Read Online Cry For Tomorrow by Dianna Hunter - Free Book Online

and I are going to drop off that order of perfumes at the Ladies Shoppe, and then we’re headed for the north side of town in the hopes of liberating a few pieces of electronics from Ace’s warehouse.” Ace was a fat, slovenly man, perpetually in need of a good bath. Unfortunately, he was also as dishonest as he was dirty, but he possessed the largest warehouse full—wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling—of discarded electronic appliances and parts in the city. The worst part was that he kept his business in even worse disarray than his person, and it could take you days to find what you wanted.
    “Umm, no, thanks.” Carl hesitated and looked away when Zack glared at him. “I-I have business at the University and I probably won’t be finished ‘til late.”
    That was odd. I cast a puzzled, questioning look at him but all I got back was that closed, keep-away look that Carl seemed to wear on his face so often lately. He had stopped attending classes at the university several months ago, saying he had better things to do with his time than listen to a bunch of old men and women lost in the past lecture him on how to survive in the future, so I was a little surprised that he had any reason to be there.
    I shrugged in resignation but, still, I couldn’t quite shake off the chill his words and attitude had brought. He hadn’t really said anything incriminating, there was just something about the way he said it that felt funny , like something wasn’t quite right between us. But then, I had been under a lot of pressure lately, and maybe Carl’s strange and kind of cool behavior was just a reaction to my own mood.
    I did notice that Carl had cut his eyes away when the others cast curious looks his way. His face was creased in defensive lines when he snatched up his backpack and slammed his shoulder against the door to the staircase. “See y’all tonight,” he grumbled without actually looking anyone in the eyes as he disappeared into the nearly dark stairwell.
    Jennie and I exchanged puzzled glances but neither of us wanted to put our discomfort about Carl’s odd behavior into words. Even his sudden preference for using the staircase the last few weeks seemed odd to me. It only took him as far as the fourth floor and from there he would have to use the fire escape to reach the ground. I’d questioned him about it once, but he’d been so defensive about it, saying that he just wanted to get a little exercise, that I hadn’t mentioned it since.
    I shook my head, trying to clear away the dark thoughts. “Come on, Dusty, it’s time to go.” Snapping the leash I had braided from some heavy cord I’d found in our assortment of craft items to the dog’s collar first, I shrugged into my backpack and headed to the elevator door. I patiently waited for Jennie to maneuver her own cargo on board before following, and I tried very hard not to let it bother me that Carl had not kissed me good-bye or wished me a good day.
     
    The glare of the harsh, winter sunlight made me reach for the sun-glasses I kept in my jacket pocket as we emerged into the street. I was still fumbling with them when the dog darted past me and into the street to check out the crushed remains of the monkey.
    “Hey Dusty, slow down,” I called. I dropped my baggage and released her. She’d been staying close and responding well enough to walk free. She immediately went to the place where the monkey’s remains lay in a small, stained area of the street. Curious, I followed her.
    “Wow, it’s really scary to think that some of those phantoms might actually be dangerous,” gasped Jennie as she joined us. “Here I’ve been trying to convince myself that I didn’t have any reason to be afraid of them, and now this—and what about those gremlin things you saw?”
    “Yeah, really scary,” I agreed as I nudged the corpse with the toe of my boot. “I’ve got to talk with Jack about this—maybe he’s heard something about it before.”
    “Well, you