Read Online No Show by Simon Wood - Free Book Online Page A

deposited his lunch onto the table—mainly fruit, which rolled across Terry’s stolen newspaper. Apologizing, Kyle shepherded his lunch back to his side of the table. A wide-necked bottle containing a toxic-waste-green concoction caught Terry’s eye. Kyle noticed him looking.
    “Wheatgrass,” he said, holding it up.
    Kyle didn’t say anything for a while. He just stared at Terry, smiling and bobbing his head.
    Terry froze in the middle of a spoonful of yogurt. “What?” he asked.
    “You’re my first.”
    Terry struggled to hold back one of Kyle’s grins. “First what?”
    “You’re my first English guy.”
    “Wow, really? I didn’t feel a thing.”
    “Huh?”
    Terry waved away his failed attempt at humor. “I hope it’s a good experience.”
    “So far.” Kyle bobbed his head again. “Just wanted to let you know I have nothing against you and the whole Civil War thing between our two fair nations. In the past. Forgotten.”
    “Don’t you mean the War of Independence?”
    “Same difference, dude. Peach?” He held out the fruit as a peace offering.
    “Thanks,” Terry said and took it, gracious in the honor of its meaning. He took a bite.
    “The grapevine is humming with the news that your wife has gone AWOL. True?”
    Suddenly, the peach developed a sour edge to it. “True.”
    “That sucks, man. I liked her.”
    “Excuse me?”
    “A real looker, dude. You did well. I hope she’s okay.”
    “What do you mean, you liked her?”
    Kyle raised his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, man. Terry, dude, I wasn’t trying to hit on her. I was just saying she’s good-looking. Don’t blow a gasket. Hey, you English are hot-blooded puppies.”
    Terry shook his head. “That’s not what I meant. I haven’t met anyone who’s seen her since I came to America. I mean, do you know her? Have you seen her?”
    “No. I just met her here once.”
    “When?”
    “A couple of months back, I think. She came to check out the place or something. Oh, I remember, she brought in some paperwork.”
    Terry recalled Sarah had delivered the signed contract he’d mailed to her with some other documents. That was about six weeks ago, after final job negotiations.
    “Did you speak to her?”
    “I think I said hi, but that was about it. But she spoke to several of us. She came in here and had lunch. She was sounding out the joint to make sure the job was worth taking. She was cool.”
    Terry zoned out, taking a moment to get over his initial excitement at the notion of a recent sighting of Sarah. His disappointment at the false alarm took just as long to recover from.When he tuned Kyle back in, he was an annoying buzzing in his head and he didn’t understand what the sun-bronzed man was saying until after he had said it.
    “Hey, back up a minute. What do you mean fuss? What did she do?”
    “Dude, that’s what I’m saying. It was so cool what she said to the Ice Maiden. I love your wife.”
    “The Ice Maiden?”
    “Pamela Dawson. Your boss.”
    “What happened?”
    “This was so sweet, you’ve gotta understand.”
    “I get it. What happened?”
    “Well, Pam storms in, zeroing in on us jawing with your old lady. She’s pissed and tells your wife”—Kyle snapped his fingers—“I forget her name.”
    “Sarah.”
    “Yeah, Sarah. Well, Pam tells Sarah she has no business being in here and asks her to leave. And Sarah gives it to her both barrels, man. It was cool.”
    This was like pulling teeth. Terry was losing his patience. “What did she say?”
    Kyle’s inane grin slipped a few inches. “Have to wait, dude. Lunch is over. Five-O.”
    “What?”
    Kyle indicated with his eyes at the entrance. Pamela Dawson strode into the cafeteria accompanied by Luke Frazer—a tall, stick-thin man with a grey pallor whom Terry had met earlier. He was the lead scientist in the Quality Department and Pamela’s right-hand man. She frowned in their direction. Kyle jumped to his feet, his chair scraping on the vinyl