The Hunted (a novella) by Dave Zeltserman

Author:Dave Zeltserman [Zeltserman, Dave]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery & Crime, Hard-Boiled, Noir
Publisher: Top Suspense Books
Published: 2012-02-27T15:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

Willis couldn’t leave it alone. He had the job figured out so it would be able to be done with little risk, but a thought nagged at him. When he left Melanie Hartman’s building he took Bowser for a long walk in a woodsy area, but he couldn’t quiet that whisper that was nagging at him. After he brought Bowser back to his house, he drove to the dental office where Melanie Hartman worked as a receptionist. She was sitting up front and as Willis approached her, she smiled cheerfully at him. Up close she was much prettier than she’d been in her photo; her large brown eyes sparkling brightly, her smile anything but awkward, and those freckles dotting her nose gave her a clean-cut, wholesome look like those girls they used to use in those old Ivory soap commercials. But hell, the former and now deceased porn star, Marilyn Chambers, had once been one of those Ivory soap girls, so what was the point of putting any importance on that? Willis told her he’d like to make an appointment to get his teeth cleaned, keeping his own voice as friendly and as at ease as if the two of them were long time acquaintances.

After a few questions, such as whether he was a new patient and if he was experiencing any pain, Hartman consulted a scheduling book. As she flipped through it, her brow furrowed and she bit her bottom lip in a way that made Willis’s nagging whisper all that much louder. “Dr. Shulman’s schedule is pretty full right now,” she said apologetically. “His first opening isn’t until a week from next Friday. Eleven o’clock. Would that be okay?”

“I was hoping to get this done sooner.”

“I understand. I could call you if we have a cancellation, or I could call one of our other recommended dentists and see if they can fit you in sooner.” She winked at him as her smile grew into something sly. “Don’t worry, we really do recommend these others dentists. We’re not getting kickbacks or anything.”

“I don’t want to put you out.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m happy to do it.” She proceeded to busy herself looking through her desk drawers. “Now if I can only find where that list is.” She explained to Willis how she’d only been working there for four weeks and she still sometimes forgot where things were.

Willis leaned in, smiled sympathetically. “How do you like it here?”

“Oh, I love it.” Hartman looked around the waiting room. A middle-aged woman was reading a fashion magazine while her teenage daughter was plugged into an iPod and skimming through the latest issue of People. The mother was eavesdropping but trying not to show it. The daughter was oblivious. Hartman lowered her voice to a soft whisper and added, “This job was a lifesaver. I was out of work for four months before Dr. Shulman gave me this chance. I am so grateful to him, especially with the job environment we have these days.

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