Read Online Strip by Thomas Perry - Free Book Online
Authors: Thomas Perry
Tags: Suspense & Thrillers
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leather jacket hanging in the closet, put on a pair of jeans, a blue shirt, and a pair of running shoes.
He took the jacket and turned off the lamp by the bed so when Lila came in she would turn on the light and see what he had left for her. He stepped out to the kitchen feeling good. He had been feeling bad—uncomfortable, at least—about letting her pay for everything when he had a bag full of money, and this was the last chance to throw some her way. As of now, there was no bag of money.
That meant today was the day to go out and get something to fill the bag again. He went to the door, picked up his keys from the sideboard, and pulled his gloves and ski mask out from under the couch.
Eldon walked to the door, stood still, and stared at him patiently.
“Yeah, what the hell. I’ll take you out for a few minutes before I go.” He took the leash off the hook behind the door and snapped it onto Eldon’s collar, then pulled some plastic bags off the stack Lila kept by the door for walks.
Eldon went out ahead of him, and his step seemed livelier and more youthful than it had before. Eldon was no puppy, but walking seemed to make him happy. Jeff followed the dog. He went down the sidewalk to the curb, then across the street with a slight diagonal to the left, and Jeff decided he understood. To the left were the little women’s stores that Lila liked, and the coffee shops. The dog apparently didn’t realize there was anyplace to go to the right. Jeff tugged his collar in that direction once, and the dog turned and eagerly headed to the right.
Eldon stopped now and then to sniff each object along the way and then to work up some urine to mark his trail, but otherwise he was all for the road ahead. Eldon was Lila’s dog, but since Jeff and Eldon had both been living in Lila’s apartment at her discretion, they shared a certain feeling of fellowship. Lila had that strange female mixture of emotions about taking in useless creatures and raging fits of hormone-fueled ferocity that made her shout and throw things and slam doors.
Eldon and Jeff liked peace. One of Lila’s sudden rages a month ago had caused Jeff to stumble on his new profession, robbing people who did their banking at night. Jeff had weathered her anger that day until she slammed the door shut on her way to work. He had contemplated the situation and begun to wonder if she was simply trying to drive him off so she didn’t have to throw him out. Then he wondered if her nasty mood was because she had another man she wanted to move in to take his place.
Later that evening he turned off the television and drove to the club where Lila worked. She was a waitress at Siren, one of Manco Kapak’s clubs. Since it was a strip club, he had assumed that the atmosphere would be charged with pheromones and that a beautiful girl like Lila would be mired in temptation—the attraction of a really pretty girl who worked in a place that sold at least the idea of sex, and at times, pretty much the actual commodity, must be overpowering, he thought. Men must be hitting on her at a frightening rate. All of these dumb, half-drunk guys probably thought that the waitresses were strippers-in-training, at the very least.
Jeff went in, pretended to watch the show from a dark, remote table in the bar area, but actually watched Lila. He couldn’t spot any boyfriends hanging around waiting for her to get off work. She didn’t treat any customers as if she had ever seen them before. She was a waitress in a place where men got drunk and loud and gave big tips, but she was still a waitress. Early in the evening, she had to serve actual meals. Later on she had to concentrate mainly on carrying a tray through a tight, clumsy crowd without spilling the drinks—mainly heavy beer glasses—then making change and noticing the next customer who wanted a fresh drink. And being in a strip club, where other women were all over the place uncovering their particulars, didn’t appear to make
He took the jacket and turned off the lamp by the bed so when Lila came in she would turn on the light and see what he had left for her. He stepped out to the kitchen feeling good. He had been feeling bad—uncomfortable, at least—about letting her pay for everything when he had a bag full of money, and this was the last chance to throw some her way. As of now, there was no bag of money.
That meant today was the day to go out and get something to fill the bag again. He went to the door, picked up his keys from the sideboard, and pulled his gloves and ski mask out from under the couch.
Eldon walked to the door, stood still, and stared at him patiently.
“Yeah, what the hell. I’ll take you out for a few minutes before I go.” He took the leash off the hook behind the door and snapped it onto Eldon’s collar, then pulled some plastic bags off the stack Lila kept by the door for walks.
Eldon went out ahead of him, and his step seemed livelier and more youthful than it had before. Eldon was no puppy, but walking seemed to make him happy. Jeff followed the dog. He went down the sidewalk to the curb, then across the street with a slight diagonal to the left, and Jeff decided he understood. To the left were the little women’s stores that Lila liked, and the coffee shops. The dog apparently didn’t realize there was anyplace to go to the right. Jeff tugged his collar in that direction once, and the dog turned and eagerly headed to the right.
Eldon stopped now and then to sniff each object along the way and then to work up some urine to mark his trail, but otherwise he was all for the road ahead. Eldon was Lila’s dog, but since Jeff and Eldon had both been living in Lila’s apartment at her discretion, they shared a certain feeling of fellowship. Lila had that strange female mixture of emotions about taking in useless creatures and raging fits of hormone-fueled ferocity that made her shout and throw things and slam doors.
Eldon and Jeff liked peace. One of Lila’s sudden rages a month ago had caused Jeff to stumble on his new profession, robbing people who did their banking at night. Jeff had weathered her anger that day until she slammed the door shut on her way to work. He had contemplated the situation and begun to wonder if she was simply trying to drive him off so she didn’t have to throw him out. Then he wondered if her nasty mood was because she had another man she wanted to move in to take his place.
Later that evening he turned off the television and drove to the club where Lila worked. She was a waitress at Siren, one of Manco Kapak’s clubs. Since it was a strip club, he had assumed that the atmosphere would be charged with pheromones and that a beautiful girl like Lila would be mired in temptation—the attraction of a really pretty girl who worked in a place that sold at least the idea of sex, and at times, pretty much the actual commodity, must be overpowering, he thought. Men must be hitting on her at a frightening rate. All of these dumb, half-drunk guys probably thought that the waitresses were strippers-in-training, at the very least.
Jeff went in, pretended to watch the show from a dark, remote table in the bar area, but actually watched Lila. He couldn’t spot any boyfriends hanging around waiting for her to get off work. She didn’t treat any customers as if she had ever seen them before. She was a waitress in a place where men got drunk and loud and gave big tips, but she was still a waitress. Early in the evening, she had to serve actual meals. Later on she had to concentrate mainly on carrying a tray through a tight, clumsy crowd without spilling the drinks—mainly heavy beer glasses—then making change and noticing the next customer who wanted a fresh drink. And being in a strip club, where other women were all over the place uncovering their particulars, didn’t appear to make
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