Read Online Weep In The Night by Valerie Massey Goree - Free Book Online Page A

about Pete and Janelle Williams’ eagerness to move into her apartment complex.
    “I’ll check them out. Go straight home, and call me when you get there.”
    “OK.” She ended the call and drove out of the parking lot. Her stomach ached as she turned onto the road. Bile pulsated up and down her throat and a tight band constricted her chest.
    Breathe.
    The drive home wouldn’t take long. She relaxed her grip on the steering wheel.
    Then headlights on high beam glared in her rearview mirror. They stayed behind her for miles. She turned left. The vehicle turned left. She slowed. It slowed. Panic ate through her like acid.
    Debra knew better than driving home and flew past her apartment complex. What to do? Then she remembered a police station a few blocks away.
    With a safe destination ahead, she sped up. So did the other car. She screeched to a stop in front of a row of police cars and watched the vehicle glide past—a cream-colored pickup truck.
    And the man behind the wheel looked a lot like Sam.
     
     
     
     

8
     
    Bowen helped a customer calculate how many two-by-fours he needed for a patio roof and then directed him to where he could locate the other supplies on his list.
    With fifteen minutes left in his shift, he cleaned up his workstation. The tire incident still rankled. Who would have destroyed two of his tires? Neighborhood kids, or someone who didn’t want him to work at Rhodes?
    Oscar’s face flashed into his mind, but he shook his head. Surely not. He seemed like a decent guy, and when they’d spoken yesterday, his congratulations on dating Debra sounded sincere. Must have been kids.
    Bowen clocked out and then trudged to the store exit.
    “Wait up, Sam.” Greg caught up with him. “Want to join me at Aces for a beer or two?”
    Slowing at the use of his cover name, Bowen jingled his keys and tried to ignore the tightness in his throat as he recalled the bitter, but familiar taste of a cool beer sliding down. “No, thanks. Something I got to do at home.”
    “Maybe another time.” Greg thumped Bowen’s shoulder.
    Bowen unlocked his truck and climbed in. He fastened the seat belt and muttered, “Sorry, Greg, but there won’t be another time.”
    He gritted his teeth as the truck’s speed increased. No, there’d be no beers at Aces or anywhere else. He’d been sober for eleven years and although the urge to indulge hadn’t left completely, he wasn’t about to break now. His drinking had cost him plenty—several jobs and a family. Liz divorced him after four years of marriage. A high price to pay. He wouldn’t let booze destroy anything else in his life.
    At a red light, he stopped and glanced down at the small vehicle next to him. It reminded him of Debra’s car, and he checked the time. Nine fifteen. He dialed the cell number she’d given him the previous night.
    When she answered he said, “Hi. Hope I’m not calling too late?”
    “I’m wide awake.” Her voice held a hint of unease.
    He concluded from a murmur in the background that she had company. “Did I call at a bad time?”
    “Yes. No. I’m still a bit rattled. Someone followed me home from Rhodes.”
    “What? Are you all right?” Bowen made a U-turn at the next corner. Although she said she was fine, he needed to see her. In a matter of minutes, he swung into the parking lot and bolted to Debra’s door. He’d scouted the complex previously and knew where to go.
    She opened the door at his knock. He read the surprise in her face.
    “Hey, Sam. Since you’re here, come in and meet my, uh, friend.”
    Taking his arm, she led him into the living room. “This is Griff.”
    Bowen extended his hand. “Sam Boudine.”
    The men shook hands and eyed each other, saying the usual inane greeting words. Nice to meet you. Were they ever sincere? Bowen studied Debra’s friend. He detected a bulge under his jacket where a shoulder holster might be. Friend or law enforcement?
    Debra released Bowen’s arm and glanced at Griff.