Identity Theft by Bob Avey

Author:Bob Avey [Avey, Bob]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781684334025
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Published: 2020-01-08T22:00:00+00:00

16

The reality of Barrington’s death permeated my thoughts as I relished the cleansing steam of the hot water that poured over me. I fervently wished the old guy would come busting into the room and pound on the shower door, demanding to know what I thought I was doing, breaking into his home like some thief.

That wasn’t going to happen. I’d walked in, promptly slept for six hours, and Barrington hadn’t magically come back to life yet.

I twisted the knobs until the water stopped, then reached for a towel. Stepping over my dirty, tattered clothes that sprawled across the tile floor of the bathroom, I grabbed a terrycloth robe that hung from a hook attached to the door and slid into it.

Barrington had treated his guests well.

I exited the bathroom, then walked through the bedroom toward the closet. I outweighed Barrington by at least fifty pounds, and his clothes would not fit, but I thought it was possible that he had left some hanging around for guests.

No such luck.

The condo turned out to be a townhome, with the bedrooms upstairs. Unlike the living area, which was cluttered with interesting items, the top floor was clean and tidy. I strolled down the hall to the master bedroom and checked the closet there.

Like the other closet, this one held plenty of nice clothes, but none that I could squeeze into.

It occurred to me that when I’d been in the hallway, I’d noticed another door. In a condo this size, there would be a utility room. I retraced my steps and swung the door open.

Sure enough, the small rectangular room housed the washer and dryer I’d hoped for.

I went back to the guest bedroom and gathered my clothes, then took them to the utility area and put them in the washer. In the cabinets that lined the wall above the appliances, I found the soap and softener. With everything in, I played around with the washer until I got it started, then trotted downstairs to find something to eat.

Barrington kept a well-stocked refrigerator, though his preferences were a little different than what I was used to.

Once again, the pangs of regret for what had happened to Barrington rushed through me. It seemed wrong being in his house, making myself at home in a place he’d made so personal. But he’d given me the key. He’d known the odds of something going wrong were high, and he’d left his sanctuary available so I would have a place from which to work if it became necessary. He’d thought that whatever was going on in the city was dangerous enough that he was willing to risk his life to try to stop it, and he’d entrusted me to pick up where he’d left off and follow it through. And through it all, Barrington had remained calm and gentlemanly. I didn’t know what to make of it.

I would not let him down.

From the refrigerator, I grabbed a carton of blueberries and some cream cheese, then went to the pantry and foraged a package of bagels.

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.