brother. The Chief of Police, your friend Rafferty, was in the lead. He helped kill them all.”
Her eyes widened and for a moment he thought she might throw him out on his ass.
“I suppose you don’t want to hear any more.”
“Matt, I don’t know what to believe. You seem very nice, but this is a crazy story. On the other hand, I can’t deny that something strange happened in the warehouse.”
“You remember telling me that you noticed a strong smell when that guy dragged you into the warehouse?”
She said she did.
“They all smell like that. In human form you can only notice it faintly. If you’re around Rafferty again, see if you detect it.”
Jill stood up and Matt though she might tell him to leave.
“I’m getting myself another glass of wine. I have a feeling I’ll need it if I’m going to hear the rest of your story. You want one?”
“Why not?”
She came back and handed him a glass of wine. Jill sat and resumed her cross-legged position in the middle of the couch.
“You just said your parents died in a car crash.”
“I’m sorry I lied, but I didn’t think telling you the bogeyman got them would be a good dinner conversation.” He shrugged. “As long as I’m telling the story about Lincoln, you should know the whole truth.”
She ran her finger around the rim of the wineglass. “So if I’m to believe this, Rafferty is really some creature under the skin and that’s why he’s harassing me.”
“Basically.”
“I’m sorry if it seems like I’m being snotty, but this is a little hard to swallow.”
“I realize that. There is another person that knows about them too. I’m supposed to have dinner with him. I’d like you to come.”
She frowned for a moment, thinking it over. “Okay.”
“You’re in danger. Anyone who’s not one of them who lives here is in danger.”
“So these things murdered your family?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to tell me about it?”
Man, this was going a lot faster than he wanted. “I’ve never told anyone.”
“You can tell me. I’m a good listener.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in these things.”
“I never said that. I’m skeptical, but I don’t totally disbelieve.”
“Okay.”
He took another sip of wine.
Harry Pierce crunched a Cheez-Doodle, spilling crumbs onto his ample belly. He brushed them off, drawing a frown from Liza.
“We’ve been married thirty years and you still sweep the crumbs on the floor.”
Harry grinned sheepishly.
They sat in recliners, an end table between them, facing the television, where Ralph Kramden was threatening Alice with a free trip to the moon. Harry had on a tank top and striped boxer shorts. It was too damn hot for anything else, pants included. He picked up his beer off the end table, took a swig and set it back down.
“Coaster, Harry.”
“Yes, my love.” He put it on the coaster. Man, that woman didn’t miss a trick after all these years. Even with her nose buried in a copy of Gun Digest , she still noticed if he didn’t put the beer can on the coaster or got crumbs on the rug.
But he loved that about her, the sassiness, the fire. The two of them had some incredible arguments over the years, Liza once going so far as to throw his clothes out the upstairs bedroom window and telling him never to return. He came back, they apologized and made love on the kitchen floor.
The passion had never died and even though lovemaking sessions were far and few between these days, he loved her more than ever.
He had been dancing around the idea of bringing up his meeting with Matt Crowe. Now he finally got up the nerve to mention it. “I found someone else who knows about Them.”
“You told someone?” She set the magazine on her lap. “Harry, are you nuts?”
“I thought he might be one of them, so I checked him out. He came into the store and I wound up grabbing him and checking him out. He was clean. And he already knew.”
Harry grabbed a handful of
Her eyes widened and for a moment he thought she might throw him out on his ass.
“I suppose you don’t want to hear any more.”
“Matt, I don’t know what to believe. You seem very nice, but this is a crazy story. On the other hand, I can’t deny that something strange happened in the warehouse.”
“You remember telling me that you noticed a strong smell when that guy dragged you into the warehouse?”
She said she did.
“They all smell like that. In human form you can only notice it faintly. If you’re around Rafferty again, see if you detect it.”
Jill stood up and Matt though she might tell him to leave.
“I’m getting myself another glass of wine. I have a feeling I’ll need it if I’m going to hear the rest of your story. You want one?”
“Why not?”
She came back and handed him a glass of wine. Jill sat and resumed her cross-legged position in the middle of the couch.
“You just said your parents died in a car crash.”
“I’m sorry I lied, but I didn’t think telling you the bogeyman got them would be a good dinner conversation.” He shrugged. “As long as I’m telling the story about Lincoln, you should know the whole truth.”
She ran her finger around the rim of the wineglass. “So if I’m to believe this, Rafferty is really some creature under the skin and that’s why he’s harassing me.”
“Basically.”
“I’m sorry if it seems like I’m being snotty, but this is a little hard to swallow.”
“I realize that. There is another person that knows about them too. I’m supposed to have dinner with him. I’d like you to come.”
She frowned for a moment, thinking it over. “Okay.”
“You’re in danger. Anyone who’s not one of them who lives here is in danger.”
“So these things murdered your family?”
“Yes.”
“Would you like to tell me about it?”
Man, this was going a lot faster than he wanted. “I’ve never told anyone.”
“You can tell me. I’m a good listener.”
“I thought you didn’t believe in these things.”
“I never said that. I’m skeptical, but I don’t totally disbelieve.”
“Okay.”
He took another sip of wine.
Harry Pierce crunched a Cheez-Doodle, spilling crumbs onto his ample belly. He brushed them off, drawing a frown from Liza.
“We’ve been married thirty years and you still sweep the crumbs on the floor.”
Harry grinned sheepishly.
They sat in recliners, an end table between them, facing the television, where Ralph Kramden was threatening Alice with a free trip to the moon. Harry had on a tank top and striped boxer shorts. It was too damn hot for anything else, pants included. He picked up his beer off the end table, took a swig and set it back down.
“Coaster, Harry.”
“Yes, my love.” He put it on the coaster. Man, that woman didn’t miss a trick after all these years. Even with her nose buried in a copy of Gun Digest , she still noticed if he didn’t put the beer can on the coaster or got crumbs on the rug.
But he loved that about her, the sassiness, the fire. The two of them had some incredible arguments over the years, Liza once going so far as to throw his clothes out the upstairs bedroom window and telling him never to return. He came back, they apologized and made love on the kitchen floor.
The passion had never died and even though lovemaking sessions were far and few between these days, he loved her more than ever.
He had been dancing around the idea of bringing up his meeting with Matt Crowe. Now he finally got up the nerve to mention it. “I found someone else who knows about Them.”
“You told someone?” She set the magazine on her lap. “Harry, are you nuts?”
“I thought he might be one of them, so I checked him out. He came into the store and I wound up grabbing him and checking him out. He was clean. And he already knew.”
Harry grabbed a handful of
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