Unleashed_Case of the Collie Flour

by Erik Schubach

  I sighed and sat on the side of the bed. With only me here and the extra space, I was able to get rid of the two full beds and put in a queen. I started to pet Calvin's silky fur and sighed. “You know what boy, you can get on anything you want here. Your life is about to get really messed up and confusing boy. But that's ok until your mommy's family picks you up, you have me. I love you boy.”

  I think he was picking up on my sadness for him and he whined and gave me a lick. I hugged him and scratched his ears, “I know, boy.”

  I stood, and he hopped off the bed, and we went back out to the main room, and I opened the french doors to the balcony to let in some fresh air. Calvin went out to sniff around the table and chairs out there.

  I eyed him. It had been quite some time since our walk. “Don't even think about it, brat.” Let's take a quick walk, then I'll get us some supper started.”

  I moved to the door and dug out my lunch from my purse and sighed. I could salvage most of it, but the sandwich wouldn't keep until tomorrow. I looked around as if someone might catch me and I pulled the ham, turkey, and Swiss creation out and offered it to Calvin. I know, I know! Don't look at me like that. I can spoil him just this once.

  I cocked an eyebrow at him as he wolfed it down. “Did you even chew that? Didn't your mother teach you any manners?” I smiled at his hopeful doggy grin. “No more. I'll make us some supper when we get back. My stomach gurgled again, and I looked down at it and chastised, “Enough of that, you. You want to have to clean up Calvin's oopses on the throw rugs?” My tummy argued, stupid tummy.

  I grabbed the leash and harness, and Calvin came rushing to my side and sat. “Good boy.”

  Then we were off to Heckscher Playground in Central Park two blocks away. I'm glad I did because Cal definitely had to do his thing.

  By the time we got back, I was starving, and as Calvin laid on the couch, I decided to see what I could whip up for us.

  But there was a knock at the door. I looked quickly at the clock beside the tv and muttered, “Crap,” as Calvin ran excitedly to the door. Well, he sort of does everything excitedly, that's the breed. It was 6:00 already! That Jane person was here, the day was slipping away from me faster than I could believe. What happened to that nice sunny morning I woke up to?

  I called out, “Just a moment.” Then looked around. I moved quickly to the coffee table and straightened the circulars I had grabbed today, making sure they were in the exact center of the table. I looked toward the kitchen then gleeped and ran over to my coffee cup that was sitting on the counter and placed it in the sink. Damn. I didn't have time to wash it.

  Come on Fin, stop it, don't obsess.

  I rushed to the door, smoothed my dress and put on a smile and swung the door open and froze, my smile vanishing as I glared at the woman who was standing there with a surprised and confused look on her face. I grumped out, “What now McLeary? Find something else out about me you'd like to rub my nose in?”

  She looked at the cell phone in her hand then at the 2A on the door then down the hall. “Umm... Miss May?”

  I grabbed the edge of the door with both hands and moved behind it a bit as I moved it toward her a bit to rush her away, “I really don't have the time nor patience to deal with you. I have a potential roommate coming to view the place, and I'm starving. Someone hauled me to the station today, and I missed lunch.”

  The detective looked overly amused, and that just grated on me more. She held up her cell to show me the RoomIt app. Oh dear god no. I asked, “Jane?”

  She grinned, showing all her stupid perfect teeth. I'm glad someone was finding this amusing. What had I done in another life to deserve this? She said with a touch of sarcasm, “Jane Marie McLeary. I thought you lived in Liberty, that's what your file and license say. It just glossed over me you said you walked to work.”

  I shrugged. “That's my mom's place. I use it as my permanent address, I only get bills and junk mail here.”

  Her ever scanning brown eyes flicked from me to the entry table she could see from where she stood in the hall. “And you labeled your mail sorter, 'mail'?”

  I exhaled in exasperation as Calvin pushed past me and twined around the cop's legs. The woman crouched and smiled at him and scrubbed him behind the ears, “Hiya boy.”

  I said in defiance, “Yes, I did.” Then I admit I was being a bit snotty, but she had just teased me about my label. “There's been a mistake, the room is taken. Come on Calvin, heel.” He looked up and rushed in and sat behind me like a good boy as she stood back up.

  She placed a hand on the door, and I was surprised that I couldn't budge it when I tried to close it on her. I swallowed. The woman was strong. It was sort of unfair. Strong, pretty, tall, bad girl looks. Fine, so what if I were jealous. She had it all. It was a good thing she was so abrasive, or she'd have to be beating the men off of her with a stick.

  She said with a smug grin at my consternation, “What would it hurt for me to take a look at the space? You could do a lot worse than a police officer as a roommate.”

  I muttered, “Fine if it will get you out of here any sooner.” I opened the door wide and moved aside for her to step in. And I hated that she was right, a cop as a roommate would be about the safest my apartment could be.

  She repeated in an amused tone, “Fine,” as she stepped in, her eyes seeming to flick everywhere and I'm sure she took in the entire space in moments. She said over her shoulder as she moved past me, Calvin hot on her heels, wagging his tail, “Sorry about earlier, we got off on the wrong foot, but you were being difficult. I was just doing my job.”

  Difficult? I was not... was I? The quip about doing her job was what stuck sideways in my gut. She had pulled me away from my job to do hers. But to be fair, finding out who murdered poor Miss Reeves was more important than my girls getting their walk. Was I being... I caught the smug look on her face when she saw me thinking it over. Oh, now I remember, that's why I was being difficult.

  I muttered to her as I stepped past to show her the room, “You're a jerk.”

  She nodded agreement as she looked at the living room, and she squinted as her eyes took in the kitchen. I was about to ask what had her interest when she exhaled in understanding of something and said to herself, “Forgot you're OCD. The place looks sterile.”

  I growled, “I'm not OCD, I just like things to be tidy and organized, it isn't a crime you know.”

  Then I snapped, “This is the main room, kitchen, dining, living room. I moved to the center of it all, and she moved beside me as I pointed, “Balcony, there, you've seen the place, now get out.”

  She was just smiling at me. What was so amusing to her? My stomach gurgled again, and she looked at it, cocking an imperious brow. Then she was in motion, pointing at the three doors, “Bathroom? Bedrooms?”

  I exhaled, she was harder to get rid of than fleas on a sheepdog. I stopped her at my door as she peeked in, blocking the doorway with my body. “Mine.” She towered over me and leaned in her head beside mine, her black bobbed hair brushing my shoulder. I held my breath and stiffened, feeling the heat rolling off her skin and catching the scent of her her lilac shampoo. Didn't she understand personal space?

  She looked around then pulled back with a smile, still in my personal space, pinning me with those dark pools of brown. God if a guy looked at me with eyes like that I'd have turned into a puddle. As it was, my knees were feeling a little wobbly. She nodded in appreciation of the space and said, “Nice.” Then she was gone, and I was breathing again. I hadn't even realized I had stopped.

  I swallowed and moved to the bathroom door and said, my voice a whisper, “The...” I shook my head then said more firmly, “The bathroom.”

  She stepped inside and looked around and nodded in appreciation as she said, “Passthrough doors, nice touch.” Then she randomly shared, “Just got out of a toxic relationship, need a place fast, or I'll find my stuff at the curb.”

  She brushed past me as I tried to figure out what to say, th
e smarmy look she gave me had me blurting out, “Its a wonder anyone could live with you. You're so cocksure of yourself.” My cheeks burned at now rude I was being, I was going to say I was sorry to hear it, but that came out instead.

  She thumbed toward the smaller bedroom, asking, “My room?” Then she slipped inside.

  I muttered as I followed, “Not your room, my future roommate's room.”

  She nodded. “Furnished... good thing I don't have much.”

  My stomach gurgled, and she grinned. It wasn't funny.

  I raised my voice as she moved back past me toward the front door. “For a cop, you don't have good observational skills.” I got to the door first and held it open as I finished, “Someone else, anyone else, is getting the room!”

  She cocked her head like she wasn't even listening, then reached past me, again our faces an inch apart. I froze as she grabbed something and pulled it from the wall, chuckling as she held up the leash she took that had a label with Princess' name. “You label the leashes?”

  I found I could move again at her teasing. I pushed her back with one hand on her chest, I wouldn't have been able to budge the fit woman, but she let me move her out of my personal space so I could breathe again. I snatched the leash from her. “Get out!”

  She seemed amused as she mirrored my raised tone, “Fine.”

  I echoed, “Fine!” Incensed.

  She raised her voice louder. “Shall I move in tomorrow?”

  I found myself yelling, “Fine!”

  She echoed, “Fine!”

  Then we were silent, and to my perpetual embarrassment, my stomach gurgled yet again, much more insistently. She seemed endlessly amused at it, and I exhaled then asked in a calm, quiet tone, “Have you eaten? I was bout to make supper for Calvin and me.”

  In an almost sweet tone, she said as she cocked her head like she was trying to figure me out, “Fine.”

  I had to turn away to hide my smile as I replied calmly, “Fine.”

  Then I did chuckle when she said, “What a fine evening,” as she shut the front door and followed me while I texted the 6:30 that the room was taken. Just how the fuzzy heck had that happened?

  I turned to look back over my shoulder as she headed to the couch with Calvin, and bit the tip of my tongue and said, “But your still an ass.”

  She nodded. “Agreed.”

  I made us some soup and sandwiches, and as we sat at the table, I thought it sort of thoughtful when she had shrugged out of her shoulder holster then stuffed her gun in the empty cabinet above the refrigerator that I could never reach without a stool.

  She discussed the parts of the Reeves case she could with me, and heaven help me if I wasn't fascinated by the investigatory process. And fine, yes, the woman was pretty wicked intelligent.

  The conversation slipped into her need for a place and her relationship with Jessie. The guy sounded clingy and needy and thought that she attacked her job with more passion than their relationship.

  I said as I snuck a piece of cheese to Calvin, who had been mooching shamelessly from the both of us after he slurped down his own soup and rice, “It sounds as if this Jessie doesn't understand how important your job is. I mean, you keep the city safe for everyone else.”

  She cocked her head again, I saw that as a habit of hers, and she shrugged and said as she looked at the chunk of chicken in broth on her spoon, “I really can't blame Jess. I mean, being afraid of every knock at the door, or call on the phone wondering if it is going to be 'that call' saying that I fell in the line of duty and wouldn't ever be coming home again.”

  I paused at that, hearing the real emotion and regret weighing down her voice. Detective McLeary was human after all. I reached over and squeezed her other hand which was flat on the table, “You ok... Jane?”

  She took a deep breath, ate her soup then squeezed my hand back and released me as she said softly, “I'm fine.”

  I smirked a little and said, “Fine.”

  This prompted a smile from her, and I kicked myself, I had just made a connection with her and saw her as human now. Just great, and the smug wench knew it too. She gave me that toothy grin of hers.

  I muttered, “It was probably just your smug as crap attitude.”

  She looked down at Calvin and said to him as his tail thumped the ground, “Oooo, crap, such language.”

  I smiled and said, “Fuck you.”

  Any smartass reply she may have had loaded in the chamber never got a chance to fire as we were interrupted by a knock at the door.

  I cocked an eyebrow at the door as she turned in her chair to look at it while Calvin got up and raced to it, tail swishing a million beats per second. It was just past seven, who the heck did I know who would be knocking at my door this late? I didn't have many or any friends who weren't furry.

  I hopped up and went to the door and opened it. Standing there was none other than my ex, Rafiel, looking as well put together as always in his tight jeans and relaxed dress shirt. I said as I barred the door with my arm when he started to enter, “What do you want, Raife? I already thanked you and forwarded the payment for today.”

  He pushed his way in, giving me a smile that used to make me go weak in the knees, which just made me growl now as he crooned, “It was good to hear from you today. I just thought you were willing to talk to me again since you needed my services.”

  I tried to drag him by the arm back to the door. “Someone died today, and you think that's your 'in'? When are you going to realize that after trying to steal my clients because I wouldn't sign up with your group, on top of you sleeping with Kate while we were dating, precludes my ever wanting to speak with you again.”

  He poured on his Italian charm as I tried to no avail to tug him back out the door. “Fin, love, I told you it was a mistake. A moment of weakness. You know we were good together.”

  Damn him, we were good together, but the man tried to take my business, and he slept with someone else.

  I growled out, “A mistake? What, you accidentally tripped and stuck your... your boy bits in her? Get out.”

  He chuckled. “That's cute, you still can't say...”

  A throat being cleared over my shoulder and the feeling of someone in my personal space interrupted. “Is there a problem here?”

  I looked back as Jane placed her hands on my shoulders, her eyes were laser focused on Raife like the terminator in kill mode, and I swallowed. Damn, she was scary and close. I'd have to explain to her the concept of personal space if we were going to be living together. I shouldn't be able to smell the leather and lilac of her like that. It was an oddly pleasing combination.

  Raife straightened up and cocked his eyebrow in appreciation as he looked Jane up and down. “And who, are you?” He put on his winning bad boy smile.

  The freaking perv was just talking about wanting to get back together then he goes and ogles tall dark and dangerous. I looked at them and realized that for how tall I always felt Raife was, Jane was even taller than him and the look on her face could have frozen boiling water in an instant.

  She wasn't impressed like most girls I knew were. To my embarrassment, like I had been once upon a time.

  I found my cheeks and neck heating in a blush for some reason as I said, “Jane. This is my very ex-boyfriend, Rafiel Moretti. Raife this is my new roommate Jane McLeary.”

  He offered a hand, but she didn't reciprocate, her hands still firmly on my shoulders from behind. I felt like she was backing me and I felt a little less unsure of myself. I didn't need Raife wearing me down and me falling back into a poisonous relationship, no matter how lonely I was.

  He looked put off by the slight and changed his offered hand into smoothing back his long dark hair as I assured Jane, “Raife was just leaving.”

  When he hesitated, she finally let go of my shoulders and stepped in front of me, where she loomed like a specter over him. “You heard the lady, you're not welcome here, Rafiel Moretti.”

  He actually looked nervous at the
way she said his name then he moved out the door and rubbed the back of his neck as he looked back at me. “Call me Fin, we should talk.”

  I moved to the doorway and looked around the door to see him heading for the elevator. That was always something odd about the boy, he never used the stairs.

  I moved back in then turned around and squeaked as I almost ran into Jane's prodigious chest. She leaned in, and I stopped breathing again. It almost felt like anticipation to me at her closeness, but then I exhaled as her hair brushed my cheek when she reached past me to swing the door closed.

  I swallowed when she turned and headed into the living room to flop down on the couch. God, if she were a man, I would have taken my increased heart rate over what had just occurred as my motor revving. Now was a good time for that talk about personal space. Was it a cop thing?

  I sat on the other side of the couch and exhaled and said, “Thanks. He's really insistent. I don't know if I could have held out. We were pretty good together, and sometimes I just feel...” Why was I telling her about my relationship with Raife? She didn't care nor need to know my weaknesses.

  She stopped me. “It's nothing. We've all been there.” She snorted and amended, “Hell, I'm there right now.”

  She reached out to the coffee table and fanned out today's circulars, curiosity on her face. Then that damn eyebrow of hers arched as she spied the Hotline as she sat back on the couch, her arms draped over the back.

  I knew I was red as a beet as I pushed my long light brown curls back over my shoulder as I defended while I straightened the weeklies again, aligning them in the exact center of the coffee table. “So what if I date... a lot. How else am I supposed to find a decent guy?” Then I crossed my arms defiantly and pointed out, “Sounds like you could use the Hotline yourself just about now.” I knew it wasn't fair, and her wounds were still raw, but I felt on the defensive with her at all times, and it bugged me.

  She shrugged it off, but I felt like crap because I could see the sting of it in her eyes. “Eh, too soon. And I'd be looking in a different publication anyway.”