Line of Darkness by Max Tomlinson

Author:Max Tomlinson [Tomlinson, Max]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-08-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

1979

Middle of the night Colleen heard a phone ringing somewhere. She raised her face from a pillow with a silk pillowcase. This wasn’t her pillow. She’d been sleeping like a baby.

She looked around Matt’s darkened bedroom. She was warm and exhausted, in the nicest of ways. She reached out to his side of the bed.

Matt wasn’t there. She lifted her head. The bedroom door was shut.

She heard him in the living room, talking quietly.

“Give me thirty minutes,” she heard him say.

She sat up, rubbed her eyes. Blinked at the digital clock. Not quite four a.m.

Matt had been called in to work again. She heard him pad into the bathroom, brush his teeth.

Gently, the bedroom door opened and Matt came in, as naked as she, the subdued light from the living room lamp highlighting all the parts she liked.

“The fun never stops at 850 Bryant,” she said.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “I need to go in.” He grabbed some clothes from the closet, underwear and socks from the dresser. “I’ll get dressed in the other room. Go back to sleep.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She climbed out of bed, naked and cold after a deep hibernation next to his warm body. Matt had left his dresser drawer open. She took a faded red T-shirt from the top of the stack, the one with “Simpson, 32” on it, pulled it on. “I’ll make coffee.”

Since she was getting up, Matt decided to dress in the bedroom. “Go for it, but I’ve got to run.”

She went in the kitchen, put the kettle on the stove, struck a match under it.

Matt could dress quickly. By the time she had the cups out and things ready, he was already in the living room in a smart purple shirt, no tie, slim fitting pants, slipping on his shoulder holster with his 38.

He pulled on a big brown leather jacket.

“Is it serious?” she asked.

“Something like that.”

He couldn’t share. More so since she’d contacted Doris Pender.

She spooned instant coffee into the two cups. “We need to get you a coffee maker and some decent coffee, dude.”

“Leave me a note on which kind of coffee maker and coffee and I’ll pick them up,” he said, adjusting his jacket, coming over to the kitchen to give her a kiss. “I can’t have my women less than satisfied.”

She grabbed the collar of his jacket gently, kissed his lips. “You just managed to squeak by this time.”

“Thank God for that,” he said. “Talk to you later—if I can get away.”

Man, did she want to know about Paquet.

“Matt,” she said, “I know you’re busy but …”

He stopped her. “Tell you what: I’ll get the coffee maker and coffee and you work on timing your requests. This op is highly confidential. You know the rules about talking out of class. I don’t want to say it again: but please back off.” He raised his eyebrows. “Please.”

She surprised a sigh. “Stay safe out there.”

“Same goes for you. Especially for you.” He gave her another peck, and then he was gone.

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