For a moment he didn’t know where he was. His dreams had kept him in Rayette and Danny’s world during the night, and when he forced his eyes open, he was surprised to find himself in his own bed. When the phone had begun ringing, Carl was dreaming that he had been buried in the dirt alongside Rayette’s baby. He woke up gasping for air. He let the phone ring several times more, focusing now. He groaned and squinted at the alarm clock on his night-stand. Nearly ten o’clock. He looked around at the apartment, surprised that Harry Wagner was not there. He was getting used to their routine. And the superb gourmet breakfasts. Strange. It wasn’t like Harry to be late. Especially with their deadline drawing ever nearer. He answered the phone on the fifth ring. He cleared his throat and managed to squawk out a hoarse hello. “Hi.” Well, well. The second surprise of the morning.
