LIFERS Chapter Eleven

Larry’s watch told him it was three o’clock in the morning and his body told him it was tired and needed some shut-eye, but his friend and business partner had been missing for the best part of eighteen hours and sleep just wasn’t an option.

His last call to Gregg’s cell had only increased his concern after a young female answered and shouted twice for help before she was cut off. So his intuition about Gregg’s lack of contact had some degree of credence, and he wasn’t prepared to wait around and do nothing about it.

He looked at the piece of paper with the psychic’s address on as it sat on a small glass-top table before him, then pulled out his cell phone and retrieved a different number from its memory.

‘Hello?’ said a sleepy voice.

‘Hi, Bren, I’m just letting you know I won’t be at the office tomorrow. Also, would you mind prin─’

‘Larry …? Do you know what time it is?’
‘Yes, and I’m sorry for waking you but I need to get to Lynchburg.’

A sigh. ‘You’re that worried, huh?’

‘I am.’

‘And Gregg’s still not been in touch?’

‘No, nothing at all,’ he told her. ‘So I’m going out there.’

‘But didn’t you say you don’t know where Lynchburg is?’

‘I don’t, and, because Gregg has my printer…’

‘You need me to print off the directions for you.’

‘Do you mind?’

‘Do I mind what, Larry? Doing the printing or the fact that you woke me at three o’clock in the morning to ask?’

‘Like I said, Bren, I’m sorry, but I do need to speak to this Brontrose woman. She’s the only one who knows where he is.’

‘And are you that sure he’s landed himself in some kind of trouble?’

‘Call it sixth sense,’ he said, thinking back to the phone call and the cries for help. ‘And where Gregg’s concerned I’m usually right. So I’ll be there in about forty minutes, okay?’

‘You’re leaving right away?’

‘Yeah, early bird and all that,’ he said, and looked at the piece of paper. ‘The address is Two, Lilac Lane, Lynchburg.’

A pause, a drawer opened, paper rustled, scribble.
‘Okay, got that. I’ll have it ready when you get here,’ she said, then hung up.

In the bathroom mirror, Larry’s reflection looked exhausted; he almost didn’t recognise the man staring back at him. His eyes were puffy and dark, the lines on his face seemed more exaggerated than they did when he last saw them, and his greying stubble was way too visible.

The cool water hitting Larry’s face for a third time took away the sting of shaving and brought him closer to the realms of semi-consciousness. He pulled on a pair of grey khakis and slipped into a white shirt before strapping on his shoulder holster. Next he pushed his feet into a pair of soft shoes and shrugged into a dark green zip-up jacket. He lit a cigarette, picked up his cell phone, and left for Brenda’s place.

..

Brenda flopped back on her pillow and sighed. She’d had no more than one hour of sleep and thought Larry probably hadn’t had any at all. The previous day had been a long one, too long in fact, and the way this one just started out …

She slid from under a single white sheet and scrunched her toes into the deep pile of her bedroom carpet, then stood, stretched, and went for a shower. Her bathroom, sandwiched between the two bedrooms of her apartment, was little more than a closet with plumbing. White walls, white ceiling, black and white tiled floor, shower unit, basin, loo.

..

Thirty minutes later the map to get Larry to Lynchburg had been printed off and another of the picturesque town itself, with the Brontrose place circled in red.

Brenda heard the buzzer for the main door and pressed her intercom button. ‘Come up, Larry, top floor, number 36. I’ll leave the latch off,’ she said, and then returned to the kitchen to finish making the coffees. Other than the usual appliances, her kitchen was definable from her living room only by the breakfast bar that separated them.

After five minutes, Larry swung open her door. ‘Well,’ he said, breathless. ‘That was a hell-of-a-climb to take on so early in the day.’

Brenda walked over. ‘Sorry, Larry, I forgot to mention the elevator was out.’

‘S’okay, I needed the exercise anyway.’

‘No, Larry … what you need is to pack in those cigarettes.’

‘And give up my only vice?’

Brenda rolled her eyes, waved him over the threshold and closed the door.

..

Larry entered the apartment to catch the aroma of freshly ground coffee mixed with Brenda’s perfume as he followed in her wake. He looked at her feet to see a pair of black, slip-on shoes with tapered three-inch spikes masquerading as heels. Of which, only the most dexterous of women would attempt to walk on. Above the shoes she wore a pair of blue, tight-fitting, Armani jeans, and her ensemble finished with a white, button-down blouse, which, he couldn’t help but notice, was practically see-through. He thought she looked great, sexy even, but didn’t say.

When they reached the breakfast bar, Larry sat on a stool and put his elbows on the black granite surface as Brenda handed him his coffee and the maps. First he looked at the distance and then noted the time required to get there.

He took a sip. ‘Nice coffee,’ he said. ‘’Nice place, too.’

Brenda leaned back beside him, her mug of coffee held in both hands. ‘Eighteen months, Larry,’ she said. ‘Eighteen months and this is the first time you’ve been up here.’

Larry couldn’t deny he found Brenda attractive, and he knew the scars of losing Samantha should already be healed. But letting go of his memories wasn’t easy for him. He’d grown used to his way of life; his own private little world, and, as selfish as it might sound, that meant only looking out for number one. Not counting Gregg Pieroni of course.

‘Well then,’ he eventually said. ‘Perhaps you should invite me up here more often.’

Brenda smiled. ‘You’re irredeemable, Larry Kessler, you really are.’

Larry took another mouthful of coffee then stood and looked at his watch. ‘I make it three-fifty,’ he said. ‘So if I set off now I should be there just before seven. And if I find anything out, Bren, I’ll ring you straight away.’

Brenda pushed off the breakfast bar to face him. ‘What? You think I got out of bed at three in the morning after only having one hour of sleep just to print off some maps?’

‘Look, Bren, neither of us are aware of the circumstances regarding Gregg’s absence. For all we know he could be on the missing list for some very dangerous reasons, reasons I wouldn’t want you to get involved in.’

Brenda’s expression hardened. ‘You listen to me, Larry Kessler. First off, I’m a big girl and I don’t need a babysitter. Secondly, Gregg’s as much a friend and colleague to me as he is to you. And third, I’m not going to sit around here twiddling my thumbs wondering why the hell you haven’t called-in either.’

‘That won’t happen,’ he said.

‘I know it won’t, because I’m coming with you,’ she told him, and picked up her light-grey mac and the thermos of strong sweet coffee she’d already prepared for the journey.

Larry sighed, surrendered. ‘Okay, but I’m doing all the driving. And if I want to smoke in my own car, I’ll … well; I’ll probably get out and have one by the roadside.’

Brenda smiled. ‘Thank you, Larry,’ she said.

Then both left for Lynchburg.