Page 10 of Erase Me
I typed quickly.- What are you doing
- Chasing your lover’s rap sheet
- Send me what you got.
- Not ready yet
- WTF.You used to be good at this stuff
- Oh I am.And you know it.Now go and have another quickie and stop harassing me.
- Things are getting too cozy
- For you that’s bad.
- Exactly.Oh I need one more thing.
- What
- In about 15 minutes or a half-hour call me and get me out of here
Taking some mugs from the same cabinet where he had gotten the plates, I poured the coffee.
- Which is it?How much time
- No more than 30
“Can you grab some napkins on your way out?”Reed called out.
I stuffed the phone in my pocket, picked up the mugs, and grabbed the napkins.
Reed watched me as I came out onto the porch.The table and chairs had been arranged against the porch railing.
“I’ll take that.”
I put down the napkins, handed him a coffee, and stood next to him.
Houses of various shapes and sizes lined Avenida Victoria, and a blue slice of the Pacific Ocean was visible in the distance.
“Beautiful view.You must enjoy some breathtaking sunsets from here.”
“I don’t know.I guess I’ll find out tonight.”
Shifting my focus to the east, uphill, I immediately spotted the house.Positioned in the center of the block and occupying the space of three houses, the white stucco structure featured a red tile roof, arched windows, and wings extending out from both sides of the central building.Several balconies on the second floor faced Reed’s place.From where we were sitting, I had a perfect view of not only the front of the house but of a number of the west-facing windows.
“I’ve noticed that house too.Pretty nice.And that’s a lot of square footage for this street.”
“Yeah,” I said, trying to hide my surprise at how closely he was watching me.
“I don’t think anyone is living there.”
“Really?How do you know?”I asked.
“I don’t.Only guessing from the way things are buttoned up.”
It was true that the shades in every window were drawn shut.Outdoor furniture on the ground-floor patios had been covered with dark green tarps, blinds were closed, and awnings on the second-floor balconies had been drawn in.
“They might be on vacation.”
