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From somewhere inside his head, the darkness chuckled. And the voices whispered in his ear:
“You know.”
42
The power had come back on, and Mayflower had dressed and made them all coffee. She perched on a chair beside Dan, arms folded, a defiant look on her pale face.
“Okay,” Barbara said. “Why don’t you explain what you’re doing here, although you can spare me the gruesome details.”
The pair exchanged glances.
“And don’t try telling me it’s not how it looks, either,” Barbara added.
Dan sighed. “Okay, so Mayflower and me, we hook up here maybe once or twice a month and, well, we use one of the guest rooms.”
“Romantic.”
“It’s not supposed to be romantic,” Mayflower said. “It’s sex.”
Barbara raised an eyebrow. “And how does your wife feel about you using the rooms here?” she asked Dan.
He shifted uncomfortably. “I tell her I’m going hunting or night fishing.”
“She buys that?”
He glared at her. “To be honest, I don’t think Jess cares where I am or what I’m doing. Half the time she’s at that goddamn church with that crazy preacher, and when she is home, well, things between us have been sour for a long while now.”
“So why haven’t you left?”
“It’s complicated.”
“It’s Stephen,” Mayflower broke in. “Dan can’t just walk out. He’s a good father.”
Yeah, such a good father he was banging a girl not much older than his son.
“So, you arranged to meet here tonight?” Barbara continued.
Mayflower nodded. “I finished shift at ten thirty. Dad got home about midnight after locking up. I waited till him and Mom were settled and then sneaked back out. Dan texted me and I let him in around the side.”
Barbara nodded. “What time was this?”
“One thirty a.m.”
“When you arrived, everything was locked up?”
Mayflower nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
“No sign of anyone else about?”
“Nope.”
“Seems like a heck of a lot of sneaking around.”
Mayflower gave a small shrug. “We don’t really have anywhere else to go, ’cept the woods or Dan’s car. And they’re both freezing this time of year.”
Again, the romance.
Barbara sipped her coffee. “You notice the power go off?”
