Out Of The Dark Read Online Free Page A

man with a ponytail had seen
me like this.
    Hell--the whole hospital had.
    Now I was feeling oogie about me. My hair
looked absolutely like black straw. Even the damned white stripe
that wouldn't go away looked like old lady's hair. My skin was
blotchy, and not the smooth olive tone I was used to seeing.
    Half moons hung beneath my eyes. I could see
my cheek-bones. And maybe three months ago I would have liked the
obvious drop in weight--but not at that moment. I leaned into the
mirror and looked closely at myself.
    It was like--
    Well, it was like I was loosing some vital
nutrient. Kinda like a plant looks when it doesn't get sun or
water.
    Water. Shower maybe?
    Mental Note: need spa treatment. Check
cash flow.
    After the shower I looked more like a big wet piece of straw. Wrapped in a bathrobe (the big blue
fuzzy one I'd bought myself a few weeks ago), I peeked into my
bedroom. Rhonda and Dags weren't there.
    Hunh.
    I moved to the edge of the stairs and
listened. I could hear mom, Rhonda, Dags and--
    Holy moly. Mrs. Jemmy Shultz was downstairs
too. They were having a pow-wow without me!
    My stomach took that moment to growl.
    Loudly.
    "Zoë--stop playing spook and get down here
and eat!" Mom yelled up at me.
    It really sucks that even at my age my mom
can STILL embarrass me. I toweled my hair, braided it, and dressed
casually in a black long-sleeve tee-shirt with Kevin Barry's logo
(they have the best Irish Coffee evah on River Street in Savannah)
on the back and a pair of comfy jeans.
    Once down the stairs with my board I saw that
everyone was huddled around one of the tables in the tea-shop, the
Great Big Book of Everything in the center. Tim and Steve were even
there.
    Mom motioned me to a chair beside her and had
a plate all ready. Coffee. Creamer and whip cream already in and on
top. Yummy. Whipped cream. And then she handed me my testing
kit.
    Smart ass.
    As I opened the zippered pouch the
conversation continued.
    "--assigned to the same floor," Dags said.
"Which is also part of the reason I was being nice to Nancy because
she has a bit of influence on scheduling--because of her
grandfather. I've known the detective for some time. So even while
I was spying on Nancy's grandfather, I've been periodically
checking in on Detective Frasier."
    Dags sipped his coffee. "But I would like to
know exactly how he got into the condition he's in. I suspect it's
due to unnatural circumstances."
    Ah! Ninety-three. That was a decent morning
sugar count. I shoved the read-out in mom's face. That's when I
realized everyone was looking at me. I did the equivalent to a
voiced-person's "What?"
    I held my arms out, elbow bent and shrugged.
Eyebrows high on my forehead. I hate my forehead. Too high.
    "Zoë," Mom grabbed my wrist, the one with the
monitor stuck in her face and read the display down her nose. Then
she smiled at me and nodded. "That's nice, but I think it's time
you shared the circumstances of Daniel's injuries with Dags."
    I lowered my hand with a pout. I thought it
was a good enough score to at least warrant an attagirl or
something. I turned my morning irritation on Bartender-Boy. Can
you hear me? I actually threw my thoughts at him like a dart at
a corkboard.
    And I was completely upset with myself when
the boy actually fell backward off his chair. I stood up. So did
mom. Rhonda was up and on the floor with him.
    He didn't get up right away and I had that
sinking feeling I'd just done something awful again. I was feeling
like the kid who couldn't get anything right, not even walking
through a house carefully. One miss-step and I knocked over the
Ming vase.
    "Zoë!" Rhonda's tone was upset. "What the
hell did you do ? His nose is bleeding!"
    Huh? I was around the table and standing next
to an observant Jemmy Schultz. She had on a blue housedress today,
with white stockings and matching blue slippers.
    Dags on the other hand lay on his side, his
pony-tail splayed out about his head, his eyes closed and blood
oozing from his