The Beast House by Richard Laymon Read Free Book Online

peered closely at her neck. She met his eyes, blushed and looked back at Gorman.
    “Would one of our rooms be a convenient meeting place?” he asked.
    “Sure. Good as any. I’ll bring in some clean towels, just in case, but nobody’s even gonna notice me.”
    “Very good. Say room six, then, in an hour?”
    “I’ll be there.”
    “And bring the diary along.”

CHAPTER FIVE
    “Voilà!” Nora blurted, startling Tyler. She jabbed a finger against the windshield.
    Just ahead, on the left, was a white-painted adobe restaurant with a red tile roof. The sign in front, hanging from a miniature lighthouse, read Lighthouse Inn.
    Tyler checked the rearview. The Mustang was a hundred yards back. She signaled for a turn. A moment later, the Mustang’s turn light began to flash. She swung across the road, into the paved parking lot.
    Nora leaned over, twisted the mirror and studied her reflection. She started brushing her hair. Tyler pulled into a space and stopped the car. She waited for Nora to finish, then turned the mirror toward herself. Her blonde hair was slightly mussed, but she thought it looked all right. She checked her face for blood. She couldn’t see any.
    The Mustang eased in beside them. Tyler grabbed her handbag off the backseat, and climbed out. The ocean breeze felt cool and good. It tossed her hair. It flipped open the bottom of her untucked blouse as she stepped around the car, exposing her tanned belly to Abe’s stare. She had neglected to fasten the last button. She closed it now, and Abe lifted his gaze to her face.
    Not hard eyes, she thought. But probing, maybe a little amused.
    “Bet you’re surprised we found a place,” Nora said.
    “I was beinning to wonder.”
    “Boondocks, USA.”
    Jack hurried ahead and pulled open the dark wood door. He held it while the others stepped into the dimly lighted foyer. A blond girl in a turtleneck and kilts came forward, clutching menus to her chest. Abe told her that they’d come in for cocktails, and she led them through a nearly deserted dining room to a table by the windows. Abe pulled out a chair for Tyler. Jack did the same for Nora. “A waitress will be by for your orders,” the girl said, and left them.
    “Nice joint,” Jack said.
    “We picked it special,” Nora told him.
    “Come here often?” Abe asked, raising an eyebrow at Tyler.
    “Whenever we’re in the neighborhood.”
    “We’re from LA,” Nora said. “How about you?”
    “Here and there,” Jack said.
    “These are a couple of very evasive guys,” Nora said. “What are you, bank robbers?”
    Jack grinned. “Now there’s a thought, huh, Abe?”
    “I guess you might say we’re itinerants.”
    “Farm workers? What do you hear from Caesar Chavez?”
    Jack laughed. It was more of a giggle, high-pitched and quiet, an odd sound to come from such a power-fully built man but, Tyler thought, somewhat appropriate to his baby face.
    A waitress came. Nora ordered a vodka martini, Tyler a margarita. Abe asked for a Dos Equiis, was told there was no Mexican beer in stock, and settled for a Michelob. Jack ordered the same.
    “So,” Nora said, “you’re not on the lam?”
    Smiling slightly, Abe shook his head. “Actually, we just got ourselves mustered out of the Marine Corps.”
    “Ah-ha! Leathernecks.” She grinned at Tyler. “What’d I tell you? Tough guys.”
    “You just got out?” Tyler asked.
    “We’ve been civilians since Monday.”
    “In since sixty-seven,” Jack added.
    “Holy shit. That’s what, twelve years?”
    “We liked it,” Jack said.
    “But not enough to re-up again,” Abe added.
    Jack wrinkled his nose, shook his head. “Gets to be a drag when you haven’t got a shooting war.”
    “Are you kidding?” Nora asked.
    “Not that we particularly enjoy combat,” Abe said.
    “Speak for yourself,” Jack told him.
    “But the peacetime corps is a lot of dull routine, and after the last fiasco we’re not going to see any real commitment of ground