Evenfall Read Online Free PDF Page B

flicked up to him again, wandering over his form in an almost clinical way before she finally went back to typing on the sleek keyboard on her desk.
    The moments ticked by slowly and after a while , when the minute hand struck thirty minutes after the hour exactly, Ann picked up the phone and dialed a short number. Her tone was professional and respectful when she spoke. "Inspector, Boyd Beaulieu is here for an appointment."
    There was a brief moment of silence before Ann nodded. "Of course, Inspector." She hung up the phone and then looked at Boyd evenly before pressing a button. A small device similar to the one in the elevator made a quiet beeping noise and flashed a green light next to the mahogany door.
    "You can go in," Ann said unnecessarily and Boyd didn't look at either of them as he approached the door. He had not seen his mother in years and the last time they'd been in the same room had been under exceedingly stressful circumstances. He walked into the room and shut the door behind him, feeling doubt shift within him.
    She was just the way he remembered her. Pale blond hair pulled back, making it look smooth and straight from the front. Ice blue eyes that didn't miss a flicker in his expression. Lips that seemed perpetually pressed together and drawn down at the edges just so; as if she disapproved of anything he would say or do before he even did it.
    Looking at her made it harder to avoid some memories. It made flashes of pain and utter desperation feel like they were closer to today than they really were. It was a feeling that clenched his stomach and caused a hint of hesitation to enter his movements.
    Still, he did his best to ignore it all because he knew his mother would not approve of any unnecessary emotions. He built a wall against those memories and told himself they didn't exist. To distract himself from that intense stare, he glanced around the room.
    The office was spacious and minimally decorated; a large, heavy desk sat across the room with an office chair situated in front for visitors to use. Two tall bookcases flanked the desk along the wall behind it, although they were half empty. A small, worn leather bound book was nearly hidden between several normal sized books that had half-fallen over as they leaned against each other. A flat panel also sat on the right bookshelf; Boyd suspected it was one used primarily for reading materials based on its size.
    A comfortable-looking chair next to a small table sat to the left along the wall but it didn't look as though it had ever been used. The entire right wall was covered floor to ceiling with windows, affording a phenomenal view of the compound and city below, the buildings looking like scattered toys from this height.
    There were no personal effects: no pictures of family; no items of sentimentality. The table and desk spaces in the room were immaculately clean and anything that sat on them clearly had a practical purpose. There were office supplies, files currently in use, and a sleek, thin computer that was currently turned off.
    Boyd's mother sat in the tall-backed, rolling chair behind her desk, hands interlocked and resting on the desk. Her gaze flicked along the length of him before her eyes narrowed in distaste. "You walked through the entire compound with that appearance?"
    Boyd moved closer to the desk but did not sit down. His arms were loosely crossed and low, almost absently covering his stomach. His shoulders were slouched a bit, as if to somehow hide from her gaze. Still, his expression remained steady even though that this was nearly the first thing his mother had said to him after years of silence.
    "Yes."
    The disapproval in Vivienne's eyes only strengthened as she met Boyd's gaze. "What could possibly have deterred you from looking presentable when visiting my place of employment? I am well aware of how useless your life is now yet you show up like this? You appear as though you have not combed that abominable hair in days."
    "I