SHUDDERVILLE FOUR Read Online Free PDF Page A

pass it, her knuckles going bloodless on the wheel. Then the pickup truck took a left at the fork and Sophie kept following the Lexus.
    Soon the asphalt ended and the ride got bumpy and choppy. Sophie floored it along the rough dirt road, while pieces of gravel plinked against her wheel wells. They were on a long stretch without any streetlights. About 30 yards ahead, Hector took a left and rounded a corner insanely fast, kicking up dust. The fog was rolling inland from the sea. She drove against a viscous drag and couldn’t see a thing.
    Sophie downshifted into a lower gear, her headlights casting batwing shadows. She took a blind turn past a granite outcropping and lost control of the car. She tensed and hit the brakes, the Toyota’s rear end swinging wide, tires squealing. She thundered to an abrupt halt just inches from Hector’s rear bumper. The world froze for a moment as her head whiplashed and her seatbelt caught her.
    “What the hell—?”
    Hector’s vehicle was parked in the middle of the road with the driver’s door thrown open wide. The engine was purring and the headlights sliced through the fog.
    Sophie threw an elbow into the door panel and got out. “What’s going on?”
    Hector came loping toward her through the fog. “We lost him.”
    “What the hell do you mean, we lost him?” Her hands were slippery with sweat. “Did we ever actually have him?”
    He smiled and rubbed his chin. “Thought I had him. Guess I was wrong. Let’s go back to his place. You and I need to have a talk.”
    *
    Hector sat hunched at the kitchen table, ripping chicken meat apart with his fingers and making snorting sounds as he ate. He wore one of those gaudy Palm Beach shirts with the coconuts on it. “I’m staying put. He’ll be back. And I’ll be here to greet him, the motherfucker.”
    She angled her chair so that she could keep an eye on him. Her throat was parched. She wanted a drink so badly she could taste it. There was a worm in her gut that needed sedating. But she’d promised herself she would never touch another drop again. And she intended to keep that promise.
    He squinted at her. “Sophie, right?”
    “Yeah.”
    “So what did you wish for?”
    “My little girl.”
    His smile vanished. “Your little girl?”
    “She died. I wanted her back.”
    His shoulders slumped so far down that his stomach protruded like a beach ball underneath his gaudy shirt. “Really?” He shook his head and wiped his mouth with greasy fingers. “Now I get it.”
    “Get what?”
    “What he’s doing here.”
    “What’s he doing where?”
    “Nothing.”
    “What do you mean— nothing ? What is it you suddenly ‘ get ?’” she said angrily.
    He wiped his hands on his pants and heaved a sweet-and-sour sigh. He tore a slice of whole wheat bread in half, popped it in his mouth and idly thumped his foot against the table leg. “I’m here for the same reason you are, Sophie. I want him to fix what he broke. He ruined my life.”
    She rested her hands in her lap. “What did you wish for?”
    “Ha. I was young and stupid. Eighteen years old. I wanted to be the world’s greatest lover.” He laughed. “I was already pretty good at it. Women like me. I have no problems in that department. But hey, I was wasted when he asked me—if I could have any wish in the world, what would it be?” He looked at her expectantly. “Right? He asked you that too, didn’t he?”
    “Yeah,” she said.
    “Yeah.” Hector popped the rest of the bread in his mouth. “Anyway, this was years ago. I told him I wanted to be a Lothario, you know what I mean? Don Juan. I wanted to be the world’s greatest lover—but it came out wrong. I was wasted, like I said, and my words got all tangled up. I don’t even know what I asked for. I think I said, ‘I want to be the answer to every woman’s prayers.’ You know? Some shit like that. ‘When I’m fucking a woman, I want to be the vessel for her greatest desires.’ I thought it was