The Dishonored Dead Read Online Free PDF

wife to have dinner on the very top floor of the Herculean. They let them pass without a word. Conrad and Denise got into the elevator, and when the doors closed and Conrad pressed 113, Denise hugged him and gave an exited squeal that reminded him of when they’d first started dating.
    A minute later the elevator doors opened and they stepped into The Restaurant. Not the most original name, sure, but in the entire world it was the best restaurant, the best place to dine, the best place to be, so it just made sense.
    The host was already waiting, welcoming them with a bow and leading them to their table. Denise was silent, her shock and surprise leaving her speechless. Conrad had just told her to dress up nice, that they were going out to celebrate, and Jessica had been kind enough to keep an eye on Kyle for a couple hours. So they left Dead Oak Estates, got onto the Shakespeare, and entered the city, winding through the streets toward the black-glassed monolith overlooking the entire world.
    They were seated at a table by the window, and when Denise glanced out through the thick pane she let out a soft gasp. Below them lay a reflection of the night sky, a carpet of a million burning stars.
    “Do you like it?” Conrad asked.
    Again, Denise was speechless.
    Before leaving their table, the host turned to Conrad and, speaking quietly, said, “Sir, please let me say how honored I am to have you and your wife here as our guests tonight. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”
    Then the man was gone and it was just the two of them, Conrad and Denise, both looking like the average, middle class couple they were, while at the rest of the tables those in the upper-echelon did their best to ignore them.
    “You didn’t,” Denise said.
    Conrad opened his menu. “Didn’t what?”
    “You always told me that using your profession to gain—”
    “Don’t worry. All I used it for was to get us up here. I didn’t ask for a discount, or a free meal, and if they try to give us either I’ll still pay the full price.”
    “But we can’t afford anything on this menu.” She had opened hers up, scanned the page, her black eyes widening at the prices. “I mean, the appetizers alone cost more than—”
    “Denise, please. Don’t worry about it. We’re here to celebrate. Just relax and enjoy yourself.” His words didn’t seem to have any affect on her, so he said, “Okay, I was going to hold this off until later. But along with the twins, there’s something else to celebrate. I’ve been promoted.”
    Denise’s uncertain, uncomfortable expression quickly vanished. “Are you serious? That’s wonderful. But why—why didn’t you tell me this yesterday?”
    “Because my news isn’t half as exciting as yours.”
    Actually, the real reason was because he still hadn’t been sure how to approach the subject. Even now he wasn’t sure. But he had been promoted, and even Norman said this was something he could tell Denise, that he would still be a Hunter, would work the same schedule, but would be making more money. And in today’s failing economy, where insurance was getting more expensive as more people expired at quicker rates and unknown parasites began infecting more children, more money was definitely a blessing.
    And it wasn’t as if Conrad wasn’t making good money now. He was, but he had a family to support, he had a mortgage, and the little his father had left him only helped to pay for the wedding that he hadn’t approved of from the start. His father, as it turned out, had had a gambling problem. The millions and millions he’d made from selling out to TV and movies and video games he’d lost, and only a little had been left when he’d finally expired.
    Denise searched his face for a long moment, a moment where the rest of the noises in The Restaurant—the clinking of silverware, the whispered hush of voices—were lost in silence. Finally she smiled and said, “I love you.”
    “I love you