The Ghosts of Morning by Richard Barre

Author:Richard Barre
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Down & Out Books

They took the first vacancy they saw, an older L-shaped place on a sidestreet up from the beach. Patched carpet over a slab floor, worn curtains over balky windows, faded colorprint of poppies over a too-hard bed. The gas heater smelled of dust when Trina worked the thermostat, and the plastic curtain leaked, so that after they'd showered, Wil had to put the spare towel down.

None of it mattered.

Pulses racing by the time they dried each other off and rolled into bed, they kissed, fondled, coupled as though there was no tomorrow and no yesterday, both running on empty, finishing in a rush what they'd started on the pier. And afterward, winding down with the fading tick-tick-tick of the cooling heater. Floating away to the sound of rain.

Wil woke from dead asleep to an empty bed, the bathroom light on as they'd left it. After a moment to get his bearings, he called her name, heard silence, got up and checked, his need to use the bathroom forgotten in not finding her.

Only shadows.

Trying not to heed his inner alarm, he put on his pants, found the .45 where he'd left it and the room undisturbed as far as he could tell. He checked his watch: four-twenty A.M. Parting the drapes a crack, he looked out at the last of the rain wheeling through floods at each end of the building, the lot empty save for two cars well down from their unit and the Bonneville just outside the office.

Where he saw her.

She was at the pay phone, canted slightly away from him, one arm against the wall for support. Despite the drizzle, he could see smoke rising from her cigarette. Her head was angled down, lips seeming to brush the mouthpiece as she talked.

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