For the first time Jack became conscious of her voice, which was low and pleasing, and had the promise of sounding sexy as hell. “How does one even get into that kind of work?” he asked.
“Are you really interested or just being polite?”
“I’m interested. It sounds like an unusual job.”
Dani Lindstrom stretched out her legs and leaned back against the rim of the Jacuzzi, so that her breasts appeared to float on the water like twin buoys. Jack tried not to leer. “It’s not that fascinating a story,” she said. “I got an internship at a station when I was in college, and decided I liked radio, except for the politics that always seems to come with it. It’s show biz, so you’re dealing with egos and people who were fixated on their career trajectory, and I have a kind of allergy to that sort of thing. I had just about decided that radio wasn’t for me after all when a little station asked if I’d fill in for a few weeks, and I realized that was it. The regular staff wasn’t threatened by my temporary presence, so I started advertising in radio journals as a professional replacement, then an agent contacted me, and here I am.”
“So you just travel around the country going from station to station?”
“Pretty much. I’m ready to spin whatever they need, classical, country, rock, anything.”
“You must know an awful lot about all music.”
She smiled. “I learned early on that if you read the liner notes in the CD, you can become an instant expert.”
“I don’t think I could take all that travel,” Jack said.
“Oh, I enjoy it. It was Perry had the problem.”
“Boyfriend?”
“Husband.”
“Ah. I can see where constant travel could be hard on a marriage.”
“Not as hard as being married to a total jerk. My marriage was the biggest mistake of my life, but now it’s over, as of last Wednesday. That’s why I’m here. I’m taking two weeks off to celebrate.” She sat up and leaned closer to him, her green eyes shining, and for the first time Jack realized that Dani Lindstrom was not wearing make-up of any kind, nor did she need any to look stunning. “But I’d rather hear more about this ghost town of yours. Where is it?”
“You know where the highway goes to two-lane and seems to be cut through the forest just south of here, before you get to Glenowen?”
“No, but I’ll take your word for it.”
“The remnant of an old access road is right there. Follow it in for a mile or so and you eventually come to Wood City, or what’s left of it. It’s largely ruins. There was one thing that happened that was kind of scary, though.”
Dani slid closer, so close that her hand could have easily touched Jack’s arm. “What?” she asked.
He told her about the exposed mural fragment in the building, and she listened raptly. After he was finished, she said: “I’d love to see that.”
“There’s not much to see, and it’s in a filthy, dilapidated old building. I’d be a little nervous about bringing someone else in there. Besides, you can’t drive all the way in because of the foliage, and once you get out it’s an uphill, difficult hike to the city.”
“Sounds like fun to me.”
Jack shook his head. “Okay, look at it this way. The guy I report to is the type who gives idiots a bad name. If I took you to the site and you got injured, he would fire me immediately for reckless negligence and then sue you for trespassing. I’m sorry, Dani, I just can’t take the risk.”
“Then what about the pictures? You said you took pictures while you were up there. Can I at least see those?”
“You’re really interested in this, aren’t you?”
“You were really interested in my story. I want to see the pictures. Are they in your room?”
“Yes, on my laptop.”
Her smiled nearly blinded him. “Then let’s go.” As she climbed out of the Jacuzzi, Jack couldn’t take his eyes off her body. Dani Lindstrom was slender and amply-breasted, and without a trace of the cellulite that Elley was forever fighting. “Coming?” she asked, looking back at him.
Damn close to it, lady, he thought, watching her nipples rise through the one-piece. When it was no longer embarrassing for him to stand up, he climbed out of the water and reached for his towel.
Halfway back to his room, Jack said, “You know, I’d hate for you to be uncomfortable in your wet swimsuit.”
“Jack Hayden, that’s the cheapest, sleaziest pick-on line I’ve ever heard!” she said. “So what, you want me to go to your room at take it off?”
“No, no, that’s not what I meant! Honest!”
She began to laugh loudly at his distress, and Jack now realized that she had set him up. He could not help but grin in response. “Man, a guy’s got to watch his guard around you, lady,” he said. “But just for the record, I’m painfully out of practice with pick-up lines.”
“Because you’re married?”
“Yes, because I’m married. What I meant was that perhaps we should both go to our respective rooms, dry off, and change clothes so that neither of us will be wet and cold.”
She smiled. “How about we hook up in neutral territory, like the lounge? I’ll be there, dry and clothed, in a half-hour. You bring the pictures.”
“It’s a date.”
Jack raced to his room, toweled off, dressed, and then waited the remaining twenty-one minutes before grabbing his laptop and heading down to the lounge, which was dubbed “The Pines.” It was typical of motel watering holes: dark, wood paneled (not pine, Jack noticed, most likely veneer), with a television, permanently tuned to a sports channel, anchored into one corner at ceiling level, but with the sound muted so that those who cared had to rely on the closed captioning crawl. Only four people were in the bar, which made it even easier to spot Dani, who was seated in a booth. As alluring as she looked in a wet bathing suit, she was even more so in a simple white blouse (with no bra underneath, he could not help noticing). She smiled as he approached laptop in hand, and slid in across from her. “Have you ordered?” he asked.
“No.”
“Then can I get you something?”
“Are you on an expense account?”
Jack nodded.
“Great. Then I’ll have the Ridgewood Chardonnay.”
Jack flagged down the waitress and ordered her wine and a microbrew draft for himself, a local kind with which he was unfamiliar. Then he opened up his laptop and powered it up. By the time the drinks had been delivered, he had the photo file up.
“You want to run a tab, hon?” the waitress asked, and Jack nodded. To Dani he said, “Cheers,” and picked up the beer, which at first bite was a bit dark and hoppy for his taste.
Dani, however, appeared to savor the chardonnay. “A dark room, good wine and spooky pictures—do we know how to have a good time or what?” she asked.
Jack smiled. “I hope you won’t be disappointed.” He began clicking through the photos on his screen. “You’re probably not interested in the pictures of the ruins so I’ll cut to the chase. They should be right...hey.”
“Something wrong?” Dani asked.
“They aren’t here,” Jack said. “They have to be here. Shit.”
She took a sip of wine. “I hate computers. They always let you down.”
“This is a first for me. Let me go back and check the directory,