Sleepwalk by John Saul

Author:John Saul
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Horror, Horror tales, Suspense, Fiction
ISBN: 9780553288346
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Published: 1990-11-01T17:45:49.082000+00:00

Rita Moreland sighed as she stepped out of the heat of the afternoon into the coolness of the house. She stopped in the entry hall, took off her hat and carefully placed it on the shelf in the coat closet. Then, as her eyes fell on Max’s three coats, which still hung in their assigned places as if waiting for their owner to come and claim them, she bit her lip.

“I think perhaps it’s time I started getting rid of some of Max’s things,” she said to Greg, but didn’t turn to face him, unwilling to let him see the tears she could feel in her eyes.

“There isn’t any rush,” Greg replied. “You have plenty of time.”

Rita’s back straightened as she regained her composure, and when she finally looked at him, the tears that had threatened her only a moment ago were gone. “Perhaps I do,” she observed. “But one never knows, does one?” She moved across the entry hall and into the library, her thoughts shifting to the hospital she had left only a few minutes before. “Look at poor Frank Arnold,” she said. “He could have died today—he was lucky he didn’t. And of course Max—” She broke off her own words as once more her emotions welled up within her, and quickly searched for something to take her mind off her husband. On the desk the red light of the answering machine was blinking, and though she often ignored it, she now punched at it hopefully.

But instead of a message of condolence, she heard an unfamiliar voice: “Mrs. Moreland, this is Forrest Frazier, with Southwest Properties in Las Cruces. I have a client who is very interested in buying your house. If you could give me a call, I’d like to discuss the details with you.” A phone number followed, then the slightly metallic sound of the machine’s synthesized voice as it announced the exact time the call had come in. Rita frowned, and looked at Greg.

“Now what on earth was that all about?” she asked. “What could he have meant?”

Greg shrugged. “Apparently someone wants to buy the place,” he said.

“This place?” Rita asked. “But it isn’t for sale.”

“Maybe you ought to at least consider it,” Greg said slowly, glancing around the large library. “I mean, given the circumstances.”

Rita eyed her nephew acerbically. “You mean because Max died?” she said, willing her voice not to catch as she uttered the words. “Surely you aren’t going to suggest that I’m going to …”She searched quickly for the right phrase, then: “Rattle around in this big old place,” she finished. “Isn’t that what they always say when half of a couple is gone?”

Greg swallowed uncomfortably. “I didn’t mean that exactly, Aunt Rita,” he said. “But in a way, it’s true, isn’t it? I mean, it is a big house, and—”

“It wasn’t too big for Max and me,” Rita retorted. Regretting the sharpness of her words, she cocked her head, and forced a smile. “Or are you just trying to get your old auntie out of town?”

And then, quite suddenly, Rita thought she understood.

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