Bad Desire by Devon Gary;

Author:Devon, Gary;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Open Road Media Mystery & Thriller
Published: 2016-04-19T04:00:00+00:00

The florist shop was called The Artesian and it was just opening its doors. Denny counted out thirty-eight dollars from his pocket. He had to keep five for something to drink, five or six for gas, leaving him with twenty-seven, twenty-eight dollars. The roses were a buck fifty apiece; he did a quick calculation—he could afford eighteen of the white bud roses.

“How much for that pink tiger?” He motioned toward the four-foot-high stuffed tiger sitting behind the counter.

“Twenty-two, fifty.”

“What d’you think is better for a girl: the tiger or roses?”

The florist laughed and shrugged. “I’d take the roses,” said the woman arranging flowers at a table.

Denny had roses in mind, but he had wanted a roomful. At the same time, he worried that they might remind Sheila of the funeral. “Okay,” he said, “but could you wrap ’em up nice in that white paper? It’s a surprise.”

With the eighteen roses in a cone of white paper lying on the seat beside him, he swung by the garage and asked Gonzales if he could keep the pickup for the day. “When you gonna pay me back these favors?” the mechanic called after him, but Denny was away, winding through Woodrow Estates and coming out on Belvedere Avenue, two blocks from the McPhearson house.

He let up on the gas, shifted back a gear, traveled the two blocks and cut the engine at the curb. The Dutch Colonial sat across the intersection, on the opposite corner. Afraid of breaking the wrapped roses, Denny cradled them protectively in his arm and got out of the pickup, moving around to the sidewalk.

He was about to cross the street when he saw the door at the side of the house fly open. Sheila came out. Quickly he hid the flowers behind his back but Sheila didn’t turn around. Why was she all dressed up? She wasn’t in mourning; she looked fabulous. What’s going on here? Denny watched as she ran for the alley. Where’s she going in such a big hurry? He started after her, but directly ahead of him, down the next block, he saw the old red and brown station wagon whip from the alley and sink from sight in a patch of gray exhaust.

Denny stood rooted where he was, peering into the thinning fumes. What is this!

He ran to the pickup, tossed the roses onto the seat and jumped in beside them. He tried to tell himself that she must be running out to her grandmother’s house, but his instinct got in the way. Why would she dress like that—to go out there? Denny tore after her through the intersection, pushing the truck faster and faster. He thought, Let’s find out where the hell she’s going.

He let her trail ahead of him. As long as he could keep her in sight, that was all he cared about. She was headed east, into the country. You goddamned little sneak, he thought. You lied to me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.