Free Lone Wolf by Linwood Barclay Page A

you had someone here why didn’t you tell me you were having company and I wouldn’t have walked in?”
    “Didn’t you bring a toothbrush?”
    “No, I did not bring a toothbrush. When I heard you were dead, for some reason, my first stop was not for a toothbrush and floss.”
    “You don’t have any floss either?”
    “Dad.”
    “What about when we were in town yesterday? Couldn’t you have picked up what you needed then? Honestly, can’t a person have even a little privacy around—”
    The bathroom door swung open and Lana stepped out, a pink button-up-the-front blouse pulled on, her fingers doing up the top button. “Arlen, stop, please, it was just an accident.”
    Again, I said, “Listen, I’m sorry, I had no idea anyone was in there. I just wanted to brush my teeth was all and—”
    “Yeah, well, the bathroom’s free now, so why don’t you do what you have to do,” Dad suggested.
    “I’m Lana,” she said, extending a hand. “You must be Zachary.”
    “Yeah, Zack, yes,” I said, shaking her hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lana.”
    “Lana Gantry,” she said. “I’m a friend of your father’s.” She smiled. “Although you probably figured that out by now.”
    The implications of what I’d stumbled into were now starting to sink in. This woman was a friend of my father’s. She was in his cabin at 6:20 in the morning. No one came to visit at 6:20 in the morning. Which meant that she must have arrived late last night, after the party broke up. Which meant that she must have spent the night with my father and oh God there are just some things you don’t want to think about why did I have to walk in here and how do I get out of this gracefully?
    “I know all about you.” Lana smiled. “You’re a writer for
The Metropolitan
now, aren’t you?”
    “Yes,” I said, looking at her closely for the first time now. She was probably in her early sixties, trim, a pretty impressive figure, which I was able to discern even now that she had her top on. A beautiful face with full, already red, lips, high cheekbones, brown hair with subtle streaks of silver in it that would probably have fallen just to her shoulders if she didn’t have it pulled back and clipped.
    “It’s a real treat to see you again,” Lana said. “Needless to say, you’ve sure grown up.”
    A puzzled looked must have crossed my face. “I’m sorry, I’m having just a bit of trouble placing you…Wait a minute.”
    Dad shook his head, annoyed, and was about to say something when Lana turned to him, putting a finger to her lips. “Let’s see if he remembers.”
    Dad said, “Lana, it’s really not necessary that—”
    “Shhh,” Lana said to him.
    There was something about her that was familiar. “What did you say your last name was?” I asked.
    “Gantry.”
    “Mrs. Gantry?”
    “I think he’s getting warm.” Lana smiled at Dad.
    “You used to live down the street from us? And moved away, when I was, like, thirteen?”
    She smiled, stepped forward and gave me a hug, followed by a peck on the cheek. “Good memory.”
    “Lana’s husband, Walter, died a few years back,” Dad said. “We both ended moving up this way, ran into each other in Braynor. It was, uh, sort of a coincidence.” Dad reached around behind the bedroom door and came out with his crutches, which he tucked under each arm so he could come out into the room.
    “Have you had any breakfast?” Lana asked me.
    “Uh, no, but listen…I have to get going anyway. Bob’s taking me out fishing this morning, and I don’t want to intrude.”
    “Nonsense. Let me make you up something. You can take it out with you, if you want.” She was already heading over to the kitchen counter. “How about peanut butter and toast? Or a fried egg sandwich? That would only take a moment.”
    Dad said, “Do you really have time, Lana?” To me, he said, “Lana runs the café in town.”
    “This’ll only take a sec,” she said. “I’ve got the girls