by Anthony Izzo
Then there was the issue of Matt. She liked him and wondered where a relationship with him might take her.
She knew now that he wasn’t a flake, and Donna’s story confirmed that for her. But would she be risking her life staying here? It seemed like it. She didn’t think she could go out in public anymore without wondering who the creatures were and who the people were.
“You look like you’re in deep thought.”
“Just debating whether or not to pack it up and leave town.”
“Whatever you do, stay away from Rafferty. It sounds like he has more than a casual interest in you.”
“You’re going to see him,” Jill pointed out.
“He tries anything with me, I’ll blow his nuts off,” Donna said grimly.
Jill laughed. Somehow, she didn’t doubt Donna would hesitate to blow said testicles off of the Chief of Police.
“You own a gun, Jill?”
“I hate guns.”
“It might be a good idea to start unhating them. There’re classes that can teach you how to shoot. I can give you some numbers if you want.”
“I’ll pass for now.”
“Think about it.”
“You know, I’m supposed to have dinner with Matt and a guy he met who knows a lot about the townspeople here too. Maybe you should come.”
“I’ll think about it. Give me your phone number.”
Jill took a notepad and pen off of the nightstand and wrote the information down.
“Can I ask you something?” Donna said.
“Sure.”
“One of these things chased you, even had you around the neck. How come you needed my story to convince you they were real?”
“I guess I was fooling myself into thinking something like this couldn’t exist. I wanted things to go so smoothly for me that I pushed the idea of something so horrible away. I needed more proof, and your story gave me that extra push I needed.”
“Fair enough.”
Jill looked at her watch: ten minutes to one. Time to get back downstairs. She stood up and pushed the chair against the wall. “Can I get you anything before I go?”
“A free pass out of this place.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
Jill got her to smile. She wished Donna well and left the room. After work, she would call Matt Crowe and invite him over. She hoped that she could explain why she didn’t swallow his story at first and apologize to him.
If he still wanted to see her. She wouldn’t blame him for not coming over after the way she’d given him the cold shoulder last night.
She almost wanted to call him right now, but she only had five more minutes to get downstairs and get back to work. It felt like she would burst until she could call him.
The rest of the day was sure to drag.
CHAPTER 20
Matt’s heart did a steady jitterbug in his chest. Pulling out of the driveway in the truck, he’d almost hit a black Nissan coming down the street. His head felt fuzzy and unfocused. All he could think about was his destination.
Jill had called him just after four and told him she wanted him to come over. She wouldn’t say why, just that she had something important to tell him.
Then she hung up.
He pulled the truck into her driveway and parked. He had the air blasting in the truck, and when he stepped out, the heat leapt on him and hung on for dear life. He took a few steps up the walkway before he saw her.
“Over here,” she said.
He climbed the wooden steps, stumbling on a loose plank. Jill sat on a glider, swinging back and forth, legs crossed, one arm draped lazily over the side.
“Have a seat,” she said.
“To what do I owe this hospitality?”
“To the fact that I acted like an idiot.”
“I wouldn’t go that far.”
“Can I tempt you with a drink? A peace offering?”
A pitcher of lemonade and two glasses sat on a table in front of the glider.
“Ah, bribery. Very persuasive.”
He sat down next to her and immediately he noticed her fresh, clean scent. Roses and soap, maybe the yellow bar of Dial.
Jill poured a glass of lemonade for Matt and one for herself. He took a sip. It was a little tart for his taste, but still pretty damn good on a hot day.
She turned around to face him and sat Indian-style.
“You’ll get splinters with bare feet on this porch.”
“I don’t care. I’ve been dying to sit on this glider since I moved in.”
“So why did you call me here?”
“To apologize.”
“For?”
“Well, for one, kicking you out last night. And two, for not believing your story. You poured your guts out to me and I treated you like you were a flake.”
“Apology accepted on the first count. But why do you believe me all of a sudden?”
“Because of a patient that came into the hospital.”
She told him about her conversation with Donna Ricci.
“This woman actually saw one of them?”
“Saw it and tried to kill it.”
“Did she say what happened to it?”
“No. It was on fire, and then she passed out.”
He needed to talk to this mystery woman. Maybe he could gain an ally, or at least some insights into how the creature reacted to the fire. That could be a way to take them down. “Things are getting worse. They’re showing themselves more.”
“How’s that?”
He told her about the body in the park, and how the young girl who discovered it said there were bite marks on it.
“I wish I never moved here. Except for one reason.”
He gave her a puzzled look.
“You, silly.”
“Aw, shucks, ma’am.”
“Are you still mad?”
“No. I don’t blame you for thinking I was weird.”
“I really am sorry, Matt. Even though I know one of those things chased us through that warehouse, I just couldn’t admit to myself that it existed.”
“You don’t have to be sorry. I must’ve sounded like a lunatic.”
“Well, at first,” Jill said. “I believed something traumatic happened to you, but I wasn’t convinced it was an attack by these things. And after my last relationship, I was afraid of someone unstable.”
“I thought I dropped the ball with you. I was kicking myself for telling you the story.”
“I’m glad you felt comfortable enough with me to tell it.”
She gripped his forearm and gave it a small squeeze.
“So you think we can be an item?” he said.
“My sources say yes.”
He leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. As he finished the kiss and pulled away, she caressed his cheek.
“What do you say to dinner. Pizza maybe?” Matt asked.
“Bring it on.”
They sat in silence, sipped lemonade and held hands.
After three pieces of pizza and two glasses of lemonade, Matt’s stomach was stretched to the limit. The Pizza Hut box and the empty pitcher sat on Jill’s coffee table.
They sat next to each other on the couch. Their legs touched, and he placed his hand on her bare thigh. The skin was warm and smooth. She didn’t seem to mind his hand.
“That beat cooking,” she said.
“I’ll clean this up.”
He picked up the pizza box, pitcher, glasses and empty paper plates and took them to the kitchen. When he returned, she was fiddling with the stereo.
“Any preferences?” she said.
“How about ninety-seven?”
“Format?”
“Classic rock.”
“Good enough.”
She pressed a button and Ronnie Van Zandt’s voice came out of the speakers, singing about an aged blues singer.
“Did that cop—what was her name?” Matt said.
“Donna.”
“Did she describe it to
you?”
“No. She mentioned the smell, though.”
“She saw the man change?”
“Right in front of her.”
Matt had never seen one change, but he suspected it was an awesome, if repulsive, sight. “I’m anxious to meet with Harry.”
“I told Donna about the meeting at Harry’s. I hope you don’t mind.”
“The more the merrier.”
“Do you still want to kill Rafferty?”
“Yes. But I’m not going to. Yet.”
“What do you mean?”
“Killing him won’t solve the problems in Lincoln. There’s probably hundreds of Them living here. They’ll keep taking victims. Besides, if I kill Rafferty, I’ll never get out of here alive.”
“So what are you thinking?”
I don’t know. Nukes? “I’m hoping for a way to get a lot of Them at once.”
“Then what?”
“Skip town. Hopefully with you.”
“It’ll look like you murdered innocent people.”
“That’s the thing. I need a way to get Them to change into their true form. Then do it.”
She paused for a moment. Matt thought for a moment that he might be pushing her away again with talk of murdering hundreds of residents of Lincoln. “Think of it, Jill. We’re in danger just by being here. There’s already been killings. Donna’s sister-in-law, the girl in the park. I can’t let this go on. Not after what happened to my family.”
“I guess you wouldn’t be hurting actual people.”
“Exactly. And Rafferty’s targeted you, the scumbag.”
He saw goose bumps raise the hairs on her forearms.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”
She crossed her arms. “It’s not your fault. Just when I think of his tongue in my ear, like a snake. Yuck.”
“If you don’t want to get involved, I’ll understand. But I like you. A lot.”
Jesus, that sounded like it came from the mouth of a virgin on prom night, he thought.
“Really? You must have had some girlfriends along the line.”
“There were a few here and there.”
“Well, I can’t go home. And it’ll take me time to move. If I’m going to be here, I might as well help. Besides, I don’t want to miss out on you either. Just no guns for me. My dad and all.”
It was frightening that someone could walk into a store to buy milk or bread, and get killed for no reason. You could walk out of your house and be shot, stabbed, robbed or raped. And Jill’s father had been one of the unfortunate ones to experience this.
“I won’t bring it up again. You don’t have to get within ten feet of a gun if you don’t want to. I know how hard it is to lose family.”
“The worst part about the whole thing was that when I got the news, my mother pushed me away. I went to her expecting hugs and kisses. She told me we both needed to be alone and sent me to my room. I cried all night. Alone.”
“That’s pretty damn lousy.”
Matt gave her credit for pursuing her own life and forging ahead, away from her mother. From what Jill had told him, the woman sounded like a domineering control freak. “Your mom sounds like a cold person.”
“Like a Fridgedair. Every year for my birthday, you know what I got? A card.”
“Money in the card?”
“Nope. No presents and no parties. Mother always said that was a sure way to spoil a child.”
“That’s lousy too. No, that’s beyond lousy, that’s shitty.”
Matt couldn’t have imagined going without birthday parties as a child. If Christmas was the Holy Grail of childhood, then birthday parties were a close second, perhaps the Ark of the Covenant.
“What was your family like?” she said.
“Well, my brother was a typical pain in the ass little brother. Scratched my records, pulled the wheels off my trucks, ripped my baseball cards. But I wouldn’t have traded him for anything. My mom and dad couldn’t do enough for us. They took us everywhere. Darien Lake in the summer, the circus, which I never liked but Mikey loved. The beach, picnics, movies. My dad worked a lot of hours, but he always had time for us when he was home, no matter how tired he was. I miss all three of them.”
“They sound great. But we’re survivors, right?”
“I guess we are.”
She smiled at him. She had her hair drawn back in a ponytail, and strands hung down over her forehead, down the side of her face. He reached over and brushed it away. He didn’t think he’d ever seen a woman look prettier than she did now.
She moved closer to him, reaching for him and running her hand over his cheek, through his hair and to the back of his head. Tiny jolts of electricity pricked his neck and crackled down his spine.
She drew him close and kissed him, her tongue slipping past his lips. He kissed her back hard.
Drawing back, she offered him a wry smile. “That wasn’t too forward, was it?”
“I’m not complaining.”
She kissed him again, this time pushing him back so that she was on top of him. His heart sped up and he ran his hands up her back to her hair and untied her ponytail.
Her hair spilled down in tight curls.
She straddled him. Then she pulled off her shirt. He slid his hands up her belly, over her rib cage, cupped her breasts over the bra. She moaned and leaned forward.
Jill whispered in his ear, “This couch could use a good workout.”
After making love on the couch, and again on the floor, they went to the bedroom and fell asleep on top of the covers. Now, Jill lay with her head on Matt’s chest. He smelled pleasantly of perspiration, and the hairs from his chest tickled her cheek.
The clock-radio alarm whined like a hungry baby and Jill flicked it off. Taking Matt’s arm by the wrist, she gently lifted it and slipped out of his embrace. Then she kissed him on the chest, just above the nipple. He stirred.
“Morning,” he mumbled, half asleep.
“Morning. I’ve got to get ready for work.”
She tossed the covers aside, got out of bed and stretched, feeling Matt’s gaze on her naked body. With Jerry, she was always self-conscious about her nudity, preferring to throw on a robe, but Matt watching her didn’t bother her at all.
The room was still in shadows, as the sun hadn’t risen yet. She took her silk robe off the hook on the bedroom door. As she slipped it on, she remembered that it had been a Valentine’s present from Jerry. It was the only gift of his that she kept. The stuffed animals, earrings, cards and letters were all taking up space in a landfill right about now.
But the robe was comfortable, so why not keep it? She loved the feel of the cool silk against her skin.
A breeze blew in the open window, rattling the shade and sneaking under her robe, tickling her butt. The breeze could be a good sign, for it might mean an end to the brutal heat that had plagued Lincoln and the entire northeast all August.
She turned and looked at Matt before leaving the room. He was on his side snoring softly, his right arm bent, hand tucked under his head. The outline of his bicep was clearly visible. She smiled as she remembered how she kissed all of his muscles last night.
It would be nice to wake up next to someone like him every morning. She realized that was the giddiness that came with a new boyfriend and good sex. But she felt good and wished she had time for a run. She could go two extra miles today.
She went into the bathroom, showered and blow-dried her hair.
After the shower, she returned to the bedroom to put on her makeup. Matt was doing push-ups, the muscles in his back and arms flexing and pumping.
“Too bad I’m already showered. You look like you’re working up a sweat,” she said. “I could help you with that.”
“You’re too much woman for me. I don’t know if I could handle you again.”
She nudged him in the ribs with her bare foot, knocking him off balance, causing him to fall on his side.
“I’ll show you too mu
ch woman.”
“Brutal. You’re a beast. How about I make some coffee?”
“Sounds good. It’s in the third cupboard on the right on the bottom.”
He got up, put his clothes on and headed for the kitchen.
After putting her uniform on, she joined Matt in the kitchen.
Two green mugs of steaming coffee sat on the table.
“So did you enjoy last night?” he said.
“God, yes. Couldn’t you tell?”
“It’s been a while, that’s all.”
“You were great.”
“I aim to please.”
“What’ve you got planned for today?” Jill said.
“I’ve got to make a couple visits.”
“To who?”
“The Reese family. I have to tell them what happened to their daughter. The cops probably gave them a line of crap.”
He took a sip off his coffee. Jill went to the cupboard and took out a box of Grape Nuts and a bowl and spoon. Taking a half-gallon carton of milk from the fridge, she brought everything to the table and sat down. Then she poured the milk and cereal in the bowl and stuck the spoon it.
“Where else are you going?” she asked.
“The girl who found the body. I want to make sure she’s all right. That Rafferty didn’t harm her.”
“Be careful,” she said, and took a bite of cereal.
“You too. I don’t want him harassing you again.”
The company of a boa constrictor was preferable to the company of Lincoln’s police chief. If she never saw him again, it would be too soon.
“Pick you up at six?” he said.
“Yeah. I’ve got to get going in a few.”
She looked at the clock hanging over the fridge: it read six twenty-five. The two of them sat in pleasant silence while she finished eating. When she had crunched the last of her cereal, she rinsed the bowl and spoon and left it in the sink.
Slurping the last of his coffee, Matt got up and put the cup in the sink. He went to the door. She moved in close to him and kissed him. Then she wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged. He returned the hug, slipping his hands around her lower back and squeezing. She closed her eyes.
