Emily Kimelman - Sydney Rye 02 - Death in the Dark Read Online Free Page A

“You shouldn’t ever expect anything. Let that be the first thing I teach you.”
    “Teach me,” I grumbled.
    “Yes, Sydney, teach you.” His voice softened. “I’m not just here to teach you how to throw a punch or have an effective partnership with Blue. I’m here to show you how to think.” He tapped his temple. “It all starts up here.”
    “Well, up here,” I touched my temple, “I’m pretty pissed you tied me to my bed!” I didn’t mean to shout but that’s how it came out.
    Blue paused in his play and came to my side. Merl leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “Impressive,” he said. “You can yell.” His words dripped with sarcasm and I wanted to fly across the table and yank his ridiculous long hair. His eyebrows jumped. “Any other skills?”
    “Fuck you,” I stood up, Blue’s hackles raised.
    Merl didn’t say anything until I’d turned toward the RV. “Why do you think you’re here?” I looked over my shoulder at him. He gestured around to the Oyster Farm: the Port-a-Potties on their raised platforms, the aged RV sunk into the sand from lack of use, the two-room shack Ramon and his mother shared.
    “What do you mean?”
    “What happened? In your mind, why are you here?”
    “I made a big mistake,” I said. He nodded. “If I’d just done my job and ignored the dead body in the alley, I would still be living in my rent-controlled apartment hanging out with my brother.” My voice broke on brother. I stared into the sea with its gentle persistent waves and reflective surface, watching the sunlight crest with each swell. Blue leaned against me, pushing his muzzle against one of my hands.
    “One of the biggest mistakes we can make is spending too much time thinking about our mistakes. Just acknowledge what you did wrong and move on,” Merl said to my back.
    “I should just mind my own business” I said.
    “Is that where you made the mistake?”
    “Yes.”
    “Really? I thought it was your ego. I think you underestimated who you were up against.”
    “I didn’t know who I was up against.”
    “Another mistake, not figuring it out quicker. You should have killed him in the basement when he laid on the ground at your mercy.”
    I was still looking out at the sea and his logic struck me with the power of a blow. Of course, that’s where my mistake was. It wasn’t that I let him get away in my apartment, or that I went looking for him in the first place. I had the chance to end him as soon as I knew he was a monster and I didn’t.
    I turned to Merl. “You see?” he asked. “You can ask as many questions as you like, as long as you’re ready to make decisions once you get your answers.”
    “Merl, who are you?”
    He laughed. “That’s an awfully broad question. Please sit down.”
    I hesitated for a moment but the steam coming off my cup of coffee convinced me to start again. “Okay, I’ll ask a better question,” I said as I slid back into my chair. “Were you in the army?” Merl nodded but didn’t elaborate. I looked at him for a moment and then asked, “What was your poison?”
    He smiled and with a teasing twinkle in his eye said, “What do you mean?”
    “Your hair’s too long for someone without an addictive past.”
    He laughed softly. “Not sure about that, but yeah, heroin. It held me pretty tight at one time. Couldn’t get free of it until the dogs.”
    We both turned to look at where his dogs played in the surf. Blue followed our glance and sprinted off to join the fun. “The dogs. Did you learn that in the army?”
    “No, I was a basic training kind of guy. Pretty strong for my size, fast in a fight.” He smiled and mimed a quick one-two punch. “But no, I was unemployed after the army kicked me out for my addiction. But you know, they didn’t call it that or they would have had to give me some treatment. They called it exhaustion and gave me a ticket home.”
    “Really?”
    He shrugged. “Sometimes that’s what