The Sunset Witness

The Sunset Witness Read Free Page B

Book: The Sunset Witness Read Free
Author: Gayle Hayes
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woman's face was obscured by long, dark hair that
cascaded over her shoulders.  She wore hip hugger cutoff jeans, much like the
ones I'd seen on the girl in the parking lot that day.  The woman was sitting
astride a man who was reclining on a bed with his head resting on a pillow
propped against the headboard.  His mid-length hair was sandy colored, and fell
around his face.  His shirt was open and his jeans were ragged at the cuff.  A
strap on the woman's halter top dangled over her bare arm.  Her full breasts
nearly tumbled from the halter as she leaned toward the man's open mouth.
    The mural was tastefully done with enough sexual content
to arouse sensations so far in the past that I'd almost forgotten them.  I made
a mental note to find something with which to conceal the mural as soon as I
assumed the lease.  Then I took a picture of it with my phone, so I'd have a
better idea of its size when I shopped for something to place in front of it.
    A narrow, arched opening led to the living room that
shared the kitchen wall on one side, and had windows on two others.  The wall
that was common with the next beach house was about ten feet long with a five-foot
closet behind louvered doors and two more built-in pine bookcases on either
side.  The opposite wall had a small window that was mostly obscured by the
same vegetation that crowded the porch.  A folding screen concealed the bed and
a dresser from the living room.  A small bathroom was offset on the west end of
this area with a shower/tub combo built in next to a linen cabinet, a pedestal
sink, and a toilet all in white.  A small window at eye level in the shower
delivered a breeze from the ocean.  The west wall of the living room had a
large picture window with an unobstructed view to the ocean and the arched
rocks that looked like remnants of some ancient, decaying civilization.
    Sarah had told me the house came completely
furnished, and it certainly appeared to have everything I'd need as far as
furniture, linens, kitchen utensils, and appliances, including an older small
television on the pine shelves in the kitchen, and a single CD player/radio
next to the bed.  I'd brought only my clothes, toiletries, laptop, printer,
miscellaneous computer accessories, eBook reader, MP3 player, compact disks, a
few decorations, and my pillow.  Anything that didn't fit in my car, I left behind. 
I was disappointed that there was no washer/dryer combo in the beach house.  I
disliked using public laundries, especially in a beach town like Sunset.  It
occurred to me that I'd not seen a laundry or even a grocery or gas station in
Sunset, and I made another mental note to ask Sarah where they were located.
    I made up the futon in the living room with the
sheets and comforter Sarah had set out and then went to the car for my pillow,
the small case with my toiletries, and the suitcase I'd packed to avoid
unloading the entire trunk whenever I stopped for the night along the way to
Sunset.  It was getting dark by the time I changed into my pajamas.  When I
opened the jalousie windows on either side of the picture window in the living
room, I realized I'd missed seeing the sun go down.
    I'd looked forward to hearing the soothing rhythm of
the surf while I drifted off to sleep or awoke in the morning.  I was not
expecting to feel afraid.  The ocean roared into shore toward high tide as I was
slipping out of consciousness.  I remembered the signs warning TSUNAMI HAZARD ZONE
and TSUNAMI EVACUATION ROUTE.  That night I dreamed an earthquake caused the
kitchen mural to crumble at my feet.  I was scrambling up the hillside above
Sunset with a monster wave menacing toward me when I woke up screaming.
     

 
     
     
    Wednesday, June 1, 2011
     
    The next morning I allowed myself the luxury of
waking up slowly while enjoying the same surf that gave me nightmares the night
before.  My mind wandered.  Darkness makes everything seem more sinister than
it is.  Perhaps it is

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