Semua Bab Bad Moon On The Rise: Bab 1 - Bab 10

By the time Leila returned to the bar room floor, she was feeling somewhat sated, but her carnal urges had not entirely dissipated. She vowed to stay as far away from Sterling Mount as possible for the remainder of the balmy July night. Sterling didn’t make that easy. Even without him looking like he had just rode straight out of a wet dream on his stallion, he had the type of personality that naturally attracted others. He was calm and easy like a gentle, welcomed spring breeze, slow to anger and quick to smile.Sterling was something of a mystery in Stillwater, because somehow he had come from the loins of one mean old son of a gun. Titus Mount had been one hard, mean, and gruff old man. Many claimed it was Vietnam who had changed the man, and he had once been as jovial as his progeny. Lucille had remained ever faithful by her husband’s side, though rumor was she only had one child because of her husband’s hair trigger temper and rapidly changing moods. Lucille didn’t want t

By the time Leila pulled up to the Stillwater Bar and Grill with the windows rolled down in her beat up old Chevy s10 because the air-conditioner had never worked, she could already smell that Clyde’s body had been removed. Stale blood still permeated the air, and lots of it. It seemed that Clyde had been practically exsanguinated by whomever or whatever took his sorry life. Leila felt bad that she didn’t feel bad the man was dead. But she knew many others in the small town felt the same way.The gravel lot was empty beyond several police cruisers, Sterling’s Ford heavy duty truck, and Zenia’s old tan VW bug. Was it bad that the last thing on her mind should be if Sterling’s large truck was a good comparison to the size of what was between his legs? She somehow doubted he was overcompensating for something. Not that she would be in Stillwater long enough to find out.Leila lost faith in Stillwater’s finest rather quickly when despite the lot being overpopulated with law

Sterling lived in a charming little, Spanish inspired white bungalow with an orange slate roof, the type which seemed just perfect and cozy for two. The main section of the house was accessed through a cute little courtyard behind a stone arch. The courtyard was a garden with a variety of colorful flowers, a stone bench nestled in the middle, with a view of the bird bath. A hammock swayed in the breeze. Leila’s imagination got the best of her imaging herself tucked against Sterling on a balmy night like this one, gazing at the stars. And perhaps both of them wearing nothing but sweat.Sterling eyed Leila as she took in his home and garden. She was surprised a bachelor pad had such a well-kept garden. Not surprised the lawn and home itself appeared well maintained and taken care of. Just like the owner himself.“I don’t have a green thumb. This is all my mother Lucille’s doing,” explained Sterling with a grin. “I tend to kill plants. And small animals unfortunately. Not i

Leila had planned to lie low that day, stay at home, and just wait for Zenia’s call tonight when it was time to head to the morgue. She had showered off the swamp, burnt her bloody clothes from the night before in case the Sheriff came poking around, and tidied up her apartment.She hadn’t been able to help herself from calling to check on Sterling that morning. He hadn’t answered, but sent her a text saying he was being interviewed again. She hated the Sheriff even more at that moment, as poor Sterling had barely been given any time to rest.But by early afternoon Zenia called to ask her to come to the bar. Lucille Mount had marched into the Stillwater Police Department with a lawyer in tow, and several minutes later her son was released from police custody, with no charges filed so far at least. Lucille had spent several hours fussing over son, as she had just arrived back in town for a church sponsored ladies retreat and nearly had a heart attack w

Once the adrenalin had worn off, Leila found herself exhausted. She dragged herself into her small apartment and ran a warm bath into the claw foot tub. The apartment had been designed for a soul occupant or a couple. It was one large room with a curtained off area that served as the bathroom. The bathroom sink was one of those antique deals that mounted directly into the wall with its metal plumbing exposed underneath. The bathroom walls were tiled with those white subway tiles and had a checkered floor. Shelves were built along the wall for storage.                The kitchen however had left the nineteen fifties behind and moved into the seventies. Dark brown cabinets, a green oven mounted between some of the cabinets. Green plastic laminate countertops, a small cooking range, and dingy linoleum flooring. At a yard sal