Ghost Light by Rick Hautala Page B

you got ’em! Your fuckin’ wife all but said she was gonna take ’em from me, and now they’re gone! They’re fuckin’ gone!”
    Alex gripped the edge of the door with both hands and gave it a violent shake that chipped paint off the door edge. Harry glanced over at the screws holding the chain lock plate to the doorjamb, expecting to see that they were loose and ready to pop out, but they looked just fine… for now.
    “Listen to me, Alex,” he said, fighting for control of his voice. “I don’t want any trouble with you, all right?”
    “Trouble? Fuck you, trouble! Just give me my kids back or else I’ll give you some fuckin’ trouble! You stole my fuckin’ kids!”
    “I did not,” Harry said, shouting to be heard but still trying to keep a calm tone in his voice. “I swear to you, I didn’t take your kids.”
    “Don’t bullshit me, all right, Toland! First off, let’s get something straight between us, okay? I never liked you. You know that. And I know, sure as shit you never liked me, but at least we never bullshitted each other, so don’t start in with me now. Got it?”
    Harry could see that Alex was having trouble standing up, and for a moment he actually considered inviting him inside so he could tell him what was going on. He had known that this was going to happen, and been upstairs in bed unable to sleep because he had been expecting it; but he and Cindy had concocted a cover story, and he was prepared to deliver it. In fact, Harry was hoping that—eventually—he could use the cover story to help him out with his own plans of leaving Cindy for Elizabeth. But letting Alex into his home right now might not be the best idea. If the man got violent with him, Harry wasn’t so certain that he would be able to handle him. No, he decided to use the cover story to diffuse this situation, and then send Alex home under the threat of calling the police if he didn’t leave peacefully.
    “I tell you I’m not bullshitting you, all right?” Harry shouted. “So just shut up and listen to me! Just shut the fuck up!”
    It must have been his use of obscenity that finally got through to Alex. He shook his head groggily, ran his hands down over his face, and then, leaning forward against the partially opened door for support, gaped in at Harry. The light obviously was hurting his eyes as he tried to focus on him.
    “I don’t have your kids, okay?” Harry said in a calmer, carefully measured voice. “And if Cindy does—well, there’s nothing I can—” He stopped and took a deep breath as though fighting for control of his emotions. He wished he could muster up a glassy-eyed stare that would look like he was about to cry but, in fact, he was close to bursting out with laughter. “If you really want to know the truth, Cindy left me today… She ran out on me.”
    “No shit!” Alex whispered. His face clouded over as he tried to absorb what he’d just heard.
    “No shit!” Harry echoed. He scrunched up his face and tried hard to look pained, but he was convinced the effort would be wasted on Alex; the man was too drunk to find his own ass without a road map. “While I was at work today, she… she left a note on the kitchen table, saying that she couldn’t stand it anymore and was leaving.”
    “No shit …” Alex whispered again, even softer. Like a fast-moving thunderhead, the anger melted from his face. For a moment, Harry thought he had passed out on his feet.
    “She… she—” Harry heaved a heavy sigh and looked down at his bare feet, shaking his head dejectedly. “I have no idea where she might have gone. If she—if she took your kids with her, which wouldn’t surprise me, I have no idea where she might have taken them.” He paused a moment, trying to gauge if his words were registering with Alex. “I already reported it to the police… that she was missing, anyway. If you want me to call them, I can also report that she’s kidnapped your kids.” He paused a beat, then added,