Cape Grace by Nathan Lowell

Author:Nathan Lowell [Lowell, Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Nathan Lowell
Published: 2020-01-23T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Cape Grace: June 16, 2346

OTTO KNOCKED ON THE door of 1432 East Shell Drive. The smallish house looked like every other company-built house on the block. The drab green paint set it apart from the drab blue on one side and the drab gray on the other. The composite siding would probably last another century but the bonded pigment in it couldn’t stand up to the weather. A pleasant enough house and neighborhood, it still gave Otto a frisson of fear. In another life, he could have been living there instead of his cozy stone cottage.

A woman opened the door a crack and peered out, one eye and mouse-brown hair showing around the door. “Yes?”

“Hi. I’m Otto Krugg? The shaman?”

“I know who you are. Why are you here?”

“You’re Bobby Tatum’s mother?”

She opened the door wider to stare at him, her expression still guarded. “What’s he done this time?”

Otto offered her a smile. “Nothing that I know of. I just wanted to chat with you for a few minutes about what I’d like him to do. Get your opinion on it.”

She frowned and opened the door even more. Her flowered blouse had seen better days and hung on her like a trash bag on a fence post. Her dark blue slacks had darker stains on the thighs. The shadow of a bruise lurked just under her left ear.

“You another Pirano man?”

“Just the shaman. I’m also the newest crabber in town and I need somebody to get me the bait I need.”

Her eyes sharpened. “You think you’re gonna force Bobby to do it?”

“I’m hoping the company will hire Bobby, and maybe one or two of his friends, to do it.” He smiled. “Could we maybe sit and talk about this for a bit?”

“My husband’s not here,” she said, pressing the door partly closed again.

“I just want to chat with you, if I can?”

She eyed him up and down for a moment and then swung the door open. “Sure. All right.”

He stepped into the house and followed her to the kitchen.

“Cuppa tea ... um ... Your shamanship?” Her fingers twined the hair over her ear. “Sorry. Never talked to a shaman before.”

“I’m Otto. You can call me that.”

She nodded, dropping the hair but tugging the collar on her blouse, not looking in his direction. “Otto.”

“Cuppa would be lovely.” Otto settled at the table and folded his fingers together in front of him.

She filled a kettle and set it to boil while her hands fluttered like birds across the cupboards, finding the pot, cups, tea. Setting things just so. Adjusting everything over and over.

Otto picked out bruising on her forearms when she pushed her sleeves up to work in the sink. “Tell me about Bobby? He gets into a lot of trouble?”

She turned to him, leaning back against the counter, fingers in her hair again. “He’s a good boy. Just has trouble following rules, you know?”

Otto smiled. “Been there myself.”

“So what is it you want him to do exactly?” She talked to him without actually looking at him.

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