The Nightcrawler Read Free Page B

called Pierre’s on the Avenue. Do you know it?”
    “Yes, we have a lot of client dinner meetings there. It’s very nice, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.” She answered with confident proficiency. Arranging for client dinners must be right in her wheelhouse. She seemed to relax, as though she were back at the office dealing with a mundane task to assist a client.
    Scott studied her for a moment trying to get a read. They had an enjoyable lunch yesterday and this morning she seemed open to a late drink. Now she was acting distant.
    “Yes, I’m sure it’s very nice but it would be infinitely nicer if you would join me.”  
    “I really can’t,” she said.  
    Her words left no room for interpretation, but her eyes responded to his compliment. Sensing victory Scott put on his best lost-puppy expression and threw another pitch.  
    “Listen, I’ve been eating alone in my room the past two nights. I would really appreciate some company. Besides that, you would get a great dinner on the company’s dime. Then if you’re not sick of me after we finish dessert we can go out in Thomas’ Charger and drive the shit out of it. That’ll teach the prick for standing me up. Come on, what do you say?”  
    “Okay, I guess I could have dinner.” Her eyes warmed a bit at hearing the way he referred to Thomas, but it was no more than a glance shared between strangers passing on the street. He could see that her mind was definitely somewhere else.
    “Excellent!” Scott said. “Do I need a jacket at Pierre’s?”  
    She nodded.  
    “Shit, do you want to wait here while I go up and get one?” To his surprise, she started toward the elevator.  
    They said nothing on the ride up to the seventeenth floor. Just stood there like strangers, Scott thinking things were looking quite good for some after dinner frolics. Sarah stepped out first and he followed, watching her ass while she walked down the hall.  
    “Just there on the right,” he said.  
    He pulled a jacket from the closet and swung it over his shoulder, “Okay, let’s go.”  

Chapter Four
    Before the first hour on the road had passed, Pete knew all about that last morning in Millie’s kitchen. Roger told him how Millie tried to talk her son out of this trip. It was too dangerous she kept repeating. Roger had told him about Ed driving him out to the edge of town and Ed giving him the same speech he had heard from Millie.  
    “He did a little more than drive me to the edge of town,” Roger said. “He just kept going. I thought he might come to Arizona with me.”  
    “Sounds to me like he didn’t want you to go, you’re lucky to have a friend like that.”
    “Ya, I wish he could have come along, but his dad got him a great summer job.
    “He couldn’t turn it down.” Roger’s voice faded, but Pete still managed to pick it up.  
    They were both silent for a moment, before Roger continued, “Take care, man. You’re the only brother I have. That’s what Ed told me just before he drove away.”
    At that point, Roger felt his eyes start to well up with a sudden rush of homesick emotion. He looked into the rearview mirror on the passenger door watching the eastern horizon getting farther away with each revolution of the trucks tires.
    Pete turned the radio on and started singing along with Randy Travis.  
    Roger sat quietly, happy to listen to Pete’s rendition. He didn’t want to be the topic of conversation, but he was beginning to realize that Pete could give Barbara Walters a run for her money when it came to getting people to talk about personal things.
    “Not your kinda music, is it?” Pete asked.
    Roger just shrugged and his grin faded as he turned to look down the road.
    “Where’s your home, Pete?” Roger asked.
    “You’re sittin’ in it, Rog.”  
    Pete must have seen a look of concern in the boy’s eyes, and added, “Not really, I have a little cabin on a lake in Kentucky.”
    “Is there a Mrs. Pete?”
    “Used to be, Rog.