Broken by Matthew Storm Read Free Book Online Page B

end of the city. I knew
the address by heart but it still took me a few minutes to find their house
nestled among the perfectly manicured palm trees that lined the streets here.
Most of the people who lived in this neighborhood were retired and fairly
well-to-do financially. The place had a “Mayberry” vibe I didn’t much care for,
except for the fact that it was quiet. I was a big fan of quiet these days.
    I rang
their doorbell just after 7:30, which I figured was late enough that I wouldn’t
be interrupting their dinner. A moment passed and I could hear voices and
people moving from within, and then the door opened and I saw Roger Harrison.
He looked a great deal older than the last time I’d seen him. It had been
several years, admittedly, but I was still taken aback by the change. Time
really flew when you weren’t having fun.
    Roger
looked as startled to see me as I felt to see him. “Nevada,” he said softly.
    “Mr.
Harrison.”
    “Roger,”
he corrected me, opening the door wider.
    “Who is
it?” a woman’s voice called from behind him. Mary Harrison stepped into view
and nearly dropped the glass of water she was carrying. “Nevada James!”
    “Yeah,”
I said. “Hi.” I was hoping to make this quick. I held up the envelope of cash.
“I owe you guys…”
    “Come
in! Come in!” Mary called, beckoning me. Roger stepped aside to make a path for
me.
    “I
really can’t,” I said.
    “Nonsense!”
Mary said. “Roger, go put the kettle on.”
    I held
up the envelope again. “I just came to pay rent,” I insisted. “I owe you guys a
lot and I’m sorry I didn’t take care of it sooner.” I handed the envelope to
Roger, who took it a bit hesitantly. “That will cover what I owe you and more.”
    Mary
Harrison took a step closer and looked at my face. “You’ve been sick,” she said
disapprovingly. “And my word, you’ve gotten so skinny!”
    “Yeah,”
I said. “I have been sick.” I was starting to sweat in the cool night air.
Goddamn withdrawal. I hadn’t had enough to drink before I got in my car.
    Boy, did
that sound strange in my head.
    “Come
in, Nevada,” Mary said soothingly. “I’ll fix you something to eat.”
    I had to
admit that sounded good, but the last thing I wanted to do was sit with them
and come up with believable lies to explain what I’d been doing for the last
three years. They didn’t know the things that hadn’t been in the papers. “I
can’t,” I said. “I’m…I’m working a case.”
    Mary’s
eyes widened. “You’re working again?” Roger beamed at me and I was immediately
embarrassed. This was like being a toddler and having your grandparents
congratulate you for using the toilet instead of crapping your pants. You’re
not supposed to crap your pants.
    “Not
officially,” I said. “I’m not a cop anymore, but I’m helping…someone…with
something.” What was I supposed to tell them? I was doing errands for a mob
boss?
    “Good
for you!” Roger couldn’t contain his enthusiasm.
    “Yeah,
it is,” I said. “It’s getting me out of the house, you know? It’s good to be
doing something.”
    “You
were so good as a police officer,” Mary said, and now there were tears in her
eyes. “It’s your calling.”
    I shook
my head. “I’m not so sure about that.”
    “I am.”
    “Anyway,
I have to get working on this case,” I said. “So, I just wanted to give you
that rent and say sorry it’s late.”
    “Come
see us soon,” Mary said. “We do worry about you.”
    “We do,”
Roger agreed.
    “And for
goodness sake, eat something,” Mary admonished me. “You don’t want to look like
one of those skinny models.”
    “I’ll
work on it,” I said.
    “Wait a
minute, I’ll fix you a sandwich.”
    “I’ve
got plenty of food at home,” I lied, taking a step back. I felt my legs
starting to tremble. “I’ve really got to get going.”
    “Take
care,” Roger said.
    “Come
see us,” Mary repeated.
    “I
will,” I said. “I