Nocturnal by Nathan Field

police showed up last night. That’s why I haven’t been in contact. He knows about us.”
    “But how? We’ve been so careful.”
    “Fuck knows. Maybe I had the glow of a satisfied woman. It doesn’t matter – he knows I’ve been cheating.”
    “So you admitted to it?”
    “Of course not. And he doesn’t know who you are. But if you keep pulling stunts like last night, he’s gonna find out soon enough.”
    I held back my reply, hoping the pause would give Lucy time to catch her breath. I wanted to reach through the phone and give her a big hug. “I need to see you,” I said finally.
    “I can’t…”
    “–Yes you can ,” I insisted, cupping my hand over the receiver to muffle my voice. A few of my colleagues’ heads were already rising above their computer terminals, smelling a fresh line of gossip. “Listen to yourself, you’re scared out of your wits. This is no way to live, Lucy. You have to leave him.”
    “But I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
    “What about my place?” I hissed, angry that I had to remind her. “My apartment’s big enough for two.”
    “But you….” Lucy’s voice dropped away, and she drew a quick breath. There was a loud bang, followed by the sound of hefty footsteps.
    “I have to go,” she whispered.
    “Don’t you put that phone down!” a voice roared, much closer than I’d expected. “You fucking bitch, give me that!”
    Lucy yelped as Sterling’s heavy breathing closed in. It sounded like he was about to explode through the handset. I knew the smart move was to hang up and protect my identity, but I was too worked up to go quietly. I was itching for a confrontation.
    “Are you there, you sonofabitch?” Sterling said. His voice was throaty with age but it was still full of venom.
    “I’m here,” I said calmly, belying my rapid pulse.
    “ Jesus Christ you’ve got a nerve. What makes you think you can fuck my wife and get away with it?”
    “How about the fact I’ve been getting away with it for the last three months.”
    “Fuck you! Fuck. You. Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with?”
    “No. I can’t say that I do.”
    He made a disgruntled noise. “Well, ignorance doesn’t make you brave. You think a real man squeals to the cops and then runs away like a little girl. Your prank call didn’t work, by the way. I’m a good friend of the county sheriff.”
    “It wasn’t a prank call, Sterling . I know you beat your wife.”
    “Even if I do that’s none of your fucking business!” He paused, exhaling loudly into the phone. When his breathing slowed, he said, “Anyway, your days of sneaking around are over. I’m going to be seeing you real soon.”
    “How do you figure?”
    “I’ve got your number you stupid sonofabitch.”
    “No, you’ve got the number of the Daily Tribune switchboard. At last count, we had more than four hundred employees. We’re an equal opportunity employer, but looking around, I still think men outnumber women. That’s a pretty big haystack.”
    Sterling was silent. “I’ll find you,” he said eventually.
    “Maybe, in time,” I said, growing in confidence. “But let me promise you something, Sterling. If you lay another hand on Lucy, next time it won’t be the local sheriff turning up on your doorstep. See, I hear you making threats and swearing over the phone, but behind all that bluster, I know you’re just a weak, cowardly old man. And if we ever cross paths, I’ll beat you so bad that even Viagra won’t get you upright.”
    I braced myself for another volley of abuse, but instead the line went eerily silent. Crawling out of the dead air came a deep, malevolent chuckle.
    “You think you’re pretty fucking smart, don’t you. But there’s a limit to how smart you can be from that end of the line.”
    I frowned, wondering what the hell he was talking about. Then I heard Lucy crying softly in the background. I’d assumed she’d left the room, but she was still there, cowering in a corner. And