Read Online Night Show by Richard Laymon - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Richard Laymon
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he bent down and grabbed the starter cord.
‘Wait,’ Linda said.
With a shrug, he straightened up. He watched Linda approach as if she were an odd species he couldn’t quite identify. Before she got too close, he sidestepped to put the lawn mower between them.
‘You’re Tony’s brother, aren’t you?’
He nodded. His gaze lowered to the front of her blouse.
‘I’m Beth Emory.’
He continued to stare.
‘Tony let me borrow this book of his,’ she said. ‘I’d like to see that he gets it back.’
‘He ain’t here.’
‘I know. I heard he left town right after graduation.’
‘Hasn’t come back.’
‘Do you know where he went?’
The man’s tongue darted out, lapped speckles of sweat from over his lip. ‘Huh-uh.’
‘If I had his address, I’d mail it to him.’
‘Don’t know where he went to.’
‘Does your mother know?’
‘Huh-uh.’
‘Is she home now?’
His head shook slowly from side to side, his gaze remaining on Linda’s breasts. ‘Mom, she’s been dead ten years this August.’
‘Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.’
‘You wanta leave that book, it’s all right. Maybe he’ll come back. You don’t never know, with Tony.’
‘I have to know where he is,’ Linda said. She felt a sickening tightness in her chest, but didn’t let it stop her. With trembling fingers, she flicked open the top button of her blouse. ‘You can tell me.’
His shallow chest rose and fell. A hand went up to wipe his mouth.
Linda opened the next button. ‘You know where he is, don’t you?’
‘Go ’way,’ he whispered.
‘Tell me.’
‘I don’t . . .’ He shook his head sharply.
Linda opened the button at her belly, and spread the blouse wide. She squeezed the stiff cups of her bra. ‘Tell me. Tell me and you can see.’
‘He . . . he’s in California.’
‘Where?’
‘Hollywood.’
‘What’s his address?’
‘Don’t know.’
She unhooked the front of the bra and lifted it away. ‘Tell me. Tell me, and you can feel.’
He stared. He licked his lips. ‘I don’t knooow.’
‘Yes you do.’ She caressed her breasts, squeezed them.
‘I . . . oh, oh ! Go away!’ Doubling over, he turned away and fell to his knees. He grabbed his groin. His forehead pounded the grass.
Linda stared, astonished and disgusted.
Clutching her blouse shut, she ran.
9
D ANI ADDED a splash of milk, and set the pot back onto the barbeque grill. She stirred the creamy potatoes with a wooden spoon. After a few strokes, the heat became too much. She backed away, rubbing the hot skin of her belly.
‘That hungry?’ Jack asked.
‘That burnt.’
He swung himself off the lounger, stepped up beside her, and sipped his vodka and tonic as he peered into the pot. ‘Looking good,’ he said.
‘They’re a real calorie bomb, but what the hell? We deserve it, right?’ A few bubbles plopped to the surface. Dani reached out and stirred, the heat curling against the underside of her arm. ‘I think we’re about ready for the steaks.’
‘I’m more than ready.’
‘You want to keep an eye on this? Just stir it a bit.’
With a nod, he took the spoon in his free hand.
‘Refill while I’m in?’
‘Sure, thanks.’ He tilted his glass back. The cubes broke loose from the bottom and dropped against his face , splashing him. He gasped with surprise. ‘It fights back,’ he said. He backhanded a drip off the tip of his nose, rubbed his wet mustache and beard.
‘What poise,’ Dani said.
‘My specialty.’
She took his glass, picked hers up from the tray, and slid open the screen door to the living room. The carpet felt good after the rough concrete. The house was cool, almost chilly against her sun-heated skin.
She slid the glasses to the other side of the bar counter and wiped her wet hands across her belly, leaving dark trails on her skin. Rarely had she felt so fine: light and compact, glowing with the sun and two vodkas and her new closeness with Jack.
She stretched,
‘Wait,’ Linda said.
With a shrug, he straightened up. He watched Linda approach as if she were an odd species he couldn’t quite identify. Before she got too close, he sidestepped to put the lawn mower between them.
‘You’re Tony’s brother, aren’t you?’
He nodded. His gaze lowered to the front of her blouse.
‘I’m Beth Emory.’
He continued to stare.
‘Tony let me borrow this book of his,’ she said. ‘I’d like to see that he gets it back.’
‘He ain’t here.’
‘I know. I heard he left town right after graduation.’
‘Hasn’t come back.’
‘Do you know where he went?’
The man’s tongue darted out, lapped speckles of sweat from over his lip. ‘Huh-uh.’
‘If I had his address, I’d mail it to him.’
‘Don’t know where he went to.’
‘Does your mother know?’
‘Huh-uh.’
‘Is she home now?’
His head shook slowly from side to side, his gaze remaining on Linda’s breasts. ‘Mom, she’s been dead ten years this August.’
‘Oh. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.’
‘You wanta leave that book, it’s all right. Maybe he’ll come back. You don’t never know, with Tony.’
‘I have to know where he is,’ Linda said. She felt a sickening tightness in her chest, but didn’t let it stop her. With trembling fingers, she flicked open the top button of her blouse. ‘You can tell me.’
His shallow chest rose and fell. A hand went up to wipe his mouth.
Linda opened the next button. ‘You know where he is, don’t you?’
‘Go ’way,’ he whispered.
‘Tell me.’
‘I don’t . . .’ He shook his head sharply.
Linda opened the button at her belly, and spread the blouse wide. She squeezed the stiff cups of her bra. ‘Tell me. Tell me and you can see.’
‘He . . . he’s in California.’
‘Where?’
‘Hollywood.’
‘What’s his address?’
‘Don’t know.’
She unhooked the front of the bra and lifted it away. ‘Tell me. Tell me, and you can feel.’
He stared. He licked his lips. ‘I don’t knooow.’
‘Yes you do.’ She caressed her breasts, squeezed them.
‘I . . . oh, oh ! Go away!’ Doubling over, he turned away and fell to his knees. He grabbed his groin. His forehead pounded the grass.
Linda stared, astonished and disgusted.
Clutching her blouse shut, she ran.
9
D ANI ADDED a splash of milk, and set the pot back onto the barbeque grill. She stirred the creamy potatoes with a wooden spoon. After a few strokes, the heat became too much. She backed away, rubbing the hot skin of her belly.
‘That hungry?’ Jack asked.
‘That burnt.’
He swung himself off the lounger, stepped up beside her, and sipped his vodka and tonic as he peered into the pot. ‘Looking good,’ he said.
‘They’re a real calorie bomb, but what the hell? We deserve it, right?’ A few bubbles plopped to the surface. Dani reached out and stirred, the heat curling against the underside of her arm. ‘I think we’re about ready for the steaks.’
‘I’m more than ready.’
‘You want to keep an eye on this? Just stir it a bit.’
With a nod, he took the spoon in his free hand.
‘Refill while I’m in?’
‘Sure, thanks.’ He tilted his glass back. The cubes broke loose from the bottom and dropped against his face , splashing him. He gasped with surprise. ‘It fights back,’ he said. He backhanded a drip off the tip of his nose, rubbed his wet mustache and beard.
‘What poise,’ Dani said.
‘My specialty.’
She took his glass, picked hers up from the tray, and slid open the screen door to the living room. The carpet felt good after the rough concrete. The house was cool, almost chilly against her sun-heated skin.
She slid the glasses to the other side of the bar counter and wiped her wet hands across her belly, leaving dark trails on her skin. Rarely had she felt so fine: light and compact, glowing with the sun and two vodkas and her new closeness with Jack.
She stretched,
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