Drowning in the East River by Kimberly Pierce Page A

tongue, and looked into his pupils. She spoke as she worked, a no-nonsense tone hanging over her voice. "We were starting to worry about you."
     
    It was a disconcerting feeling to wander through the city streets after dark. The streetlights created vivid shadows, leading his the imagination run amok with unnerving thoughts and suspicions of what was hiding out in the darkness. All his demons came to life in the polluted darkness.
     
    David stopped walking and leaned heavily against the brick facade of a building and stared up at the night sky. The further uptown he walked, the more striking and vivid the stars became against the dark sky.
     
    He stabbed out his cigarette out and dropped it onto the pavement.
     
    Turning the corner, he opened the door of the Birchwood. The bar was packed to the brim despite the early hour of the evening. The few small windows glowed brightly with life in the otherwise dark building.
     
    Walking into the bar, he scanned the room looking for Elise, hoping she would be out on the floor mingling with clients.
     
    David walked over to the bar, still scanning faces as he passed. He sat down on one of the few empty stools and reached into his pocket for another cigarette. "Can I get a scotch?" He asked, looking in the direction of the bartender. The man on duty tonight was a grandfatherly man, probably old enough to have mixed drinks during the Civil War.
     
    "Looking for someone?" The bartender asked David, sliding the scotch in front of him. He scrutinized him with a knowing glance. The man moved in front of him, bending slightly at the waist to look David straight in the eye. "You look like you've seen a ghost, my boy."
     
    David looked up, catching sight of his own gaunt, pale face in the mirror behind the bar. He shifted his glance back to the bartender, not wanting to look into his own hollowed out eyes. "Is El- Miss. Carpenter in tonight?"
     
    "I think she's upstairs," the bartender said, his eyes shooting towards the rickety staircase in the back of the bar. He moved over to the bar to pour a glass of beer. "Is she expecting you?"
     
    "No," David said, hunching his shoulders over his drink. He threw the scotch down his throat, heat immediately spreading across his cheeks. He squeezed his tired eyes closed, but he could feel the bartenders eyes boring into his forehead. "She's not."
     
    The bartender took a step closer to David, dropping down to his level on the other side of the bar. “Go up and see her."
     
    "Excuse me?" David asked, opening his eyes.
     
    "You look like you need it," the bartender said. "I'm sure she wouldn’t mind."
     
    "Thank you," David said, shakily getting to his feet.
     

CHAPTER SIX
     
    "David," Elise said, opening the door to her bedroom. Looking him over, she quickly tied her robe. Even with the satin tie fastened, her cleavage was barely contained by the thin material. Judging by her outfit, as well as the surprise reflecting in her eyes, she had a gentleman caller already in her bedroom. David's stomach dropped as her eyes shot back into the dark bedroom. "What are you doing here?"
     
    "I had to leave," David replied, swallowing the emotion back from his voice. He wiped his eyes, taking a moment to collect himself. "I wasn't sure where else to go. I started walking..." He thought for a moment before he continued, "But, I don't want to disturb you."
     
    "What about your son?" Elise asked, taking another discreet look back into her room. She nodded at someone before shifting her attention back toward David and running a discreet hand through her frizzy blonde hair. She stepped further out into the hallway, and pulled the door shut behind her. She crossed her arms in front of her, a hint of awkwardness in her body language. "What are you doing with him?"
     
    "My sisters-in-law have him," David replied. The earthy smell of reefer wafting from inside the room mixed with the lavender scent of her perfume, filling his head with a euphoric dizziness.