Darling (6 page)

Instead of taking the stairs, he walked around the gently sloping hill to the side of the building. Flower beds encased the place like a moat and were filled with a wide array of blossoms whose names he didn’t know. Allison could have rattled them off. She’d had a great love for nature and her mind seemed to trap every scrap of information it ever came across.

The heat pressed down on him like a wet coat. He spotted the Weeping Willow not far from the building and made his way over. The vines hung to the ground, mostly wearing their summer green, but a few white blooms were still visible here and there. They caught the light like silver buttons.

His grandmother had a tree like this in her yard. He and his sister had spent a dozen summers cradled in its low, wide branches reading. Allison had taught him to read using faded copies of “Dick and Jane” from their grandmother’s basement.

The vines parted like curtains and he crept into the shade.

Stepping into the shadow of the Willow was like stepping into a memory. He was five years old again, following his sister around everywhere she went. He was a Prince, she had told him, and she was his protector.

“No one knows I’m really a girl,” she said while skipping over the humpbacks of giant roots erupting from the earth like sea monsters breaking waves. “I cut my hair off like Jonah Arc and beat all the other knights in a duel to be your bodyguard.” She swung a stick around in her hand like a sword and he had no trouble envisioning her in her role, covered with silver armor and defeating his foes.

Only now she was gone and he had to fight his battles on his own.

He grabbed one of the thick branches and, planting his foot against the side of the tree, hoisted himself up. It took three tries to mount the limb, but he finally straddled it and leaned back against the rough bark. He closed his eyes and took in the smell of dirt and wood. A squirrel scrambled somewhere above him.

They used to nap like this after defeating dragons and trolls, the hard day of fighting exhausting their tiny bodies. Allison would nudge him awake, produce a peanut butter and banana sandwich from her “My Little Pony” backpack, and give him his reading lesson. He realized that most of his favorite memories occurred in the embrace of his grandmother’s tree.

The high-pitched laughter of children playing rushed by. The squirrel chattered above. He opened his eyes and glanced up, looking for the rodent. Bright blue slashes carved up the shade toward the top of the tree. He blinked at the brightness, his eyes finding a glowing orb sailing skyward. A giant silver balloon splotched with red and blue came into focus. It climbed higher and higher, sunlight glistening from its surface, a breeze jerking it back and forth, until it vanished from view.

He closed his eyes again, the image of the balloon projected onto his lids. He should get down soon, he thought. Explore the rest of the grounds before heading home. But for now he was relaxed. Calm. Tranquil.

I could do this every day if I lived here.

He smiled.

* * *

After making plans to meet Eileen at his old place that afternoon, Dennis gathered together a small basket of clothes that had failed the sniff test and took the elevator to the basement. It was a labyrinthine structure of mesh-fenced storage units winding past giant pipes and the occasional locked door. Harsh yellow bulbs were hung every few feet and the floor was dotted with shallow puddles. Dust-filled beams of sunlight washed through from tiny windows scattered around the room.

The laundry room was a slate gray concrete box with six washer/dryer combo units and a folding table covered in floral print wallpaper. It was colder than the rest of the basement by a few degrees and damp. He didn’t care for it, but conceded it was still a big improvement over the laundromat.

A pile of clothing rested atop one of the machines. He opened the one next to it and shoveled in his own clothes. He poured a cap full of detergent, slid three quarters in, and hit the button. The machine shook and growled to life.

He glanced at the pile. It was underwear, a few bras and a pair of silk panties. He wondered if they were Karen’s. A strange urge overtook him and he looked around to make sure no one was watching. He was alone.

He bent over the clothing and inhaled. He recognized the sweet scent of strawberries and tropical flowers. His mind flooded with images of her walking through her apartment with them on.

What was he doing? He felt embarrassed and backed away. Why was he fantasizing about Karen like this when he had Eileen?

Because she’s a goddess
.

Still, he knew he shouldn’t be sniffing her panties like some pervert in a sitcom. What if someone walked in?

A noise startled him. It sounded like two hard footsteps in quick succession. He scanned the room. The door leading to the rest of the basement was open. He stuck his head through and looked around. The storage units were undisturbed and none of the shadows moved. Water dripped from a large pipe on the ceiling, splashing into a puddle below it. The other puddles were still.

He turned to the back of the laundry room to see a burgundy door covered in dust with the paint chipped around the edges. The doorknob was missing and two padlocks kept it closed. The locks were old and rusted, but when Dennis tugged on them they refused to budge.

He bent to peer through the hole where the knob should have been. It was dark. He couldn’t make out much but a chair. A single shaft of sunlight leaked onto it. It was dark metal, thick and old, likely an antique. It looked like it had been painted over with a coat of dust. A pair of straps dangled from the arms. Another pair draped from the front legs onto the floor.

What was he looking at? He couldn’t puzzle out what its significance was or why it was there. He wished he could see more, but the rest was black.

He left his basket on top of the machine and stepped back into the elevator. He was about to press his floor number, but pressed “1” instead. He thought he would look
around for Mike.

He felt some guilt for snapping at him earlier, but Mike could be such a child. Dennis understood why and sympathized, but it didn’t change the fact that it was frustrating. His self-absorption and refusal to take responsibility for himself were bad enough, but Dennis had never met someone so consumed with fear. He wasn’t just afraid of his parents or afraid of school or afraid of being on his own—Mike was afraid of
life
.

But Mike was his friend and he had made a promise to watch out for him. He held out hope that with a little prodding the boy could grow into a man.

When he stepped from the elevator, laughter echoed down the hall. He followed it out the open double doors at the rear of the building and into the pool area. He was surprised to find Karen in the water, wet hair slicked back, arms propped on the sides of the pool and holding her just high enough to see the swell of her breasts. The sight froze him for a moment and he couldn’t help but stare.

A tall black man sprawled out on a pool chair. He was lean but muscular, with a dark wave of a dozen or more braids falling from the back of the chair. He had a grin plastered across his face.

Margot sat next to him. She wore a blue bathing suit that fought to hold her inside of it and a pair of aviator style sunglasses. To Dennis’ surprise Mike sat beside her. In contrast to how relaxed everyone else was, Mike was rigid. He sat upright, one hand tucked into the pocket of his jeans while the other played with a button on his shirt.

Karen noticed Dennis and waved. “Hey, Dennis. We thought a little sun might help us take our minds off of the morning. Care to join us?”

He walked over and smiled. “Can I take a rain check? I haven’t unpacked my swim trunks yet.”

“You don’t need them,” Margot said. “Just go in the buff.”

He laughed. “Yeah, I don’t think so.”

She patted Mike’s knee. “That’s what your roommate said too. Did you like the brownies?”

“Delicious.”

“Glad you enjoyed them. I should have stuck around and helped finish them. Turns out my appointment got canceled.”

“By you,” the black man said.

“Well, that don’t matter. Where are my manners? Dennis, this is Matthew.”

Dennis shook his hand and turned in time to see Karen splash below the surface and swim off.

Margot grinned. “She’s something, isn’t she?”

He nodded. “Sure is.”

“Why, if I were into women…”

Matthew smirked. “Aren’t you?”

“Matt!” She slapped his leg.

He laughed. “You better watch it. I’ll leave you out for the Blue Boy tonight.”

“Blue Boy?” Dennis asked.

“It’s nothing,” she said. “Just one of this building’s tall tales. Maybe I’ll sit you boys down around the fire one night and tell them all to you over a glass of wine.”

“Or three,” Matt said.

“So,” Dennis started. “Uh...this morning...”

“Poor Lloyd.” Margot shook her head. “He just ain’t been right for a long time. Ever since his girlfriend went missing.”

“Went missing?”

“Yeah. He swore someone took her, but the police said she left him. She left a note about running off with her ‘sweetie’—”

“Darling,” Matt interrupted.

“‘Darling.’ That’s right. Anyway, he just sorta went downhill ever since. Poor guy.”

Matthew nodded. “Better off in an asylum.”

Dennis turned to Mike. He had a forced and awkward smile on his face and Dennis could tell he didn’t like hanging around so many new people. He probably got called over here by Margot and then couldn’t figure out a way to leave. Probably better give him one. “When you gotta get home, pal?”

“Um…soon, I guess.”

Margot took her sunglasses off and sat up. “Home? I thought you two were roommates?”

“Yeah. We are. But Mike’s still got a month on his old lease, so he’s taking his time moving in.”

Mike nodded.

“Good,” Margot said. “I was afraid I wasn’t going to get to see you again.” She patted Mike’s knee.

“Oh, we’ll be around,” Dennis said. “We should probably get going.”

“Yeah.” Mike stood and straightened out his shirt. “It was nice talking to you guys.”

Matthew grunted and closed his eyes.

“Anytime,” Margot slid her sunglasses back on and smiled. “Just knock when you wanna do it again.”

Dennis took one last look at Karen swimming before dragging Mike off.

When they were on the elevator, Mike sighed. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”

Dennis laughed. “Man, that Margot chick is all over you.”

Mike’s face was red. “No.”

“Right.”

“You think?”

“I think.”

“Hmph.”

Dennis almost warned him away from her, but thought better of it. Maybe it would do him good to get laid. Especially by an older woman. Maybe she could get him to grow up a little.

“I’ve got some laundry in the wash. You really need to get home soon?”

“Yeah. I guess…I mean…well, I’m definitely going to tell them tonight.”

“Good.” Dennis patted his friend’s back. It seemed

Margot’s influence had started already.

* * *

Sweat dripped onto the table in a fast rhythm.
Tap-taptaptap. Tap-tap-taptap.
Jack rubbed his hands and forearms
dry with an oil-stained rag. The heat under the lights of his
workroom made it difficult to focus on soldering the tiny
board in his voltage meter. He wished he could do without
two or three of them, but knew better. There could be no
shadows here. Not in this room.

When he was done he slid the board back into place, reconnected wires, and tested it on some batteries. Satisfied that it worked, he pulled a notebook labeled “anomalies” from his shelf and committed the last several weeks of readings to memory. Then he pulled his regular notebook down and started his rounds.

He always started on the roof and worked his way down. There were no readings out of the ordinary this time (except for the elevator, but its being out of the ordinary was nothing out of the ordinary and required an entire notebook of its own). He kept his Maglite clicked on the entire way, dispelling any shadows he came across. He had never had a problem anywhere outside of the basement, but didn’t want to take any chances.

When he finished, he grabbed the plastic grocery bag from his fridge, went outside, and trekked through the thick brush of the forest away from Raynham and the supermarket. He slid down a hill, dirt and leaves flying through the air, and came to rest against a small concrete rise. It was half covered with fallen limbs and rotting leaves. He swept enough of the debris away to see the series of padlocks holding the rusted gate in place. He tugged on them out of ritual. He knew they’d hold but needed to check for his own piece of mind.

The tunnel had been disconnected from the basement years ago. A large section of it had been hauled off and the makeshift grate installed as a cap on this piece in the woods. The tunnel had been used during the building’s days as a hospital to haul the dead away in secrecy lest the living patients see what awaited them. The other end had been covered when the highway was built. This grate was the only way in or out.

Thank God.

He pulled the tubes of hamburger from the grocery bag, sliced them open with his pocketknife, and shoved the meat through the tiny squares of the grate.

“Dinner time, boys.”

His voice echoed through the black tunnel.

Silence.

The fear that they’d already eaten shook his hands.

Then he heard the familiar scratching and shuffling. Jack shoved the last bit through and scrambled up the hill. He hummed a tune as he jogged through the woods. He hated to hear them eat.

It gave him nightmares.

Chapter Six

A pile of clothes had devoured the room. Dennis leaned against the wall and stared at the mess, not sure if he could tell what was clean and what was dirty.

He decided to throw everything in boxes and use the sniff test when he unpacked. He thanked God their new place had onsite laundry. The low point of his week was lugging a basket of clothes to the nearest laundromat. Once he got there he would sit and wait for his clothes to finish, paranoid of laundry thieves in the same way old women clutched jewelry against their chests as they walked down certain streets. He felt like an idiot thinking someone would steal his sweaters or gym clothes, but the laundromat was not in a good area. Of course, he had met Eileen there, so he supposed it wasn’t
all
bad.