Read Online Flesh Gothic by Edward Lee by Edward Lee - Free Book Online
Authors: Edward Lee
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still talk."
"Don't be silly! There's a non-disclosure agreement in
there too!"
"Oh." He looked, pulled it out and read it. Pretty cut and
dry. But this woman is definitely serious.
"Sign it, and the money's yours. And if you repeat what
I'm about to tell you, you'll be very very sorry."
He couldn't resist grinning. "Is that a threat?"
"That is a stone-cold promise, Mr. Westmore. I don't
simply have a lawyer. I have a law f rm, and if you break this
confidence, they will bury you so deep that you won't see
light for a hundred years."
She wasn't smiling.
"I believe it," he said, and signed the agreement. He set
the money down, numb in the disbelief.
Vivica was looking at him, her eyes suddenly far away.
"I'm ready," Westmore said.
"Several times already, you've referred to my 'late' husband. Well, Mr. Westmore, I don't believe that he's dead.
There's no evidence to that effect."
Westmore frowned. "I read the obituary. Suicide."
"It's fake."
Westmore sat up more alertly. "You mean you-"
"Money talks. I paid the right persons to menufacture
the obituary and the police findings."
"So who's in your husband's gave? There was a service
listed about a week after the suicide."
"Not my husband. My people assure me of it."
Westmore rubbed his face. "The rumor is that your husband killed a whole bunch of innocent people with an ax-"
"No one is innocent, Mr. Westmore. Believe me, none of
those people in that house were innocent."
"Fine. What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Find out what happened on that night. I believe that
my husband is still alive. I believe that he's still in that
house."
Westmore's gaze felt just as far away as hers now He
could only look at her through a blur.
"You're a reporter. Report. To me. And I want you to
monitor the other people who will be there."
"Be where?"
"The Hildreth Mansion. I've hired some other people to
investigate the events of the night in question."
Other people? More reporter? Christ, I hope not. He could
see a bad scene coming already. "It was a couple weeks ago,
right?"
"Yes. The night of April 3rd."
"And you think your husband's still in the house?"
"I believe that he may be." She gave him a card. "This is
my cell phone number. You can call me anytime, and Karen
will be at your disposal too. There's also a lot of visual evidence, still in the house. Take your time examining it. It will
be a bit grueling, but ... that's what I'm hiring you for."
"What kind of visual evidence?"
"DVD's and digital master tapes. My husband owned an
adult movie business. He bought the company outright
some time ago, and relocated its studio and offices to the
mansion. I'm talking about pornography, Mr. Westmore.
My husband was a very sexually obsessed man. He surrounded himself with sexual energy."
Yeah, this is aazy, all right. This woman's paying me a ton of
money to ... watch porn?
"Don't share anything exclusive you discover with the
others; that's essential. I only trust Karen, and Mack, my security man. The others I'm not sure about. I have no reason
to trust them. They're all a bunch of writers, too."
I knew it. "What can you tell me about the mansion?"
"It's ... indescribable. It's like nothing you've ever seen.
And it has ... a rich past, which I'm sure you'll discover
along the way." Then she smiled.
This was too many curve balls too fast. "Mrs. Hildreth,
you're paying me an awful lot of money, and I'm still not
exactly sure what you want me to do."
"Ultimately, I want to know where my husband is, and
beyond that, I want to know the limits of his obsession. My
husband was preparing for something he thought would occur in the future. I want to know what-exactly-it was he
was preparing for. And I want to know when. Remember
that above all else."
At this point all Westmore could do was slump back in
the wire chair. He put his hands up. "I don't know what
you mean.
When Vivica Hildreth turned her head slightly, her angle
shrouded
"Don't be silly! There's a non-disclosure agreement in
there too!"
"Oh." He looked, pulled it out and read it. Pretty cut and
dry. But this woman is definitely serious.
"Sign it, and the money's yours. And if you repeat what
I'm about to tell you, you'll be very very sorry."
He couldn't resist grinning. "Is that a threat?"
"That is a stone-cold promise, Mr. Westmore. I don't
simply have a lawyer. I have a law f rm, and if you break this
confidence, they will bury you so deep that you won't see
light for a hundred years."
She wasn't smiling.
"I believe it," he said, and signed the agreement. He set
the money down, numb in the disbelief.
Vivica was looking at him, her eyes suddenly far away.
"I'm ready," Westmore said.
"Several times already, you've referred to my 'late' husband. Well, Mr. Westmore, I don't believe that he's dead.
There's no evidence to that effect."
Westmore frowned. "I read the obituary. Suicide."
"It's fake."
Westmore sat up more alertly. "You mean you-"
"Money talks. I paid the right persons to menufacture
the obituary and the police findings."
"So who's in your husband's gave? There was a service
listed about a week after the suicide."
"Not my husband. My people assure me of it."
Westmore rubbed his face. "The rumor is that your husband killed a whole bunch of innocent people with an ax-"
"No one is innocent, Mr. Westmore. Believe me, none of
those people in that house were innocent."
"Fine. What exactly do you want me to do?"
"Find out what happened on that night. I believe that
my husband is still alive. I believe that he's still in that
house."
Westmore's gaze felt just as far away as hers now He
could only look at her through a blur.
"You're a reporter. Report. To me. And I want you to
monitor the other people who will be there."
"Be where?"
"The Hildreth Mansion. I've hired some other people to
investigate the events of the night in question."
Other people? More reporter? Christ, I hope not. He could
see a bad scene coming already. "It was a couple weeks ago,
right?"
"Yes. The night of April 3rd."
"And you think your husband's still in the house?"
"I believe that he may be." She gave him a card. "This is
my cell phone number. You can call me anytime, and Karen
will be at your disposal too. There's also a lot of visual evidence, still in the house. Take your time examining it. It will
be a bit grueling, but ... that's what I'm hiring you for."
"What kind of visual evidence?"
"DVD's and digital master tapes. My husband owned an
adult movie business. He bought the company outright
some time ago, and relocated its studio and offices to the
mansion. I'm talking about pornography, Mr. Westmore.
My husband was a very sexually obsessed man. He surrounded himself with sexual energy."
Yeah, this is aazy, all right. This woman's paying me a ton of
money to ... watch porn?
"Don't share anything exclusive you discover with the
others; that's essential. I only trust Karen, and Mack, my security man. The others I'm not sure about. I have no reason
to trust them. They're all a bunch of writers, too."
I knew it. "What can you tell me about the mansion?"
"It's ... indescribable. It's like nothing you've ever seen.
And it has ... a rich past, which I'm sure you'll discover
along the way." Then she smiled.
This was too many curve balls too fast. "Mrs. Hildreth,
you're paying me an awful lot of money, and I'm still not
exactly sure what you want me to do."
"Ultimately, I want to know where my husband is, and
beyond that, I want to know the limits of his obsession. My
husband was preparing for something he thought would occur in the future. I want to know what-exactly-it was he
was preparing for. And I want to know when. Remember
that above all else."
At this point all Westmore could do was slump back in
the wire chair. He put his hands up. "I don't know what
you mean.
When Vivica Hildreth turned her head slightly, her angle
shrouded
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