The Doppelgänger: A Psychological Thriller Page 28
“Dan!” Darcy said in a cheerful tone. The sounds from the bar made their way into the speaker.
“Are you out?”
“Yes. I’m having dinner with some friends.”
“I’ll call you later-”
“How’s the job?” she asked, excusing herself to a quieter corner of the bar.
“Good,” Dan paused. “How’s the counselling going?”
“I’ve been making progress.” Darcy said.
“How’s dad doing?”
“Good,” she said. Her tone dropped. “I’m glad he’s here. I haven’t been able to spend much time with him.”
“He said you’re much better.”
“I am.”
“That’s good then. I want to introduce you to my girlfriend. Are we celebrating Christmas at your place or dad’s?”
“Really? I want to meet her.” Darcy said.
“You will. Soon.”
The waiter emerged from the swinging doors that covered the kitchen and placed a pint of beer next to Darcy.
“Wo hoo!” Nancy called out from the other side.
“Enjoy!” he said before disappearing into the kitchen. The strong smell of alcohol mingled with the fries, pulled pork and fresh smell of oil on potato wedges.
“I gotta go. I’ll call you later,” Darcy said before she hung up. She headed back to the table and joined the party.
By the time the night was over, Jillian was terribly drunk. The beer and the conversation depleted.
“And in high school…I met this guy called Frank…..” she droned on about her tragic love life.
“How many were there?” Nancy asked, trying to imbue some structure into her never-ending recounting of heartbreaks. Jillian began to count on her fingers. Darcy sighed.
“I think it’s time to head back.” Darcy said.
“That’s a great idea,” Mike said, eagerly. “Should we call it a night?”
A sleepy Larry nodded vigorously. Mike stood up. It was past 12:00 AM. The last time she’d stayed out that late was in college.
“May I have the bill, please?” he asked the waiter. The waiter ran up to the cash register and brought them the bill.
The crowd stepped out of the restaurant. Nancy struggled to balance herself. Darcy held onto her for support.
“Thank you for the dinner.” Nancy said, collecting her coat from the stand. She headed to the North.
“And then there was Willy….” Jillian went on with her story.
“She doesn’t get tired, does she?” Nancy asked with a sigh.
“Nope.”
“I’ll take her home.” Mike volunteered.
“Are you sure?”
“I invited her here. I should be the one to take responsibility.” he said.
“I’ll go too,” Nancy said. “I live near where she lives.”
“Okay.” Darcy said.
Darcy flagged a taxi. The driver stood promptly before the shop entrance. Darcy got Jillian into the cab. Mike followed her.
“Good night.” he said. The taxi drove away.
“See you later. Good night.” Darcy said. She flagged a taxi. She sat inside the cab and closed her eyes.
“Where to?” the driver asked, noticing her American accent.
“Lincoln Square.” She said. She narrated her address. The driver drove.
Her fingers traced patterns on the foggy glass. The red lights outside the window blurred. She wiped the mist off with her hand.
Her eyes fell on her reflection. Her right and left eye interchanged. She stared at herself for a long moment. Her eyes sparkled brightly. The food was warm in her stomach. Her hair was a shade lighter and her face warmer. She smiled at reflection.
An ephemeral white snowflake danced down the sky.
“It’s snowing.” Darcy whispered.
“It is,” the driver replied, casually.
Darcy’s eyes remained on the scenery outside the window. Pure white snowflakes floated in the black night sky. They multiplied until white snow pelted the car windows. The dark roads were beginning to pile up with white snow. Darcy continued to look at the window.
It was the first snowfall of the year. Giddiness rose up her heart. Her eyes remained on the beautiful snowflakes, sliding down the sky. She smiled to herself. There was hope after all.
-THE END-
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
P. Wish is an author of psychological thrillers and mysteries. She graduated with an honors degree in Law from the University of Manchester, UK. The Doppelgänger is her debut novel. Her next mystery novel, the Ghost of Robert Brown will release in August 2016. For more information, visit her personal blog and books page.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank editor Paul Simpson of Bubblecow for his invaluable suggestions and guidance. I would also like to thank Emily (LJ Andrews) of EmmyEdits for proofreading this book, James of Humble Nations for the book cover and Elijah Toten of Toten Creative for the book design.