Slaves to Evil - 11 by Lee Goldberg Read Free Book Online Page B

they reading in English class these days?” It was a pretty lame question, he knew.
    “ Lord of the Flies ,” Chris muttered.
    “That’s a great one.” Matt was sincere. He loved that book.
    “Yeah.” The boy looked up at him. “Mr. Hamill says it’s about bullying.”
    “Really?” said Matt. “I always thought it was about how quickly a so-called civilized society can break down.”
    Chris considered this. “Yeah. I can see that too. With Jack, and the Beast.”
    “Exactly.”
    Kathy came back to the table with a warm apple pie and set it down in front of Chris. For a moment the kid looked almost happy. Then his father spoke up.
    “This one’s in private school now.” He took a gulp of wine and turned to Matt. “Guess how much tuition I have to pay.”
    Matt assumed this was a rhetorical question until Lennox insisted, “Guess.”
    He had no idea what to say. “Uh…ten thousand dollars?”
    “Hah!” said Lennox. “I wish. Twenty-six thousand fucking dollars a year. And now I’m supposed to pay even more for a tutor to keep my little angel from flunking math.” He waved a derisive hand toward Chris, who had withdrawn again into silence.
    “That’s enough.” Kathy’s voice was quiet but firm.
    All eyes went to Lennox, anticipating an angry response. Matt felt his muscles tense, ready to intervene if things got physical.
    Maybe it was the five glasses of wine, but Lennox stayed calm. He even seemed amused. “Whatever you say. Dear.”
    Chris stood abruptly and left the room. Kathy went after him. Eddie and Diane exchanged another concerned look.
    “Fuck it,” said their host. He grabbed the wine bottle and left. A moment later they heard a car start up and drive away.
    Matt, Eddie, and Diane returned to their pie with minimal chitchat. Matt excused himself and headed toward the bathroom. He didn’t really have to go, but he needed a chance to think. The Dark Man had touched Lennox, but he was poisoning the man’s family as well. Matt had been agonizing about the pain he caused innocent families when he killed someone they loved. But at least it freed them from the corrosive damage he was seeing now. He thought about Elena’s family, how her mother must have felt watching Peter slide further and further into darkness, unable to save her boy.
    He wanted to find some way to help Kathy and Chris. Could he persuade Kathy to leave her husband? Matt doubted it. Once again he wished he could turn to Janey for advice. And was again reminded that he was on his own.
    On his way back to the table, he glanced through an open door into a home office. There were two desks, presumably his and hers. Matt paused. He’d love to get a look at Lennox’s papers, search through his computer files. He could take a quick peek right now if he dared.
    That idea was quashed by the appearance of Eddie, making his own bathroom run. His lips were pinched into a tight line, suppressing his own helpless anger. He nodded at Matt as he passed. Matt returned the nod and continued on to the dining room.
    The three of them were clearing the table when Kathy returned to the dining room. “You don’t have to do that,” she insisted.
    “We got it,” said Matt.
    Diane approached her niece, concerned. “Are you all right? What’s wrong with Tom?”
    “He’s just stressed. Issues at work.” But even Kathy didn’t look convinced by that excuse.
    Eddie joined in. “You and Chris could come and visit us for a while.”
    “He has school.” Kathy faced them. “We’re OK. Really. This will pass.”
    After the Williamsons took their leave, Matt stayed behind to help wash dishes. Kathy kept up a steady stream of chatter, to avoid any serious topics. “It’s a shame my mother couldn’t join us this year. Eddie’s her little brother.”
    “I liked him,” said Matt. “And Diane.”
    “They’re good people,” she agreed.
    Matt added, “I liked Chris too. He seems like a smart kid.”
    “He is.” Kathy rinsed a