A Killing Rain Read Online Free PDF

drink of the beer, his eyes out on the black waters of the gulf as he absently stroked the cat’s head.
    Shit, it was all screwed up.
    Three days had passed since that night at Susan’s. He had called once, but she had seemed distracted, distant. Louis had heard Austin and Benjamin laughing in the background. He had hesitated then asked her if Austin was still staying at the house. She said he was, but that it was only so Benjamin could have time with him. Louis had cut the conversation short and hung up.
    Then, earlier tonight Susan had called him back.
    “He’s leaving tonight,” she said. “He’s going back to Australia.”
    There had been an awkward pause on her end.
    “He wants us to go with him,” Susan said.
    “What did you tell him?” Louis asked. It had been a struggle to keep his voice neutral.
    “I told him no, of course.”
    Of course?
    “What about Benjamin?”
    Another long pause. “I haven’t told him yet. He’ll want to go. What son wouldn’t want to be with his father and go play with real koala bears?”
    Louis said nothing.
    “It’s going to be hard on Ben,” Susan said. “It’s always hard, but he’s old enough now to know things. Like the fact his mom and dad are never getting back together. Like his dad won’t...can’t...be there all the time.”
    Louis heard the pain in her voice but still said nothing.
    “Louis? Are you there?”
    “What do you want from me, Susan?”
    “I don’t know. I...” She let out a long breath. “Could you come over?”
    “What for?”
    “Austin is going to ask me again to come with him. And he’ll do it in front of Ben this time. I know he will. If you’re here, maybe he won’t. Maybe Ben won’t get upset. Maybe...shit, I don’t know what I’m saying.”
    Louis let out a sigh.
    “Louis, Austin will do whatever he needs to do to get what he wants. That’s the way he is. This time he wants Benjamin. He doesn’t care if he hurts me to get him.” She paused again. “Would you come over, please?”
    “I don’t think that would be a good idea, Susan,” he said.
    Silence. “You’re right” she said softly. “I shouldn’t have asked.” And she hung up.
    Louis took another drink of beer, his other hand light on Issy’s back as he looked out over the gulf waters. Maybe he should have told her he would come over. What would it have cost him? An hour of his time? A little discomfort? Why had he said no? Pride? Or was it just not wanting to get into the damn messiness of it all?
    The phone rang. Louis ignored it, afraid it was Susan again, or afraid it wasn’t. He wasn’t even sure.
    After ten rings, the phone went quiet. He finished the beer. The wind picked up, sending the auger shell wind chime rattling and letting loose a rain of leaves from the sea grapes trees. Louis watched the leaves swirl on the sand. January in South Florida and it felt almost like fall in Michigan.
    The phone started ringing again. He counted the rings. Ten, eleven, twelve. She wasn’t going to give up this time.
    He lowered Issy to the floor and rose, going into the bedroom. He snatched up the receiver.
    “Look, Susan —-”
    “Try again, Rocky.”
    “Mel?” Louis switched on the lamp and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Hey, when did you get back?”
    “This morning.”
    “How’d it go?”
    “Not great.”
    Louis could hear a squeak and he imagined Mel Landeta folding his lanky body into the old Eames chair in his apartment. He waited, knowing it always took Mel a moment or two to get comfortable.
    “So what did the doctor say, exactly?” Louis asked.
    “He told me to take some vitamin A.”
    “What?”
    “You heard me. Vitamin A. They think it might slow things down. So I will be seventy when I go blind instead of sixty-five.”
    Louis didn’t say anything. Mel Landeta was his friend, although Louis wasn’t even sure that was the right word for it. How did a man get to be twenty-eight years old and never have a real male friend? He