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Chapter Thirteen: A Night with S.C.A.D.P.I.T.
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324 Abercorn Chapter Fourteen: Unauthorized Photography
CHAPTER FOURTEENUnauthorized PhotographyBrad woke suddenly, his heart pounding as if startled. He wasn’t sure what had woken him until the sound repeated. The loud bangof a door being slammed. A door downstairs.Bias was also up, propped on his elbows, looking around with the foggy eyes of someone violently pulled out of his slumber. “Whaizit?” he mumbled.Another bangand what sounded like someone clomping halfway up the stairs and then back down to the foyer. The bedroom door was shut, though Brad honestly couldn’t remember closing it before they went to bed.“Someone’s in the house,” he said in a harsh whisper.Bias bolted upright against the headboard, rubbing at his eyes with the heels of his hands. “What time is it?”It seemed a rather absurd question in this particular situation. As if an intruder in the house at ten would be acceptable, but not at eight. Nevertheless, Brad reached for his cell on the nightstand to check the time. The quality of the light pou
324 Abercorn Chapter Fifteen: Delrays and Delirium
CHAPTER FIFTEENDelrays and DeliriumBrad felt like crap.His stomach was queasy, his head ached dully, and a thin film of sweat covered his body. He’d felt lousy for the last several days, but he’d promised Neisha he’d attend this event at Book Lady being held by friends of hers.Two local authors, a married couple named Michael and Tracy Delray, were holding a joint discussion and signing. They sat behind a small table with several of their books on display. Brad and Neisha had talked to them briefly before the event started. They seemed nice and passionate about their work. Michael, with his devilish goatee, was a bit more laid back; Tracy, with her fashionably short hair, possessed a sharp cynical wit. Their two teenaged sons were present, and they seemed uncommonly bright and sophisticated. Brad had bought a book from each of them and gotten them signed before the event started. The perks of being a semi-celebrity.A dozen people gathered for the event, some sitting on a
324 Abercorn Chapter Sixteen: Dark Night of the Panther
CHAPTER SIXTEENDark Night of the PantherBrad awoke toa ferocious pounding, like jackhammers on asphalt and waves crashing on a rocky shore and prisoners beating against the bars of their cells. He opened his eyes with some effort, the lids feeling weighted. He found himself in darkness, his back sore and his neck cramped. He realized he was balled up on one of the chairs in the basement. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but obviously night had fallen, leaving the space utterly black.He unfolded himself slowly, muscles crying out in protest, trying to discern from where the pounding originated. Dully he realized it was in his own skull, a headache so intense, it was almost crippling. He fished his cell phone from his pocket and checked the time. Just past midnight. What time had he fallen asleep, and why was he sleeping in the basement?He strained to move beyond his pain and remember the events that had led him to where he now found himself. He recalled being at the event
324 Abercorn Chapter Seventeen: Picnic Among the Dead
CHAPTER SEVENTEENPicnic Among the DeadBias spread theblanket next to the Upchurch grave, the one with the tombstone shaped like a baby grand piano, the Wilmington River spread out to his left. He opened the oversized wicker basket and started setting out the Tupperware containers. Harold stood a foot away, watching the whole enterprise with a skeptical expression.“Baby, you know Titty loves a good picnic,” he said, “but I’m not sure that a graveyard is the appropriate locale for such an event.”Neisha lowered herself to one corner of the blanket, sitting on her knees. She removed a carrot stick from a Ziploc baggie and nibbled on it. “Actually, if you look back in history, cemeteries were often used as public parks and gathering places. Families would make a day of it, visiting the final resting place of their ancestors and enjoying the fresh air. They’d have picnics, and the kids would play among the tombstones. That’s why, when the city made this land a public cemetery i
324 Abercorn Chapter Eighteen: Packing Up and Heading Out
CHAPTER EIGHTEENPacking Up and Heading OutBrad knocked onthe door and stepped back, waiting. He could hear music from inside the apartment, something with a fast techno beat and a nasally female voice whining out lyrics he couldn’t quite comprehend. After a moment when there was no answer, he knocked again, louder this time.The volume of the music lowered slightly and then the door opened to frame the comical sight of Harold in a fuzzy pink bathrobe and a matching towel wrapped atop his head like a turban. “Sorry love, Titty’s getting ready for her evening out on the town.”Glancing at his watch, Brad said, “It’s only half past noon.”“Honey, it is a time-consuming process to create true beauty. Now what can I do for you, Mr. Landlord?”“I’m about to head out to pick up Bias. We’ll be gone until Monday afternoon.”“Y’all have a good trip and be sure to bring me back a souvenir. Something expensive and sparkly that dangles from my earlobes.”“I’ll keep that in mind. Now
324 Abercorn Chapter Nineteen: Art by the Beach
CHAPTER NINETEENArt by the BeachBrad woke upbefore Bias. The young man lay on his side, dark hair spread on the pillow like an ink stain, snoring softly. Brad watched him for a moment in the scant, early-morning sunlight that filtered through the window, then slowly untangled himself from the sheets and slid out of bed. In just a pair of sweats, he left Bias sleeping and walked down the hall into the kitchen.The house was nice. Two bedrooms, each with their own full bath; large front room with built-in bookshelves and a brick fireplace; kitchen/dining room with stainless steel appliances and a butcher block table in the “shabby chic” style where people paid a lot of money for things made to look old and worn. The house was literally on the beach, the back deck stretching out like a pier, with stairs that led down to the sand only a few feet from where the ocean washed up on shore in gently rolling waves.The clock in the kitchen told him it was not quite seven, and he busi
324 Abercorn Chapter Twenty: The Squatter
CHAPTER TWENTYThe SquatterHarold knew heshouldn’t still be in the house. He’d filled Phantom’s food bowl and milk saucer twenty minutes ago, and there was really nothing left to do here.Except explore.He liked that word better than snoop, although he suspected that one was actually more accurate. Still, it wasn’t as if he were stealing anything. He simply had a natural, insatiable curiosity about how other people lived.He started upstairs in the main bedroom. He didn’t rummage through the drawers, just opened them and glanced inside. Turned out Brad was a boxer-brief man, and his socks were all neatly balled up in a fastidious fashion that suggested an anal-retentiveness that bordered on OCD. The drawer in the nightstand next to the bed revealed that Brad favored Lifestyles brand condoms and KY lubricant. He checked the bathroom next, zeroing in on the medicine cabinet. Speed Stick Deodorant, Colgate toothpaste, Acqua di Gio cologne. Some aspirin, Band-Aids, even a bott
324 Abercorn Chapter Twenty-One: Homecoming
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONEHomecomingAfter parking thecar in the garage, Brad stopped at the apartment and knocked. When no one answered, he checked his watch. Just after one in the afternoon, kind of early for Harold to be out and about. Then again, knowing Harold, it was entirely possible he was still sleeping.With an affectionate smile, Brad crossed to the gate and let himself into the side yard. His luggage was still in the car, but he’d bring that in later. As he strolled across the veranda, enjoying the warm sun beating down on his face, he paused to take in the beauty of the yard. Mathew had done a great job of turning this little patch of land into a verdant landscape. Sago palms lined the fence, and the gardenia was in full bloom, the intoxicating aroma of the tiny flowers filled his nostrils. He loved that smell, like honeysuckle but not quite so sweet. He felt buoyant, an optimism filling him like helium in a balloon. In fact, he felt as if he could float right up over th
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- 324 Abercorn Epilogue: New Dreams
- 324 Abercorn Chapter Twenty-Four: The Flesh-and-Blood Ghost
- 324 Abercorn Chapter Twenty-Three: A Friend in Need
- 324 Abercorn Chapter Twenty-Two: The Empty House
- 324 Abercorn Chapter Twenty-One: Homecoming
- 324 Abercorn Chapter Twenty: The Squatter
- 324 Abercorn Chapter Nineteen: Art by the Beach
- 324 Abercorn Chapter Eighteen: Packing Up and Heading Out
- 324 Abercorn Chapter Seventeen: Picnic Among the Dead
