I freeze in the stairwell. my apartment is in a rundown former warehouse so i've just walked up twelve flights of stairs and i'm not sure if i have the energy to run away if this guy who knows me from California turns out to be Paul.
I purposely do not consider the possibility of it being Jesse. It's really not healthy.
I am saved from either a marathon sprint or a possible heart attack by Adam, whose head appears grinning at me over the stairs. Dissapointment and relief leave a taste in my mouth that reminds me vaguely of Robutussion cough drops.
"Hey Suze" he says, "How's the big apple?" i laugh
"don't say big apple." i reply, limping up the last flight of stairs and giving him a hug. "these stairs are insane." i tell Anna.
"hey, if you can't take the heat get out of the warehouse" she says over her shoulder.
"I'll put that in my suicide note." i say to her back. She laughs and walks back into her room, waving a goodbye to Adam.
"Hungry?" i ask him. He nods emphatically. We walk around the corner to Joe's Pizzaria.
"So," i say, "why are you here?" he freezes for a half second, then recovers and continues chewing.
"I was....in the neighborhood and i decided i might as well come visit you. Besides, where else can i find pizza this greasy?"he says nonchalantly.
"You were in the neighborhood."
"yeah." he says.
"Adam. You go to school in North Carolina." i say. he drums the table with his fingers, glances up at me, looks back down, then back up again.
"Okay look, don't freak out. And don't do anything drastic. And for christs sake Suze don't go back to California." he says in a rush.
"What the hell are you talking about?" i say. he sighs.
"Shit has been happening. weird shit. Your room was ransacked, nothing else, just your room and then...." he trails off and rummages in his pocket. He pulls out a piece of white paper that has been refolded many times, torn at the creases. He pushes it across the table towards me.
"and then this." he says. I pick up the paper. The writing is bold, black, and decisive.
"Father Dom got one too." he says, "so did Cee Cee." I stare at the paper in utter disbelief.
Donde esta Susannah?