Forty-Four Box Set, Books 1-10 (44) (108 page)

Kate suddenly slapped her mug down on the table next to me.

“But did you see that?” she said, looking at the screen and then at me.

She pointed it out, and I was struck with a feeling of dread.

Three words were written in italics underneath the St. Charles presentation.

“With Special Guest.”

CHAPTER 15

It was late by the time we said goodnight. My thoughts wouldn’t let up, so after Kate went off to bed I scrubbed the kitchen, organized the pantry, and then went out and watched a little television.

I found a Gregory Peck movie on TCM. He played a sea captain who went out West. It didn’t exactly feel like a classic, but I liked Gregory Peck. He always kept it real. He wasn’t cool, just calm. I could use some of that right about now.

After I said goodnight to Robert Osborne, I got ready for bed and did my usual nightly ritual with the candle and the verse. Then I got under the covers, even though I still wasn’t that tired. I stared up at the ceiling for a while, loud thoughts spinning around in my mind like dust devils.

I circled the wagons and tried to focus on the fact that Dr. Mortimer was doing good work and helping people. People like me. Seeing those pictures reminded me how lucky I was.

I told myself that Dr. Mortimer was spreading light in the world, the opposite of what his brother had done. With this new project and everything he did, he was just trying to make up for Nathaniel. Maybe it was the thing that kept him from coming unglued.

But even with all that, I still wondered what exactly he was thinking if, in fact, he was trying to include me in his presentation.

I took a deep breath and blew it out slowly, looking out at the stars peeking through my window.

Again I told myself to take it easy. I wasn’t sure if he was planning on asking me to join him at the conference. I might not have been the special guest. I could be jumping to conclusions. I was doing that a lot lately.

But in my gut, I knew differently. And if he did ask, there was no way I was going to do it. The very thought of standing at a podium and talking to a group of people made me want to vomit.

Especially in front of doctors.

My mind swam back to the island and all the white lab coats I saw while they tortured me in the name of progress and science. They shot me with needles and drugs and pain, no matter how much I screamed and begged for them to stop. And the horrible image of Jack Martin lowering me down to the bottom of a pool, trying to recreate my death, was forever singed in my mind.

All those doctors, with their degrees and education and intelligence, stood around ready and willing to watch me die.

All of them wearing those damn white lab coats.

There was no way I was doing anything with doctors again.

I tossed and turned and couldn’t get to sleep. I sat up and switched on the light, downing the water on my nightstand. It was already three. I wondered if I should just get up and go to the gym. It was open 24/7. The idea of a long run on the treadmill with The Killers pounding in my ears sounded like just what I needed.

A long, haunting howl suddenly pierced the quiet night, blowing it to smithereens.

I stood up and stepped into my slippers.

***

I rushed over to the window.

The dog was there again.

Sitting in the backyard, panting, his head tilted up to the sky, howling with everything he had.

He was beautiful in the brightness of the snow, looking more like a wolf than a dog with a thick, glistening coat of fur.

He stopped when he saw me and stared into my eyes.

“What is it, boy?” I asked, opening the window. “What’s the matter?”

He started pacing back and forth and then began barking.

“Was that you with the motorcycle? Have you been trying to tell me something?”

He barked louder.

Something was wrong, and I wondered if it had to do with Derek.

“I’m seeing Derek tomorrow. I’ll tell him about you. I promise.”

This didn’t seem to have any effect. He went back to howling, the sound bouncing off my chest. I now had no doubt that he really was a ghost dog. Kate didn’t come in my room to see what all the noise was, and the neighbors didn’t turn on their porch light. I was the only one who seemed to hear it.

“It’s all right,” I said. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

But it didn’t do any good. He kept barking.

I grabbed my phone and called Derek.

CHAPTER 16

I was surprised when he picked up on the first ring.

“Yeah,” he said, in a strange voice. “Who is it?”

“Derek? Hi. It’s me, Abby.”

There was silence on the other end.

“Abby, from elementary school?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I’m just—”

“Abby? What the... Hey, do you know that it’s three in the morning?”

He sounded like he had been drinking. A lot.

“Yeah, I know. I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to wake you. But I wanted to make sure that you… well, that you’re okay.”

I heard some music and then I thought I heard something else. A woman laughing. He didn’t answer.

“Derek, are you okay?” I asked again.

“Why are you calling again?” he said, the confusion and irritation growing in his voice. “I don’t understand. I mean, how did you find me after all these years?”

“Derek,” I said. “You found me, remember? At the café the other day.”

“Oh, yeah. That’s right. That’s right!”

More laughter in the background.

“Did I miss something?” he said. “Did I miss the dinner? Aren’t we supposed to go out or something. Did I miss it?”

“No, it’s tomorrow night.”

“You’re calling me now to confirm dinner tomorrow?” he said.

“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” I said. “I just had this strange feeling.”

He sighed.

“Hang up,” a woman said in the background. “Come on…”

“I gotta go,” he said. “It’s not a good time. I got… God damn it. Put that thing down!”

At first I thought he was talking to me, but then I heard him laughing and then yelling and then there was a loud crash. Someone was with him.

“Damn it!” he said. “I told you. Do you know how much that cost? He’s gonna be pissed. Shit!”

“Derek. What’s going on over there? Are you all right?”

He didn’t answer right away.

“Derek?”

“Babby, I gotta… I gotta,” he stammered finally. “Now… going. See… you… tomorrow.”

And then he hung up.

I stared at the phone. Obviously I didn’t know him that well, but he was acting strange. Something was wrong. I called again but it went directly to voice mail. I tried two more times in the next half hour with the same results.

I finally gave up. A series of yawns pushed away the gym idea. The sun would be up in a few hours. Maybe I could get some sleep. I got back in bed.

I hoped the ghost dog and Derek could wait until morning.

CHAPTER 17

I checked my phone before I headed out the door and found a voice message from Derek.

“I owe you a huge apology,” he said. “I’ll explain tonight, if you still want to go out. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll see you at seven at your coffee place.”

He sounded normal again. I was relieved. Maybe there was a reasonable explanation for the craziness of the night before.

I rushed over to work through a downpour, even though I knew better than to drive so fast. But I had overslept, and being late always left a jittery feeling inside me that lasted most of the day.

The snow had melted, leaving deep puddles in the streets and intersections. I hit one going down Columbia, releasing a geyser of water that splashed up and drenched my windshield. I hit the brakes, slipping out of the lane. When the water cleared off the glass I saw that I had almost hit another car. The driver was gesturing wildly and, while I couldn’t read lips, I was fairly certain she wasn’t wishing me a good day. I waved and exhaled, and promised myself I’d slow down the rest of the way.

When I walked through the doors at Back Street, Scissor Sisters was thumping off the walls, which meant two things. Mike wasn’t working and David was back from Portland.

“Yay, Abby Craig!” he shouted out, clapping his hands together. “I wasn’t sure if you were coming in today or blowing me off again.”

They weren’t filming until May, but David still had to make regular trips into Portland for various reasons. He had been gone all week.

“Sorry I’m late,” I said.

I rushed past him, patting his shoulder on the way by, and checked in. When I came back out, I said hello to Lyle, who was at the bar, cleaning one of the espresso machines.

I poured myself a cup of the strong stuff and drank it. I was still a little jarred from the Jeep spinning out in the rain.

“By the way, what did you mean blowing you off
again
?”

“Yesterday,” David said matter-of-factly. “I called you like 83 times from the city. I wanted you to go over and visit Sebastian. I wasn’t getting home until late and I was worried he was lonely.”

“I didn’t get any of your messages.”

I checked my phone. Suddenly, five new texts appeared on the screen that hadn’t been there earlier, all from David.

“Damn,” I said. “Sorry. They’re just showing up now. Must have been a glitch or something.”

He smiled and shook his head.

“Are you sure?” he said. “I figured you were just avoiding me. I know how you feel about him.”

He pretended to be hurt, his face dropping into a frown. It was true. Turtles gave me the creeps, the way they moved around, bobbing their heads in and out of that shell. And that dry, ancient skin. But I would have helped David out. I had done it before.

“I wasn’t avoiding you at all,” I said, not taking him too seriously. “Guess I’ll just have to prove it to you next time. Did he survive?”

“Snide, Abby Craig.”

I smiled, because he was right. His turtle was older than God and would probably live another thousand years.

“Sebastian is fine. I got my neighbor to check on him.
He
likes my pets.”

David turned up the music and started jerking his head to the beat. It wasn’t busy in the café, which made me happy because it meant we could talk and catch up.

“My costume is amazing,” he said, all adrenaline and caffeine. “I get to dress like one of those old-fashioned detectives. You know, like Philip Marlowe in those black and white movies. I have those high pants and suspenders and a pin-striped suit with those giant lapels. And one of those hats pulled down over the face.”

He came up for air and then continued.

“My character rocks. And the scripts are really, really first class. Of course the director told me not to get too attached to my lines because some of them will be cut. That’s showbiz. As long as I have a few and look good, I’m happy.”

“Sounds awesome,” I said.

“For a while I was into visiting their graves,” Lyle said, walking up to us. “But I’ve never met a real live movie star. Can I have your autograph?”

He didn’t wait for an answer, but instead did a 180 and disappeared into the back room. David shook his head slowly and rolled his eyes up to the ceiling before letting out a long sigh.

“It’s not all fun and games, you know?” he said to me. “It’s scary out there! They’re all such professionals. I’m just trying to fit in and not pee all over myself.”

I smiled.

“Are the other actors nice?”

“Yeah, most of them,” he said. “But not that hottie who plays the wolfman. I’ve been watching him. He’s a backstabber. I try to stay away from him, but it’s hard because he’s so gorgeous. Sometimes I just can’t help myself. But I gotta be careful not to step on his wolf toes. He’ll rip your lungs out, Jim.”

I laughed and then rang up a few orders while David leaned against the pastry case and waited for me to finish. He sighed loudly when a woman asked if I could switch the music. I told her I would. I put on some Celtic music.

“Have you decided where you’re going to stay in Portland?”

“I think so. At this point I’m giving serious thought to rooming with a couple of the other supporting actors,” he said. “But it was nice that Erin invited me. Normally I’m always up for that penthouse lifestyle, but I’m trying to fit in there and make a few allies on the set.”

Things were really opening up for him and I thought back to what Lyle had said. Maybe I did need to start facing the fact that he wasn’t going to be around at Back Street much longer.

I caught David up in between the customers. I told him about Ty going to Idaho, that I had sent in my application to the cooking school, and how I was meeting an old friend later on.

“Love it!” he said. “When the cat’s away, the mice will play.”

He was still holding a grudge against Ty for breaking up with me last year. They hadn’t talked since we had gotten back together. And even though Ty stopped in from time to time, David always managed to worm his way into the back room and stayed there until Ty had left.

“Come on, David. Everything is really good again between us.”

“Um, hum,” he said. “I’m just saying. I’m glad you’re going out with your friend tonight. Who knows where it will lead?”

“Whatever. He’s dropping by here at the end of my shift and we’re heading over to Brother Jon’s,” I said. “So you’ll get to meet him. I saw you were closing tonight.”

“Goody. You are way too young to be tied down. Get it?
Ty-ed
down! Ahahahahaa!”

He broke out into one of his wheezing sessions that hit him like a truck speeding down a hill out of control. I left him gasping while I helped a customer.

We worked for about an hour as the line ebbed and flowed and the rain pounded hard on the roof. But after Lyle left, the rain stopped. A cold dampness leaked into the café every time the door opened.

“I’ll be clubbing late tonight,” David said. “Call me if you’re still out.”