LA Modern Noir: Chapter 7a - Allison

I wrote this post about a story where I had a first chapter written. I'm trying to push on and finish a first draft in 2024.

If you'd like to be tagged in for future chapters, let me know.

Thanks

Stuart

++++++++++

Chapter 7a - 862 words

There was the faintest hint of a breeze for what felt like the first time in months and Alisson was painting with the balcony doors open. Earl was up in Cleveland, again, and Shonda was due to arrive. The scene was mountains with a hazy sky with a flock of birds. She’d got a shade of cerulean, a blue that felt so real it made the top of the canvas look like she’d reached up and pulled color directly from the heavens.

Catching color like this was the closest she got to feeling free.

Her phone rang. She dabbed the excess paint from her brush and laid it down, wiped her hands and glanced to see who it was. Earl. Her fingers clenched involuntarily, smearing paint from the cloth along her hand. She slid the answer button and said, ‘Hi, honey.’

‘Alisson,’ Earl said, ‘you need to be ready for a couple of parcels arriving.’
‘Oh, okay. What kind of parcels?’

‘There’s five of them and they’ll arrive tomorrow and Friday. They’re about eight pounds weight each. Just stack them in the bedroom against the wall, I’ll deal with them when I get back.’

‘That’s still Wednesday, right?’

‘If I can. I may have to finish some more stuff up here. I’ll let you know when to collect me.’

‘Did you put me on the insurance?’

There was a short silence, then Earl said, ‘I’ll get an Uber.’ There was another pause, then he said, ‘And Allison, don’t open the packages. Don’t have one of your clumsy moments. Just put them down and leave them.’

‘Yes, Earl.’

‘Good. Love you. I’ve gotta go and jump on a meeting.’ He disconnected.

Allison put the phone down. She went through to the bathroom and washed the paint from her hands, then wiped the smear of blue that had transferred to the screen of her phone. The obvious question in mind was what he was sending back from Cleveland, what weighed eight pounds and came in five parcels? And if it was work, and it sounded like work, why was it being sent here and not to an office. Maybe Damon Albarn wanted it done that way.

The things she read about the man Earl claimed to be working with, but who acted more like an employee for, were worrying. The articles about how he’d made the money he used to invest in Nu-Meat were short on facts and full of speculation, but the speculation was all about organised crime.

Could he survive working for another crook? The last one had been bad enough. But there was a worry that this time he must have some concerns. If your boss is asking you to courier things back to your house and not to the office, that must be ringing some bells for him.

Her phone rang again.

Shonda called, ‘Ally-bally-bee!’

The smile was instant, and Allison responded, ‘Shondalondaloo!’

‘You still okay with me staying the weekend? If Earl’s home I can get a hotel.’

‘No, he’s away until Wednesday. What time you getting in?’

‘That’s why I’m calling. I can be with you from tomorrow night if you can handle it. I’ll need to go up to the (University) for a few hours Friday, but just for a meeting and some prep work, shouldn’t be there later than one.’

‘That sounds great. You’ll have a car, right?’

‘Yes, why?’

‘Oh, Earl hasn’t put me on the insurance for our new car yet, so I couldn’t pick you up.’

‘Let me guess, he’s scared you’ll scratch it. Did he trade the Prius for a Tesla after all.’

‘He got a Mustang.’

Shonda laughed. ‘What next, a tattoo and leather jacket? But sounds like the new job is paying okay. That’ll be a relief.’

‘It’s taken out some of the stress. So when will you get here Thursday? Will you want to eat?’

‘I’m heading straight from work, but it’ll likely be nearly ten by the time I get to you. Don’t worry about food. But I sure as hell would appreciate a nice cold glass of wine.’

Allison laughed. She said, ‘I’ll have a bottle of sauv blanc in the chiller.’

‘Honey, make it two, and lay in the Tylenol as well.’ Both women laughed then Shonda said, ‘Right, I’ll go confirm my plane ticket, and I’ll see you tomorrow night.’

They said goodbyes and hung up. Allison went back through to the painting and looked at it. The sky was still perfect, but there was work to do on the mountains and she still hadn’t fully decided on a meadow or lake as the focal point of the base of the painting. Often just standing and looking at a project would allow the preferred option to coalesce in her mind, but right now she was juggling excitement about Shonda coming and worry about what Earl was having sent to the house, indeed, what Earl was now involved with.

She covered her palette and cleaned her brushes. A walk round the canyon in the sunshine might help her work things through, find some order, maybe help decide what should go on the bottom of the painting.

Chapter Break

Link to collated chapters HERE

Link to the short story which is the seed for this is HERE

Reader List
@seki1
@ngwinndave
@lightpen
@alessandrawhite

words by stuartcturnbull pic by igorelick on Pixabay