The Skin Show

by Kristopher Rufty

  Andy set the laptop on his coffee table, tossing the case aside. Leaning forward, he raised the screen. The laptop was missing some keys from the number row, and the paint had faded on others. Crumbs were encrusted in the tiny niches between the keys, and fingerprints smudged the screen.

  He pushed the power button. As it booted up, he plugged in the power cable to the side of the machine, feeding it to the power outlet in the wall. He pushed the adapter into the plug.

  He had coffee brewing on the pot and the smell of medium roast drifted into the living room. The aroma was pleasant, and he couldn’t wait to start drinking it. He hadn’t slept since the night before last, when Nicole was here. Spending all night with the police, he hadn’t gotten home until around 8:00am. He’d been home long enough to get some coffee going and take a shower.

  Wearing shorts and a white T-shirt that was slightly damp against his skin, he walked into the kitchen. The coffee smell was stronger in here. He took a deep whiff, sighing as the scent licked his nose, making his skin tingle. He took down a coffee mug and headed for the coffee pot on the counter.

  He noticed Nicole’s empty glass in the sink.

  His hand started to shake so badly he couldn’t keep a grip on the mug. It slipped through his fingers and shattered on the floor.

  “Shit!”

  He stood there a moment, hands on his hips, huffing through his nose. Eyes pinched shut, he took long breaths to steady himself. It wasn’t working.

  “Damn,” he muttered.

  Since the cigarette he’d smoked last night, he hadn’t stopped craving another. On his way home, he’d stopped by the store and gotten a pack. It was sitting on the stove across from him. He needed one. Hopefully he could overpower his cravings and go back to being a nonsmoker, but for now…he was going to give in.

  He took a step forward. His bare foot came down on a shard of broken porcelain. The tip stabbed into the soft skin of his foot. Gasping in pain, Andy jumped back, crashing into the dip where the counter tops met.

  Then someone knocked.

  Groaning, Andy threw his arms up, letting them drop and slap against his thighs. Of all the times for someone to show up. He assumed it was Detective Kaufman. He’d knocked at the front door. Anyone who knew him well enough should know to come to the back door.

  Like Nicole did…

  Shaking his head, he jarred that thought free.

  Another knock, but this one had some force behind it.

  “Damn it to hell,” he muttered. “Hang on!” Although he knew where everything was in his kitchen, he looked around for the paper towels as if it was his first time being here. It was the rushed panic making him forget where everything was. He spotted the roll where it always was: slipped over the holder’s arm beside the sink. Grabbing a piece, he yanked in hopes of tearing off a section. Instead, the roll spun, spewing towels.

  The third knock was very loud and hard, urgent—a steady pounding that made his walls creak.

  “I said hang on!”

  Andy used both hands to tear the track of towels from the roll, then he hopped out of the kitchen. He moved with his right foot up, like a dog with a hurt paw as he hobbled to the front door, hoping he didn’t drip blood on the carpet.

  Gripping the door knob, he jerked the door open. His face, creased into a scowl, displayed his annoyance, and he was opening his mouth to shout at Detective Kaufman. “I said hang on!” But, when he saw who was actually outside, the honey shade of hair flapping in the warm breeze, the tawny skin and full lips opening to a gasp, his anger dissipated. The verbal lashing died in his throat.

  Startled, she stepped back. “Mr. Raab!”

  Andy felt embarrassed heat flow through him. “Miss…uh…Holbrook?

  “Jeez…” A hand against her chest, she panted. “Is this how you greet all your visitors or am I just a lucky girl?”

  “Um…sorry…” Andy’s neck felt like it had burst into flames. Sweat immediately percolated on his skin.

  Karen Holbrook shook her head, a small smile forming. Then she noticed him clutching a red-stained paper towel to his foot and her smile dropped to shock. “Oh my! What happened?”

  “Oh…this?” Andy shrugged. “I broke a coffee mug…then stepped on the damn thing.”

  “Ouch. Is the glass still in there?”

  “Feels like it.”

  Karen sighed like a mother would. “Let’s get you inside and fixed up.”

  Andy started to protest but decided against it.

  ****

  Several minutes later, Andy sat on the couch while Karen, crouched at his legs, pressed the cotton ball to the cleaned and disinfected wound. Then she bonded it in place using a Band-Aid. The constant bee sting of pain vanished. Just like being a kid, Andy realized, a bandage really did make it better. Once the blood had been washed away and Andy could see the half inch severity of the wound, he’d felt like a child. It was nothing that should have caused the reaction he’d given it. At least Karen hadn’t teased him about it.

  Finished, Karen pretended to wipe superfluous amounts of sweat from her brow. “Now that we have that gaping gash all bandaged up…”

  There goes that.

  “…we can get down to business.”

  “I’m sure I already know why you’re here,” said Andy.

  “I heard about it this morning…”

  “Yeah? So, what do you think?”

  Karen frowned. “I…I’m not sure. But, I’m very sorry about Nicole. She was…a very sweet person.”

  Andy heard Karen’s commendation but didn’t acknowledge it. Afraid his voice might go wobbly, he swallowed the lump in his throat before talking. “You heard about Lou?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, I did.”

  “I think he must have pulled up on whatever was happening. He’d just dropped me off not even half an hour before.”

  “The…attacks…it’s all people are talking about. It was all over the news this morning.”

  “I bet so. The news eats up violence in the white trash district.”

  “Sad but true.” Karen sighed. “I heard Kaufman was assigned the case.”

  “Yeah…”

  “What’s he saying about everything?”

  “Who knows? Probably thinks Danny killed Nicole and Rosco killed Lou and his guys so they could run away together with Lou’s money, and have some kind of homosexual bender across the country.”

  “Does he really think that?”

  “No. But, he’s not saying what he is thinking.”

  Karen pursed her lips, gazing up at Andy with concerned eyes. “You don’t express yourself very well.”

  “I express myself all right. I’m pissed off and hurt and confused…I think I’m acting like someone suffering all those feelings.”

  “Maybe. Why don’t you talk about it?”

  “I don’t want to get into it right now. I need to stay focused and if I stop to mourn, I’ll be down for good.”

  “Stay focused? What do you mean by that?”

  “I told Nicole I would find Danny and I plan on it. He’s my brother. I’d washed my hands of him a long time ago, you know, just gave up on him. But I shouldn’t have. I’m worried about him. I do not think he would ever hurt Nicole. He was a lot of things, but he loved her, although he’d ruined her life by not caring about himself enough to stay clean.”

  “What do you plan to do, Andy? You’re not a cop. You can’t just investigate the murders on your own. If Kaufman even heard you saying this shit right now, he’d probably slap the shit out of you.”

  “I don’t care about that. Danny’s out there somewhere, mixed up in some crazy shit that’s getting people killed…”

  That got Nicole killed…

  “You don’t know for sure if any of this is related.”

  He gave her a look that told her not to even try convincing him otherwise. “Come on. You really just said that?”

  “I know it sounds like bullshit, but you don’t know for sure.”

&nbs
p; Andy felt his blood rising in temperature. He needed to hold it back, though, and not let his temper flare. Right now, Karen was on his side, and he needed to keep it that way. He might need her help.

  His eyes glanced at the laptop. The screen was blue, the Windows Login awaiting a password. If he told her what he and Lou had talked about last night, would she understand why he neglected to share this information with Kaufman? Would she demand he tell him, hand over the laptop for evidence?

  Maybe not right away. Doesn’t matter if she was friendly with Danny or not, she would want things handled by the law.

  Andy sighed.

  Karen’s eyes narrowed. “Something’s bothering you and it’s not just the obvious.”

  “Want some coffee?”

  “Are you serious? It’s ninety degrees outside.”

  “I need it. I haven’t slept in almost thirty-six hours.”

  “Andy! Go to bed, get some rest. I’ll hang around if you need me to.”

  “I want you to hang around.” He was about to tell her why but stopped when he noticed the slight reddening in her cheeks.

  “Oh…well…I don’t mind.” A goofy grin flashed over her face. “There’s no one I have to meet today. I was just going to straighten up my office some…maybe eat lunch with a friend, but I can cancel…”

  “Karen.”

  Her head whipped toward him. “Huh?”

  “I want you to stay because I need to tell you something.”

  Slightly frowning she said, “Why do I have the feeling I’m not going to like what I’ll hear?”

  “You won’t like it. I haven’t told you everything. And, I still don’t want to, but I have no clue what else to do.”

  Karen took in a deep breath, frowning. “All right. Maybe I better have some coffee.”

  Andy smiled, although there were no good feelings associated with it.

  Chapter Ten

  Andy was surprised by how easily he talked to Karen. She didn’t say much, which made him talk even more. Usually, he was the quiet type, surrounded by others who did the talking for him. But with Karen, he couldn’t shut up. As he shared the parts about Nicole, his voice changed in pitch, his throat thickening and sounding bubbly.

  Karen sat across from him in the chair, leaned to the side and legs crossed, listening. The skirt had a slit midway up her thigh. Every so often Andy stole a peek of tanned leg. He assumed she knew how much he could see, but she did nothing to prevent it.

  When he was finally done talking, he felt a little winded and had sweat trickling down his sides and the small of his back. “So,” he said, “what do you think?”

  Karen took a sip of coffee. “I think you need to get inside that computer.”

  “Right.”

  Andy leaned forward, putting both hands on the laptop. The machine had gone into sleep mode, so he wiggled his finger across the mouse pad. The login screen faded through the black screen.

  “Any idea what the password might be?” she asked.

  “None.”

  “Well…it’s Rosco, so start with the obvious.”

  “And that is?”

  “Drugs.”

  Andy started to type. The keys felt sticky, as if coated in syrup. He tried the word with all caps, lower case, and a combination of the two. None worked. He tried typing in varieties of substances Rosco had been known to partake of. No luck there, either. Growing frustrated, he knew they would never guess what it was. “This isn’t going to work.”

  “What do you suggest then?”

  “I’m going to have to take the hard drive out and hack into it. Hopefully I can…”

  “Go for it.”

  Andy crossed the room to the doorway that opened to an even smaller room. This had been used as the dining room when his parents lived here. Now the table his family had eaten so many meals on together was littered with school supplies and papers. Opening his book bag, he dug around the inside. He found the small leather case of his PC tool kit at the bottom. He grabbed it, then sifted through the debris for the drive-mate. It took a couple minutes, but he finally located it. With the kit and the drive-mate in tow, he returned to the living room.

  “What’s all that stuff?” asked Karen.

  “Nerd tech.”

  Karen laughed. “Ah. Okay.”

  “It’ll take me a few minutes…”

  “It’s fine. I’ll just sit back and watch.”

  He sat the equipment and tools on the coffee table, then returned to the dining room for his laptop. It was at the head of the table. When he was a kid, it had been his dad’s seat, now he’d claimed it. For some reason, Andy felt a little closer to him whenever he sat there. Lifting the laptop off the table, he tucked it under his arm, then yanked on the power cord. It popped out of the socket and trailed behind him as he walked back into the living room.

  Karen sat up and slid the other computer over to make room.

  “Thanks,” he said.

  “No problem.”

  He noticed she was watching him with a hint of a smile on her face. She almost looked…amazed? He wasn’t sure if that was an accurate depiction, but there was some kind of admiration for sure.

  “Have you eaten?” she asked.

  The question came out of nowhere and stopped Andy in place. “What?”

  “Food. When was the last time you had something edible enter your body through your mouth?”

  Andy tried to remember. “I…I guess yesterday morning.”

  “I’m going to Krispy Krust and grabbing us a pizza.”

  “No, please, really, I’m fine.”

  “I’m not asking for permission. I’m doing it.”

  “At least let me pay for it.”

  “No, no. You just do your thing there and I’m going to get us a pizza. Sausage and extra cheese okay?”

  “Perfect.”

  Smiling, Karen said, “How’d I know?”

  “You’d make a fine detective,” he said in his best, tough police captain’s voice.

  She laughed. “Sure. I’ll be back in a few. I’ll grab us something to drink.”

  “No alcohol.” His comment had come out a little harsh and too quick for his liking. He offered a smile that felt awkward on his face.

  If Karen had noticed, she gave no indication. “Please. I’m on duty, so I can’t drink. I was thinking a gallon of sweet tea or something.”

  “Even better.”

  She winked, told him to get to work, and was gone. The house suddenly seemed extremely quiet and empty without her. He sat down on the couch and noticed the tight cramp in his gut. Hunger pains. When she’d first suggested the pizza, Andy wasn’t in the mood for one. Knowing that one was coming, he wished it was already here.

  “Get to work,” he muttered, repeating Karen’s orders. Then he smiled.

  ****

  When Karen returned, coming in without knocking, he was just booting up his computer. He’d already removed Rosco’s hard drive and inserted it into the drivemate. Then, using a USB cable, he’d connected it to his own laptop. Just as he’d figured, Rosco hadn’t set a password to protect any of his files, so he was free to roam the hard drive without worry.

  He stood up and went to the front door to assist Karen as she struggled to balance an extra-large pizza box in one hand and two gallons of tea in the other. He took the jugs of tea from her left hand; somehow she’d managed to grip them both with such a tiny hand.

  “You’re a life saver,” she said.

  Though the comment was a lighthearted expression of gratitude, Andy felt his cheeks flushing regardless. He took the jugs to the counter, left one there, and put the other one in the fridge. When he turned around, Karen had the pizza opened on top of the counter and was removing a slice. Gooey strings of cheese kept a grip on the slice. “Sorry for not waiting on you. I had to smell it the whole drive back. Thought I’d lose my mind if I didn’t eat it soon.”

  Laughing, Andy watched her take a gigantic bite. “Want me to get some plates?”


  She shook her head. Mouth filled, she said, “No way. Best way to eat pizza is just like this.” She closed her eyes, moaned. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

  “Good?”

  “Try for yourself.”

  He grabbed the outer rim of crust and pulled a slice away from the pie. The extra cheese stretched half a foot before tearing. Taking a bite, his mouth was filled with the combined tastes of sausage, cheese, bread, and marinara sauce. It was warm and delicious.

  “Approve?” she asked.

  “Better believe it.”

  They ate in silence until both had finished their first pieces.

  “How’s it coming along?” asked Karen, thrusting her chin toward the computers. She had a greasy streak on her chin that she wiped off with a napkin.

  “Just about to start. Got it all hooked up and ready to go.”

  “I’m not even going to pretend to know what you did there, so don’t bother explaining.”

  Andy laughed softly. “I won’t.”

  He turned to the cabinet and opened it. Pulling down two glasses, he set them on the counter. Karen unpeeled the red strip around the cap, opening the tea jug. Andy held the glasses steady while she poured. They chugged until their glasses were empty, then refilled.

  Each of them took another slice and carried them and their glasses into the living room. They sat together on the couch. Karen took the cushion next to Andy, only a small gap of space between them. This close, he could smell the strawberry scent emanating from her. He liked it.

  On his laptop’s desktop screen, Andy searched for the icon for the drive-mate. He located it amongst the others, double-clicked, and watched as it loaded a list in a separate screen. He noticed an abundance of Quicktime movie files.

  “Wow,” he said.

  “What?”

  “Rosco’s hard drive is loaded with porn.”

  Karen laughed. “Anything good?”

  Though he knew she was being sarcastic, Andy’s stomach fluttered. “Um…let’s see. Going off the titles here, Rosco was big on big ladies.”

  Karen laughed. “Sounds like him.”

  “There’s a lot of video. The hard drive is nearly filled with it.”