A Million Little Lies by Bette Lee Crosby

Author:Bette Lee Crosby [Crosby, Bette Lee]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780996080309
Publisher: Bent Pine Publishing
Published: 2020-06-15T18:30:00+00:00

Following the directions he’d been given, Earl headed for Hibiscus Cove and found it with no trouble. He parked around the corner on Palmetto with the car partially hidden but still having a clear line of sight to the house. It was after four, and the sky was already growing dusky. Soon the lights would be coming on, and he’d be able to see if someone was inside the house. For now, all he could do was wait and watch.

He sat there mulling over what he’d say to Suzanna, and the minutes ticked by so slowly it felt like hours. The problem with waiting was that it left him with nothing to do but think. It was a lot easier when he could move around. At the bowling alley, he could kill an hour working the counter or burn off steam loading pins into the frame. Here the only thing he could do was wait.

When the waiting became so tedious that Earl thought his head would explode, he pulled out the bottle of Seagram’s, took a swig, and relaxed into the comforting burn that slid down his throat. That drink was followed by another and then another. As he watched the dark clouds roll across the sky a rumble of thunder sounded in the distance, and before long raindrops splattered the windshield.

With the rain came a blast of cold air that sent a shiver up Earl’s spine. The fall weather was one of the things he hated about Florida. The days hot and sticky, the nights cold and damp. After 45 years he should’ve been used to it, but he wasn’t. With a shirt that was too thin and a belly that was empty, he felt cold and hungry. Earlier he’d had no interest in food, but now his stomach was rumbling. He tried to remember when he’d last eaten. Yesterday? The day before? Grabbing the whiskey bottle, he downed several gulps and again found the warmth of it comforting.

It seemed downright stupid for Suzanna to be so dead set against him having a drink now and again. Especially when it was something that made him feel so good. Whiskey had gotten him through many a bad night. It was something he could count on. With a bottle of whiskey in his hand he felt stronger, more powerful, more certain of himself.

When the lights in the surrounding houses started to come on, he downed another swig and leaned close to the windshield, hoping to see through the rain.

Before long the grays and blues of the sky disappeared, and there was nothing but blackness overhead. Still Doherty’s house remained dark. Earl imagined them out to dinner. Laughing, happy, enjoying drinks and a hot meal while he sat here cold and hungry. He took another swig. No matter how long he had to wait, he was determined to see it through. He had something to say, and like it or not Suzanna would have to listen.

After several hours, his eyelids grew heavy. He was drifting on the edge of sleep when the sound of a car startled him.

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