登陆注册
10471700000004

第4章

November 11

4:15 p.m. Eastern Standard Time

Mount Carmel Cemetery

Reston, Virginia

A single red rose, just cut, lay on the brown grass. Luke stared at the name and the epitaph carved into the gleaming black marble.

REBECCA ST. JOHN

To Live, to Laugh, to Love

The bleak overcast day was already fading and night was coming on. He felt a shiver go through him. He was overtired from the long trip back east. He was also clean-shaven, with short hair-no longer protected from the chill by his shaggy mane. He looked away from the stone and stared out at the cemetery, row upon row of gravestones covering rolling hillsides in a quiet part of suburban DC.

He gazed up at the gunmetal sky. When they married, Becca had taken his last name. Apparently, she had chosen to go to her grave under her maiden name. That burned him, all the way deep inside. Their rupture had been complete. He almost shook his fist at the sky, at Becca, wherever she might be now.

Did he hate her? No. But she made him very, very angry. She had blamed him for everything that went wrong in their marriage, right up to and including her own death from cancer.

On the cemetery road, just down the hill and about a hundred yards away, a sleek black limousine pulled up in front of Luke's nondescript rental sedan. As he watched, a chauffeur in black jacket and cap opened the back door of the limo.

Two figures emerged. One was young and male, growing tall like his father. The boy wore jeans, sneakers, a dress shirt, and a windbreaker jacket. The other figure was old and female, stooped a bit, wearing a long heavy wool coat against the damp autumn air. Luke didn't have to guess who they were-he already knew.

Luke had cheated. Of course he had. Fifteen minutes ago, he had been tailing that same limousine. When he guessed where it was going, he decided to beat it here. The two people working their way slowly up the footpath now, arm in arm, were Audrey, Becca's seventy-two-year-old mother, and Gunner, Luke and Becca's thirteen-year-old son.

Luke looked away for a moment as they approached, scanning the horizon as though something interested him out there. When he turned back again, they were nearly here. He watched them come. Audrey moved slowly, carefully studying her own feet as they touched the ground-she seemed older than her years. Gunner stepped awkwardly along with her, supporting her. The slow pace seemed like it would make him lose his balance-he was like a young colt trapped in a stall, all frustrated energy, desperate to unleash his own speed and power.

Gunner stared quizzically at Luke, but only for a few seconds. It had been nearly two years since last they'd met-an immense amount of time at the boy's age-and for a brief moment, it was clear he didn't know who Luke was. His face darkened when he realized he was staring at his own father. Then he looked at the ground.

Audrey knew who Luke was right away.

"Can we help you?" she said before they even reached the grave marker.

"You can't," Luke said. Audrey and her husband, Lance, had never accepted him as their son-in-law. They had been a toxic influence on his marriage since well before he and Becca exchanged their vows. Luke had nothing to say to Audrey.

"What are you doing here, Dad?" Gunner said. His voice was deeper now. His throat had the cleft of an Adam's apple-that hadn't been there before.

"I was called here by the President. But I wanted to see you first."

"Your President lost," Audrey said. "She's holed up inside the White House like a lunatic, refusing to admit defeat. I always knew there was something suspect about her. Now it's on full display for the world to see. Was she hoping to become Emperor?"

Luke looked at Audrey, taking his time, soaking her in. She had deep-set eyes with irises so dark, they seemed almost black. She had a sharp nose, like a beak. Her shoulders were hunched, and her hands were impossibly frail. She reminded him of a bird-a crow, or maybe a vulture. A carrion eater, in any case.

"She lost," Audrey said again. "She needs to get over it and prepare to hand over power to the winner."

"Gunner?" Luke said, ignoring Audrey now. "Can we talk?"

"I told Rebecca in no uncertain terms not to marry you. I told her it would end in disaster. But I never could have imagined that it would come to this."

"Gunner?" Luke repeated, but now the boy was looking away. Luke saw a tear slide down Gunner's face. The kid swallowed hard.

"I just want to apologize."

The words came out wrong. An apology? That wouldn't nearly cut it. Luke knew that. It was going to take a lot more than an apology to set this situation right again, if that was even possible. He wanted to tell Gunner that. He wanted to tell him he would do anything, everything, if only he would let him back into his life.

He had made a terrible mistake. He would spend the rest of his life on this. He would fix it.

Gunner looked at him, openly crying now. The tears streamed down his face. "I don't want to talk to you." He shook his head. "I don't want to see you. I just want to forget about you, don't you understand?"

Luke nodded. "Okay. Okay, I can respect that. But know that I love you and I'm always open to hearing from you. Do you still have my number? You can call me if you change your mind."

"I don't have your number," Gunner said. "And I won't change my mind."

Luke nodded again. "In that case, I'll leave you alone."

Audrey's voice followed Luke down the path. "That sounds like a good idea," she said. "Leave the boy alone." Then she laughed, a mad cackle that would have sounded almost like a coughing fit if Luke didn't know better.

"Leave us alone with our dead."

Luke made it to his car, put it in gear, and was almost to the cemetery gates before he started crying himself.

同类推荐
  • Prime Ministers Who Never Were

    Prime Ministers Who Never Were

    Each of these chapters in this book of political counterfactuals describes a premiership that never happened, but might easily have done had the chips fallen slightly differently. The contributors, each of them experts in political history, have asked themselves questions like: what shape would the welfare state and the cold war have taken if the Prime Minister had been Herbert Morrison instead of Clement Attlee? What would have been consequences for Northern Ireland had Norman Tebbit succeeded Margaret Thatcher? How would our present life be different without New Labour - a name we would never have heard if either Kinnock or Smith had become Prime Minister and not Tony Blair? Each of the chapters in this book describes events that really might have happened. And almost did.
  • Obsolete

    Obsolete

    Thanks to advancing technology and shifting mores, the amount of change we experience in our lifetimes is truly exceptional. Objects and practices that are commonplace can very quickly become outmoded. In this witty and informative collection of short essays, journalist and social commentator Anna Jane Grossman takes a thoughtful look at what everyday apparatuses, ideas, and behaviors are quickly disappearingor else have already left the wkkk.nete contains essays and entries on more than 100 alphabetized fading subjects, including Blind Dates, Mix Tapes, Getting Lost, Porn Magazines, Looking Old, Operators, Camera Film, Hitchhiking, Body Hair, Writing Letters, Basketball Players in Short Shorts, Privacy, Cash, and, yes, Books. This ode to obsolescence also includes 25 quirky pen-and-ink line illustrations to further help us remember exactly what we’re missing.
  • How Asia Works
  • Maresi

    Maresi

    Only women and girls are allowed in the Red Abbey, a haven from abuse and oppression. Maresi, a thirteen-year-old novice there, arrived in the hunger winter and now lives a happy life in the Abbey, protected by the Mother and reveling in the vast library in the House of Knowledge, her favorite place. Into this idyllic existence comes Jai, a girl with a dark past. She has escaped her home after witnessing the killing of her beloved sister. Soon the dangers of the outside world follow Jai into the sacred space of the Abbey, and Maresi can no longer hide in books and words but must become one who acts. Bound for international success, Maresi will be published in 15 territories around the world!
  • Sidekicks

    Sidekicks

    Batman has Robin, Wonder Woman has Wonder Girl, and Phantom Justice has Bright Boy, a.k.a. Scott Hutchinson, an ordinary schoolkid by day and a superfast, superstrong sidekick by night, fighting loyally next to his hero. But after an embarrassing incident involving his too-tight spandex costume, plus some signs that Phantom Justice may not be the good guy he pretends to be, Scott begins to question his role. With the help of a fellow sidekick, once his nemesis, Scott must decide if growing up means being loyal or stepping boldly to the center of things. Great for boys, comics fans, and anyone looking for a superhero tale that's also an insightful look at adolescence.
热门推荐
  • 三国之无赖兵王

    三国之无赖兵王

    穿越三国耍无赖,收猛将纳贤才,美人江山我都要
  • 教你学花样游泳

    教你学花样游泳

    水上运动是集竞争性、观赏性和刺激性于一体的、富有现代文明特征的竞技体育项目。它是为了区别于陆上和空中体育项目,全部过程或主要过程都在水下、水面或水上进行的体育项目。
  • 快穿:反攻竹马计划!

    快穿:反攻竹马计划!

    【全文免费+不定时更新/慎入】(1v1宠文,甜宠苏爽,天雷滚滚傻白甜了解一下。)沈佳佳做了温煦十几年的跟屁虫,直到有一天温煦说:“沈佳佳,你能不能别老跟着我?”哈?什么,我和我的竹马大人凉了?不不不,系统快来帮帮我!“沈佳佳!你跑什么!?”“不是你让我别跟着你?”“没有,你听错了。”呵呵,小帅哥还有两幅面孔呢?先让你身边那些妖艳贱货都通通给我走开,我的竹马只有我能攻!
  • 最好的人生,是做足八分刚刚好

    最好的人生,是做足八分刚刚好

    从健康角度来说,饭不宜吃得过饱,八分为最好。其实,我们为人处事从智慧与和谐的角度来说,遵循八分饱的尺度也是最合适的。所谓人生的八分饱智慧,指的是为人处事行止有度,屈伸合拍。八分饱的人生智慧,讲究的是一种和谐、有弹性的生活方式。遵循八分智慧的人,不会认为自己所提倡的是绝对的真理,他们只是在努力地接近生活的内核,并希望能窥探到八分真相。因此,八分饱的人生智慧,本身就是一种“在路上”的智慧。
  • 男人不可以穷

    男人不可以穷

    《男人不可以穷》由薛可正编著,讲述了:一向安于现状的白领青年薛可正,经历双失(失业+失恋)打击,跌入谷底之际,偶然机会进入金融行业并最 终成为黄金经纪,生活的压力让他逐渐变得善于反思和奋进,在他决意与过去告别时,却意外发现他失业和失恋背后的真正原因……底层青年薛可勇屡屡遭遇不顺与挫折,他把这一 切都归因于穷,生死皆有命,富贵不由天。最终可勇在一次意外事件中幡然醒悟,此时是为时过晚还是尚存机会?
  • 暖婚

    暖婚

    “懒丫头……快起来,再不起来老娘我就要揍你了。”在穿透屋顶的吼声过后,云暖从一团蚕蛹般的被子里伸出一只手,在床头胡乱的摸索了一阵,终于在一番努力之下找到手机,只见从“蚕蛹”,哦……不,是被子里探出一颗顶着鸟巢般乱糟糟头发的脑袋。云暖眯着眼睛,看了看手机上的时间,心理面一阵腹诽,明明才早上七点多一点,为什么周末都不能好好的睡一个懒觉呢?自家太后这是要做什么?虽然心里忍不住在抱……
  • 古尊宿语要目录

    古尊宿语要目录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 魔教教主不好当

    魔教教主不好当

    身为碌碌无为小郎中的秦非武,仅仅上山采个药,便阴差阳错地被钦定为了下一任魔教教主。自此,他便踏入了茫茫江湖。魔教教主威风八面?不存在的,能让几乎没有任何收入的魔教弟子吃饱饭就不错了,干农活很累的。魔教圣女美艳动人?不存在的,能让她别再动不动就乱下毒就不错了,解毒很累的。既然这么惨不如转投其他门派?不存在……等等,这个可以有,只是左右护法会不会打死我?
  • 六眼族

    六眼族

    佛说一花一世界,一叶一如来。我们处在宇宙的中心,人生或死,阴司是否存在?轮回不断,我们的起源是否就是个惊天大阴谋?老一辈的人经常跟我讲,人在做天在看,所谓的天是什么东西?谁给你的资格?你又在看什么?
  • 快穿之佛系少女流浪记

    快穿之佛系少女流浪记

    作为一个佛系少女,生活过的有滋有味,可是,因为一不心踩空,掉进了一个洞,她觉的是无底洞,毕竟头上的洞口翻了数次晨昏,江木只能表示:-.-再后来,江木在这里渡过了一生!全剧终!哈哈,怎么会呢。欲知后事,请看正文!嘻嘻!~_~