Read Online Love Lies Dying by Steve Gerlach - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Steve Gerlach
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John prompted.
“Nothing,” she said as she met his eyes once more. “I checked it three times, from cover to cover, Johnny, and there’s nothing in the paper about Ricky.”
John placed the tray by his side. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Yes, it means he’s still alive!”
She looked like she was about to cry again, so John reached out his arms and she climbed along the bed, came and sat next to him and hugged him hard.
“If there’s nothing in the papers,” she whispered, “it means he’s out there somewhere looking for me.”
“Not necessarily.” John stroked her hair. “You said yourself that he didn’t like doctors and that he used aliases. Maybe he’s lying on some morgue slate somewhere under the name of Ghengis Khan or something.”
She giggled and looked up at him, “That wasn’t one of his aliases.”
“Okay, well sure, fine. But you know what I mean. If he’s been admitted under a different name, no one’s going to know!”
“I’ve been checking the papers every day, Johnny. Every day since I escaped and started driving! And there’s been nothing.”
“Well, that’s good,” John said. “It means that you’ve probably nailed the sucker and they’re keeping it quiet.”
“But what if he’s alive and only wounded? What if he’s just recuperating and will then come after me?”
“That’s a lot of ‘what ifs’, Zoe. Why don’t we wait until Helen gets back this morning and we’ll look at any information she has managed to dig up, okay?”
Zoe hugged him tighter, then let her left hand slide slowly across his bare chest. “Okay. Whatever you say, I’ll do it, Johnny.”
John placed the tray on the floor and swung his legs out of the bed. He rested on the side of the bed for a second, waiting for Zoe to leave the room, but she continued to sit on the bed.
“Well, to begin with, I better get up and showered. Helen could be home any minute.”
And I don’t want her to find us like this, John thought. That would be all I need.
Still, Helen had been the one to leave Zoe here with him. She must’ve known what Zoe was like; they’d been friends for years.
Or so Zoe says…
“She’s not coming home,” Zoe whispered.
John sat staring out the window, through the sunlight and into the yard. He let her words sink slowly into his brain, making sure he had heard correctly. “What did you say?”
“She’s not coming home,” Zoe met his eyes as he turned to her. “At least, not yet. That’s why she phoned.”
“Huh?” John was confused. “Hang on, back up a little and start again. You’ve gone too fast for me.”
“The phone,” she said.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Well, it rang and –“
“When?”
Zoe stared at him with a confused look in her eyes. “Just before. Like, fifteen minutes ago. Didn’t you hear it?”
John shook his head.
“But, you must have! That’s why I decided to bring your breakfast in here. I thought the phone would’ve woken you.”
It usually does, John thought.
“Well, it didn’t,” he said.
“Oh, okay. You must have been in a really deep sleep. Anyway, it was Helen.”
“Helen called,” John said, unsure whether it was a question or whether he was just repeating the fact.
“Yeah, she said she’d been calling around all night and was even checking out computer databases or something. I’m not really big on technical terms and she reeled off plenty, but it seems she was calling people and doing searches for Ricky, but she’d come up with nothing.”
Zoe looked like she might start to cry again, so John reached over and rubbed her arm.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Zoe tried to smile. “I don’t know what to think,” she said. “If there’s no news that might mean he’s dead and already buried in some quiet ceremony to cover everything up and I’d be free of him. Or, it means he’s got some private doctor somewhere to look after him. Or maybe he was just knocked out and now he’s
“Nothing,” she said as she met his eyes once more. “I checked it three times, from cover to cover, Johnny, and there’s nothing in the paper about Ricky.”
John placed the tray by his side. “But that doesn’t mean anything.”
“Yes, it means he’s still alive!”
She looked like she was about to cry again, so John reached out his arms and she climbed along the bed, came and sat next to him and hugged him hard.
“If there’s nothing in the papers,” she whispered, “it means he’s out there somewhere looking for me.”
“Not necessarily.” John stroked her hair. “You said yourself that he didn’t like doctors and that he used aliases. Maybe he’s lying on some morgue slate somewhere under the name of Ghengis Khan or something.”
She giggled and looked up at him, “That wasn’t one of his aliases.”
“Okay, well sure, fine. But you know what I mean. If he’s been admitted under a different name, no one’s going to know!”
“I’ve been checking the papers every day, Johnny. Every day since I escaped and started driving! And there’s been nothing.”
“Well, that’s good,” John said. “It means that you’ve probably nailed the sucker and they’re keeping it quiet.”
“But what if he’s alive and only wounded? What if he’s just recuperating and will then come after me?”
“That’s a lot of ‘what ifs’, Zoe. Why don’t we wait until Helen gets back this morning and we’ll look at any information she has managed to dig up, okay?”
Zoe hugged him tighter, then let her left hand slide slowly across his bare chest. “Okay. Whatever you say, I’ll do it, Johnny.”
John placed the tray on the floor and swung his legs out of the bed. He rested on the side of the bed for a second, waiting for Zoe to leave the room, but she continued to sit on the bed.
“Well, to begin with, I better get up and showered. Helen could be home any minute.”
And I don’t want her to find us like this, John thought. That would be all I need.
Still, Helen had been the one to leave Zoe here with him. She must’ve known what Zoe was like; they’d been friends for years.
Or so Zoe says…
“She’s not coming home,” Zoe whispered.
John sat staring out the window, through the sunlight and into the yard. He let her words sink slowly into his brain, making sure he had heard correctly. “What did you say?”
“She’s not coming home,” Zoe met his eyes as he turned to her. “At least, not yet. That’s why she phoned.”
“Huh?” John was confused. “Hang on, back up a little and start again. You’ve gone too fast for me.”
“The phone,” she said.
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Well, it rang and –“
“When?”
Zoe stared at him with a confused look in her eyes. “Just before. Like, fifteen minutes ago. Didn’t you hear it?”
John shook his head.
“But, you must have! That’s why I decided to bring your breakfast in here. I thought the phone would’ve woken you.”
It usually does, John thought.
“Well, it didn’t,” he said.
“Oh, okay. You must have been in a really deep sleep. Anyway, it was Helen.”
“Helen called,” John said, unsure whether it was a question or whether he was just repeating the fact.
“Yeah, she said she’d been calling around all night and was even checking out computer databases or something. I’m not really big on technical terms and she reeled off plenty, but it seems she was calling people and doing searches for Ricky, but she’d come up with nothing.”
Zoe looked like she might start to cry again, so John reached over and rubbed her arm.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
Zoe tried to smile. “I don’t know what to think,” she said. “If there’s no news that might mean he’s dead and already buried in some quiet ceremony to cover everything up and I’d be free of him. Or, it means he’s got some private doctor somewhere to look after him. Or maybe he was just knocked out and now he’s
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