Now You See Me

by S. Y. Thompson

  Carson felt a little funny wandering around Erin’s home, but couldn’t stifle her curiosity. Erin had seemed not to mind, but Carson walked back to the living room anyway.

  Erin had gone the opposite direction from the living room and Carson guessed that led the way to the master bedroom and bathroom. There was really no need to explore that end of the apartment, and she decided instead to check out the kitchen. She had offered to make Erin something to eat.

  Granite islands in the kitchen matched the tile of the floor, and the appliances were stainless steel. Overall Carson found the place to be refined, and distinctive, yet elegantly conservative, not unlike Erin herself.

  A coffee maker took up residence on one corner of the counter and Carson checked the cabinets above for coffee and mugs. She found eggs, bread and jam in the refrigerator but little else. A quick look through the other cupboards and Carson knew Erin was telling the truth. Cooking was definitely not her strong suit.

  She doubted Erin could handle much right now and decided to make coffee, omelets and some toast. Perhaps that would be enough.

  ERIN WAS RUNNING on remote. Her eyes were grainy with exhaustion and nothing around her felt real. Since she had stepped onto the elevator with Carson, her mind had begun to grow numb to the things going on around her. Maybe it was normal. Her body had been running on adrenaline since the whole nightmare started last night, and now she just didn’t have anything left to give.

  In the elevator, Carson asked how she came to live in such a wondrous apartment building and Erin had been barely able to mutter something about her father wanting her to have it. She hadn’t been able to say that she missed her father, and the easy relationship they shared since he moved away. Not that she would tell that to just anyone anyway, but it was a struggle to share as much as she had.

  Erin couldn’t even think how out of character it was for the head of Delphi Technologies to be making such a concentrated effort to ensure her well-being, regardless of what they had experienced in the Holcomb Building. Most people would have cut and run as soon as the trauma was finished and she didn’t understand why Carson was still with her. All she did know was that when faced with the prospect of being left alone in the massive apartment, she couldn’t bear it. Erin swam up from her fog long enough to ask Carson to stay, even if only until she finished her shower.

  Images of Ed and the dead guards still played in her mind. Erin was irrationally afraid that without someone in the other room watching out for her, the killer would miraculously show up in her apartment and murder her while she was in the shower.

  She could speculate on what Carson’s motives were for agreeing to stay, but she was simply too tired to care right now.

  Erin walked numbly into the bathroom and quickly stripped her bloodied clothing from her body. The skirt and hose went directly into the trash before she stepped past the whirlpool tub and into the separate shower stall. She turned on the faucets and stepped under the water, gasping at the heat as it rained down on her. She braced her hands against the wall and lowered her forehead onto the cool tile, allowing the water to beat hard against her skull and flow across her body, as the tremors finally started.

  Tears streamed from her closed eyes to mingle unnoticed with the water before they flowed down the drain. Sobs tore from her chest as Erin grieved for the people who had died. She understood that this was a natural reaction to what she had experienced, and she simply couldn’t rein it in. The pain was too much and she gave into it until the sobs finally ceased and she couldn’t cry any more.

  The water was lukewarm by the time Erin pushed away from the wall and grabbed the bar of soap. She scrubbed until her skin was almost raw, convinced she would never get all of the blood off her hands and knees. Only after the water ran completely cold did Erin finally relent and step, shivering, out of the shower.

  She grabbed a huge towel from the warming rack and gratefully covered her body. Erin dried quickly before she wrapped the Egyptian cotton around herself and walked back into the bedroom. She dressed in sweats and heavy socks before she put on a heavy terry cloth robe.

  Erin knew that she was being silly, but she felt the need to cover herself from head to toe. In some primal way, she was ravaged by the violence she had witnessed and wanted nothing more than to hide from the rest of the world, even if only in this minute way.

  The smell of fresh coffee and eggs filled the apartment and reminded Erin that she still had a guest. Erin combed her hair briefly and then took a deep breath, like she was preparing to go into battle, ready to come face to face with the virtual stranger making herself at home in her kitchen.

  Erin walked into the room and noticed how natural Carson looked as she expertly slid an omelet from a fry pan onto a plate. A pile of toast sat on the counter with a full pot of coffee next to it.

  Carson turned around when she heard Erin and smiled softly. If she noticed Erin’s red and puffy eyes, she made no mention of it.

  “Feeling better?”

  Erin considered the question and dipped her head briefly. She was surprised that she did feel a little better after completely losing it in her shower. It helped that Carson, someone she was coming to trust completely, was in the apartment with her. She had never worried about being alone before, preferring her own company most of the time, but having Carson here made her feel safe.

  “Yes, I do, and thank you for staying for a while. I know how busy you must be.”

  Erin filled a cup of coffee and raised the hot beverage to her lips, blowing briefly to cool it before she took a sip.

  “It was no trouble. I wanted to make sure you had something to eat.”

  Carson picked up two plates and indicated that Erin should grab the toast. They took the food to the dining room and Erin saw that Carson had already set the table and had already carried her own coffee there.

  “You didn’t have any milk,” Carson said conversationally and sat down.“But I did find some sugar in the cupboard. I wasn’t sure what you take in your coffee.”

  Erin grimaced and then smiled. “I don’t buy milk. It just spoils before I can use it.”

  “So what do you take in your coffee?”

  “Nothing. Why spoil a perfectly good cup of black coffee?”

  Carson wrinkled her nose and reached for the sugar container. She added two teaspoons to her coffee and stirred, not seeing the skeptical look on her companion’s face.

  They ate slowly, and avoided the topic of what had brought them together. Carson seemed to be deliberately trying to keep the conversation light and bought up topics from weather, to current events, to the logistics of how she planned to move her company into the tenth floor.

  Erin was delighted to discover that Carson possessed a great sense of humor, it was an immensely dry one, but undeniable. By the time the meal was through, Erin had smiled more than she could remember doing in a long time and laughed aloud once. Carson’s eyes were the lightest blue and although her own smile wasn’t huge, it warmed Erin.

  So much for first impressions , she thought.

  Just spending time together made Erin feel a little more human and slowly the fog lifted from her brain. They finished their meal and she helped carry the dishes back to the kitchen and put them into the dishwasher. Finally, there were no more excuses to keep Carson around, and the first awkward moment came when it was time for her to leave.

  “Thank you, again,” Erin said nervously. “I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t...”

  “It’s all right,” Carson ignored the stammering and graciously reassured her. “I wanted to.”

  They stared at one another for a few precious moments before Carson started slightly. “Oh, I wanted to give you my number in case you need anything.”

  Erin was surprised but turned to the table next to the entryway. She retrieved a pen and pad and watched Carson write down her home as well as her cell phone numbers.

  “Give me a call, day or night, if you need anything.” Carson
gave her another smile and then she was gone.

  The door closed and quiet descended all around her. It was as though all life had left the room along with Carson and Erin sighed heavily. A quick look at the clock told her it was almost six, and even though it was early in the day, she knew she needed some sleep. She would feel better after she got a little rest.

  Chapter Six

  CARSON JERKED AWAKE with a bitten off scream, and then lay panting for a few minutes as her heartbeat reluctantly slowed. Sweat dried on her skin and cooled her flushed face.

  The digital display on the bedside alarm read eleven o’clock. Carson ran shaking hands across her face as she blew out a ragged breath. She had tossed and turned most of the night, and when she finally fell into an exhausted sleep, it was to dream of dark, sinister figures bent on her destruction. In the dream, she ran through a maze with no way out. She could feel the killer’s breath on her neck and her feet were heavy, as if caught in quicksand, pulling her down relentlessly as she struggled to escape.

  She stared at the ceiling, as her thoughts swirled with questions about the killer.

  Why was he in the Holcomb Building? How had he managed to get the drop on not one, but three security guards who were within ten feet of one another? What sort of person could mercilessly kill all of those people?

  They were questions Carson might never know the answer to, and she decided to be happy that she and Erin had escaped relatively unharmed.

  Philosophical was something Carson didn’t do very well in the morning, especially after an almost sleepless night. She stumbled out of bed, half dragging the covers with her and walked in the general direction of the shower. Sleep-mussed, long blonde hair hung down in front of her face and obscured her vision. With only one eye cracked open, it hardly made a difference, and she stepped onto the cool tiles.

  She wore a long sleep shirt that came to just above her knees and she stripped it off, carelessly dropping it to the floor before she fumbled with the shower controls. When the water was comfortably hot, Carson stepped under the spray and let it wash away the rest of her nightmares.

  More awake when she emerged, her thoughts turned to Erin and Carson wondered how she had fared. Did she get any sleep at all? There was no doubt she was tough, but no one was indestructible and she’d seen the cracks in Erin’s armor as they started to appear.

  Carson did her best to make Erin laugh when they shared breakfast together, and even though she was somewhat successful, she still remembered the haunted look in the sable eyes that never completely went away. She doubted that it would for a very long time.

  She dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved flannel shirt before making coffee. Easing out the back door, she took the brew out on the porch where she could sit and look down toward the duck pond. The air was frigid and the pond frozen, but even the desolate landscape was a reprieve from the dead eyes of the security guards. She heaved a frustrated sigh.

  If it’s this hard for me, how much harder is it for her? She really knew these people.

  Overcome with sudden worry, Carson walked back into the house and to the overcoat she had discarded the day before. Erin’s business card was in her pocket. She had slipped it there when Erin handed it to her on the elevator. She had forgotten it until now.

  Torn between the desire to check on Erin or give her some space Carson tapped the card against her lips for a few moments.

  Keep things light, she thought. It’s just a friendly call to check on her, and then I’ll leave her alone.

  Carson picked up the cordless phone and dialed the number before she could talk herself out of it. Erin answered on the second ring and Carson shuddered when she heard the familiar husky tones.

  “Hello?”

  “Erin? It’s Carson. I hope I didn’t wake you.”

  To her relief, Erin chuckled. “Not even. I’ve been up for hours.”

  “Couldn’t sleep, huh?” Carson smiled in understanding, suddenly glad she had taken the chance and called.

  “Not very well. I...I just kept seeing Manny and the others. Every time I fell asleep, the nightmare would start all over again. I imagine that’s normal, all things considered. I’m fine, really.”

  Carson thought of the injured security guard and tried to focus on something positive. “At least we know he’ll recover. That’s something.”

  “True. He was very lucky that he only suffered a concussion.”

  The conversation began to grow awkward and neither seemed to know what to say after that. “Yes, well...I just wanted to see how you were doing,” Carson finally stammered.

  Erin hesitated on the other end and then suddenly blurted out, “Did you have any plans for the day?”

  Carson never expected that and quickly considered her answer. “There’s a new exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum that I wanted to see.” She had a feeling how much it had cost Erin to imply she didn’t want to be alone and didn’t want to make the proud woman beg. “I would prefer not to go alone.”

  Erin’s answer was almost immediate. “The new Japanese exhibition?”

  “Yes, it’s called Flowing Streams. There are paintings from all ages that portray the phases of life alongside creeks and rivers.”

  “I’d love to tag along. Would you like me to pick you up?”

  Carson shook her head slightly and tried to keep up with the conversation. She wouldn’t mind showing Erin her home, but there was no reason for her to drive out to Carson’s house and then have to drive back into downtown Chicago. The museum was only a short distance from The Bernardin.

  “It would probably be better if I picked you up. I live out near Lake Michigan past Wrigley Field.”

  “Oh, all right.”

  Erin sounded disappointed and Carson smirked unseen across the phone connection. She’d already figured out that Erin hated to relinquish control of any kind, but she couldn’t deny the practicality.

  “It’s twelve now. What time should I pick you up?”

  “Is two o’clock too early?”

  “Not at all,” Carson returned. “I’ll meet you in the lobby at two.”

  After a few more pleasantries, they hung up. Carson turned away from the phone with a smile, happy that she had given in to the impulse to call Erin. Then she looked down at her attire and grimaced. The exhibit would be an exclusive showing not open to the general public. She could hardly rub elbows with Chicago’s elite in jeans and a flannel shirt.

  Oh well, she thought. It’s worth having to dress up a little to spend time with Erin.

  Carson settled on a dark blue pantsuit with a cream linen shirt. Tiny satin buttons closed the shirt and she left the top one undone. She wore low, black leather boots because she liked the supple feel of the well-worn material and appreciated how they glinted in the light.

  Rather than have her hair up in its customary severe bun or pulled back into a ponytail, she left it down and brushed it until it shone like spun gold. Carson disdained the use of makeup but fastened tiny pearl earrings in her pierced ears before she was satisfied with her appearance.

  Carson glanced quickly out the bedroom window to check the weather. It wasn’t raining or snowing, but the day was very overcast. Fog drifted from the ground to obscure the roads, and the tree branches looked dead and brittle. A winter breeze tossed the limbs into chaos, a testament to how strong it was blowing. Condensation beaded in the center of the window and she shivered unconsciously from the perceived cold.

  She finally left her house to pick Erin up. In keeping with the winter conditions, traffic on the freeway moved at a crawl. Finally, Carson turned onto Erin’s street and anticipation turned abruptly into a brief case of nerves.

  This is ridiculous. She wants to see me. She asked if I had plans, for heaven’s sake.

  At one fifty-five, Carson pulled up in front of the luxury apartment building and double-parked. Pulling her overcoat closer, she tucked her chin into the neckline and walked quickly toward the large glass doors. A door attendant with a fac
e ruddy from the cold nodded politely and opened the door for her.

  He didn’t speak and Carson thought it likely that his vocal cords had frozen from the chill wind. How could he stand being in that frigid weather on a continual basis?

  Because traffic had been so heavy, Carson only needed to wait a couple of minutes for Erin to meet her in the lobby. Even then, she couldn’t bring herself to sit, instead pacing nervously across from the elevator banks. Each time the doors opened, she looked up eagerly expecting to see Erin walk toward her. Finally she was there and when she looked across the room and their eyes met, Carson’s heart took one, slow deliberate thump before it kicked back in at an accelerated pace.

  Erin was breathtaking.

  She wore a black turtleneck and black slacks that tapered at her slim hips before they flared gently around her ankles. Dark hose and low-slung flats covered her feet. Diamonds shone from Erin’s small ears and a solitary diamond pendant rested gently between her breasts. The gems sparkled in the overhead lights and rivaled the glint in her deep brown eyes. A blood red overcoat set off the wardrobe and highlighted the fire in Erin’s red hair.

  For one crazy minute, Carson thought things had gone into slow motion. Erin seemed to take an eternity to cross the room, until she blinked and then Erin was suddenly beside her. Carson was only more intoxicated as she inhaled the perfumed scent that wafted gently from Erin’s body.

  Carson wanted to offer an arm chivalrously and had to remember that this wasn’t a date, no matter how she might wish otherwise.

  “You look...beautiful.”

  She thought the halting words were inane but Erin didn’t seem to notice. She smiled and her eyes crinkled a little before she laughed in pleased delight. Red lipstick glistened on the curve of her lips and Carson noticed that she even wore a little eye shadow and mascara.

  “Thanks. You clean up pretty good yourself.”

  Carson’s mind was in a whirl. Erin looked as though she had dressed to kill and Carson wondered if maybe she had missed something. Did Erin always dress like this when she went out in public, or was this a date? She didn’t think it was. They didn’t know one another well enough for that, and Erin couldn’t know of Carson’s suppressed feelings.