Read Orphans of Wonderland for Free Online Page B

was coming for them. Life was coming for them.
    And Death was hitching a ride.

Chapter Five
    Dinner over, the dining room table sat empty but for the remnants of what had been a delicious and very pleasant meal. Before Billy arrived, Joel had filled Taylor in on who Katelyn Burrows was and what she wanted. The result was more than a little tension throughout dinner, but both managed to keep it under control. Before Billy got there Joel filled him in over the phone, hoping this would cause Billy to stay quiet and not bring up anything that might open the door to discussing the situation. They’d kept it light, but Joel knew what was coming.
    An older REM tune played from the stereo, and as Taylor excused herself, then went to the kitchen and began straightening up, Joel and Billy stepped out onto the patio off the living room so Billy could have a cigarette.
    It was a cold and clear evening, the sky starless. Joel pulled his jacket in tight around him, buried his hands in his pockets and shuffled his feet, as Billy, who always seemed oblivious to the cold, lit his cigarette. “Too chilly for you?” he asked, exhaling a cloud of smoke that mingled with their plumes of breath.
    â€œYeah, it’s freezing. What’s wrong with you?”
    â€œHow much time you got?” Billy chuckled. “Think Taylor liked the wine?”
    â€œFor future reference, if it comes in a box, don’t get it.”
    â€œFine, nothing but cans from now on.” A short, portly and balding man in his early fifties, Billy Gill had a penchant for inexpensive polyester slacks, ill-fitting sports coats and comfortable shoes. He almost always wore a tie, and tonight was no exception, but they always hung loose and sloppily around his neck, which fit in well with the rest of his perpetually wrinkled and slightly stained clothing. Never married, Billy lived alone in a small condominium complex near Bangor with his two cats, Woodward and Bernstein. He rarely dated, and when he did, things never went well. As a result, his was a rather lonely existence, and the small newspaper he ran had become his life. He’d worked there since graduating college, and had climbed his way up to editor in chief several years before. Once a week he and Joel and a few other guys got together for poker night, but other than that, Billy Gill’s evenings were uneventful and spent alone, so Joel and Taylor tried to have him over for dinner at least a few times each month. Although he’d hem and haw and act like he couldn’t possibly fit dinner into his busy social calendar, he always found a way to make it. “But wine’s about the last thing you’ve got to worry about tonight, pal.”
    Joel nodded. “We didn’t get much of a chance to talk about it, but suffice to say, Taylor’s not pleased.”
    â€œCan you blame her?”
    â€œNo, of course not. But…”
    Billy took another puff. “You sure this is something you want to do?”
    â€œIf it was about wanting to, I wouldn’t be going. I need to do it. I owe Lonnie that much.”
    Billy stabbed the cigarette between his lips for emphasis and left it there, letting it dangle. He still didn’t look cool. It probably wasn’t possible. “You don’t owe anybody a damn thing.”
    â€œWe were tight once, went through a lot together. That matters.”
    Billy suddenly looked unusually serious. “Yeah,” he admitted softly, “it does.”
    â€œI just don’t want it to cause any major problems.”
    â€œWhat do you think it’s all about?”
    â€œI’ve got no idea. I don’t think it’s anything like…before…but there’s strange aspects to it for sure.”
    â€œI mean, this business with the brand you were talking about, what the hell’s that about? And he didn’t know he had it? How is that even possible?”
    â€œI don’t know. Maybe he wasn’t