Chapter Nine
David "Jesus!" was her initial response. I turned my head slightly to meet her eyes. "Hi, Nicole. Um.this isn't the best time." Alex straightened himself as much as possible and clenched his teeth. Poor Alex, being caught with me like this.uh, and vise versa. Nicole began to turn, I suppose to run, but stopped at Alex's call. "Nicole, stop! I can explain." "You'd better start explaining now then, 'cause I'm not giving you a hell of a lot of time." Okay, obviously, she was abashed. That's bad for the morale.really. "Yeah, Alex, why don't you explain all this to your wife? I mean, this might be the perfect time to explain to her what we've discussed the last few times we've met." I prodded, facing him, my eyes meeting his. He was trapped, like a cornered fox in a hunt. "Yes." Nicole agreed, curiosity driving her. Standing taller, I watched Alex struggle for words. Unfortunately, they came. "I came over to look at some of David's work and someone broke in. They turned out the lights. We both drew our guns, and each mistook the other for the trespasser, and by the time the lights came back on, the intruder was gone. Then you came in." He was quick. He was good.But, not good enough. I vowed to beat him some day, best him at his own game. I looked from him to Nicole before talking. I knew Adam had too much on me. If I told Nicole how her husband had really shown up at my house, I knew Adam would bust me right then and there. I agreed. "Yes, exactly. That's what happened." "You don't sound too sure." She whipped the words out. "Sure I'm sure." I tried to make my voice reassuring. Nicole looked at me, looking for some sign that I was lying, but I allowed her none. I wouldn't risk the revealing of my identity for Nicole's contentment. Eventually (Or finally, as I thought) she turned away, having found nothing. I glared at Alex. "I think you'd better come back some other time to see my work. I've just remembered something I have to do." He made no movement to leave. "Now!" I added, voice raised in clear distraction.
"I believe we have something to discuss, Mr. Marrow." Alex made a weak
attempt. "You know the time?" He glanced at his watch. "Yes." "Will you give it to me?" "Seven-twenty." He spoke, glancing at his watch.
I frowned. "If you knew the time, why'd you need to look at your watch?"
"Good point. If you need the time, why don't you have a watch?" "Good point." I ended it there, too aggravated to continue with a war of words. What was the point anyway? "Anyway, there's somewhere I have to be." I made an excuse.
Adam persisted though, and continued what he'd begun before my
interruption. "We still need to talk." He insisted so I couldn't
refuse. "Call me in an hour. I assume you have my number?" "No."
Swiftly, I gave it to him. Then I walked him and Nicole to the door,
only to close it as Nicole spoke. "Why are you wet, Alex?" His explanation was one of weakness, but Nicole accepted it all the same.
* * *
I searched all of my rooms, leaving noting untouched. That ring had to be found! I moved from living room to the kitchen to the bathroom before searching my bedroom. There I found it, tangled and hidden in the untidy sheets of my bed. The silver ring was safely hidden in my pocket and I cleared my mind, with nothing to worry about other than that phone call from one Alexander Velmen.
* * *
I paced back and forth in the hall. An hour had passed. Alex's call should have come. It worried me that the phone hadn't rung. Alex didn't seem the type that wouldn't call, especially when the call could be of such significance. At the sound of a bell, I jumped, to realize only that I'd heard the clear ringing of my cell phone. Hurriedly I pulled it from a pocket, held it to my right ear, and answered. "Hello?" "Hello David. Do you have an answer for me about my.offer?" Alex's voice was low and serious. I went to a window and opened it to feel a cool breeze. "Is Nicole in the room?" I inquired. His word choice would be affected and probably limited if she was. I knew this, and was prepared to translate what he could tell me, if needed. In the background I heard her. Well, that answered my question. "I understand.How do you want the job done?" He seemed to release a held breath. "That's a 'yes'?" "Yes." "Okay, hey, can you hear me? You're breaking up! I can't hear you. Are you there?" He hung up. I realized why: he couldn't explain, in detail, how to murder his wife while she was standing in the same room. I'd be hearing from him again. and soon.
* * *
Anya, meanwhile, was out on the streets considering how to explain what she'd heard to me, planning on me to still be in her apartment. She couldn't just tell me hat there was a corpse in my apartment.okay, she could.but didn't plan on it.
Next she figured that it would be possible to move the body from my place
to Calico's again, but that would be messy, and Cali would almost surely
be lurking around somewhere.ever-watching. But that seemed to her to be
the quickest solution, so she began walking to our building.
On her way up to our floor, Anya had an encounter with the Velmens. All
right, so she didn't bump into them or anything, but she saw them leaving
my room. Thinking the worst, she assumed that they were setting me up.
They might have hired Calico-her ex-friend-to plant a body in my
apartment so it looked like I'd killed someone. That would make four
charges against me, and certainly send me to jail. At the moment, Anya
couldn't see why the Velmens might set me up.but believed they had.
Dodging the occurrence of meeting the Velmens, Anya made her way to my
door. Looking at the opening beneath it, she saw that the lights were
out. Quietly she opened the door a crack to peer in. Then, not thinking
anyone was home, Anya went in.
A shadow crossed her path. A small, black, four-legged shadow with soft
fur and pointed ears. "Cali! What are you doing here?" She recognized
her neighbor's black cat.
David "Jesus!" was her initial response. I turned my head slightly to meet her eyes. "Hi, Nicole. Um.this isn't the best time." Alex straightened himself as much as possible and clenched his teeth. Poor Alex, being caught with me like this.uh, and vise versa. Nicole began to turn, I suppose to run, but stopped at Alex's call. "Nicole, stop! I can explain." "You'd better start explaining now then, 'cause I'm not giving you a hell of a lot of time." Okay, obviously, she was abashed. That's bad for the morale.really. "Yeah, Alex, why don't you explain all this to your wife? I mean, this might be the perfect time to explain to her what we've discussed the last few times we've met." I prodded, facing him, my eyes meeting his. He was trapped, like a cornered fox in a hunt. "Yes." Nicole agreed, curiosity driving her. Standing taller, I watched Alex struggle for words. Unfortunately, they came. "I came over to look at some of David's work and someone broke in. They turned out the lights. We both drew our guns, and each mistook the other for the trespasser, and by the time the lights came back on, the intruder was gone. Then you came in." He was quick. He was good.But, not good enough. I vowed to beat him some day, best him at his own game. I looked from him to Nicole before talking. I knew Adam had too much on me. If I told Nicole how her husband had really shown up at my house, I knew Adam would bust me right then and there. I agreed. "Yes, exactly. That's what happened." "You don't sound too sure." She whipped the words out. "Sure I'm sure." I tried to make my voice reassuring. Nicole looked at me, looking for some sign that I was lying, but I allowed her none. I wouldn't risk the revealing of my identity for Nicole's contentment. Eventually (Or finally, as I thought) she turned away, having found nothing. I glared at Alex. "I think you'd better come back some other time to see my work. I've just remembered something I have to do." He made no movement to leave. "Now!" I added, voice raised in clear distraction.
"I believe we have something to discuss, Mr. Marrow." Alex made a weak
attempt. "You know the time?" He glanced at his watch. "Yes." "Will you give it to me?" "Seven-twenty." He spoke, glancing at his watch.
I frowned. "If you knew the time, why'd you need to look at your watch?"
"Good point. If you need the time, why don't you have a watch?" "Good point." I ended it there, too aggravated to continue with a war of words. What was the point anyway? "Anyway, there's somewhere I have to be." I made an excuse.
Adam persisted though, and continued what he'd begun before my
interruption. "We still need to talk." He insisted so I couldn't
refuse. "Call me in an hour. I assume you have my number?" "No."
Swiftly, I gave it to him. Then I walked him and Nicole to the door,
only to close it as Nicole spoke. "Why are you wet, Alex?" His explanation was one of weakness, but Nicole accepted it all the same.
* * *
I searched all of my rooms, leaving noting untouched. That ring had to be found! I moved from living room to the kitchen to the bathroom before searching my bedroom. There I found it, tangled and hidden in the untidy sheets of my bed. The silver ring was safely hidden in my pocket and I cleared my mind, with nothing to worry about other than that phone call from one Alexander Velmen.
* * *
I paced back and forth in the hall. An hour had passed. Alex's call should have come. It worried me that the phone hadn't rung. Alex didn't seem the type that wouldn't call, especially when the call could be of such significance. At the sound of a bell, I jumped, to realize only that I'd heard the clear ringing of my cell phone. Hurriedly I pulled it from a pocket, held it to my right ear, and answered. "Hello?" "Hello David. Do you have an answer for me about my.offer?" Alex's voice was low and serious. I went to a window and opened it to feel a cool breeze. "Is Nicole in the room?" I inquired. His word choice would be affected and probably limited if she was. I knew this, and was prepared to translate what he could tell me, if needed. In the background I heard her. Well, that answered my question. "I understand.How do you want the job done?" He seemed to release a held breath. "That's a 'yes'?" "Yes." "Okay, hey, can you hear me? You're breaking up! I can't hear you. Are you there?" He hung up. I realized why: he couldn't explain, in detail, how to murder his wife while she was standing in the same room. I'd be hearing from him again. and soon.
* * *
Anya, meanwhile, was out on the streets considering how to explain what she'd heard to me, planning on me to still be in her apartment. She couldn't just tell me hat there was a corpse in my apartment.okay, she could.but didn't plan on it.
Next she figured that it would be possible to move the body from my place
to Calico's again, but that would be messy, and Cali would almost surely
be lurking around somewhere.ever-watching. But that seemed to her to be
the quickest solution, so she began walking to our building.
On her way up to our floor, Anya had an encounter with the Velmens. All
right, so she didn't bump into them or anything, but she saw them leaving
my room. Thinking the worst, she assumed that they were setting me up.
They might have hired Calico-her ex-friend-to plant a body in my
apartment so it looked like I'd killed someone. That would make four
charges against me, and certainly send me to jail. At the moment, Anya
couldn't see why the Velmens might set me up.but believed they had.
Dodging the occurrence of meeting the Velmens, Anya made her way to my
door. Looking at the opening beneath it, she saw that the lights were
out. Quietly she opened the door a crack to peer in. Then, not thinking
anyone was home, Anya went in.
A shadow crossed her path. A small, black, four-legged shadow with soft
fur and pointed ears. "Cali! What are you doing here?" She recognized
her neighbor's black cat.
