by Raven Snow
Shouting from the gravel parking lot made up Lady’s mind for her. “Shut up! You don’t know anything!” Andrea’s voice was tearful and slightly slurred.
Lady stepped outside after Dom. The night air was cool, downright cold compared to the inside of the bar. The liquor had made Lady warm and now the beads of sweat on her skin were making her shiver.
“I know more than you seem to think I do,” Destiny shot back. Lady couldn’t get a great look at her. There was a small audience separating them, but if she had to guess, she would say that Destiny was crying too.
Both women lunged at each other. “Break it up!” Dom stepped between them before they could connect. He pushed them apart, though that didn’t seem to calm either of them down in the least.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Andrea demanded, gaze still fixed on Destiny. “What do you think you know, huh? You don’t know anything!”
“What? You really want me to spell it out with everyone watching?” Destiny asked, motioning to the few patrons that had followed them from the bar.
Destiny’s words seemed to remind Dom that they weren’t alone. He turned on the crowd. “Back off!” he roared at them. “Go back inside!” To Lady’s surprise, people seemed to listen. They backed up to the door, gradually filing back into the bar. Of course, there were still people looking out the windows. Lady didn’t blame them for being curious. She would probably be trying to sneak a peek too, even if she wasn’t here because she came with Andrea.
“We slept together,” said Destiny. She didn’t have her voice raised anymore. She had the common sense to lower it for something like that. Even Lady wasn’t sure she had heard her right at first. “Twice. We slept together twice.”
“He wouldn’t cheat on me.” Andrea had lowered her own voice. Unlike Destiny’s it sounded more dangerous than reasonable. “He loved me. He loved me since high school. I’m the only girl he ever—”
“Please. I know for a fact that he broke up with—”
“He didn’t.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I know for a fact that he was trying to break up with you, because you couldn’t get it through your thick skull the first two times he—”
Andrea lunged at Destiny before she could finish. Dom tried to stay between them, but both women were ignoring him. They dove around him like he was some inanimate kind of hurdle to get past. Punches were thrown, hair was pulled, skin was clawed at. Dom couldn’t keep them apart by himself.
She needed to step in. At least, that was what Lady’s drunken brain was telling her. She didn’t question it, instead diving right into the thick of things. “Andrea!” she began, speaking firmly. “Stop—” She didn’t get to finish that thought. A fist connected with her right eye, rocking her head so hard it snapped back. Lady found herself looking at the night sky as it got further and further away. The last thing she remembered before hitting the ground was feeling like she was about to puke. Three drinks had been way, way too many.
Chapter Ten
There weren’t any dreams featuring Lion this time. Lady slept like a proverbial log. It felt like no time had passed at all between the bar and waking up in her bed at the inn. Lady groaned. Her head felt like someone had driven a railroad spike through it. She threw an arm over her face, but that hurt even more. Her right eye-socket was extremely tender. Right. She had been punched. Destiny had a mean right hook.
Something wet touched Lady’s cheek. A soft, inquisitive meow followed. Lion was sniffing at her face as if with concern. “I’m okay, boy,” Lady assured him, giving the cat a scratch between his ears. She pushed back the sheets and sat up in bed. The bodycon dress wasn’t on her anymore. She had been sleeping in a t-shirt and underwear as per usual. Lady wondered if she had managed to change clothes herself or if someone had done it for her. She really hoped it was the former.
The door to her room was cracked open. Through it, Lady could smell breakfast. It made her stomach turn. The first thing she did upon standing was close the door. It didn’t help a whole bunch, but she wanted it closed anyway. Going to find something to wear for the day, she was surprised to find all three outfits she had packed folded up in a chair. Someone had done her laundry. Lady wasn’t sure how she felt about that. On the one hand, it was nice to have some clean clothes to change into. On the other, well, it was kinda weird.
Lady pulled on some blue jeans and her favorite tank top. Going back to bed wasn’t an option nor was holing herself up in her bedroom. She took a deep breath before heading out. The smells of breakfast got stronger. She did her best to ignore them, pushing down her nausea as she walked to the dining room.
Doyle and Otsuya were both seated at the table. Doyle was using a knife and fork to cut up a thick link of sausage. Otsuya meanwhile was mopping up an overabundance of maple syrup with a forkful of pancake. It was Otsuya who looked up and saw Lady first. “Good morning, slugger,” she said brightly, putting on a smile.
“Slugger?” Lady repeated and Otsuya tapped just below her own eye. Lady looked around and found an urn on a nearby table. She checked her reflection in the polished silver. The reflection was warped and stretched to fun house proportions, but there was no denying it. She definitely had a black eye. It was purple and gray and very shiny. It was tender to the touch but, thankfully, not all that swollen. “Great,” Lady muttered. “How, um… When did I get here last night?” Lady put down the urn. She didn’t need to see her reflection to know her face was going red.
“A boy dropped you off.” Otsuya gave Lady a wink. Lady’s alarm must have shown on her face, because Otsuya continued, “It was Dom. I don’t know if you know him. He’s an okay guy, so it’s not like he tried anything. He said you tried to break up a fight and wham!” Otsuya punched the air for emphasis. It shook the table, sloshing some of Doyle’s coffee from his mug. He glared across the table at Otsuya, though she didn’t seem to notice.
“Lady,” called a voice from the kitchen. It was Ms. Poole. “Come join me in here for a moment.”
Lady felt a chill run through her. She didn’t want to face Ms. Poole with a hangover. It was embarrassing enough that she had come home last night in the state she had.
“Sooner rather than later, please,” Ms. Poole added.
Lady did as she was told. She walked into the kitchen. It was a large room with a wood burning stove and polished wooden countertops. There were fresh fruits and vegetables in bowls on the island. There was even a rack of fresh herbs near the window. It was there that Ms. Poole stood. She had a glass in one hand and a spoon in the other, mixing some kind of brown, viscous liquid.
“Hey,” Lady said, announcing her presence but keeping her distance. “Sorry about last night. I didn’t—”
“Here.” Ms. Poole turned and held the glass out to Lady. “Drink this. It’ll help.”
Lady stared at the glass and its gummy brown contents. Her stomach began to rebel again. “I think I’m okay. Thanks, though.”
“Drink it,” Ms. Poole said firmly, pressing the drink into Lady’s hand. “You have a lot to do today.”
Lady wasn’t keen on the idea of organizing the storage room again. “Actually, I was planning on leaving today, so—”
“This isn’t about you doing any more work for me— At least today it isn’t. Drink.”
It was with no small degree of reluctance that Lady brought the glass to her lips. She threw her head back and tried to chug the liquid. It didn’t quite work out that way. Instead of pouring down her throat, the contents of the glass oozed out like pudding. It tasted like grass. Lady gagged a couple of times but kept it down.
Ms. Poole nodded in approval when she took the mostly empty glass from Lady. She went to rinse it out in the sink. “Detective Conners called. You’re needed down at the police station as soon as possible.”
“The police station? Why?” It was a stupid question. Lady already had a pretty good idea of why she would be needed.
“They found a body in the lake early this morning. I he
ar you’re the one who reported it.” Ms. Poole picked up a mortar and pestle next to the sink. She brought that over to Lady next. “Hold still,” she instructed.
“Who was it? Do they know? It was Riley, wasn’t it?”
“I wasn’t told who it was, and I didn’t ask.” Ms. Poole dipped two fingers into something mushy and gray. She brought both fingers to Lady’s eye next. “I said hold still,” she said when Lady flinched. “Did you know this Riley you’re speaking of?”
“No, I’ve just been hearing a lot about him, and I know he’s missing.” It had to be Riley. Lady felt sure of it. “I’m not sure what I can do down at the station. I already told them everything I know.”
“I’ll drop you off,” said Ms. Poole. She finished spreading the gunk she was holding on Lady’s black eye and stepped away.
“Really?” Lady was surprised by the offer. “I’d appreciate that.” The walk last time had been a long one.
“Go on and make yourself presentable.”
Lady looked down at herself, at her baggy tank top and frayed jeans. “I am presentable.”
Ms. Poole’s eyes moved over Lady. She shook her head and sighed. “Fine. But go put your shoes on at least.”
***
Ms. Poole was already waiting outside by the time Lady was heading out the door. Her car was an old, brown four door sedan that was long and low to the ground. Lady got in on the passenger side and was surprised when she saw Lion curled up on the dashboard. “What’s he doing here?”
“He wanted to come,” Ms. Poole said as a matter of fact, like it was the most reasonable thing in the world for her to do.
“Okay, but it’s not like I can take him into the police station or anything.” Lady reached for Lion, ready to take him right back inside.
“Leave him.” Ms. Poole spoke before Lady could open the door. “I’ll keep an eye on him.”
“Are you sure?”
“He’s a good boy. We get along just fine.” Ms. Poole reached out and scratched the cat beneath his chin before starting the car.
“You are a good boy, aren’t you?” Lady picked up Lion and placed him onto her lap as Ms. Poole pulled out into the road. Lion began to purr. “My folks hated him. They hated most animals in general though, said they were too much trouble. They’d already adopted enough kids without adding pets to the mix.”
“They don’t sound like people I would get along with.”
“I didn’t get along with them that well either.” Lady sighed, petting Lion idly as she watched the world pass by outside her window. “I tried to be a good daughter, but… I dunno. They already had kids of their own. I don’t think they were looking for a daughter. It felt like I mostly did chores and supplemented their income, you know?”
“I don’t.”
Lady reminded herself that Ms. Poole had no reason to care about her past. She continued anyway. She wasn’t sure why. “I dunno. Maybe I shouldn’t have left. I don’t know what I was thinking, to be honest. I don’t have any marketable skills, and I don’t have enough money to support myself for long.”
Ms. Poole didn’t say anything at first. Lady was sure she wasn’t answering because she wasn’t interested. As she had already made perfectly clear before, she wasn’t Lady’s mother. “I’m getting old,” she said, finally.
“Huh?” Lady wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything.
“I’m getting old,” Ms. Poole repeated. “I never had children. Crispin is the closest thing I have, and he’s not interested in the family business. He’s not suited for it either. Besides, he runs that library of his. Even if he did have the knack, he wouldn’t have the time.”
“I saw the library,” said Lady, unsure of what else to say but feeling like she needed to respond with something. “It’s nice.”
“I find myself needing help around the inn,” Ms. Poole continued, as if Lady hadn’t said anything at all. “I can cook and clean, but I can’t get around as well as I used to. I find myself tiring out faster these days. There are repairs that need to be done. I used to do them all myself. They’re really very simple, but I just can’t keep track of it all anymore.”
Lady had a feeling she knew what Ms. Poole was going to say next. She wasn’t sure how to respond. The cogs were already turning in her head, trying to come up with a way to politely refuse. At least her headache was mostly gone. Whatever Ms. Poole had made her drink, it had actually worked. The nausea was gone as well.
“I couldn’t pay you much, but I could give you a place to stay. You could keep the room you’re in now, and I would provide three square meals. You wouldn’t have to pay for rent or utilities. You would earn some money, of course. You obviously need to buy more clothes.” Ms. Poole glanced briefly in Lady’s direction. “You could also keep the cat. I won’t permit any other pets, of course, but he’s fine. He can stay.”
Lady looked down at Lion in time for him to nuzzle up against her chin. He was purring like all of this sounded good to him. It should have sounded good to Lady too. It was certainly tempting in a practical sense. It felt a little bit like giving up though, like admitting she couldn’t make it on her own. “I’ll… I’ll have to think about that.”
“I don’t see why,” Ms. Poole muttered. “Do you have some other arrangements planned? Something I’m unaware of? Once that bus of yours gets to the end of the line, what will you do? Homeless shelters don’t let you keep cats.”
“I won’t be homeless,” Lady snapped. “I have money. I can afford a room somewhere.”
“Oh, so a room at a motel is a home now, is it?” Ms. Poole clicked her tongue against her teeth in tacit disapproval. “And what about when you’re out of money? What then?”
“I’ll get a job,” Lady said reflexively. She knew as soon as she had said it that it contradicted what she had said earlier. She didn’t have any particularly valuable skills. The most she could hope to do was snag a retail position somewhere, and that probably wouldn’t be enough money to survive on.
“I imagine it’s difficult to get a job without reliable transportation or a home address. And I wonder who will watch Lion while you’re at this job. He’ll be living on the streets too, I suppose.”
Lady fidgeted in her seat. She didn’t like hearing all this, even if it was true—or maybe especially because it was true. “I said I’ll think about it,” she said again, her tone sounding angry even to her own ears.
At least this time Ms. Poole didn’t argue with her. “Well, try not to take too long deciding.” Ms. Poole slowed and turned down a side street. The police station came into view on the corner. “I suppose I’ll wait out in the car for you.”
“Are you sure?” Lady didn’t know why those were the words that came out of her mouth. If Ms. Poole had gone to the trouble to drive her all the way down to the police station it stood to reason that she would drive her back from it as well. Maybe it was just that she couldn’t get a handle on why Ms. Poole was being nice to her so suddenly.
Ms. Poole parked. “The car has air conditioning and I brought a book. I’ll be just fine. You go on now.”
Lady did as she was told, scratching Lion beneath the chin one final time before leaving the car. She walked to the double doors of the police station and went inside where the air was cool and significantly less humid.
The woman at the reception desk looked up. It was the same woman from the last time she had come, Lady realized. “Oh, good. Detective Conners has been expecting you.” She interlaced her fingers beneath her chin and regarded Lady with a look that was downright odd. Her mouth twitched like she was trying not to laugh. Lady squirmed some under her gaze. “He’s in his office,” Shannon continued. “Why don’t you head on back?”
“Okay, thanks.” Lady took an uncertain step away from the desk to head deeper into the station.
“Can I get you anything?” Shannon called after her. “Coffee? A bagel?”
Lady’s nausea returned at the idea of eating anything. “I’m okay. Thanks.”
“You look like you could use some coffee. I’ll get you some coffee.”
Lady didn’t argue with her. The truth was that she could use some coffee. The morning was going by in a bit of a haze. If someone told her that she was still asleep and dreaming she might just believe them.
There were more officers in the police station than there had been the first time. Not that that was saying much. There had been one officer last time, now there were three. They were all huddled up at a single desk, talking low and conspiratorially. They looked up when Lady passed, staring at her for an uncomfortably long time. She could still feel their eyes on her back when she knocked on Conners’ office door.
“If this isn’t important, you’re all fired. I’m not loaning you any more pens. Go buy your own pens or—”
“It’s me.” Lady cleared her throat. “Lady. You called me? I reported the—”
“Right, right. Come in.”
Lady pushed the door to the tiny office open and stepped inside. Conners was standing at a filing cabinet, several manila folders in hand. “Not sure what the point of Shannon is if she’s not going to call back here and tell me when you’ve arrived.” He pointed to a chair in front of the desk.
Lady took a seat and waited while Conners did the same across from her. He dropped the manila folders in front of him, atop a stack of paperwork. The paperwork toppled and a mug shot slipped from one of the folders. Only the corner of the picture was exposed, but Lady recognized the curly hair and undercut as Dom.
“So, why am I here?” asked Lady, raising her eyes to meet Conners’.
“Well, I don’t know if you remember, but you were the one who reported finding a body yesterday.”
“I don’t think that’s what I put in my statement.”
Conners waved a hand like the exact details didn’t matter. “I’m sure you’ve heard by now.”
“That you found a body this morning?”