“Don’t let her hear you say that. That haircut was an accident. She brought a picture, but the lady that cut her hair got, let’s say, creative.”
“Creative or high?”
“Probably both. Anyway, I got you an interview tomorrow where I work.”
“Already? Great.”
They parked at the Circus Circus casino but didn’t go in. Instead, they walked around downtown Reno, which was an exciting place to be at night. Bright, flashing neon lights shouted celebrity names, loose slots, Broadway-like shows and two-for-one steak dinners, and the sidewalks were crowded with people. They hardly felt the nearly freezing temperatures as they walked up and down the strip. Katherine felt almost dizzy. Scott was by her side, and even though she told herself she just wanted friendship, her heart was whispering something else.
***
Scott worked to keep himself from staring at Katherine. Her cheeks and lips were red from the cold, and her smile could easily have replaced any set of neon lights above them. They ran into Harrah’s and sat at the nickel slot machines. Katherine looked at Scott and saw he was looking at her too; their eyes were locked and time seemed to slow down. Her eyes traveled over his face. Besides his great eyes, she liked his full lips, and she wondered how they might feel on hers. He’d taken his coat off. He was wearing a white button-down shirt, and she could just make out a tuft of black hair near his collar. When her machine paid out a small win, the spell seemed to break. They both smiled and looked away. She pulled at her shirt, fanning air over her chest, and said, “They sure keep this casino warm.”
When Scott ran out of coins, he stood behind Katherine, but he wasn’t the only man watching her. While Scott’s eyes held warmth, the other’s eyes held malice. The stranger had been watching her all evening, and soon he’d need to do more than watch.
They stayed until about ten thirty, then returned to the parking garage. Katherine thought she’d gotten used to Scott’s height and build, but they seemed to be exaggerated in his jeep, which was small, intimate, and surprisingly quiet. She was conflicted. Her eyes traveled over his tight chest and muscular arms, and against her better judgment she really wanted something to happen. She unconsciously licked her lips.
He drove them back to the school’s parking lot, pulled into a spot near her car and turned his engine off. Neither spoke - it seemed as if they were both waiting for the other to say or do something. Suddenly, without a word, he jumped out and ran over to the passenger side. Scott yanked the door was open and helped Katherine from the jeep.
“I had a great time tonight.” he said. “I’ll see you after the holiday.”
Katherine hardly had time to answer before Scott was quickly walking back to the driver’s side. She looked at him, confused. “What’s the hurry?” she asked.
Standing by his door, he said. “It’s late, and I’m getting up early tomorrow to drive home.”
“Ah, okay. Bye.”
Scott waited until Katherine was inside her car, then waved and drove off. She watched his lights get dimmer, then pulled out of her spot.
***
“It’s nearly eleven o’clock,” said Amy, as Katherine entered the apartment. “Didn’t you say that class ended at seven?”
“Yes,” answered Katherine, tossing her coat and scarf over a kitchen chair. “I went out with someone from my class.”
“You didn’t think to call?” asked Amy, annoyance obvious in her voice. “To maybe let me know?”
Katherine stood at one end of the couch, her hands on her hips. “What do you care? We haven’t spoken in how long and now you want to know where I am, what I’m doing?”
“Oh, sorry, my mistake. I guess I thought you might want to spend some time with me. I should have known better.”
“That’s right, you should have known better. You think you can just fly in and it’ll be like nothing happened?”
Amy stood and walked into the second bedroom.
Chapter Fourteen
Thursday morning, Katherine slept in. She didn’t need to get out of bed. It was Thanksgiving and her office was shut down for two days. Scott had said something the night before about driving up to Carson City for the Thanksgiving weekend, and she envied him. He had a family waiting.
Amy was sitting on the couch when Katherine shuffled out into the living room. It was odd seeing her sister there, she was so used to being alone.
“I guess I’m sorry I didn’t call last night,” she said. “I probably should have let you know I wouldn’t be home.”
“Well, you’re right. You have your own life and I shouldn’t have expected you to check in with me. I thought you might be with your old friends.”
Katherine sighed, then said, “No, most have moved away, or we just don’t have anything in common anymore. Do you wanna go eat before going over to the house?”
“Sure.”
***
The sisters quickly took showers and did their make-up. Soon they were sitting across from each other at a nearby Denny’s. The tension between them was obvious. Katherine didn’t want to fight, but any question she asked was likely to start an argument.
“So, what was it you did last night?” asked Amy.
“I went downtown with a classmate. He’s my partner and we’re kind of becoming friends.”
Katherine noticed the skeptical look on Amy’s face.
“I know what you’re thinking,” said Katherine. “And you’re wrong. Men are the last thing on my mind right now. What about you? Anyone special in Seattle?
Amy laughed, then said, “I wish, but no. Maybe I’ll have better luck here.”
Katherine was surprised by the answer. Amy had never had trouble getting boyfriends. Maybe it was the new short haircut.
***
After breakfast, they drove to their parents’ house. They stood on the porch looking up and down the block. Aside from a distant dog barking, it was quiet.
The inside of the house was an empty shell and dust hung thick in the air. Multiple cardboard boxes sat throughout the space, empty and ready to be filled. Katherine grabbed one and began placing items inside as quickly as she could.
“It’s bizarre how much it feels like they’re just going to walk into the room,” said Amy before walking into the kitchen.
A family portrait hung above the fireplace. A few minutes later, Amy came out to see Katherine holding an open photo album. She looked over her shoulder. Katherine was about 8, she was 11. They were on swings at a park.
“You used to be like my shadow,” said Amy with a chuckle. “Never too far behind me. When did that stop?”
Katherine placed the album into a box. “When you started high school.” She fought to keep emotion out of her voice. “I stopped existing for you. You grew up, I grew up.”
Amy put her hand on Katherine’s shoulder, but Katherine shook it off. “Look,” she said, the volume of her voice rising slightly, “there’s no law that says just ’cause we’re sisters we have to be friends. I think that ship has sailed. Let’s just get the house all packed. You take what you want, then you can go back to doing whatever it is you’ve been doing.”
“Fine,” said Amy as she left the room.
Katherine kept track of the time by the light that forced its way in through half-closed shutters. Box after box was packed. So determined to get as much done as possible, she hardly noticed the fading light. When she could see her breath, she rubbed her hands together and called out to Amy, “Are you ready to leave?”
Amy came into the living room. “Sure. I got a lot done in there.”
The street that had been empty just a few hours earlier was busier, as more cars pulled into their driveways. A man took his toddler from a mini-van and the chatter of nearby children could be heard in the distance.
***
As they walked up the stairs to the apartment, Katherine saw that her door was ajar.
“Stop,” she said to Amy. “Go downstairs, see if anyone’s in the maintenance of
fice.”
Amy wasted no time asking why.
Slowly Katherine walked into the apartment. The living room was a mess, couch cushions strewn about and drawers pulled out of the end tables, their contents littering the floor. She could see that even the kitchen had been assaulted - drawers were lying on the floor, and silverware was strewn all over the counter. Katherine felt as if she were in an elevator that had unexpectedly dropped a floor. When a man wearing a mask came out of her bedroom, she felt a scream rise in her throat, but nothing came out. She was standing between him and the doorway; he pushed her aside roughly and ran past, down the stairs, and out the front door.
Katherine could feel pain in her hands where moments before she’d felt nothing. She’d gripped her keys so tight, they’d cut her palm. She went downstairs, where Amy was standing alone in the maintenance office. They walked out into the lobby, and just then a man burst in, sweaty and breathing heavily. Both women took a step back - for all they knew, this could be the same person who’d just been in the apartment. Then Katherine recognized the man. It was Jack, the new maintenance guy. Katherine and Amy followed him back into the office.
“I saw that guy rush from the building,” he said. “I tried to catch him, but no luck.” He quickly called the police.
Katherine was visibly shaken. Jack guided her to a desk chair. He sat across from her and rolled his chair so close that his knees touched hers. She backed up a little, forgetting for a split-second why she was there.
“You all right?” he asked, concerned.
Amy walked over to Katherine. It hadn’t been her apartment, so naturally she wasn’t as shaken up as Katherine was. “Come on,” she said. “Let’s go up. See if anything’s missing.”
“Maybe you should wait until the police arrive?” said Jack.
“We’ll be fine. We won’t touch anything,” answered Amy.
***
While Amy inspected her room, a police officer arrived, followed by a detective. Katherine stifled a smile, thinking of a line from an ’80s movie. Does Barry Manilow know you raid his wardrobe? But then she recognized him.
“Ms. O’Brian, I’m Detective Spencer.”
“I remember you,” Katherine said stiffly. She would forever associate this detective with fear, anxiety, and exhaustion. She hadn’t forgotten his interrogation and having to tell him over and over what she’d seen or, rather, hadn’t seen, the night the woman had been killed.
“Is there anything missing?” asked Detective Spencer.
“It’s too soon to tell for sure,” answered Katherine. “But it doesn’t look like it. At any rate, he wasn’t carrying anything when he ran out. Are you still working that murder from down the street?”
Detective Spencer looked up from the notepad he held.
“I can’t really discuss an ongoing investigation.”
“Sure, but I was there. Can’t you tell me anything?”
He smiled, snapped the notepad shut and walked toward the apartment door. “Do you still have my card, Ms. O’Brian?”
“Yes.”
“Good. I’ll be going now.”
Katherine shut the door, thinking, that guy is such an ass.
Chapter Fifteen
Friday morning, while cleaning up the messy apartment, Amy asked, “Are you going to move?”
Katherine was in the kitchen, sweeping. At Amy’s question, she stopped. “Move? Why would I move? No way, I just got everything the way I like it.”
“Well, first someone gets murdered barely three blocks from you—yes, I heard about that—and then someone breaks in. Don’t you think you should at least consider moving?”
Katherine almost told Amy about what she’d seen that night. She knew if she had someone to talk to about it, she’d feel better. But instead she just said “Nope. One thing had nothing to do with the other.”
“I haven’t been back long,” said Amy, “but I did talk to a friend of mine. Remember Joy? She works at the same company as Jeanette Churchill, the murder victim. Nobody’s been told anything officially, but they’ve heard rumors.”
“And?”
Amy walked into the kitchen. She bent down and held the dust pan for Katherine. “Joy said she’d heard they already have a suspect in her death, but no arrest. So back to you moving out. You should move into Mom and Dad’s house.”
Katherine stiffened. She would never stay at that house. She’d rather be homeless. Just like that, the atmosphere in the room went from halfway friendly to an arctic freeze.
Chapter Sixteen
Sunday afternoon Scott drove back to Reno. He got there around two o’clock and decided to stop at Starbucks for some cocoa. He’d just sat down when Katherine walked through the door. She was dressed in paint-stained sweat pants and a t-shirt. He knew she’d seen him, though it was clear she hoped he wouldn’t see her. She was even hiding behind a newspaper. No way was he passing up this opportunity. He tried not to smile—it wasn’t easy—as he walked up to the counter and looked down at her. She was looking away from him and still holding the paper up, as if that was going to help.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said.
Katherine slowly raised her eyes. “Aw damn,” she said, putting the paper onto the counter.
Scott was chuckling now. “I have the funniest feeling of deja vu. Seem to recall seeing you here once before.”
Katherine groaned. “Ahh, you did recognize me.”
“Recognize you? I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me.”
Katherine looked uncomfortable, remembering Scott in a dress. “I did, I just didn’t want to say anything. I wasn’t sure if I should.”
Scott laughed. Katherine looked at him like he was crazy.
“What’s so funny?”
“You. Just so you know, when you saw me I’d been out all night.”
“And?”
“And I’d been to a Halloween party.”
“Of course you had. I knew that.”
Scott shook his head. “Sure you did. Anyway, I got together with some friends from home, and we dressed up and acted like goofballs. I went as a showgirl.”
“Well, you looked stunning,” teased Katherine.
“I was going to go as Fabio, but the guys said I didn't quite have the bod.” Scott puffed out his chest and pretended to flex his muscles.
“I think they didn't want to suffer by comparison.”
“Yes, I'm sure that was it.”
“Next year I'm going as Liza Minnelli. What about you, did you do anything?”
“No, I bought some candy, some of which I actually handed out. Other than that I stayed in.”
Scott looked at Katherine’s sweat pants and t-shirt. “Do you always look this good when you go out in public?”
“Nonfat café mocha,” Katherine told the barista, and then turned to Scott. “Ha ha, you’re hilarious. I don’t usually dress up for errands.”
Katherine allowed herself to be lead toward two chairs.
“What are you up to today?” asked Scott.
“I’m supposed to help my sister with packing.”
“Think she’d get mad if you hung out with me instead?”
It wasn’t always easy to do the smart thing. She’d been alone for nearly a year, and she hadn’t been with a man in way longer than that. She didn’t care whether Amy would mind or not, but she answered, “Yes, she’d mind - she’s already there. Sorry, I’ll have to take a rain check.” Katherine went to the counter for her order; on her way out, she paused by Scott’s table, but didn’t sit again. “I’ll see you tomorrow night in class.”
Katherine sped over to the house, interested to see Amy’s progress. When she walked in, she was surprised to see at least four more boxes filled, and couldn’t help wondering how much Amy had already decided she’d be keeping for herself. Amy looked sweaty and worn out. She was bent over a box when Katherine came in.
“Wow, you got a lot done,” said Katherine.
Amy stood and stretched. “It wasn�
��t so bad. I listened to music while I did it. Got most of the kitchen done, all the books in here. Did a lot.”
Amy’s eyes followed Katherine’s toward their parents’ room.
“No, I didn’t do their room. I won’t go in there.”
”It’s going to have to be done sooner or later. And I can’t do it alone.”
Amy turned back to the box she’d been packing. “You won’t have to,” she said, “but it doesn’t have to be today, right?”
Katherine grabbed a box and started packing. “No, I guess not.” she answered.
Chapter Seventeen
Christian held the yellow-flowered curtain back from the window over the kitchen sink. Teddy was just putting bratwurst on the grill and Sophia was introducing everyone to a friend of hers; he hoped she wasn’t another setup for him. Once Sophia had found Teddy a wife - Mimi, a sweet, pint-sized Italian girl - she’d made it her mission to find one for Christian, too. When he saw Sophia and the girl walking toward the screen door, he hurried out of the room.
He appreciated Sophia’s good intentions, but he’d had enough of dating for a while. There was one woman he still hadn’t gotten off his mind. They’d dated for three years, but she’d wanted more. That was what she’d said. Marriage wasn’t enough for her—she wanted more.
Christian sat on the couch next to someone’s kid.
“What’s this?” he asked, pointing at the television.
“It’s MTV, music television.”
“A channel just for music, nothing else?”
“Yeah.”
“Well that’ll never last.”
He picked up a frame from the end table. In it was a picture of him, Sophia, and Teddy when they were still in their twenties. Teddy didn’t look older than 25 or so, but sometimes it was hard to tell. Teddy never aged. He’d been short and chubby as a kid, tall and skinny in his twenties, and now, at nearly 40, he was back to being, as he liked to say, pleasantly plump. Teddy blamed Mimi. He said the woman lived to fatten him up. One thing was for sure: nobody would ever doubt that the baby Mimi held on her hip was Teddy’s. They had the same chubby cheeks.
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