash and headed toward the interstate.
* * * * *
Aaron’s cell rang shortly after eleven. He swallowed his mouthful of Cocoa Pebbles. “Hello?”
“Hey.”
“Hey. How was your night at the hotel? Any more he/she rundowns?”
She laughed. “Oh my God, no. Just ran into a guy who could have passed as Matt’s doppelganger.”
“ Matt ?”
“Yeah, oh, Mr. Holmes.”
“Oh, your savior.” He tried to keep the jealousy from his voice but knew he’d failed.
“Stop. Don’t be like that.”
“Sorry. He just gives me the creeps.”
“He’s a slimeball, but I think he might have a heart under all the sludge, somewhere.”
Aaron wanted to say something snarky, but bit his tongue instead. After a somewhat awkward moment of silence he moved on. “You ready for the full assault of a day at OOB?”
“Yes. Looking forward to it, actually. I just need to make a stop at the mall.”
“What for?”
“I didn’t plan on staying down here last night. I need some fresh clothes and a swimsuit.”
“I need to grab a few things too. Want me to meet you over there?”
“Are you sure you don’t just want to go bikini shopping with me?”
“I can’t say that I’m opposed to that, but I really do need some things for the place here.”
“Okay. I’m heading out in like ten minutes.”
“Meet you at the food court?”
“Okay. How about at Orange Julius?”
“Cool. I’ll see you in a bit.”
He hung up and stared out the window. No dead rag dolls. Just a deadly body of water and a horde of flesh-baring tourists. Again, his normal cure for dread came up short. He hoped Emily’s presence would remedy his sullen mood. Cure me or kill me, baby.
He got a foot out the door.
“Hello, Aaron.”
“Hey, Mrs. Hersom.”
“I don’t suppose you caught any of the excitement this morning?”
Excitement? Not his choice of words. “Yeah, the sirens were my alarm clock.”
“A shame whenever we lose someone like that.”
“Anyone you know?”
“Goodness no. Just one of those silly boys that think they can surf in Maine. Back in my day, when we used to listen to the Beach Boys sing about surfing safaris, we would sit out here all day and dream that it was the California shores, but the waves never played along. The boys sure would try, though. I think they just wanted to impress us.”
“I’m sure they did. So, this guy was trying to surf and ended up drowning?”
“That’s what Ethel told me. She saw the Lindsey boy haul him out and the Cole girl fetch a surfboard out afterward.”
“Huh, must have bumped his head, or got pulled under.”
“Tide was in, and yes, I suspect he bumped his head on something. Probably that silly board of his.”
Aaron stared out toward the water; his mind imagined the conversation taking a slight turn…
“Although…”
“What?”
“Ethel did say he had a large red welt that ran up from his ankle to his thigh.”
“What caused that?”
“Ethel said the pig-nosed man got him, used his tentacle to pull him under…”
A shiver drilled through Aaron’s body.
“Oh my, catch a case of the willies?”
“Yeah, something like that. Listen, Mrs. Hersom, I’m meeting someone
Only gets better.
* * * * *
Where the fuck is that bitch?
Matt licked the vanilla ice cream and stared daggers at Emily Young’s empty driveway. She never came home last night. Out whoring it up in the Old Port. That’s where all the pretend uppities went to let loose. Well, except for Janice. He smirked at the memory of taking her from behind. He tossed the remainder of his cone into the trash and walked to his Escalade. He had half a mind to drive down to Portland and hunt for her faggoty blue Jetta. Slash another tire.
What the hell. He had nothing else planned for the day. He’d check a couple hotel parking lots. If they turned up empty, he’d head to the Maine Mall. He picked his Oakleys up from the dash and headed toward the interstate.
* * * * *
Aaron’s cell rang shortly after eleven. He swallowed his mouthful of Cocoa Pebbles. “Hello?”
“Hey.”
“Hey. How was your night at the hotel? Any more he/she rundowns?”
She laughed. “Oh my God, no. Just ran into a guy who could have passed as Matt’s doppelganger.”
“ Matt ?”
“Yeah, oh, Mr. Holmes.”
“Oh, your savior.” He tried to keep the jealousy from his voice but knew he’d failed.
“Stop. Don’t be like that.”
“Sorry. He just gives me the creeps.”
“He’s a slimeball, but I think he might have a heart under all the sludge, somewhere.”
Aaron wanted to say something snarky, but bit his tongue instead. After a somewhat awkward moment of silence he moved on. “You ready for the full assault of a day at OOB?”
“Yes. Looking forward to it, actually. I just need to make a stop at the mall.”
“What for?”
“I didn’t plan on staying down here last night. I need some fresh clothes and a swimsuit.”
“I need to grab a few things too. Want me to meet you over there?”
“Are you sure you don’t just want to go bikini shopping with me?”
“I can’t say that I’m opposed to that, but I really do need some things for the place here.”
“Okay. I’m heading out in like ten minutes.”
“Meet you at the food court?”
“Okay. How about at Orange Julius?”
“Cool. I’ll see you in a bit.”
He hung up and stared out the window. No dead rag dolls. Just a deadly body of water and a horde of flesh-baring tourists. Again, his normal cure for dread came up short. He hoped Emily’s presence would remedy his sullen mood. Cure me or kill me, baby.
He got a foot out the door.
“Hello, Aaron.”
“Hey, Mrs. Hersom.”
“I don’t suppose you caught any of the excitement this morning?”
Excitement? Not his choice of words. “Yeah, the sirens were my alarm clock.”
“A shame whenever we lose someone like that.”
“Anyone you know?”
“Goodness no. Just one of those silly boys that think they can surf in Maine. Back in my day, when we used to listen to the Beach Boys sing about surfing safaris, we would sit out here all day and dream that it was the California shores, but the waves never played along. The boys sure would try, though. I think they just wanted to impress us.”
“I’m sure they did. So, this guy was trying to surf and ended up drowning?”
“That’s what Ethel told me. She saw the Lindsey boy haul him out and the Cole girl fetch a surfboard out afterward.”
“Huh, must have bumped his head, or got pulled under.”
“Tide was in, and yes, I suspect he bumped his head on something. Probably that silly board of his.”
Aaron stared out toward the water; his mind imagined the conversation taking a slight turn…
“Although…”
“What?”
“Ethel did say he had a large red welt that ran up from his ankle to his thigh.”
“What caused that?”
“Ethel said the pig-nosed man got him, used his tentacle to pull him under…”
A shiver drilled through Aaron’s body.
“Oh my, catch a case of the willies?”
“Yeah, something like that. Listen, Mrs. Hersom, I’m meeting someone
Similar Books
