Doomsday Warrior 10 - American Nightmare by Ryder Stacy Read Free Book Online

of him, officer. I won’t let it happen again.”
    “Kim? Boy, am I glad to see you,” said Rockson as the blue-eyed blonde entered. She gave him a perfunctory kiss and then frowned.
    “You’d better be glad. Here, put this on,” Kim said, handing him a fresh suit. “I’ve been so worried about you. You’ve been missing since Monday night. I try to be a good wife to you, and this is the thanks I get, Mr. Man-about-town! Can’t trust you for a minute. You said something about getting ice cream. When you didn’t return I thought you’d been kidnapped. Then I get this call saying you were picked up on a drunk-and-disorderly charge running around in the Seagull fountain! They showed me the outfit you were running around in—I nearly died of shame. I told them to burn it. If anyone we know saw you like that, your career would be ruined.”
    Rockson let her rattle on while he changed his clothes. Then he leveled with her. “Kim, I can’t quite remember clearly . . . Are you sure you’re my wife?”
    She softened. “Oh, darling, you are in bad shape. Here—your nose must have been bleeding. Are you all right?” She dabbed at his upper lip, kissed him on the cheek, and straightened his tie. “Come on, let’s go home. I can’t let the neighbor watch the kids so much without paying her. And you’re already lost two days’ pay this week.”
    Kids? “How are the—kids?” Rockson asked as they walked down the long corridor to the lobby. Why was he so woozy?
    “They’re fine. You ought to thank your lucky stars that the chess tournament started this week. They’ve been positively glued to the TV. I don’t think they really noticed you were gone. Ted junior did want to know if you would show him how to use his new weed-burner, and Barbara—well, you know how girls are.”
    “Right.”
    “I’ll drive,” said Kim, taking out her keys. “In your condition you probably wouldn’t even know the way home,” she laughed. She got behind the wheel of a rusty green Gremlin parked in front of the police station.
    “What an antique!" Rock exclaimed as he climbed in and slammed the door.
    “You’re telling me,” Kim said as she put the key in the ignition. Instantly the radio began blaring and a horrible whining sound began.
    “Don’t forget to buckle up, dear.” Rockson did as he was told and the whining sound ceased. “Let’s see. First stop— Cheaps.”
    As she put her foot to the floor, the car sputtered and jumped. They left the police station trailing a cloud of blue smoke.
    Cheaps turned out to be a sprawling supermarket on the outskirts of town with its own large parking lot. NOW OPEN 24 HOURS , a bright-red neon sign proclaimed.
    “I think tonight should be special, don’t you?” Kim said as she parked the car. “I want to get a steak, and I can’t forget to get some Ruffy dog food. Just ran out this morning. You just wait in the car, dear. I’ll be right back,” she said. She slammed the door.
    Rockson thought he must have amnesia. He couldn’t remember anything. His head throbbed. I must have been really looped, he thought. I feel so muzzy. Wife? Children? Dog? The radio blared on. Well, Kim is real anyway. He recognized her. It must be true. Can’t argue with facts. In a few minutes Kim returned with a bag of groceries and tossed it in the back seat. Moments later they were off again trailing a cloud of blue smoke.
    Home was an apartment building on Southeast 10th Street. Rock waited in front of it with the groceries, trying to get his bearings while Kim parked the car. “We’re in luck,” she said when she returned. “I found a spot just around the corner.” She unlocked the door and Rock followed her up to the stairs to the fourth floor. They were greeted at the apartment door by Ted junior, who was wearing red coveralls with a mirrored visor helmet, carrying a toy flamethrower. He looked to be about six.
    “Stop in the name of the law, or I’ll cremate ya,” he said pulling