Stop Me by Richard Jay Parker Read Free Book Online Page A

again.
    * * *
    Howdy Doody. Knew youd be in touch. Soon as I saw Howard Bonsignore on the news. So glad you did. Been worried about you .
    Leo always tried to imagine a New Orleans drawl behind the words on his laptop. He’d been contemplating having this dialogue for the few hours he’d been home. He tried sleeping but could almost feel the pressure of the daylight against the curtains. Leo had finally given up and switched on the TV instead. But Bonsignore’s story had already been relegated from the mainstream channels. He’d sat up and lifted the laptop onto the bed but even as he hinged its lid open and then shut it thecustomary number of times before logging on, he knew his dialogue with Bookwalter was inevitable. He’d promised Ashley he wouldn’t so many times but today had changed all that.
    You there Leo?
    The words never rattled out at a fast pace; Bookwalter was clearly a one-fingered typist. But even though the construction of the sentences was painstaking to watch, there was never a pause before his responses started filling the screen. Leo always got the impression that Bookwalter’s impatience wasn’t helped by his inability to type his own words fast enough.
    Leo’s keyboard expertise at least accelerated the pace of their exchanges. He crossed his legs tighter under the laptop and keyed in the first words he’d exchanged with him for over three weeks.
    Sorry to have been out of touch.
    Understand. Have been busy with desalination plant protest.
    Leo’s mind went blank but soon he could sense his correspondent’s agitation. Sensing his time was up he stabbed quickly at one key:
    ?????
    Long story. Coordinating local opposition to proposed site. Website has just gone live. Log on to www.DesalAvert.com for figures relating to environmental impact of vacuum distillation.
    Will take a look when I have some time.
    Already have over 17,000 signatories on the petition. If you wouldnt mind taking a few moments Id be grateful.
    Just like the emails that had been circulated by the Vacation Killer, Bookwalter didn’t use apostrophes. However, sometimes he slipped, as if his genuine grasp of punctuation got the better of him.
    Will be happy to. How are things otherwise?
    Much obliged. Gastric flu doing the rounds here but have so far escaped. Laura says hi.
    Leo had wondered if Bookwalter’s energies had shifted focus in the few weeks since he’d spoken to him but watching her name appearing on his screen shrink-wrapped everything to the space he occupied on the bed like it had the first time he’d discussed her with him.
    Is she well?
    As can be expected.
    Sensitively, Bookwalter had agreed to remove all photos of Laura from her profile page so the only image that remained was the one on the home page that had been used by the media during her initial disappearance. This was on the condition that Leo would continue to correspond although he wasn’t sure if Bookwalter would ever have offered to withdraw them if Laura hadn’t been the Vacation Killer victim with the biggest question mark. She seemed to muddy the water for himand it seemed convenient to discard her. Or perhaps Bookwalter was worried about getting sued. However, judging by the increasing amount of banners and pop-ups on the site, he assumed that Bookwalter had to be making good on the revenue from the advertisers.
    But although he’d been quick to remove the picture of Laura as a teenager, he would never be drawn on where he’d got it in the first place. Leo didn’t want to consider how many hard drives it had already been saved on. The idea of the image being in global circulation and that computer-bound sociopaths were using them as currency was something he gladly would have committed murder for himself.
    Leo stabbed at the keys.
    Was wondering what Laura’s reaction to news is. Have you told her about Bonsignore?
    You know better than that Leo .

C HAPTER 9
    ‘Where have you been?’
    Doctor Mutatkar barely registered his wife’s