Page 123 of Look Closer

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Better. I’m feeling better. Much, much better.

“It’s all going to work out,” Vicky says. “Our alibis are clean.”

Alibi. That’s a funny word. If you say any word enough times, it soundsfunny. Alibi. Ali-bi. Kinda sounds like Ali Baba. LikeAli Baba and the Forty Thieves. I remember reading that when I was a kid.

And then I became a thief!

That’s funny.

I don’t know why I was so worried.

Maybe I should use Ali Baba for my next alias. Wait, there’s not going tobea next alias because I’m going to have all the money I need!

“What’s so funny?” Vicky asks me, her head cocked.

“I don’t know, I guess not sleep—not sleeping last night... I’m just...”

Vicky moves over and straddles me, pressing down on my lap, her face close to mine. “You’re exhausted. You look exhausted. You need sleep, Christian. It’s done now. You did it. Now you should sleep. Tomorrow, we’re one step closer to being together.”

I put my head back against the cushion. “I am, I’m... Wow, I’m wiped out.”

“And now you can relax,” she says, putting her hands on my chest. “Nobody’s going to catch us. I’m going to get that twenty-one million, and I’m going to give it to you, and you’re going to turn it into a hundred million.”

I close my eyes, feeling exhaustion sweep over me, the weightlessness of near sleep. “Yes. That’s... going to happen.”

She pushes herself off me, gets off the couch.

“Where are you...”

“I’m going to wash out my glass, make sure there’s no lipstick or DNA, right?”

“Yeah, ex—exact—exact...” My eyes won’t open. I can’t fight it.


What?

“Hi, I’m back.” Vicky straddling me again, her breath on my face. “You seem tired, Christian. Are you ready to sleep, baby?”

My eyes open in slits. “Yeah...”

“Okay, you do that. I washed the glass. And you removed all trace of me from this apartment, right?”

I nod. I think I nod. My head moves, I’m pretty sure.

Her finger, her gloved finger, caressing my face, running down my nose.

“I can trust you, right, Christian?”

“You can...”

“You’re not planning on stealing the money from me after I give it to you, are you?” Her finger bops me on the nose.

“What... n-no...”

Something cold under my chin, thrust upward, forcing my head back.

“You’re not just pretending to care about me, are you? Isn’t that what you do? You find a mark, someone who seems unhappy in her marriage, and then pretend to be in love with her so she’ll leave her husband? And then you steal her money?”


Tags: David Ellis Mystery