by F J messina
“Now let’s not jump to any conclusions.” Jet looked at Tee over her imaginary glasses. “You’re going to hear a lot of things that sound important as we go along. We just have to be careful before we go chasing our tails on every little tidbit that comes past us.”
“Still . . .” Tee’s voice was almost plaintive.
“She’s right, Tee.” Sonia sounded a bit motherly. “We have to be careful. But you’re right, too. This could be important.”
Sonia knew how critical it was for the team to work quickly. She could see, however, that the long day had taken a lot out of each of them. She stood, indicating that the meeting was over. “Look. We’re all beat. Let’s get some rest and get right on it again in the morning.” She smiled at Jet. “My partner and I thank you for your efforts today, right, Jet?”
Jet grinned, clearly enjoying the explicit reminder that this was a BCI case. “Absolutely.”
Sonia pushed her chair in. “And now, apparently, my partner seems to have plans for the evening.” She turned to Tee. “And what about you, employee number zero-zero-three?”
Tee was already out of her seat and picking up the notepad she’d carried with her all day. “I, boss, or should I say, mother, am going out to explore the Saturday night-life in this one-horse town.”
Jet jumped in, her southern accent soaking her words. “Now look here, missy. Never cast aspersions on horses, not while you’re standing in Lexington, Kentucky─unless, of course,” she winked, “you just lost a bunch of money on some nag at the racetrack.” Smiles went around the table again.
“And you, Mr. Hunky,” Sonia’s chocolate-brown eyes locked with Brad’s bright blue orbs, “what are your plans for the evening?”
Brad stood, the last one to do so. He put his thumbs inside the top of his pants, tugged, and puffed out his chest. “I plan on going home, having a nice dinner and a good glass of bourbon, and then starting a fire.”
Sonia cocked her head, a curious smile on her face. “In May? Isn’t it too warm?”
Brad smiled right back. “I don’t recall saying anything about a fireplace, now did I?”
19
Tee stood in front of the mirror in Sonia’s tiny bathroom, freshening up her makeup. She was glad to be in the apartment alone, Sonia being off with Brad for the evening. She didn’t have a lot of clothing with her, and she had enjoyed taking advantage of Sonia’s absence by roaming freely through her sister’s closet.
Tee checked her hair in the mirror one last time and headed out the door and down the steps to Central Avenue. She was wearing a sleeveless, coral-colored knit top, with a cream light-weight jacket over it. She had a silk scarf with swirls of coral, royal blue, and greens tied closely off the side of her neck. The seemingly mandatory blue jeans and sandals were in place, and the finishing touches were dangly green earrings. She didn’t normally dress so nicely for a night at a club, but then again, she didn’t own the kind of clothing Sonia could afford. She was certain that Sonia wouldn’t mind her borrowing her clothing. The earrings were another matter altogether.
Tee had texted a few friends up in Cincinnati, girls who also knew their way around Lexington. She’d found out that there were a number of new bars that featured young crowds and good music out on Manchester Street. She headed for one called The Burl. When she got there, she was glad that she actually was twenty-two, since the bouncer at the door gave her and her ID a pretty close inspection. Wow, that’s the second time today.
Tee paid her seven-dollar cover charge and stepped into the darkened and extremely loud bar, fully aware that she only had enough money left to buy herself one beer. She worked her way to the bar and was lucky enough to commandeer a seat on a stool that had just been vacated. She ordered a Bud, not wanting to get into the same hassle she’d faced that afternoon with Carla Lombardi.
As was often the case in bars like this, there were three bands on the bill that evening. The first, an indie-pop band with a country flavor, was just finishing when she arrived. Given her experience as a singer herself, she couldn’t help but listen to them pretty discerningly, if only momentarily. Half-way through the first song to which she paid attention, she had made her evaluation. Not terrible. Not good. Too loud for the room. Excellent drummer. Bass player over-plays. Guitar player would be better off behind the bar slinging beers. Having been surrounded on stage by puffed up male egos a few times herself, she was a little more accepting of the female singer—adequate but not very dynamic. She was relieved when they finished and began moving their equipment off stage.
During the lull between bands, Tee sat quietly, checking out the other “talent” in the room. She wasn’t exactly at The Burl trying to pick up a guy, but a girl never knew when something might just happen to pop up. She slowly nursed her beer, knowing full well that it wouldn’t be long before some guy would be leaning over her, using some lame pick-up line. It happened three short minutes after the first band wrapped up.
“Hey, how’re you doing?” he yelled at her over the sound of the piped-in music. “Haven’t seen you here before. My name’s Bud.”
“That’s funny.” Tee raised her beer to her lips but was careful not to drink too much of it. That one beer had to last a long time, and this first suitor wasn’t likely to be around long enough to buy her another.
“What’s funny?”
“Bud, that’s the name of my beer, too.” She kept her eyes on the large mirror and display of hard-liquor bottles behind the bar.
He was brown-haired, stocky, broad-faced and not particularly attractive. She figured his faded Grateful Dead T-shirt had fit better when he’d first purchased it and it certainly wasn’t enhanced by the ketchup that must have been captured by way of his protruding belly. In addition, he had either fallen in a bottle of Polo cologne or thought the instructions for its application were the same as for his shampoo─lather, rinse, repeat. “Yeah, cool.” There was a long, deadly silence before he tried again. “So, really. You go to UK?”
Tee gave him a snarky look. “Already graduated.” The “almost two weeks ago,” went unspoken.
There was another deadly silence and then he gave it another try. “So, how’d you like that band?”
“Not much.” She knew he was hoping for more, but her eyes were already roaming the room, hoping this guy would finally get the message.
“So, my buddies and I have a table closer to the band. You want to come join us?”
Tee finally turned and looked at him. She was struck by the fact that as clumsy as Bud was, he was trying, and she knew that was hard on a guy. She leaned over toward him and gave him the tiniest smile. “Listen, I think my cop boyfriend just got me pregnant, and I’m nursing this one beer because I think it may be the last one I’ll be able to have for the next nine months. Maybe you’d better find someone else.”
His eyes opened a little wider. “Yeah, sure.” He turned to walk away, then stopped and turned back to her. “Good luck with all that.” He said it nicely.
“Well, look at that,” Tee spoke into the top of her bottle, “ol’ Bud has a heart.” She knew she’d been hard on him. She shrugged and touched the bottle to her lips. Better to let him down fast and save us both a lot of trouble.
As the next band came on, Tee noticed that one of the guitar players, she was pretty sure that’s what he played, seemed quiet and polite as he dealt with the others on stage. He was also darn attractive─certainly dressed a notch higher than any other male in the room. She was pretty certain it was worth sitting there waiting to watch him play. As she waited, however, she noticed a guy standing near one of the exposed poles, not too far from her. He stuck out. He didn’t fit the rest of the crowd. Tall and thin, his comb-over barely managed to succeed in its mission, and the scraggly goatee he sported was so thin you could see right through it. The sloppy dark blue T-shirt and poorly fitting jeans didn’t help. Tee was drawn to looking at him, but when she did, he ducked behind the pole.
When the second band came on, the gui
tar player who had caught Tee’s attention stepped to the mic. “Evening. We’re Sundown Service.” He quickly stepped back from the mic, confident, but clearly not interested in drawing attention to himself. The drummer clicked off the first tune and they dove into a strong version of Tennessee Jed by The Grateful Dead.
It didn’t take long for Tee to get a sense of the group. Tight. Clean. Not overly loud, Good vocals. Excellent guitar work. And that guy is hot. “Hmm. This could be interesting.” She was speaking, again, into the top of her bottle almost as if it was a microphone.
Tee leaned back and hitched her elbows on the back of the bar stool. She turned to face the band directly, in order to get a better look at the “show.” When she did, however, she noticed that the guy she had seen before had moved to the bar and was standing just a few feet away from her. As she turned back to the stage, she could feel his eyes on the back of her head. It creeped her out.
As Tennessee Jed bled into an Allman Brothers tune, Tee was torn. She enjoyed the music. She was particularly enjoying watching, or was it simply looking at, the guitar player. On the other hand, she could feel the presence of Creepy Guy watching her. It pissed her off.
The cute guy on stage turned toward the bass player while he played a soaring guitar solo. Tee got goosebumps listening to his playing, but the images in her mind crashed when the stage lights glistened off the simple ring he was wearing on the fourth finger of his left hand.
Her empty beer bottle thumped onto the bar. “Damn.” Oh well, so much for that. I’ll bet he’s married to one hot and lucky lady. She could feel her enthusiasm for the evening, at least for this part of it, slipping away very quickly. Between that and the way Creepy Guy was making her feel, she decided it was time to move on. She opened her purse and put her last dollar on the bar for a tip, then spun the bar stool around and slipped off. She was relieved that Creepy Guy was nowhere in sight.
Tee worked her way toward the front door. She was disappointed but had to admit that she’d heard some good music and enjoyed the little fantasy she’d had about meeting the guitar player. As she stepped outside, she took out her car keys, automatically grasping the attached black, plastic container of pepper spray her sister had given her last Christmas for protection. She always had it in her hand when she walked to her car or her apartment, especially at night.
Tee took only a few steps toward her car when a chill ran through her body. It was as if she knew something was there in the dark parking lot, something that was waiting for her. She took a deep breath, put her thumb on the trigger of her pepper spray, and walked as quickly as she could to her car.
When she got there, she opened the door, fully aware that at the moment she was using her keys to do so, she was “unarmed.” She tried to do it as quickly as possible but that only led to her fumbling with the keys, missing the hole, taking what seemed like forever to get the f’ing door open. When she finally did, she all but jumped into the front seat and locked the door, holding her breath the whole time.
Finally. Finally. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. It pissed her off that her hand was shaking when she put the key in the ignition and turned it; she was relieved when the Chevy came immediately to life. She put the car in gear and lifted her right arm onto the top of her seat, looking over her shoulder as she palmed the steering wheel and backed out of her parking space. When she turned around and faced forward, her heart stopped. Standing in front of her, fully illuminated by her headlights, was Creepy Guy. He was looking right at her, his eyes wide and boring through the windshield, right into her being. He had something long and dark in his hand.
Tee was stunned. She knew she had to get out of there, but he was almost directly in front of her, just standing there, staring. Her eyes darted to her rearview mirror. She realized there were only thirty or forty feet behind her before the parking lot ended in a line of trees. She looked back and forth, left and right. Back up all the way and jump out of the car? No. He’ll come right after me. He’ll catch me. She froze.
A world of terrible images shot across Tee’s mind as if she was watching some terrible movie─abducted women, assaulted women, murdered women. Her eyes flew open as Creepy Guy took a step toward her. His motion shook her out of her stupor. She slammed her foot to the floor, driving the accelerator pedal as far as it would go, almost further. She didn’t worry about hitting him, not if it meant getting away from those eyes. The front wheels of the car spun wildly, kicking up huge clouds of gravel and dust. She could hear rocks clanging off the bottom of her car, off the sides of some of the cars near her. She didn’t care.
The car leaped forward, headed directly for Creepy Guy. Tee pulled the wheel to the right just barely enough to get past without hitting him. He spun away from the blue bullet that was coming at him full force, a look of panic distorting his face. He stumbled backward, out of the beam of the headlights and into the darkness.
Tee was past him and took only the briefest peek in the rearview mirror. There was little to see, other than a cloud of dust. She spilled the car out onto Manchester Street without observing proper driving etiquette. She didn’t give a crap. She drove like a bat out of hell for a good thirty seconds.
As she approached the lights of a more populated part of town, Tee brought the Chevy to a more normal speed and finally to a full stop at a traffic light. The car was still, but her heart was thumping like the kick drum in one of the bands she’d seen that night. Her hand was shaking as she ran it through her hair, glad to be leaving the bastard in the dust.
Day Three
20
Sunday morning, Sonia woke with a smile on her face. She’d had a nice evening with Brad, some dinner, some teasing, just the tiniest bit of wedding discussions, and then some intimate time together. When she’d come home, however, she’d unexpectedly found Tee already sprawled out on the couch and rather uncommunicative. Not wanting to ruin her own good mood, Sonia had let it slide, said goodnight and gone on to bed.
Sonia slipped on her jeans and faded blue Kentucky Wildcats T-shirt. When she stepped into her living room, Sonia found Tee still asleep on the couch, twisted in rumpled sheets. Remembering that young people can sleep pretty late, and cognizant of that fact that Tee might not have had a great evening, Sonia decided to walk down to Magee’s, it was only a few blocks each way, and pick up some bagels that would go with eggs and coffee for breakfast. She slipped on her blue and white running shoes and stepped out onto the small landing outside her front door. Taking in the sun and warmth, she stretched her arms above her head. It’s a beautiful day. Why waste it? Let Sleeping Beauty in there get some rest. It’s going to be a long day.
Sonia returned from Magee’s to find Tee stirring, but still lying on the couch. The sound of Sonia making coffee and starting the eggs, however, was enough to bring Tee fully awake. She popped her head up over the back of the couch, sleepy-eyed, her hair reminiscent of a scarecrow that had lost a battle with a tornado. “Morning.” Her voice was croaky.
“Good morning, Teresa.” Sonia was in too good a mood to notice that the pleasantness in her voice didn’t exactly match Tee’s state of mind.
“Do you have to sound like Little Miss Sunshine so early in the morning?” Tee plopped her head back down on her crumpled pillow.
“I’m sorry. Did you have a rough night last night?” Sonia’s voice was still light and airy.
“Not bad,” Tee mumbled into the sheets.
As Sonia stepped from the kitchen to the living room, about three steps, she noticed the coffee table in front of the couch for the first time. There were two empty beer bottles on the dark walnut table. She paused for a moment, absorbing the sight. “You have somebody over last night?”
“No, why?” Tee’s eyes were still closed. She was lying on her side, facing away from Sonia.
“Nothing. Never mind.” Sonia’s voice shifted back to sunshine. “C’mon, sleepy head. I’ve got some nice fresh bagels, eggs, and coffee for us.”
Sonia sat d
own at her tiny kitchen table and started to eat, waiting patiently for Tee to join her. When she did, Sonia gently pushed a plate full of eggs over to her. “You okay?”
Tee silently began buttering her bagel.
Sonia wanted to press harder, but she knew she needed to be patient. Finally, she asked. “So, tell me about your evening. Have fun?”
Tee spoke with a bite of bagel in her mouth. “It was okay.” Silence.
“Where’d you go?”
Tee took a sip of the coffee Sonia had brought to the table. “The Burl.”
Sonia knew that she was displaying her lack of knowledge about hip places in town, but she didn’t feel like she could fake her way through the conversation. “The what?”
“The Burl. It’s a new joint out on Manchester Street.” Tee shoveled some eggs into her mouth and followed that with a big bite of bagel.
Sonia knew that Manchester Street was the new hot spot in town. Several bars, eating places, and other businesses had opened in the last year or so and were popular with young adults and, given the type of music being played, some older folks. The area drew steady crowds, especially when the weather was nice. For all that she’d heard, Sonia had never actually done more than drive through the area and stop for a slice of pizza and some ice cream once or twice. “I’m afraid I don’t know it. Nice place?”
“Yeah, it’s okay. Big mural on the outside and a stained-glass window with a cool tree in it. I heard there was a big arcade with a wall full of old TVs on the other side of the street, but I didn’t go over.”
“And you had a good time?”
Tee was beginning to lighten up. “Yeah, it was alright. Heard a couple of bands. One kind of sucked, but the other one, a psychedelic rock band, they were pretty good.”
“And everything worked out okay?”
Tee simply nodded, her mouth full of food again.