CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT: In the Land of Oz
Harold took Andie back to the hotel. He didn’t want the risk of running into Marlena and Andie was still feeling bad about the news report from earlier – the alcohol didn’t help either. As Andie lay on the bed, Harold began to give her a full body massage. Her mood was changing to Harold’s advantage.
Debbie and Marlena started bar hopping. As long as they didn’t run into anybody named Tony, Marlena knew they would be okay. She knew Debbie was a ticking time bomb. She wasn’t sure whether to tell her about seeing Harold.
Benny was still hyped-up. He went up to Tony Brunella, ready to stand his ground. Tony was still in the same spot, but Julie wasn’t there.
“Where’s Julie?” asked Benny.
“She went looking for you,” said Tony.
“Well, it’s a good thing for you, bucko,” said Benny.
“And just what do you mean by that, pretty boy?”
“It means that I’m getting the heck out of here,” said Benny, as he took off from his spot. He searched around the fountain, checked the piano bar, and even peeked inside the ladies room. There was no sign of Julie. He ran out the front door and headed for Bourbon Street.
Nick walked into Tropical Isle, a bar about a block away from Pat O’Brien’s. He noticed a beautiful lady wearing a baseball cap and dark sunglasses at the bar.
“Have you seen a guy about five-foot eight, brown hair, wearing a blue Polo shirt and khakis?” she asked the bartender.
“You seem to have lost somebody,” Nick said to her.
“Yeah, I lost my boyfriend,” said the lady.
“Can I buy you a drink while you’re looking?”
“You might as well. It looks like I’m in for a long night. I don’t have any idea where he went off to.”
“Well, maybe I can help you find him,” said Nick, who was feeling the effect of the alcohol.
“I doubt it. It’s pretty crowded out here. He could be anywhere.”
“You look familiar,” said Nick.
“Now that’s the oldest pick-up line in the book.”
“No, really. I’m definitely not trying to pick you up. I’m supposed to be looking for myself.”
“Well, when you find him, let me know. I need to get going. God, it sure is hot in here.” The lady took off her baseball cap and let her hair down.
“It might be easier to find this guy if you took off your sunglasses,” said Nick.
“I guess you’re right,” said the lady. As she took off the dark glasses, she recognized Nick. They had met in a strip club five years earlier. Nick had given her the most money she had ever received for a table dance. Nick figured out who she was, or at least he thought he did.
“Oh, my God - you’re Cheryl Anderson,” said the inebriated Nick.
Julie smiled and said, “Yeah, that’s it. I’m Cheryl Anderson. Whatever you say, Nick.”
“I haven’t seen you since high school, and you still remember my name. Damn, you look great. You look like you haven’t aged a bit since high school.”
“Well, thank you. Now, I really need to be going.”
“Your breasts sure got a lot bigger,” said Nick.
“I really need to go…”
“Are you still a lesbian?”
“What?” asked Julie.
“Because the gay bars are a few blocks down the street, if you’re looking for them. Is that guy you’re looking for gay, too?”
“It’s been nice talking to you. I need to find Benny.” Julie scampered out the front door.
“Why would Cheryl Anderson be looking for Benny?” Nick asked himself. Suddenly, he remembered something the old lady said to him: “You are about to have your present life mixed with your past. It will deeply confuse you. You will have to seek answers from your deeper past.”
“You look confused, Nick,” said the observant bartender.
“How do you know my name?” asked Nick. He wasn’t ready for another psychic showdown.
“I just heard that girl call you Nick so it’s safe to say that’s your name,” he answered. Nick nodded his head in agreement. He looked closer at the bartender and noticed something familiar.
“Do I know you?” asked Nick.
“Of course you do. It’s me - Bart. Would do want to drink?”
“Right – Bart,” said Nick trying to save himself embarrassment. He ordered a Hand Grenade, the house special.
“I’ll see you later,” Nick said.
“I’m sure you will,” said Bart. Nick blew off that comment then went up the stairs to the balcony, where he had a good view of Bourbon Street. It was a little quieter up there, giving more time to think about things. He looked down and saw Debbie and Marlena walk right underneath him. He looked across the street and saw Benny screaming for Julie. He saw the girl he thought was Cheryl Anderson run up to Benny and give him a hug. A car splashed a puddle of water on them as it sped by. What in the hell is in these drinks? he thought. He glanced towards the river. He had a view of the backside of the St. Louis Cathedral. There he saw a three-story tall shadow of Touchdown Jesus, which was nicknamed by locals because the out-stretched arm pose resembles a referee signaling the six-point play. The shadow was cast from a statue on the ground with floodlights, but Nick didn’t know the difference. He took all of this as a sign.
Meanwhile, Gerome Elderberry exited his taxi in front of Jackson Square, located in front of the St. Louis Cathedral. He began his search for Nick.
“Are you feeling any better?” Harold asked Andie.
“Much,” said Andie. “I think I’ll go change. Would you do me a favor?”
“Sure. What is it?”
“Could you make a few calls and find out what happened to Mr. Wainwright?”
“No problem. You go in there and change. I’ll find out everything.” He made a call to Peter while Andie went into the bathroom. “Hey, it’s me. What’s going on?”
“Where have you been?” screamed Peter. “I’ve been paging you for three hours.”
“I didn’t bring my pager with me,” said Harold. “What’s the problem?”
“I’ll tell what’s the goddamn problem. They found the plane – with bodies on board.”
“What were bodies doing on board?”
“You tell me.”
“How could they find it so fast? Wasn’t it supposed to crash off the coast?”
“It crashed on the coast.”
“Were the bodies identifiable?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, shit.” said Harold.
“Damn right, oh shit,” said Peter. “Carlos is going to go ballistic when he finds out. He’s already upset that you stood up his niece tonight.”
“I thought she went back to San Diego this morning?”
“She changed her mind. She wanted to spend the weekend with you. I told him you had to leave town on business for tonight, but promised to have you back first thing in the morning.”
“That’s impossible. I can’t leave here. Andie will not forgive me if I did something like that.”
“I already sent the jet to pick you up at the Lakefront Airport for five o’clock.”
“In the morning?”
“Yes, in the morning. Make up some excuse to Andie and be here in the morning to pick up Gina. We don’t want Carlos more upset than he already is when he finds out about the bodies.”
“You are really pushing me to the limit, Peter.”
“We made a deal, Rogers. You better live up to it. Pick up Gina at eight o’clock. She’s expecting you to spend the whole day with her.”
“You are being totally out of line here, Grimes,” said Harold. “You can’t expect me to leave here at five o’clock in the morning. It’s already ten-thirty and we haven’t even…”
“I’ll give you sixteen good reasons, Rogers.”
“You wouldn’t.”
“Don’t push me. Carlos would love to hear about that, wouldn’t he?”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good.” Peter hung up the phone. Andie walked out the bathroom just as Harold was hanging up. She was wearing the same sexy outfit as earlier.
“What did you find out about Mr. Wainwright?”
Harold’s eyes weren’t as receptive to Andie’s seductive attire.
“I’m afraid I have some bad news.”
“Is he dead?” Andie put her hands to her face, waiting to her terrible news.
“Actually, that’s not the news I was going to tell you. It seems that Mr. Wainwright wasn’t even on the plane.”
“What, is he missing?”
“I’m not sure, but I have to get back home first thing in the morning.”
“Why do you have to go? What could you possibly do that couldn’t wait until we get back on Sunday?” She was furious.
“Well, Peter needs me back to take care of business while he finds out what happened to Mr. Wainwright.”
“This is crazy. He is depending on you for way too much. He needs to learn how to do things for himself. I hate him.”
“I’m sorry, Andie.” He tried to give her a hug.
“You’re not actually going, are you?” She pulled away from the hug attempt.
“It’s my job. I don’t have any choice.”
Andie ran back into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later wearing her regular clothes.
“Why don’t you go downstairs to the front desk, and see if you can find yourself another room?”
“You’re kidding,” said the stunned Harold.
“Hell no, I’m not. If I’m not important enough for you to stay the entire weekend, you can leave right now. You don’t have to wait until morning.”
Harold started to put his shirt back on. He looked at Andie, who even looked sexier when she was angry. He stared at his suitcase then back at her.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he said, as he grabbed his suitcase. “I will make this up to you. I promise.”
Andie turned her head as he tried to give her a kiss.
Debbie and Marlena muddled around the French quarter. They realized that to make their flight, they needed to get to bed. They took a cab back to the Hilton and walked through the front lobby. Marlena saw Harold trying to get another room. Debbie looked at Harold and stopped.
“Am I drunk, Marlena?” she asked.
“I’d say you’re way on the other side of tipsy,” said Marlena.
“I’m glad, because that man over there looks just like the son-of-a-bitch who just fired me.” Harold froze as he recognized the familiar voice. He didn’t dare turn around.
“Keep your voice down, Deb. We don’t want to get thrown out. Besides, there is no way that man is your ex-boss.”
“Well, lucky for him,” said Debbie, “Because if it was, I’d go over there and kick his ass.”
“Let’s just get you to bed, honey,” said Marlena, as she steered Debbie to the elevator. She looked over her shoulder and saw Harold sneak a peek at them. She flipped him the finger.
“Maybe I should try another hotel,” Harold told Damien, who was still on duty.
As he walked out the front door, a cab stopped in front of him. Julie and Benny came out of it.
“It’ll only take me a few minutes to change” Julie said to Benny, as they walked in front of Harold. Benny turned around and glanced at Harold.
“That guy looks exactly like Andie’s new boyfriend,” said Benny.
Julie grabbed his hand. “Please don’t start that again. Let’s just hurry up and get into some fresh clothes so we can get back to the Quarter.”
Debbie was feeling a little lightheaded so Marlena left the room to get a Coke for her. Benny and Julie stepped off the elevator as Marlena walked by. Benny turned his head and looked.
“That girl looks…”
“That’s enough, darling,” said Julie. She put her card in the slot to open their room door.
“But she looks just like the girl at Balls and Burgers,” said Benny, as Julie pulled him into the room. Debbie heard Benny’s voice. She jumped off the bed and opened her door at the same time Benny closed his. Marlena was coming back with the Coke.
“What are you doing out here?” asked Marlena.
“I swear I just heard Benny talking about Balls and Burgers.”
“Get back in there, sweetie. You’ve had a long day.”
“That’s Debbie’s voice,” said Benny. He opened his door the same moment Marlena closed theirs.
“Sweetheart, you are going nuts. I don’t think I’m the one doing it to you,” said Julie. “Come on, let’s change.” She took off her sweatshirt and Benny went wild at the sight of her black bra-covered breasts. In an instant, he forgot why he was going crazy.
“God, that couple next door sure is noisy,” said Marlena.
“Tony used to make me scream like that,” said Debbie. She started sobbing.
“Oh, come on. It’ll be okay,” said Marlena, as she got out of her bed and crawled into Debbie’s. She hugged Debbie until she stopped crying and fell asleep. Marlena was also feeling the alcohol. She fell asleep right next to Debbie.
Why didn’t I pack my vibrator? Andie thought to herself. That couple next door is doing exactly what I should be doing. Maybe I was too hard on Harold. After all, it’s his job and he has to follow orders. She heard the muffled sound of Julie screaming, Yes, yes – YES! She thought the same thing to herself.
“Damn it, I didn’t bring a handsome man all the way to New Orleans just to kick him out of my room,” she said out loud. She threw on some clothes and went to the lobby.
Elderberry turned the corner onto Bourbon Street just as Nick was getting into a cab. The cab drove in front of him, but he didn’t notice Nick. He walked into several clubs and bars looking for Nick. He flashed a picture but nobody would admit they saw him. When he made it to the east end of Bourbon Street, he found himself walking into the Pub, a gay bar. He confronted the bartender.
“I’m looking for this man. Have you seen him?”
The bartender smiled at him. “Maybe. What’s in it for me?”
“You’ll have the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping a law enforcement official track down a suspected killer.”
“You’re a beautiful man.”
“Thank you, now have you seen him or not?”
“My name’s Jude. What’s yours?”
“I’m Lieutenant Gerome Elderberry of the New Lake City Homicide Department.”
“I think I have seen him. I saw him go into Oz, that club across the street. Talk to Keith. He’ll hook you up.”
“Thank you very much,” said Elderberry, as he left to go to Oz. Jude got on the phone.
“Hey, Keith. You got a real pretty one about to walk into your front door.”
“Thanks,” said Keith, the head bartender. He motioned the stripper to get down from the bar. “Jude said there’s a good one about to come in. Plant a big one on him.”
As Elderberry walked in, the stripper went right to him and laid a big kiss right on his lips.
“Just what in the hell are you doing?” screamed Elderberry.
“Come with me behind the bar. I’m Robby,” said the stripper. Elderberry thought it might be some kind of underground contact to find Nick, so he went along with it.
“Are you the contact to help me find Pel-tire?”
“Whatever you say, gorgeous,” said Robby.
He gave Elderberry a shot of Crown Royal. “This’ll loosen you up.”
“For what?”
Robby started taking off Elderberry’s clothes. “Trust me, just go with it,” he said.
“What in the goddamn hell are you doing?” asked the startled Gerome.
“This will help you find any man your heart desires. Drink your shot.”
Elderberry was exhausted from the traveling, lack of sleep, and the relentless pursuit of Nick.
“Oh, what the hell.” He drank the Crown Royal. “Give me another one.” He was down to his silk boxers
as he drank his second shot.
Robby pushed him up on the bar and hollered, “Just shake what you got, baby.” The boys in the club went wild when they saw Elderberry on the bar in his boxers. He was still nervous so he screamed for another shot. Keith gave him the bottle and Gerome started sucking it down as the crowd went wild. He was thrilled with the attention and started moving to the music. A star was born.
Nick’s cab pulled up to the Hilton. He walked through the lobby and saw Andie at the front desk.
“So you have no idea what hotel he went to?” she asked Damien.
“I’m sorry ma’am,” Damien remarked. Andie strolled back across the lobby to the elevator. Nick was leaning against the piano in the lobby while he watched Andie get into the elevator.
“That’s a pretty lady you’re looking at,” said the piano player.
“She’s beautiful,” said Nick. He turned to look at the piano player.
“Yes?” he asked.
“Yes, what?” asked Nick.
“Do you have a request?”
“No.”
“So why are you just staring at me?”
“I figure if I look at you long enough, you’ll turn into somebody from my past, too. That’s all I’ve been seeing tonight.”
“That doesn’t sound like a request.”
“It’s not.”
“That doesn’t even sound sane,” said the piano player.
“Right now, I don’t think I am.”
“Let me just pick a song for you,” said the keyboardist. He started playing How Deep is Your Love, a Bee Gees song from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack. A little tear started to flow from Nick’s eye.
“That’s Andie’s favorite song,” he said to himself. “God, I hate that song.”
The Devil's in My Bathroom Page 39