Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 25 of 37
**~ Chapter 25 ~** The line between late summer and early autumn was blurring. The days were still as balmy as ever but the nights were cooling. The nights were still too warm for shoes or long-sleeved shirts, but the air felt less oppressive...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 23 of 37
**~ Chapter 23 ~** I always hated going to Saint Catherine's. Hospitals, as well meaning as they are, just aren't a friendly place to me. I know they try to make the hallways more inviting with warm, pastel colors and paintings done by local...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 22 of 37
**~ Chapter 22 ~** "Aaron? Hon?" I knocked on his door. Though Kat's words had assuaged, a larger part of me was still nervous and unsure how to proceed. A shadow, a click, and the door opened. Aaron smiled tiredly and hugged me with a soft...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 21 of 37
~ **Chapter 21 ~** Infinitá had closed for a couple of days. In that time-span, I hadn't really talked to Aaron. I knew what Becky meant when she told me to apologize and tell Aaron what I was feeling, but nerves got the better of me and I shied...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 20 of 37
~ **Chapter 20 ~** My eyes adjusted to the darkness around me as I blinked awake. I watched as my vision returned and shapes formed from the darkness of my room. From my open window a mixture of low, yellow floodlights and the high, blue moon...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 19 of 37
~ **Chapter 19 ~** Zephrys Shipping was actually part of a larger company, Hughes International, owned by one Marcus Hughes. Unlike the warehouses that were located in an industrial park by the river, railroads, and power stations, the...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 18 of 37
**~ Chapter 18 ~** "Can we _please_ get something to drink? I'm _dying_!" I rasped. "_Please_," Becky looked behind her, towards me, dismissively, "It's barely eighty today. Why do you think I'm dragging you around?" " 'Cause you want...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 17 of 37
~ **Chapter 17 ~** Officer Wilkes' office was located in the Thomas H. Chesim municipal building located out of the way of normal bus routes. The offices themselves were a branch of the local police department and were housed in the unused third...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 16 of 37
~ **Chapter 16 ~** The Litchfield Branch Library rose, though awkwardly squat among the adjacent skyscrapers, an imposing white against a brilliant blue sky. It was only five stories compared to its neighbors, but its Italian Renaissance revival...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 15 of 37
~ **Chapter 15 ~** _A delivery-man was hauling crates of some unknown produce from the back of a gray van belatedly marked with the name and logo of some obscure company. Two detectives in long trenchcoats, one old with slicked-back hair and the...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 14 of 37
**~ Chapter 14 ~** "Hey Hon, it's Cade. It's about twenty past eight and I was just wondering how you're doing. Lemme know if you're on your way or if you decided to stay home again, 'kay?" I closed my cell phone, making sure that the vibrate...
Those Bygone Dog-Star Days - Chapter 13 of 37
**~ Chapter 13 ~** I had parked Becky's faded-turquoise Cavalier in Aaron's parking spot. His apartment had an assigned parking spot but since he didn't have a car, he never had a need for it. The day's humidity was beginning to seep from the...