Gardener: The Roots Of Ancient Evil by Jacob Mesmer Read Free Book Online Page B

about Shea. And to see what developed with Viviana. Hearing his dad mutter to himself in the kitchen didn’t make things easier.
     
     

Nine
     
                  “Max, would you be so kind as to bring the car around, I have another engagement for this evening,” he said.
    He’d received her call a few hours ago. She was just about to get on the plane. In his experience, unless they actually were at the airport and standing in the boarding line, they weren’t coming. He waited the forty-five minutes for Max to call him and let him know the car was downstairs. He walked down; this time no receptionist in the lobby greeted him. He’d checked into a mid-sized hotel.
    This date with Laney, who should have landed and found her way to the hotel room he’d prepared for her, had come up unexpectedly. She seemed a bit timid at first, but after a couple of unexpected gifts, she’d agreed to come and meet him. In his experience, about half of the girls he met through the various websites and agencies never intended to meet him. They thought they were being clever. Pretended to have a long-distance relationship with him. He gave them a month, and if they didn’t make an effort, they were put on a very special list. A list that he would keep with him until every single name had been crossed off. They were all crossed off eventually, but he had a special procedure for those who’d purposely deceived him.
    He walked out to the street just as Max pulled up. “Afternoon, Max, how’s everything?”
                  “Just fine, sir. We’re picking her up at the Hilton?”             
                  “Yes, that’s correct,” he said and sat back to enjoy the ride. They arrived in front of the Hilton in twenty minutes.
                  “Edmond?” she asked, picking up on the second ring.
                  “But of course,” he said. Every girl got a different name. A different background. A different reason for spending money on a girl young enough to be his daughter. The truth was they didn’t really care. So long as the money flowed, they would pretend to believe him if he said he was the King of France. He waited until he saw her come out of the lobby and look around. He opened the back door of the car and climbed out. She waved, eyes bright. Happy to see her benefactor. Eager to play the role of a loyal girlfriend, and all for the price of one semester of private tuition.
                  “How was your flight? OK?” he asked.
    She nodded, ran up to him, threw her arms around him. He enjoyed the physical sensations, the smell, the feeling of their bodies pressing together. But he knew it was fake. If he told her right now she’d never get another nickel out of him she would forget him in an instant. But he would enjoy her this night. He would enjoy the fantasy. As would she.
                  “So, what are we doing?” she asked innocently. She sat closely to him, as they all did.
                  “I know of a special place. It’s a perfect place to enjoy the sunset,” he said. She smiled and slipped her fingers in between his. Max drove slowly, patiently. When he was about ten minutes out, he rolled down the dividing glass.
                  “We’ll be there in about five minutes, sir,” he said. His employer nodded, and Max rolled the window back up.
     
                  “So, have you given any thought to your future? What you’ll do when you graduate?” he asked.
    They’d eaten lightly, slowly. He’d brought a bottle of 2001 Araujo Eisele, a Cabernet from the Napa Valley. She took a few sips, not mentioning anything specific. The bottle wasn’t special, slightly less than a thousand dollars. He doubted she’d have known the difference between the Araujo and a bottle of ten-dollar swill from the local market.
                  “Not yet, I really haven’t had