Scavenger Hunt
Chapter IX
Catherine drives out of the apartment complex.
"Uh, Sara, about ..."
"No, I don't raise lizards as a hobby. They were just there."
"I wasn't going to ask you that! I was wondering..."
"Yes, I do have a life aside from arranging and rearranging my CD's and books, and clothes..."
"You arrange your clothes," Catherine glances at the brunette, "by color, texture and design?"
"Doesn't everyone?" Jokes Sara.
"Wow, I feel like a slob comparing my closet to yours then!"
"Nah, I just like to keep things in order." Sara focuses at Catherine as she drives, "I mean it's like one of the little things that gives me comfort. Our surrounding and sometimes life itself is full of disarray. Confusion and disorder can be seen everywhere. A lot of things are out of our control. Take the cases we're assigned to, really depressing! At least when I'm in my apartment, I could do something to change that. It maybe little but it eases my mind to think there are some things I can fix, have control over, no matter how small it may be. And no," she winks at the blond and grins, "my shirts are arranged by color only."
"Wow, you're deep, Sara." She raises an eyebrow and jokes, "I bet you a nickle you arrange the seasonings in your cupboard by color, too!" She taps Sara's thigh lightly, "and I can imagine you squeeze your toothpaste from the end and scew the cap back on tightly!"
"I do and my toothbrush faces the north and I flush three times. I also scrub the tiles after I shower. I like clean bathrooms with no soap suds left behind, girl."
Catherine's jaw drops once again.
Sara laughs out loud. "I'm exaggerating, okay? I don't do that! You can be gullible at times, Catherine!"
Catherine lets out a sigh, "hell, only with you! I was thinking of having you over to take a shower in my bathroom so it would be sparkling clean!"
Sara raises an eyebrow, and under her breath she whispers, "as long as you're in it, I don't mind..."
"Huh?" The blond turns her way, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. You said it too softly."
Sara looks away with a silly grin, "it was nothing."
But Catherine heard every word. Now it was her turn to have an impish grin.
"So how come you don't have a..."
"TV? I got addicted to this forensic show two years ago. And it was like I was bringing work home with me. So I sold it to this chick downstairs."
"Will there come a time when I can finish a sentence?"
"Hell, I know how you think, Catherine."
Catherine was quiet for a few seconds but then, "soooo... this chick downstairs..."
"Was a college student. I tutored her for awhile. It took like forever for her to understand formulas in physics. It was fun teaching her though. Brought back a lot of college memories of struggling through exams. She was really nice, too."
Sara notices the sour face on the blond, and adds, "would it make you feel better if I said it was her boyfriend who brought the TV down from my apartment and set it up in her room?"
Catherine opens her mouth to say something but still nothing comes out, only the sound of her breathing.
"You know, it's really cute when you become speechless and all I could hear is your deep breathing," teases Sara.
"Well, you do know there are other better and more pleasurable ways make me breathe heavily, right?" mocks Catherine.
Now it was Sara's turn to drop her jaw.
They drove for a few minutes before Catherine broke the silence. "So what's next on the list? I hope there's no worms in a zip lock or bird poop on paper listed there."
"A monkey."
"Excuse me?"
"Says here in black and white, ' a monkey'. Who the hell thought of this?"
"You gotta be kidding..."
Sara looks at the list again, "no, says here, 'a monkey'. Damn! The zoo opens at ten, you know. I'm not gonna wait that long!"
Catherine grins. "Ahh. I think I know the jerk who suggested it..."
"Who will be skinned alive when we get back." Adds Sara.
"I told Nick a few weeks ago he look best in a monkey suit than a peguin suit. Then he asks me what's the difference. I said he had a big tail between his legs and had the habit of climbing in and outta beds of women."
Sara laughs. "So it could be either a suit or a live monkey then, huh."
"I guess. It just says a ' monkey' on the list?"
"Wait a minute, Catherine. Turn left at the stop sign. I think I know a better way."
Catherine looks at her. "We could just go in a bridal shop and snap a picture of a suit."
"Trust me, honey. Turn left, turn left now!"
Catherine suddenly makes a left turn. Making the driver behind her honk his horn. "I don't need an accident or a ticket, Sara! Where we going anyway?"
"Ah, here we are. Pull over here."
Catherine parks the car to the side and looks at the sign. "Zeek's Garage Shop?" She looks quizzically at the brunette.
Sara beams a satisfied smile. "A monkey wrench, Catherine. Was never specified what kind of monkey, right?"
Catherine reaches out and squeezes her knee. "You are a genius, Sara!"
They both get down and enter the garage shop.
Catherine sees two big burly,hairy men with tattoo's decorating their arms. One slowly approaching them. He was holding a crow bar. She suddenly hooks her arm around Sara.
Sara lifts an eyebrow at her.
"For protection," whispers the blond, now walking the same stride as Sara's.
Amused, Sara asks. "You protecting me or the other way around?"
"You brought me here so you're protecting me, of course. I can't run fast in these heels!" Whispers the blond in return.
Sara shakes her head and tries to stiffle a smirk. Catherine clings to her tightly.
The big man with the crowbar suddenly flashes a hugh grin. "Hey, Sidle! Haven't seen you for in ages!"
Catherine's jaw drops again.
"Hey, Zeek. How's business treating you?" Sara extends her free arm and shakes the man's hand.
"Good, good! Got a lot of bikers comin' around this time of the year. You know, getting ready for the big trek cross country. When you ridin' with us again, Sidle?"
Sara shrugs her shoulders. "Work is tying me down, man. Maybe next summer I'll ride." Catherine's eyes goes back and forth at their conversation.
"I'll hold you to that then." He looks at Catherine, "and this chick wrapped around you?"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Sara takes her hand, "this is Catherine. Catherine, Zeek. Owner of this empire."
Zeek beams a smile and winks at Sara. "A new girlfriend, huh. Nice one, Sidle! Smooth!"
Catherine let's go of the brunette and in a hoarse shrill voice, "new...," her eyes widen, "new...girlfriend???"
Sara turns beet red in seconds. "No, no, no, no, no, no!"
Catherine steps next to Zeek and crosses her arms, Zeek looks up the ceiling, trying to find something to focus on. He tries to whistle but stops when he saw Catherine glare at him.
Sara lifts up her arms in explaining, "She's not my girlfriend, Zeek. Catherine and I work together as investigators. At the lab. On cases. We're together...I mean we work together, sometimes, on cases, we're...together. Kind of ...thing. At work...we, we're...work together..."
"Oh... okay then." He says, but still looked unconvinced, "whatever you say, Sidle."
"So, Sara," her tone was icy, "you did have a girlfriend then?"
But Zeek answers for her. "Sidle? Nah! A lot of chicks dig her, you see. We pair her off but she never shows up. She's dark, moody and mysterious. That gets their attention," He stoops down and grins at her, "like she got yours, blondie."
Sara's eyes widen. Catherine leans back, "I...I...I never...!" She looks at him straight in the eye, "I've decided I don't like you at all!"
He belts out a jolly laugh. "Ha! Ha! Ha! You know, blondie, you'll be good for Sidle here. And it looks like you need her, too! You look two look perfect for each other!" He puts an arm around the brunette, "Ah! No wonder you've been holding out!" He cocks his head and winks at Catherine.
Sara cringes. The only thing left for her to do is to burst out in embarrassment.
"Shut up and gimme a monkey wrench, Zeek." Sara takes his arm and moves away from him and heads off to where the tools are.
"Monkey wrench?" Asks Zeek.
Catherine fills him in, "Long story, you really don't want to know."
Zeek shugs his shoulder.
"Got it!" Sara says holding up a wrench walking back to them.
Catherine takes out her phone.
"No, no, no. I got a better idea. You hold the wrench." Sara hands it to Catherine. "There ya go. Hey, Zeek, pick up Catherine."
"What?" Both Zeek and Catherine say in unison.
"Aw, come on now. The boys would never expect this one! It's all in the name of fun!" Reasoned Sara.
"Hell, I don't want to be carried!" Catherine says holding the wrench as a defense weapon.
"I carried you back in the apartment awhile ago, you didn't complain!" Sara says a bit irritated.
"If it's you, sure!" Catherine nods her head his way, "but him, no way, jose!"
Zeek says slowly, "Sidle carries you...in her...apartment?"
Both women snapped their neck at him and in unison, "shut up, Zeek!"
He slowly takes a step back knowing not to mess with them.
Sara glares at her. "Then just hold the damn wrench up!"
She lifts up the single tool. "Fine!" Catherine snaps back.
A single click was heard from Sara's phone.
Catherine hands it to Zeek. "Here's the damn monkey thing!" She marches off to the car.
Zeek murmurs a 'thanks' watching her walk away.
Sara shakes her head, "I apologize, Zeek. I..."
"You carry her, Sidle?" Zeek flashed a huge grin. "Like married couple? You two are..."
"Aww! Shut up, Zeek!"
r/r would be nice...
