Henry Franks A Novel - By Peter Adam Salomon Page 0,47

check on that so-called date tomorrow night. Well, I guess that would be tonight now, no?”

“Date?” Henry’s father asked.

“I’d like to say it was a pleasure finally meeting you, Mr. Franks,” Louise said. “I’ve stopped by a couple of times but no one ever seems to be home.” She smiled but there was no warmth in it. “Maybe we’ll try this again later?”

“I think that would be best, yes,” William said.

“Let’s go, Justine,” her mother said as she started walking toward the house. “Time to give your clothes to the police.” She threw her hands in the air and shook her head. “Words I never thought I’d say. Good night.”

“Good night,” Henry said, before following his father into his own house.

Henry sat at his desk, his fingers running over the holes in the wall where the pushpins used to be. His monitor was dark and the only light was from the moon shining through the clouds. He spun around at the knock and the door opened.

“It’s been a long night,” his father said, taking a step into the room.

Henry shrugged and turned to look out the window, trying to think of what to say to the man standing in his room. What questions to ask. Instead, he closed his eyes without speaking. His breath caught and he fought even to remember how to count to ten. The numbers tripped over themselves, leading nowhere as one very simple question kept repeating inside his head: What’s your name?

But he didn’t say a word.

“Henry?” his father called to him, his voice soft and hesitant.

He opened his eyes but didn’t turn around, watching the wind push the branches against the side of the house, reaching for him.

“She seems nice,” his father said, but the words just hung there, ignored.

Henry took a deep breath and counted to ten, the numbers falling in to place like long-lost friends.

“What were you thinking?” his father asked. “It’s not safe out there, don’t you know that?”

He pushed off against the window and let the chair spin around so he was facing his father. The sudden motion made his father take a step back, and they stared at each other in the moonlight. Henry’s nose was bleeding and blood dripped off his chin one drop at a time.

“No place is safe,” he said, and only then wiped his face.

The wind picked up, pushing the clouds back in front of the moon. What little light there had been disappeared. A branch crashed against the house. Henry turned on his monitor and a soft glow filled the room. When he looked up, his father was shaking, his fingers trembling. His eyes were wide open and far too red. Thin strands of dirty hair were pasted to his skin with sweat.

The corners of his mouth twitched, as if he was trying to smile, and then he walked out of the room. His fingers shook on the doorknob as he left. Right before the door closed completely, he stuck his head back into the room.

Henry looked at his father, trying to remember the man in front of him, but the memories were gone, as though they’d never existed.

“I love you,” his father said, his voice breaking on the words before he let the door swing closed.

Moonlight flooded the room as the clouds broke apart. Branches clawed the house. Henry sat there, counting until he couldn’t count any higher, his breathing ragged and harsh as blood dripped to the floor. He looked at the space where his father had been, studying the shadows, looking for answers but there were none to be found.

“Who are you?” he whispered as the moon disappeared again, the words nothing more than a sigh.

NOAA Alert: Hurricane Watch: Florida to South Carolina

Miami, FL—August 28, 2009, 6:47 AM: FOR EMERGENCY RELEASE:

The National Hurricane Center has issued a Hurricane Watch for the following counties along the Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina coastlines:

St. Johns, Duval, and Nassau counties, Florida

Camden, Glynn, McIntosh, Liberty, Bryan, and

Chatham counties, Georgia

Beaufort, Colleton, and Charleston counties, South Carolina

Landfall is estimated late tonight on the east coast of the United States.

Two More Victims Discovered on SSI

Brunswick, GA—August 28, 2009: The discovery of two more victims in the marshes on Saint Simons Island late Thursday evening has increased the pressure on the Glynn County Task Force to solve the string of murders that has plagued the Golden Isles this summer.

Florence Josephs, 54, of Sterling and her youngest son, Wayne, 23, were found by local residents Henry Franks and Justine Edwards.

“Due to the