Sheep's Clothing by Gary Lewis (free ebook reader for pc txt) 📕

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The parking lot at the sunset diner was spacious. Lunch rush had just ended and Sarah knew she would get an opportunity for small talk with Tony. She slowed her pace through the double-doors into the lobby. Her casual expression took over as she scanned the counter indiscriminately, careful not to lock onto anyone's face just yet.

When she caught sight of Tony's hand waving from the kitchen, she bit down on her chewing gum with a smile and tilted her head up at him from her seat at the bar. Tony's exaggerated smile was carried on his round face by his large gait as he traveled to the counter.

"How you holding up, sis?"

She had always been suspicious of Tony's way of pretending that he knew someone all his life. If they just met yesterday, he still would've greeted her just the same. He treated everyone like a long-lost family member.

"Things are good. I was wondering..." Sarah paused for a moment. "Have you seen my multimeter? I left it in my toolshed." It wasn't the strongest lie she had ever come up with, but she was sure to emphasize the word.

"Not really. I've never even been behind your place before."

Sarah could feel her eyes light with the same scrutiny as her smile before she spoke again. "But you somehow knew that my toolshed was behind it?"

She watched Tony pause with a further stretch of his smile. But he never broke eye contact with her the entire time. He held out his hands in front of him. "Maybe because it's not in the front yard?"

He did have a point, she thought. It didn't take a rocket scientist to guess that it was around back.

"You don't trust me?" He took a couple steps back. "I didn't take it, but I'd be happy to buy you a new one if it makes you feel better."

"I don't trust anyone," Sarah said with a half-smile.

"You still going back to school for..." Tony began to ask, waving his finger at her.

"I'm an electrician," Sarah said. "I'm waiting for the next semester to end."

“I can't wait to start culinary, myself," he said. "Was David the reason you dropped out? I mean, it all kinda ended suddenly." Tony rubbed the back of his head as he shifted back just a bit.

"No. I didn't drop out because of David." Sarah shook her head with an eye roll. "I just needed some time to myself."

"Sorry. I shouldn't have asked," he said as Sarah sipped from her straw.

"What's going on with the monster mystery?" he asked.

"I have one person in mind," she said, making sure to finish with a sly grin.

Tony just nodded with a friendly smile as the chatter of customers started to fill the air between them until he finally rubbed his head and spoke again. “Listen, Sarah…”

She arched her eyebrows at Tony as she waited for him to continue. “Yes?”

“I was just thinking… I’d be happy to mow your lawn for you some time if you need any help with it.”

Sarah clutched the top of her drink glass and looked at it as she gave it a light swirl while she spoke. “Tony, you’re more than welcome to visit when you want.” She lifted her eyes to look straight into his. “But stay the hell out of my yard.”

Tony seemed to get the hint as he nodded before strolling back to the kitchen.

When she walked to her car, Sarah halted to take in the scenery. Just beyond the large yellow sign that stood high above the diner, the wooded hills raised just enough to conceal Moss Lake at the base of the Bluff Mountain backdrop. The rock face at the cliffs could be seen, rising from the forests that wrapped around it. As a kid, she never would have thought she'd end up in this place, far from the noisy city streets that stayed alive all through the night. Here where she could be so removed from the outside world, yet so much more connected to the people around her.

She strolled past the homeless, blind beggar as he sat silently on the concrete walkway, resting against the building. Sarah turned back to see his filthy, unshaven face gaze back with a blank stare. It seemed the outward manifestation of the hollow existence he must have kept. A few pats of her pockets produced not even the jingle of a dime. "Oh well." She frowned before turning back toward her car. "Maybe next time."

#Vance#

Vance disregarded the gravel grinding against his back as he laid, tightening the final bolt nice and snug. A new set of brakes for the car he promised Janice. But he’d been so busy working on his own truck that it just sat collecting dust since she got her license. He looked it over as he finished up. She probably wouldn't mind that it was an older model car, he thought, being that it was a red Mustang. It was his favorite car in her favorite color. Vance wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with his blackened hands before heading inside.

Steam coated the cracked bathroom mirror as the shower heated up and Vance looked down at his phone where it sat at the countertop beside the sink. He slid his thumb across the screen, tensing his eyebrows as he scrolled through a mile of missed messages. Then he saw it. The heat that rushed through his now widened eyes rushed into his hands as he snatched up the phone to make the call.

"What the hell were you thinking last night?"

"What do you mean?" Janice asked, her meek voice barely audible over the phone.

"So, David stayed the night at your place?"

"It's not even like that. Sarah was here too," Janice said. Her tone of frustration crackled across the phone. "Besides, I tried calling you all night and you wouldn't answer. I'm getting tired of this. You only think about yourself."

"How can you say that? I've been busting ass on your car all morning."

"Keep it. I need a break," she said. A click killed the noise