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Authors: Graham Masterton
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his house, and parked outside, underneath the purple jacaranda tree.
‘Come in,’ he told her. ‘Have a drink. I don’t like to drink on my own.’
‘If I have a drink, I cannot drive.’
‘Then stay.’
They went inside the house. It smelled of cedar wood and the Arabica coffee that he had filtered that morning, before he had driven to San Luis Obispo to see Jenna. He switched on two or three table lamps but he didn’t close the drapes. He wanted to see the glitter of Los Angeles spread out below. It was like a complicated puzzle, made out of millions of coloured lights.
‘Wine?’ he asked.
‘Yes, white, please. I wonder if you’re still on the TV news.’
‘If I am, I don’t want to see it.’
Silja sat down on one of the white leather couches and kicked off her wedge-heeled sandals. ‘Did you have the chance to show the medallion to Jenna? You don’t mind my asking this?’
Noah came in from the kitchen with two bowl-like glasses of Pinot Grigio, very cold. ‘Of course not, no. She said it was made out of silver and it probably came from ancient Babylon, because of the writing on it. It could have been over two and a half thousand years old.’
‘That’s amazing! And that’s also very strange, don’t you think? If it is so old, it must be very rare. Yet here was this young suicide bomber wearing one almost the same.’
Noah sat down next to her, lit two cigarettes and passed her one. ‘You know something, I was going to give up smoking after this pack. Too damned dangerous.’
‘These men are much more dangerous. If they wanted today to kill you, because of this thing you are supposed to know, who says they will not try again to kill you? I think you should stay someplace else for a while. Someplace where they can’t find you.’
‘What’s the point of that? I have script meetings all next week. Don’t tell me they won’t be able to follow me home from the studios, no matter where I go.’
‘Then cancel your meetings.’
‘I can’t afford to. Besides, I’m damned if I’m going to let them intimidate me. I’m staying here, no matter what.’
They stayed up until two thirty in the morning, talking and drinking. At first, Noah thought he was going to be too upset to sleep, but suddenly he was overtaken by a dark wave of exhaustion, both physical and emotional. He let his head drop back on to the sofa cushion.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Silja.
‘I’m totally bushed. I have to go to bed.’
‘OK. That’s OK. Some sleep will do you good. Do you want me to stay?’
‘It’s your choice. Do you have to make an early start tomorrow?’
‘I’m supposed to be meeting my sister. We were planning to go to Rodeo Drive and spend her husband’s money. But I can always make it another day.’
Noah stood up. ‘I’ll find you some clean towels.’
‘No – I can take care of myself. You just go to bed. You look terrible.’
‘Thanks for the compliment.’
She put her arms around him and held him close. ‘Get some rest. What happened to you today, you’re going to need all of your strength to get over it.’
‘Thanks, Silja. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.’
He went through to his bedroom, stripped off his polo shirt and tossed it on to the chair. Then he sat down on the end of his bed and unfastened his jeans. Like the rest of the house, the bedroom hadn’t changed since Jenna had redecorated it. The walls were a cool eau-de-Nil colour, and the cotton drapes over the head of the bed were cream with pale green lilies on them. On the walls hung splashy silk-screen prints of tulip fields by the Dutch artist Jan Cremer.
Noah crawled under the sheet and drew it over his head, to close out the world. It takes the average person seven minutes to fall asleep. It took Noah less than two.
Almost immediately, he began to dream. He was walking along a corridor with a stone-flagged floor. There were windows on either side, covered with pierced wooden
‘Come in,’ he told her. ‘Have a drink. I don’t like to drink on my own.’
‘If I have a drink, I cannot drive.’
‘Then stay.’
They went inside the house. It smelled of cedar wood and the Arabica coffee that he had filtered that morning, before he had driven to San Luis Obispo to see Jenna. He switched on two or three table lamps but he didn’t close the drapes. He wanted to see the glitter of Los Angeles spread out below. It was like a complicated puzzle, made out of millions of coloured lights.
‘Wine?’ he asked.
‘Yes, white, please. I wonder if you’re still on the TV news.’
‘If I am, I don’t want to see it.’
Silja sat down on one of the white leather couches and kicked off her wedge-heeled sandals. ‘Did you have the chance to show the medallion to Jenna? You don’t mind my asking this?’
Noah came in from the kitchen with two bowl-like glasses of Pinot Grigio, very cold. ‘Of course not, no. She said it was made out of silver and it probably came from ancient Babylon, because of the writing on it. It could have been over two and a half thousand years old.’
‘That’s amazing! And that’s also very strange, don’t you think? If it is so old, it must be very rare. Yet here was this young suicide bomber wearing one almost the same.’
Noah sat down next to her, lit two cigarettes and passed her one. ‘You know something, I was going to give up smoking after this pack. Too damned dangerous.’
‘These men are much more dangerous. If they wanted today to kill you, because of this thing you are supposed to know, who says they will not try again to kill you? I think you should stay someplace else for a while. Someplace where they can’t find you.’
‘What’s the point of that? I have script meetings all next week. Don’t tell me they won’t be able to follow me home from the studios, no matter where I go.’
‘Then cancel your meetings.’
‘I can’t afford to. Besides, I’m damned if I’m going to let them intimidate me. I’m staying here, no matter what.’
They stayed up until two thirty in the morning, talking and drinking. At first, Noah thought he was going to be too upset to sleep, but suddenly he was overtaken by a dark wave of exhaustion, both physical and emotional. He let his head drop back on to the sofa cushion.
‘What’s wrong?’ asked Silja.
‘I’m totally bushed. I have to go to bed.’
‘OK. That’s OK. Some sleep will do you good. Do you want me to stay?’
‘It’s your choice. Do you have to make an early start tomorrow?’
‘I’m supposed to be meeting my sister. We were planning to go to Rodeo Drive and spend her husband’s money. But I can always make it another day.’
Noah stood up. ‘I’ll find you some clean towels.’
‘No – I can take care of myself. You just go to bed. You look terrible.’
‘Thanks for the compliment.’
She put her arms around him and held him close. ‘Get some rest. What happened to you today, you’re going to need all of your strength to get over it.’
‘Thanks, Silja. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.’
He went through to his bedroom, stripped off his polo shirt and tossed it on to the chair. Then he sat down on the end of his bed and unfastened his jeans. Like the rest of the house, the bedroom hadn’t changed since Jenna had redecorated it. The walls were a cool eau-de-Nil colour, and the cotton drapes over the head of the bed were cream with pale green lilies on them. On the walls hung splashy silk-screen prints of tulip fields by the Dutch artist Jan Cremer.
Noah crawled under the sheet and drew it over his head, to close out the world. It takes the average person seven minutes to fall asleep. It took Noah less than two.
Almost immediately, he began to dream. He was walking along a corridor with a stone-flagged floor. There were windows on either side, covered with pierced wooden
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