Read Online Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Linwood Barclay
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just, I was just thinking of taking one more mental health day tomorrow. It's really slow in the office. If we were having a real heat wave, the phone'd be ringing off the hook with A/C service calls, but the weather's been not so bad, so it's pretty quiet."
I hesitated just for second. "Why don't you ride up with me?" I could use the company, and given Jan's dark thoughts lately, it would be a way to keep tabs on her for the day. Not that I was going to offer that up as a reason for her to join me.
"I couldn't do that," Jan protested. "Wouldn't that freak out your contact, you not coming alone?"
I thought about that. "If she asks, I'll just tell her. You're my wife. We made a day of it. Combined meeting a source with a drive in the country. If anything, it should put her more at ease."
Jan didn't sound entirely convinced. "I suppose. But if this is some secret Deep Throat kind of meeting, are we going to be safe?"
I managed a chuckle. "Oh, it's going to be very dangerous."
I didn't think it would take much more than an hour to drive to Lake George, and even though I was supposed to meet this person at five, I thought it made sense to get on the road at three. The woman in the note had made it clear that there was only about a ten-minute window for us to connect. I was to be there at five, and if she hadn't shown up within ten minutes, I was to turn around and go home.
Jan decided to keep Ethan with her for most of the day, then drive over and drop him off at my parents' around two. It didn't seem to matter how many times we imposed on them, they didn't mind. Mom adored him, and loved the novelty of having a male under her roof who'd actually do what she asked. Dad was talking about setting up a train set in the basement for Ethan to play with when he was over, although I suspected Dad was using Ethan as a cover story. Dad probably needed a project, and he'd always loved model trains, the big Lionel engines that made a huge racket and spewed smoke. I couldn't imagine Mom being crazy about the idea, but if it kept Dad from making more instructional signs for his fellow motorists, she'd probably be on board.
I got to the house about quarter to three, thinking Jan might be waiting for me on the front porch--we live in an old part of town where they still have such things--but she wasn't there. I bounded up the steps, opened the screen door, and called out Jan's name.
"You all set?" I said.
"Up here!" she said.
I bounded up the single flight, talking the entire way. "I think if we hit the road now, we might be in Lake George in time to grab a bite to eat or a coffee or something before I meet with--"
I walked into our bedroom. Jan was in the bed, under our covers, her head resting on her crooked arm.
"What--are you sick?" I asked.
She threw back the covers to reveal that she was naked. "Do I look like I'm sick?" she asked.
"Well," I said, smiling, "even in August you're bound to catch cold if you head up to Lake George like that."
"If you really want to get up there in time to get coffee, I suppose I could throw on my clothes and we could go right now."
"To be honest," I said, "I had coffee this morning."
Fifteen minutes later, we were on the road.
For the first twenty miles, I was starting a conversation in my head that wasn't going anywhere.
"You seem better," I wanted to say to Jan.
"You haven't been as down the last day or two," I nearly said.
"It's good to see you like this," I contemplated telling my wife.
But I said nothing out of fear of jinxing things. If Jan was coming out of this downturn, I didn't want to fuck it up by making a big deal out of it. I worried she might get defensive, accuse me of watching her every little tic, overanalyzing her every word. Which, of course, was exactly what I'd been doing for a couple of weeks now.
So I decided to act as though there was nothing out of the ordinary. That Jan wasn't taking a day off work because she'd been so troubled. She was just playing hooky.
I hesitated just for second. "Why don't you ride up with me?" I could use the company, and given Jan's dark thoughts lately, it would be a way to keep tabs on her for the day. Not that I was going to offer that up as a reason for her to join me.
"I couldn't do that," Jan protested. "Wouldn't that freak out your contact, you not coming alone?"
I thought about that. "If she asks, I'll just tell her. You're my wife. We made a day of it. Combined meeting a source with a drive in the country. If anything, it should put her more at ease."
Jan didn't sound entirely convinced. "I suppose. But if this is some secret Deep Throat kind of meeting, are we going to be safe?"
I managed a chuckle. "Oh, it's going to be very dangerous."
I didn't think it would take much more than an hour to drive to Lake George, and even though I was supposed to meet this person at five, I thought it made sense to get on the road at three. The woman in the note had made it clear that there was only about a ten-minute window for us to connect. I was to be there at five, and if she hadn't shown up within ten minutes, I was to turn around and go home.
Jan decided to keep Ethan with her for most of the day, then drive over and drop him off at my parents' around two. It didn't seem to matter how many times we imposed on them, they didn't mind. Mom adored him, and loved the novelty of having a male under her roof who'd actually do what she asked. Dad was talking about setting up a train set in the basement for Ethan to play with when he was over, although I suspected Dad was using Ethan as a cover story. Dad probably needed a project, and he'd always loved model trains, the big Lionel engines that made a huge racket and spewed smoke. I couldn't imagine Mom being crazy about the idea, but if it kept Dad from making more instructional signs for his fellow motorists, she'd probably be on board.
I got to the house about quarter to three, thinking Jan might be waiting for me on the front porch--we live in an old part of town where they still have such things--but she wasn't there. I bounded up the steps, opened the screen door, and called out Jan's name.
"You all set?" I said.
"Up here!" she said.
I bounded up the single flight, talking the entire way. "I think if we hit the road now, we might be in Lake George in time to grab a bite to eat or a coffee or something before I meet with--"
I walked into our bedroom. Jan was in the bed, under our covers, her head resting on her crooked arm.
"What--are you sick?" I asked.
She threw back the covers to reveal that she was naked. "Do I look like I'm sick?" she asked.
"Well," I said, smiling, "even in August you're bound to catch cold if you head up to Lake George like that."
"If you really want to get up there in time to get coffee, I suppose I could throw on my clothes and we could go right now."
"To be honest," I said, "I had coffee this morning."
Fifteen minutes later, we were on the road.
For the first twenty miles, I was starting a conversation in my head that wasn't going anywhere.
"You seem better," I wanted to say to Jan.
"You haven't been as down the last day or two," I nearly said.
"It's good to see you like this," I contemplated telling my wife.
But I said nothing out of fear of jinxing things. If Jan was coming out of this downturn, I didn't want to fuck it up by making a big deal out of it. I worried she might get defensive, accuse me of watching her every little tic, overanalyzing her every word. Which, of course, was exactly what I'd been doing for a couple of weeks now.
So I decided to act as though there was nothing out of the ordinary. That Jan wasn't taking a day off work because she'd been so troubled. She was just playing hooky.
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