Always a Kicker

by Jeff Zwagerman

  He walked through the lobby. No one was at the front desk. No explanations would be needed. Zander looked around the lobby and noticed that it had some very nice furniture with dark woodwork and a huge crown molding. This was a place Zander couldn’t afford so he enjoyed looking and taking everything in. Zander failed to notice the woman in the corner by the fireplace, however. She was reading a book but her eyes were on Zander.

  Zander headed toward the door marked “Stairs”. He opened the door and took the steps two at a time.

  The woman looked after Zander for a moment and then went back to reading her book.

  Zander found room 232 and slipped the key into the lock. As he entered the room, he could hear the shower running in the bathroom. The room was actually three rooms, a bathroom, a sitting area with a bar and a bedroom. Zander could see a little cardboard sign on the bar that said, “Welcome To Our Junior Suite”.

  The bathroom door was partly open but Zander knocked and said:

  “Your local bartender is here and at your service.”

  “Excellent,” Lilly said over the running water, “grab two beers from the bar and join me.”

  Zander liked the idea immediately. He went to the bar refrigerator and picked out two Heinekens, popped the caps and started taking off his clothes. He had everything off at the bar and then walked to the bathroom in his black boxer briefs and the two beers.

  It was a huge shower, big enough for a basketball team. He could see the top half of Lilly through the glass panels. Her bottom half was covered by the tiles that went up the side of the shower to about waist high.

  Lilly was beautiful. Even with her hair wet. Her breasts were full and perfect and standing at attention. Zander was standing at attention as well. He wriggled out of his boxers and handed Lilly a beer through the walk-in entrance. Lilly pulled him into the shower by his arm.

  They stood under the huge showerhead enjoying the cascading water while drinking their beers and fondling each other. Lilly set her beer down and squeezed a large amount of shower gel into her hands. She soon had Zander all lathered up and was exploring every inch of his body with her hands. Zander paid her the same service. He could see that he wasn’t going to last long.

  He hoisted Lilly above his hips and he was inside her immediately. He had been right. He didn’t last long and soon they were both rinsing off. Lilly put on a white terrycloth robe and handed another to Zander. He told her that he preferred a big bath towel instead. When they were almost dry, they walked back into the suite. Lilly sat at the bar and Zander took his usual position behind it.

  “Another beer?” he asked.

  “Yes, but make it a light.”

  Zander found a Miller light in the refrigerator. He opted for another Heineken. They sipped their beers in silence. After a time Lilly said:

  “I’m giving you fifteen minutes. You owe me a better performance than you showed in the shower.”

  “Agreed,” Zander said, “but it’s only going to take me ten.”

  He moved around the bar and took her into his arms and kissed her deeply. She opened her mouth. It wasn’t going to take him ten minutes after all.

  “Fire in the hole,” he whispered.

  “Let’s go,” Lilly breathed.

  She stood up and dropped the robe and then pulled off Zander’s towel.

  “Looks good,” she said.

  Then she grabbed his manhood and led him off to the bedroom. She threw off the covers with her free hand never letting him go. Then she turned around and dropped to her knees. She gave Zander a very good reason to hold her head while paying him some extreme lip service.

  Zander pulled her back up and picked her up and laid her on the bed gently and gave her a little lip service of his own. Zander hadn’t done anything like this in a long time.

  At five in the morning, both spent, they fell asleep. Only Zander merely pretended to sleep. He was too keyed up to try to sleep. When he thought Lilly was beyond waking, he got up quickly and went out to the bar. He finished the lukewarm beer and put on his clothes. He always hated waking up in someone’s bed he just met.

  He looked around at the room he could never afford and let himself out. He made sure the room key was on the bar before he closed the door quietly.

  The door had hardly had time to close when Lilly came out of the bedroom naked and not bothering to put on anything. She went right over to the phone near the bar. She picked it up and dialed 9 for an outside line. She dialed a number and after two rings, someone picked up the phone on the other end.

  “He just left. I’ll talk to you this afternoon. I need to get some sleep,” Lilly said quietly into the phone.

  She hung up the phone. Lilly felt a little sad and she didn’t really know why. She liked Zander. He was one of the good guys and they were getting fewer and harder to find.

  She hoped that all this wouldn’t end badly for him. She walked back to the bedroom and lay on the bed. She thought about the life she had gotten herself into and wondered how it would all turn out. If only she could have met someone like Zander years ago.

  She was still thinking about it when she suddenly sat straight up in the bed. Something wasn’t right. Was she this stupid or had she just given up caring.

  Lilly realized that she was being played and she didn’t like it. It was time to think this thing through. It was probably not going to end well for any of the players but especially herself. That was just not going to be acceptable.

  Someone had to end all of this. It might as well be her.

  13

  Frisco, Colorado—Thursday, August 29, 1985

  Zander got into his car and headed back to his cabin. He didn’t have to be to work until 11:00 so he could get four or five hours of sleep if he were lucky.

  He never noticed the car behind him because it had no headlights. It stayed back far enough not to be seen under the streetlights. When Zander turned off the road that led to his cabin, the car slowed and almost stopped, watching Zander’s car pull into the parking area next to his cabin.

  The car speeded up and when it had gone a few blocks, the headlights were turned back on, and it appeared to head down the road toward Frisco. It wasn’t long before the car disappeared into the black night of the mountains.

  *****

  Lilly had her bags packed before Zander had even left the parking lot. She decided to leave while she still could. She would take Route 9 south to Fairplay; continue south on 285 until she would turn west on 50. From there she would go to Montrose and stay with a friend until she could decide what to do. No matter what happened, she wasn’t going back to Denver or Colorado Springs again and she would stay off any highways that people would expect her to use.

  It was mountain dark as she headed her Volkswagen south out of Breckenridge. Lilly liked leaving in the blackness. She felt like she could disappear. With any luck, that would be the case.

  It was twenty-two miles to Fairplay. Once she got over Hoosier Pass, the trip would get much easier. When she reached Route 50, the sun was coming up. She turned right and headed west for Montrose. She handled the Monarch Pass switchbacks with relative ease. There would be no hurry, maybe a stop for breakfast, which would give her a chance to call her friend. She could be in Montrose some time after lunch.

  Lilly pulled off the road at a little trading post that was half convenience store and half café. It was early and there were a few locals having coffee and the day’s breakfast special. She turned a few heads when she walked in. Her short skirt and low cut top paired with her stiletto heels made her realize she might be over dressed or under dressed depending of one’s point of view. She would take care of that little problem after lunch.

  She ordered coffee and two eggs over easy. There was a pay phone in the corner and she thought about calling Zander but had no idea how to locate him. She would have to wait and try to connect with him after he went to work at The Bridge.

  After finishing breakfast, Lilly went into the trading post and bo
ught a pair of hiking shorts and matching kakis shirt. She also found some hiking boots and thick white Wigwam sox, carefully making sure to pay with cash. Her entire purchase was less than the price of her heels.

  She went to the rest room and changed into her new outfit. Her old clothes went into the bag and she was about to leave when an idea popped into her head. She went back into the café and not one of the men turned or even looked up from their breakfast. This was good. After putting down a few more dollars on her bill for a tip, she left.

  Somewhere just outside of Gunnison, she had a major revelation. Everyone knew her best friend lived in Montrose. When she didn’t show up, it would be the first place they would check. She realized that this action would put both their lives in danger. How could she be this stupid?

  Lilly stopped at the first gas station and asked if there were any quiet, out of the way places for rent. There were quite a few as it turned out. The station attendant recommended one north about halfway between Gunnison and Crested Butte. They would only take cash or a check. No credit cards. It sounded good and she turned onto route 135.

  Almont was a pretty little fork in the road and Lilly had no problem finding the small locally owned cabins. They were off the road and afforded the right amount of privacy.

  She rented a cabin for three nights and paid cash. Hopefully it would be enough time for her to come up with a better idea.

  *****

  Zander woke at 11:30 and would be late for work. He was still tired. He smiled and wondered if he would ever even hear from Lilly again.

  After his shower, he jumped in the T-Bird and took off for Frisco. He walked into the Branchwater right at noon. Jo looked at him and smiled.

  Zander hated to be late. He considered people who were late as having a character flaw. He had plenty of those but being late wasn’t one of them.

  “Jo, I am so sorry. I just over slept.”

  Jo laughed, “If you would stop chasing the skirts and get to bed on time, this wouldn’t happen.

  “Actually I was in bed at a reasonable time,” Zander countered.

  “But what time did you get up and go home?” Jo said with a twinkle in her eyes.

  She had him there so Zander went to the back bar and checked what needed to be restocked. It was still slow so Zander was able to get most of his prep work completed in just over an hour.

  The phone rang as he was finishing up and Zander was forced to pick it up because Jo was nowhere to be found. It was Audrey.

  “Zander, that drunk girl from last night is here and she says her friend is missing.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Audrey spoke to someone on her end of the line. Zander could hear them talking.

  “What’s your name, hon?” Audrey asked.

  Zander heard the other voice but couldn’t make out what she had said.

  “Zander, she says her name is Sherri and her friend’s name is Lilly,” Audrey said back into the phone.

  Zander said nothing.

  “Isn’t that the woman you had drinks with last night?” Audrey asked.

  “When I left her, she was in her room at the hotel,” Zander replied.

  “Well this woman says she is gone now. All her stuff is gone and she never checked out with the front desk. She’s really worried.”

  “I have no idea what happened to her. Tell Sherri, if I hear from her, I’ll call you or she can check tonight when I get back to The Bridge.”

  “Okay, see you tonight.” Audrey hung up.

  Zander thought it was strange. The conference didn’t end until Friday and Lilly hadn’t mentioned anything about leaving early. As he thought about it, she hadn’t mentioned much of anything about herself. He wondered if she had gotten some bad news in the middle of the night but then he remembered that he had been with her until shortly after five. It wasn’t adding up.

  Zander got to thinking about the whole evening. He probably shared more about himself then he normally did. That bothered him but it bothered him even more that he knew very little about Lilly other than she was here for the conference.

  He didn’t have time to think very long because some of the regulars started arriving and soon he was much too busy worry about anything else.

  *****

  Lilly had settled into her small cabin. She had gone to a liquor store up the road a bit and bought a few bottles of wine and a cute little wine glass. She liked drinking wine out of a long stemmed wine glass. She found some snacks and returned to the cabin. The two bottles of white went into the dorm size fridge. It was just a little cool in the mountain air so she opened a bottle of red. The label said Petite Syrah. She thought it was a bottle of plain Syrah when she picked it out. No matter, she liked most all the reds.

  The bottle was opened and both the bottle and the glass went out with her to the porch. She poured herself a large glass and sat back on one of the wooden chairs.

  It was beautiful here. She could hear a river on the other side of the trees as it pushed itself down the mountain. She sat there and enjoyed the wine and the pine smell until first bottle was finished. She fell asleep in the chair shortly after.

  It was past five when she woke up. She went into the cabin and splashed some water on her face to wake up. Then she filled a large glass with water from the tap and drank it down without stopping. Wine made her thirsty.

  After pulling a brush through her hair, she went off looking for a phone. She drove past the office and saw a drive–up pay phone on the edge of the parking area. The car went into reverse and she backed right up next to it. There were all kinds of quarters in her console and she reached in and pulled out a handful and put them in the cup holder. Then she found her address book and dialed the number to The Bridge. The operator told her to deposit the quarters and then someone answered on the other end.

  “Hello, The Bridge, how can I help you?”

  “I need to talk to Zander,” Lilly said.

  “Wait while I transfer you.”

  The phone went dead for what seemed like an eternity. Then, just as she wondered if she would have to call back, the voice came back on the line.

  “He just walked in. I’ll transfer you now.”

  The phone rang six times and Zander picked up.

  “Hello, this is Zander.”

  “This is Lilly.”

  “Lilly! What the hell! You’ve got people pretty worried. Where are you?”

  “Best if you don’t know. Listen, I’ve got something to tell you and please take me seriously.”

  “Okay,’” was all Zander got out before Lilly continued speaking.

  “I think you may be in some danger. I wasn’t totally honest with you last night,” Lilly said and stopped.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Zander asked with a bit of irritation.

  “I was sent to the bar to find out information about you.”

  “For whom?”

  “The people I work with. The name of the company is ‘Skip the Light Tanfastic.’ They have salons from Pueblo to Fort Collins.”

  “Why would they be interested in me?”

  “I don’t know. At first I thought it was just some harmless curiosity but it has started to concern me.”

  “So last night was you just following some business directive?” Zander asked showing even more irritation.

  “I am so very sorry. It started out that way but I was never supposed to take you to my room. That was all my doing. You seem like a good guy. That’s why I left. I don’t want to be involved in this stuff any more.”

  Zander was trying to make some sense of the conversation but there were just too many unknowns. He needed to sit down with Lilly and have her answer some questions.

  “Where are you? We need to meet and talk about this.”

  “I’ve said too much already. I’ll call you later when I think I’m safe.”

  The line went dead. Zander put the receiver down. He thought about what his next move should be now. He would ma
ke a few calls to some bartender friends and find out more about the “Tanfastic” place.

  So now he was hiring himself to do some background for a job. The problem was that it wasn’t going to pay very well.

  *****

  Lilly hung up quickly and rolled up her window. She made the short drive back to her cabin. She sat in the car for a few minutes trying to think of what she should do next. Leaving was probably not the smartest move. She needed more wine. After making sure the car doors were locked, she walked over and opened the door to the cabin. A woman was sitting at the table drinking Lilly’s wine from Lilly’s glass.

  Lilly froze in the doorway.

  “Come in and close the door,” the woman said without looking at Lilly.

  Lilly did what she was told.

  *****

  Zander made his phone calls. One of his friends in Pueblo knew of the place. A girl he dated tanned there for a while. He would try to find out more and get back to Zander.

  He found out from a friend in Denver that there was a chain of these salons all along I-25. He knew of at least ten, maybe more. It was more than a tanning facility; it was also a place to get a massage.

  “Massage? What kind of place are they running?” Zander asked getting more interested.

  “Legit as far as anyone knows. These gals are formally trained and all have completed the course work. The interesting part is that there are only females working there, no males in any of the shops as far as I know.”

  “Is that so unusual?” Zander wondered.

  “Wouldn’t a few of the women prefer a man?” his friend asked back.

  “I’d certainly prefer a woman,” Zander replied.

  “Exactly. That seems to have fueled some speculation it might be more than meets the eye. I’ve heard everything from prostitution to drugs being tossed around but its just rumor.”

  Zander thanked his friend for the information and hung up. It seemed to be an interesting turn of events. He might have to do some road tripping soon. Somehow he had to get in touch with Lilly first. Maybe she would call soon. He needed information but he had to be careful in the way he proceeded.