Chapter 5
The morning after Jim stops in for coffee, Alan sits on the same stool the detective occupied earlier, now nursing a cup of hot Ceylon tea. When he closes his eyes, he imagines he can still smell Jim’s cologne lingering in the air. He wonders again what it’d be like to wake with that scent on his own skin or in his bed.
What would it take to get us to that point?
Who’s he kidding? It’s taken him this long to just build up the courage to invite Jim in. By the time he gets around to asking the man to stay the night, one or both of them will probably be too old to be any good in the sack. Most likely it’ll be him.
From the other room, he hears heavy steps clomp down the stairs. A moment later, Brooks comes into the kitchen wearing a pair of lounge pants and an old T-shirt, his h
