Chapter 12

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Danny and Martin began climbing the stairs to Kiki's last known apartment building. Actually it would be more adequately described as more of a slum than an apartment building. The wallpaper was dingy gray and peeling off, the floors creaked with every step, and the sounds of arguing couples and crying babies echoed throughout the stairwell. To top it off, it smelled like mildew, urine and sweaty armpits.

Danny groaned as they started up the fifth flight of stairs. "Is there a rule that meth addicts always have to live on the top floors?"

"What? I thought you knew all about those pesky vampires and their first floor apartments," Martin commented with a smile on his face.

Danny laughed and replied, "I told you about that didn't I?"

"Yeah, about two and a half years ago."

Danny smiled and turned his focus back to the stairs as he added, "If you had told me three years ago that I actually consider you one of my best friends I'd have said that you were nuts."

Martin laughed lightly. "Funny, I was thinking the same thing."

"We've been through a lot together, Marty," Danny said softly.

"Yeah, we have."

Martin wondered when he would finally have that inevitable talk with Danny about the night of the shooting. Would Danny even want to talk about it? He knew that the best link to his missing memory was stored in his friend's head; he just needed to find a good time to bring it up. Before he had a chance to contemplate it any further, they reached the apartment.

He knocked on the door while Danny looked up and down the hallway. The door opened a crack and a rail thin girl who had bleached blonde hair with black roots peered out from behind the half open door. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked wired.

"Hello, are you Polly Sagal?" Martin asked, as he attempted to look over her shoulder into the apartment.

"Yeah…" Polly responded with suspicion as she pulled the door closer to her in an attempt to block his view.

"We're special agents Martin Fitzgerald and Danny Taylor." He held up his badge for her to see. "We'd like to talk to you about your roommate, Kiki Melendez."

"What about her?" Polly asked as she started to bite her nails.

"Can we come in?" Martin asked. He did not want to do the interview in the hall and he also wanted to look around Kiki's apartment to get a sense of how she was living. It might provide possible clues as to her whereabouts.

"Um, sure I guess." Polly pushed the door open with the palm of her hand and walked in ahead of them.

It was a small studio apartment with two twin beds against opposite walls, a small kitchenette, and one door that Martin assumed led to the bathroom. It was filthy, there were clothes strewn about, discarded take-out cartons piled up on the tables and counter and it smelled of stale cigarettes and alcohol.

Polly shoved a pile of clothes off one of the beds and sat down. She made no attempt to offer Danny and Martin a place to sit and for once, he was grateful for inhospitality. He wanted to touch as little of the apartment as possible.

"When was the last time you saw Kiki?" he asked as he pulled out his notebook.

"I don't know…awhile," Polly answered as she moved her focus from her fingernails to her split ends.

Danny cleared his throat and asked, "Can you be more specific? Was it a few days, a week, a month?"

She shrugged and said, "I guess over a week, maybe two."

"Can you tell us about the last time you saw her?" Danny narrowed his gaze directly at Polly.

She shrugged again. "I remember she was in a grumpy ass mood."

XXX

Polly stumbled in drunk and stoned. The apartment actually looked a lot cleaner than it did now or at least the side where Kiki's stuff was anyway. She sat on her bed looking like she had been crying.

"Hey, Kiki, I ran into Frankie over at the club. He wants to meet up at an after-hours place later tonight. You wanna go?" Polly began going through the piles of clothes on her bed, stopping occasionally to sniff an item to see if it was wearable.

"No," Kiki replied as she sat there studying a piece of paper that she held in her hand.

"C'mon it'll be great. And you know Frankie will totally hook us up." Polly removed the shirt she was wearing and pulled on a tight little halter top. "What else are you going to do? Don't tell me you think that Marcello is actually going to call you."

Kiki didn't respond but quickly glanced at Polly with a wounded look on her face.

Polly hopped onto her friends bed and said, "C'mon girl, come out with us. It'll be a lot of fun." She grabbed Kiki's arm and tried to pull her up.

"I said no, Polly!" Kiki yanked her arm back.

Polly stood up and shoved her in the shoulder as she shouted, "What in the hell is your problem?" Kiki didn't say anything but returned her focus to the paper. "What the fuck are you looking at?" Polly grabbed the piece of paper from Kiki and read it aloud, "'Call me, Dee Dee.' Who in the fuck is Dee Dee?"

Kiki yanked the piece of paper back and said, "None of your damn business!"

"Screw you, Kiki. You've been a real drag. No wonder Marcello dumped your ass!" Polly grabbed a jacket from her bed and stomped out the door.

XXX

"When I got back that night she was gone," Polly said irritably.

"And you didn't think to report it?" Martin asked, annoyed by Polly's unconcerned behavior.

"She's a grown woman. I ain't her babysitter," Polly replied.

Danny crossed his arms and asked, "Do you know why she and Marcello broke up?"

Polly laughed crudely and said, "'Broke up'? Please, he dumped her! I don't know why but she was in a pissy ass mood after that."

Martin scrawled the information into his notepad and asked, "Do you have any idea where she would've gone?"

Polly shook her head as she rocked back and forth.

"Did you ever find out who Dee Dee was?" Martin asked as he watched Polly's early stages of withdrawal.

Polly shook her head and said, "No."

He knew it was a long shot but he had to ask. "Do you remember the phone number by any chance?"

"Who do I look like, Rain Man?" Polly replied sarcastically.

"Thanks, you've been a lot of help," Danny replied equally sarcastic as the stood up and exited the apartment.