Read The Sisters: A Mystery of Good and Evil, Horror and Suspense (Book One of the Dark Forces Series) for Free Online

feet or so above the crashing waves. To Nathan, they looked bloated and bruised, as though something needed to be disgorged. That would be a heavy snowfall, Nathan thought, and none too far away at that. “I’d better get going,” he said, and walked out the front gate.
    Snowflakes began to fall as tiny granules, covering Sarah’s jacket and hat with a layer of white. The temperature was dropping and the wind had whipped up as she turned the corner from Jefferson onto Kearney Avenue. The wind gusted across the almost deserted streets and twisted the fine snow pellets into pale sheets that skimmed across the pavement and skidded against the curbs.
    There was very little traffic and Sarah crossed in mid-block to reach the door of the Italian restaurant that was her favorite. A rising wind took the front door out of her hand as she opened it, banging it back against the brick front of the restaurant.
    With some effort, she retrieved it and pulled it shut behind her as she entered the familiar interior, warmed by a friendly blaze in the propane fireplace off to her right. There were several people dining, but one table for two sat empty near the fireplace and without hesitation she crossed to it and began taking off her jacket and hat.
    A young man in his early twenties, wearing a short white apron over his jeans, came quickly to her table and handed her a menu.
    “Good evening,” he said. His features spoke of a Middle Eastern heritage, but his voice had no trace of accent.
    “Hi,” Sarah said. “I’ll have a glass of Merlot to start, I guess, and order dinner in a little while.”
    “OK. My name is George, and our specials are on the board behind the bar there. I’ll be right back with your wine.”
    “Thanks, George,” Sarah said and smiled back. As he departed, she turned her gaze toward the bar and the whiteboard containing the day’s specials. Framing the board was an ornate mirror that reflected the cozy interior of the restaurant. The other patrons were couples, and one large party of six that apparently was there for a special occasion―a birthday, perhaps, judging from the mound of gift packages stacked on a nearby table. Indeed, the party was already well underway and the six at the table―an older couple and four younger people―were laughing and occasionally singing snatches of songs, which brought on more hilarity. Two bottles of wine sat open on the table along with large dinner plates brimming with fresh pasta dishes.
    Sarah did not even think about self-pity at being left out of the throng, for she was not unaccustomed to dining alone. Her work as a mortgage banking loan officer often took her into other parts of Philadelphia and to bordering states where she found herself in similar settings. At such times her routine varied little, ordering red wine and a Chicken Caesar Salad with a side order of rolls, unless she was especially hungry. Even at those times, however, she only ate a small portion of the main entrée and took the remainder back to the hotel or home in a take-out container.
    Her daily routine also included a brisk aerobic workout at a downtown gym near her office, so she rarely gained any weight, even when on the road. Rob used to tease her about having the metabolism of a tapeworm, but she didn’t seem to mind. It was all part of being Sarah, and, for the most part, she felt she was as good a person as anyone, with only a few quirks, like any other.
    And, if anything, she only wondered at times like these whether she would ever be married, like the older couple seemed to be, or even if she wanted to be.
    Being married seemed to be such a miasma of give and take―but mostly give on the part of either one or the other in the relationship. She shook her head quickly to banish the thought before it could spoil her good mood, and thus was smiling again when George reappeared with her wine.
    “I think I’ll just have some rolls right now to go with the wine and order dinner in a