ONE
With the woman on his mind and a deep uneasiness in his heart, Spencer Grant drove through the glistening night, searching for the red door. The vigilant dog sat silently beside him. Rain ticked on the roof of the truck.
Without thunder or lightning, without wind, the storm had come in from the Pacific at the end of a somber February twilight. More than a drizzle but less than a downpour, it sluiced all the energy out of the city. Los Angeles and environs became a metropolis without sharp edges, urgency, or spirit. Buildings blurred into one another, traffic flowed sluggishly, and streets deliquesced into gray mists.
In Santa Monica, with the beaches and the black ocean to his right, Spencer stopped at a traffic light.
Rocky, a mixed breed not quite as large as a Labrador, studied the road ahead with interest. When they were in the truck—a Ford Explorer—Rocky sometimes peered out the side windows at the passing scene, though he was more interested in what lay before them.
Even when he was riding in the cargo area behind the front seats, the mutt rarely glanced out the rear window. He was skittish about watching the scenery recede. Maybe the motion made him dizzy in a way that oncoming scenery did not.
Or perhaps Rocky associated the dwindling highway behind them with the past. He had good reason not to dwell on the past.
So did Spencer.
Waiting for the traffic signal, he raised one hand to his face. He had a habit of meditatively stroking his scar when troubled, as another man might finger a strand of worry beads. The feel of it soothed him, perhaps because it was a reminder that he’d survived the worst terror he would ever know, that life could have no more surprises dark enough to destroy him.
The scar defined Spencer. He was a damaged man.
Pale, slightly glossy, extending from his right ear to his chin, the mark varied between one quarter and one half an inch in width. Extremes of cold and heat bleached it whiter than usual. In wintry air, though the thin ribbon of connective tissue contained no nerve endings, it felt like a hot wire laid on his face. In summer sun, the scar was cold.
The traffic signal changed from red to green.
The dog stretched his furry head forward in anticipation.
Spencer drove slowly southward along the dark coast, both hands on the wheel again. He nervously searched for the red door on the eastern side of the street, among the many shops and restaurants.
Though no longer touching the fault line in his face, he remained conscious of it. He was never unaware that he was branded. If he smiled or frowned, he would feel the scar cinching one half of his countenance. If he laughed, his amusement would be tempered by the tension in that inelastic tissue.
The metronomic windshield wipers timed the rhythm of the rain.
Spencer’s mouth was dry, but the palms of his hands were damp. The tightness in his chest arose as much from anxiety as from the pleasant anticipation of seeing Valerie again.
He was of half a mind to go home. The new hope he harbored was surely the emotional equivalent of fool’s gold. He was alone, and he was always going to be alone, except for Rocky. He was ashamed of this fresh glimmer of optimism, of the naivete it revealed, the secret need, the quiet desperation. But he kept driving.
Rocky couldn’t know what they were searching for, but he chuffed softly when the red landmark appeared. No doubt he was responding to a subtle change in Spencer’s mood at the sight of the door.
The cocktail lounge was between a Thai restaurant with steam-streaked windows and an empty storefront that had once been an art gallery. The windows of the gallery were boarded over, and squares of travertine were missing from the once elegant facade, as if the enterprise had not merely failed but been bombed out of business. Through the silver rain, a downfall of light at the lounge entrance revealed the red door that he remembered from the previous night.
Spencer hadn’t been able to recall the name of the place. That lapse of memory now seemed willful, considering the scarlet neon above the entrance: THE RED DOOR. A humorless laugh escaped him.
After haunting so many barrooms over the years, he had ceased to notice enough differences, one from another, to be able to attach names to them. In scores of towns, those countless taverns were, in their essence, the same
Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 1 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 2 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 3 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 4 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 5 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 6 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 7 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 8 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 9 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 10 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 11 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 12 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 13 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 14 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 15 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 16 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 17 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 18 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 19 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 20 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 21 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 22 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 23 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 24 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 25 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 26 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 27 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 28 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 29 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 30 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 31 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 32 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 33 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 34 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 35 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 36 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 37 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 38 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 39 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 40 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 41 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 42 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 43 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 44 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 45 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 46 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 47 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 48 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 49 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 50 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 51 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 52 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 53 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 54 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 55 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 56 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 57 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 58 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 59 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 60 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 61 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 62 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 63 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 64 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 65 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 66 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 67 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 68 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 69 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 70 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 71 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 72 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 73 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 74 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 75 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 76 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 77 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 78 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 79 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 80 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 81 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 82 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 83 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 84 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 85 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 86 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 87 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 88 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 89 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 90 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 91 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 92 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 93 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 94 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 95 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 96 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 97 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 98 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 99 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 100 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 101 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 102 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 103 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 104 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 105 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 106 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 107 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 108 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 109 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 110 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 111 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 112 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 113 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 114 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 115 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 116 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 117 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 118 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 119 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 120 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 121 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 122 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 123 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 124 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 125 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 126 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 127 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 128 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 129 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 130 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 131 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 132 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 133 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 134 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 135 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 136 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 137 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 138 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 139 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 140 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 141 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 142 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 143 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 144 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 145 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 146 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 147 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 148 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 149 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 150 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 151 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 152 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 153 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 154 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 155 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 156 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 157 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 158 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 159 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 160 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 161 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 162 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 163 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 164 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 165 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 166 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 167 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 168 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 169 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 170 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 171 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 172 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 173 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 174 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 175 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 176 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 177 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 178 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 179 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 180 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 181 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 182 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 183 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 184 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 185 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 186 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 187 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 188 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 189 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 190 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 191 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 192 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 193 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 194 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 195 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 196 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 197 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 198 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 199 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 200 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 201 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 202 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 203 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 204 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 205 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 206 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 207 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 208 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 209 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 210 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 211 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 212 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 213 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 214 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 215 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 216 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 217 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 218 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 219 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 220 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 221 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 222 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 223 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 224 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 225 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 226 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 227 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 228 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 229 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 230 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 231 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 232 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 233 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 234 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 235 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 236 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 237 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 238 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 239 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 240 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 241 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 242 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 243 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 244 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 245 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 246 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 247 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 248 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 249 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 250 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 251 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 252 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 253 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 254 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 255 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 256 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 257 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 258 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 259 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 260 Dark Rivers of the Heart - By Dean Koontz - Page 261