Stark: A Novel Read Online Free

than words. That’s me.”
    Stark sat down in a straight-backed chair and tilted it back against the wall, stretching out his long legs. Dorie dragged on her cigarette and let the smoke curl from her wide mouth into her nostrils.
    “Where’s Momo?”
    “He went down the hall. He’s taking care of business.”
    Dorie nodded. She was wide awake now and moved back against the headboard, her knees up, still covered to her neck by the sheet. She watched him closely, studying.
    “How do I know you’re not a burglar or a rapo?”
    “You can’t. I’m too smart to be a burglar, that’s not my racket. And as for being a rapo, why steal what’s available for sale?”
    Dorie blushed for a moment, then threw back her head and laughed. “You talk just like Humphrey Bogart. I’ve only known you five minutes, and you think I’m for sale. That’s pretty cold,” she said, her voice mocking.
    “You might call me that.”
    They were momentarily silent, appraising each other. Dorie moved to mash out the cigarette and the sheet slipped away from her breasts, exposing full brownish-nippled whiteness. He wondered if the flash was on purpose.
    “Where’d Momo find you?” Dorie asked.
    “Find me?”
    “Yeah, find you? Locate you? Meet you? Catch you?”
    “You mean, he’s never mentioned my name? We’re old friends. I’ve just been away for a while.”
    “Away? Prison? A guy like you? Too smart to be a burglar?”
    “Hey, everyone makes mistakes. Even you. How’d you hook up with Momo? And why?”
    “Same as you. Shooting up and going to hell. It’s as good a place as any. But for your information, Momo found me in a nuthouse.”
    “I was going to guess that. Camarillo?”
    “Yes.”
    “You were taking a cure?”
    “That and recuperating from a nervous breakdown. They fixed the last but not the first.”
    “How long were you there?”
    “Six months. It was a self-commitment.”
    “And Momo was there to beat a felony charge. Now back in the twilight zone.”
    “Yep. I’m what you might call real friendly with my connection. And it’s a ball. Real choice.”
    “Whatever you like for kicks, I guess.”
    “I like to try everything once.”
    Stark fell silent, eyes flitting to the door, ears tuned for the first sound of Momo’s approaching steps.
    “He should be back by now,” Dorie said. “It doesn’t usually take him that long.”
    “Maybe he got busted. What’ll you do then?”
    She shrugged. “You look promising… for a while.”
    The statement was scarcely out of her mouth when the door knob turned. Dorie pulled the sheets up as Momo slipped in and fastened the nightchain.
    “Sorry to hang you up,” he said. “It took a little longer than usual to get your order.”
    “Where did you go?” asked Stark.
    “The less you know the better.”
    Stark grinned. “Cool by me. Can I fix here?”
    “I guess it’s okay. I’m gonna fix myself. What about you, Dorie?”
    “Never leave me out of that automobile ride, honey. I love it.”
    Momo led them to the bathroom. He handed Stark one of the toy red balloons. They were tied at the top, making tiny asymmetrical balls. Within each was ten capsules of shit.
    “Get the outfit, baby,” Momo commanded Dorie. Then he extended his hand palm upward to Stark. “That’ll be forty bucks for the bindles.”
    “You’re sure a trusting soul,” Stark said, as he slipped him a few bills.
    Momo grabbed the bills and stuffed them in his pocket, uncounted, in his impatience to get fixed. He stepped to the doorway, looking at Dorie. She was on the far side of the room, standing tiptoe on a chair by the front door, probing with eager fingers in a crevice of the moulding overhead.
    “You gonna take all night to get the goddamn outfit?” Momo asked.
    “It’s wedged in, honey. Be cool and I’ll have it in a second.”
    Momo grunted unintelligibly and waited, watching her. She didn’t seem to be making progress. The sight of her ass trembling through her sheer