Chapter Sixty-four
Game On
The diner definitely exceeded expectations; despite the unsophisticated atmosphere, the food was excellent and came in portions so big that none of them actually expected to finish their entire meal. They split up into three tables, chattering and switching seats with each other as they ate.
Conversation was pretty random. Kira and Kimberly rehashed their fight for the benefit of the group at large, going through a blow-by-blow account from moment of attack to injury of goat, and finally clearing up that at no point had they actually been nude. Jason and Billy told Tommy and Zack about running into Steven Q-something from the football team and Jarel, who turned out not only to be Rocky's uncle's neighbor but had also dated Aisha for two months during Rocky, Adam and Aisha's freshman year at Stone Canyon High. Tommy filled the others in on Hayley's phone call about Don, and the fact that she might resort to drunk-dialing a few of them in the near future.
Shortly after ten o'clock rolled around, Conner, Ethan and Trent had a table to themselves, and they were all pretty much staring blankly at the tabletop, waiting for their blood sugar to return to a normal level. Eventually, Conner decided they needed a topic of conversation.
"So, Ethan—you and the Ferris wheel girl?" Conner said.
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Nothing. Just… way to go. She was hot." Ethan nodded in acknowledgement. Conner thought for a moment, trying to come up with something else. "Hey, that was the first girl you ever kissed, right?"
"No," Ethan said, his tone more confused than defensive. "Second."
Conner and Trent looked at him in surprise. "Who was the first?" Trent asked.
"Yeah, you said Cassidy was your first date, and we were watching every minute of that, right up until the Tyrannodrones," Conner said.
"You were?" Ethan demanded incredulously.
"Sorry, man. We were curious," Trent said apologetically. "So it was Angela, right?"
"Uh, yeah. Angela."
Conner frowned and tilted his head to the side. "Dude, are you lying?"
"No," Ethan insisted, a little too quickly.
Conner was about to reply when he heard the words "Black Ranger, Dr. Tommy Oliver" from the television above the bar. "Dr. O!" Conner shouted.
Tommy turned to see what Conner was pointing at and leaped up so fast that his chair went flying. "Short people in the front!" Tommy called, and there was suddenly a mad stampede as the twelve of them pressed up against the bar, scaring the crap out of a trucker nursing a beer who found himself suddenly squished between Kira, Kimberly, Ethan and Trini.
The ten o'clock news was on, showing a reporter outside the courthouse in Angel Grove, standing next to Walter, who'd obviously just been released. A caption along the bottom of the screen read "Ranger Identity Revelation a Hoax!"
"I don't know how things got out of control," a rather nervous-looking Walter told the cameras. "I mean, I never said Tommy Oliver hit me, or that he was the Black Ranger. All I said was that I should have known not to try to steal from Kim Hart, Tommy Oliver's girlfriend, because he went postal on me and a friend of mine in high school for saying something rude about her. I didn't see who hit me; I didn't know it was the Black Ranger until they told me at the hospital. But, um, if I'd seen Tommy walking around with Kim, I never would have gone after Kim's purse. All I saw were her and a guy and girl I didn't recognize. Tommy Oliver wasn't even there; if he was, I would've run away screaming."
"You go evil once and no one ever lets you forget it," Tommy muttered.
"Dude, you were evil a lot," Jason pointed out.
"I was not!"
"Were t—"
"Hey!" Conner interrupted. "How come he gets to call you 'dude' and I don't?"
"While we're all complaining, do they have to refer to me as Tommy's girlfriend every three seconds?" Kimberly grumbled.
"Shh!" Rocky hissed. "I want to hear this!"
They'd cut to another reporter, standing outside the Angel Grove Inn with the manager and a couple of random people, a middle-aged man and a guy who looked to be just barely twenty-one, grinning happily at the camera. The middle-aged man was talking into the reporter's microphone. "I was just sitting there in the restaurant, and then I hear the Black Ranger yelling that he's not Tommy Oliver, and was just stopping by to prove it. He and Tommy Oliver and some other people sitting with Tommy Oliver chatted for a while, and then the Black Ranger ran off."
The manager practically shoved the man out of the way in his eagerness to speak. "You see, there was a bit of an incident this morning. Two bellhops were attacked by a man on the sixth floor. We believe the Black Ranger was attempting to apprehend the suspect."
"You were one of the bellhops attacked?" the reporter asked the other random person in the group.
He nodded excitedly. "Yeah. We'd dropped off some luggage for this nice lady on the sixth floor, and we were wheeling the cart back. Just when we got the cart back in the elevator, some guy came out of nowhere and dropped my friend like a sack of bricks. I tried to fight him off but he got me too, and when I woke up, the dude had stolen my uniform and I was tied up and blindfolded and gagged and in the elevator."
"Could you describe your assailant?" the reporter asked curiously.
"Naw. He had a Ninja Turtle blanket over his head. Old-school Ninja Turtles, not like that new cartoon, but the real ones from back in the day, the ones that were really different from the comic book and a lot more funny."
"I like that guy," Conner said idly.
"Finally; someone who appreciates the TMNT from back in the day," Zack said approvingly.
"He looks like a pothead," Ethan commented.
"SHH!" Rocky hissed.
"It was a real cool blanket. Anyway, all I know was he was a white guy under the blanket; I could see his arms. He was wearing jeans and sneakers, but that was all I could see outside the blanket."
"Any guess as to your assailant's motives?" the reporter asked.
"Nah. It was pretty crazy today. I heard there was also this crazy biker dude in the lobby trying to attack some guy. Kept screaming something about Red Pop."
"I did not appreciate that, Jason," Billy said with a frown.
"My fault," Jason said apologetically.
"Do you expect the Black Ranger to return?" the reporter asked the manager.
"We're hopeful that he will, but our hotel is fairly crime-free," the manager said firmly. "I'd like to thank him for his assistance, however."
"So there you have it," the reporter said into the camera. "The Black Ranger's identity remains a mystery."
The screen split in two, with one half showing the anchors and the other half showing the reporter. "Yolanda," the anchorman asked, "what does Dr. Oliver himself think about the mix-up?"
"Dr. Oliver could not be reached for comment," the reporter explained. "Sources say he left the hotel early this morning and we were unable to determine if he had checked out or not."
"Thank you, Carrie," Jason muttered with a grin.
"Thank you, Yolanda," the anchorwoman said. "In other news—"
"Excuse me," said the trucker sandwiched between them, "could y'all back up, please? I've gotta get back on the road soon and I'd like to enjoy my beer." Ethan was leaning across him, preventing him from getting the bottle to his mouth.
"Sorry," several of them chorused, and they returned to their tables.
"Well, that's good news," Kimberly said brightly. "T.J. really came through."
"Not to mention how smooth it was of me to show up right next to Tommy," Zack whispered.
"Smooth. Yeah. That's how I'd describe it," Tommy said, rolling his eyes.
"Look, gang, why don't we head back to the hotel, now that the chaos is over?" Jason suggested.
"Yeah," Zack said. "Rocky, Adam, why don't you hang with us tonight? We'd have to double up, but all twelve of us should fit in three rooms, right?"
"Sounds like fun," Adam agreed. "We'll swing by Rocky's and get some stuff."
"Okay," Jason agreed. "Tommy and Zack are in room 618; that's probably where we'll be."
They paid the bill and split up. Jason, Trini and Billy got stuck with the supply run—in other words, snack food and alcohol—as Tommy wasn't about to take the Dino Rangers anywhere else where they could cause chaos. Tommy insisted Zack go with them, because he figured that at least if Zack and the teens were nearby, he'd have some advanced warning before chaos exploded on his head. Kimberly decided to join them, mostly because she was happy to see Jake again and wanted to sort out her enormous new collection of stuffed animals.
There was a news van camped out in the hotel parking lot and a couple of reporters hanging outside, smoking cigarettes and sipping Starbucks beverages, glancing around in the casual manner of people who were on watch for something. Tommy sent Trent to see what they were on the lookout for, which turned out to be something they called "Ranger Watch." Apparently most of the news stations had sent reporters to all the major locations the Power Rangers had appeared so far—the mayor's office, Club Bulkmeier's, the area where Tommy had decked Walter, and the hotel, in addition to the most likely location for Power Ranger sightings—the park.
"Don't think they really care about you, Dr. O," Trent said apologetically.
"Yay, anonymity," Tommy muttered.
"You know, I've always wondered something," Conner whispered as Zack, Kimberly, Tommy, Conner, Kira, Ethan and Trent snuck through the lobby as casually as possible. "Mesogog knew our identities, and I'm guessing Rita did too. Why didn't they ever expose us?"
"Who would believe an evil guy?" Ethan asked.
"I pulled a couple fast ones on you, if I remember," Trent pointed out.
"They probably don't do it because it's not in their best interests," Zack said as they all squeezed into the lobby. "Like that time we got stuck in detention because there were evil Putty clones of us. If they'd started attacking the city while we were in school, then everyone would have known they were fakes."
"And Caplan would have let us right out of detention to go fight them," Kimberly added. "We got held up a lot by people and things because of our identities. If they had known, a lot of battles would have been easier."
"Not to mention the things we did to secure our identities," Tommy said. "Being just a little too late sometimes, taking risks to make sure no one made the connections…"
"It's kind of pointless for them to expose us, really," Zack concluded. "I mean, it would actually benefit us in a lot of ways, and not benefit them at all. We'd be famous, even though we'd have no normal lives to speak of, and the bad guys would still be fighting the Power Rangers. Hell, we might have even gotten more help if we'd come out of the closet. The Space Rangers got some serious government funding after they went public."
"If it's such a benefit, then why didn't we go public?" Kira asked.
"Because there are things that we can do anonymously that we can't do publicly," Tommy told her. "For one thing, we can get kicked out of a carnival without it ending up on the six o'clock news. If they'd known we were Rangers, somebody famous, they'd probably have sold you all to the wolves to get a little press."
"Yeah, but how often do we fight clowns or injure goats?" Conner replied.
"You'd better pray for just the once," Tommy told him darkly.
They headed for Tommy and Zack's room, chatting and dividing up the days' carnival prizes while they waited for the others. It was well after eleven by the time Rocky and Adam showed up, and almost midnight when Jason, Trini and Billy returned.
"Great news!" Trini exclaimed, waving around a dark purple bottle as they came into the room, quickly closing the door behind them. "Guess what Billy brought!"
"Alien alcohol?" Zack asked hopefully.
"I told you, Zack, Aquitians don't drink alcohol," Billy told him. "It's dehydrating. Their preferred form of escapism is astral projection."
"What's that?" Conner asked.
"It's a method of meditation where one goes to a higher plane or parallel dimension and experiences other realities," Billy told him. "It's hard to explain, but it's basically an out-of-body experience to another universe."
"Sounds like a trip," Conner said, impressed.
"It's wonderful," Billy said with a sigh. "I really must teach you all some time."
"It sounds kind of like magic or something," Ethan said.
"Magic is just a term for unexplained phenomenon," Billy said. "Mainstream science has yet to discover how it works, but mainstream science is very primitive, even on a planet as advanced as Aquitar, let alone Earth. My personal theory is that one day everything will be explicable. It was only a few hundred years ago that people didn't even know why, if the Earth was round, no one was falling off."
Conner knitted his brow. "Gravity, right?"
"Yeah, Conner, gravity," Ethan said, shaking his head and patting Conner on the shoulder, the way an older brother might do after hearing a younger sibling's harebrained theory about how the world worked.
"So if it's not alien alcohol, what is in the bottle?" Rocky asked.
"Aquitian water!" Trini proclaimed, setting it down on Zack's nightstand with a thunk. "It completely healed my eye!"
"What? How?" Adam demanded, staring at it in surprise. "I thought it could only reverse the aging process."
"It can do that because it rejuvenates," Billy explained. "It doesn't slow aging so much as reverse the effects of aging. It repairs cellular damage."
"You mean it can cure disease and stuff?" Kira asked.
"No, no, nothing like that," Trini said hastily. "See, when we age, things start to fail. Skin loses its firmness. Organs begin to give out. Eyesight fails. Hearing, memory—things wear out from so much use. Drinking Aquitian water is like recharging a battery. Won't do any good if the battery is damaged, but if the battery is just out of juice, it can fix that."
"So why aren't people using it?" Trent asked. "It could heal a lot of problems."
"Well, unfortunately, prolonged consumption could have extremely detrimental effects," Trini said, with a pointed glare at Billy.
"I've been drinking it for years," Billy said, giving Trini a somewhat apologetic smile. "I have noticed a few problems, but it would take years to thoroughly document the effects, and even so, I am not the best example of typical human physiology. I have absorbed all sorts of energy during my days as a Ranger, in addition to possessing an exceptional intellect and sound physique. I also reside on a planet with a slightly different atmosphere and lower gravity, which could alter my chemical makeup in many different ways. We do know the water is toxic to several other alien races, and since there has never been a long-term study, it could be a while before it would be safe to introduce it to the human race."
"So… why did you bring the possibly-toxic age-defying water?" Zack asked.
"Bruises," Trini explained, nodding at Kimberly and Kira. They were still covered in scratches and a few more bruises from their fight were showing up.
"Ooh, I have always wanted to try that stuff," Kimberly gushed.
"Can I have some? Kira knocked me unconscious again this morning," Conner said hopefully.
"Maybe you should make them all drink it," Tommy said thoughtfully, eyeing the Dino Rangers critically. "I don't want to send them home with a half-dozen injuries each. Even Anton would be a little upset."
"We've still got a few days left to go," Trent pointed out. "And I'm relatively unscathed."
"I thought we could all try some," Trini said. "The clown fight was a little rough."
"I'll say," Adam muttered, rubbing a small burn on the back of his hand.
"Um… you want me to drink alien water?" Kira asked faintly. "I… would kind of rather heal naturally."
"I understand if you do, but allow me to assure you that it's not harmful in small doses," Billy told her. "When I say it could have negative long-term effects, what I mean is regular doses over months, even years. Even after extensive consumption the most probable effects would be a loss or an increase of natural healing capabilities or a lack of aging. It could even theoretically make one impervious to injury. If a small amount were to affect you in any manner, it would probably only add a few months to your lifespan."
"So… it'd probably mutate me in a good way," Kira said slowly.
"Theoretically," Trini said cheerfully. She pulled out the cork, which turned out to be hollow. Trini filled the odd cork/cap with water and passed it to Kimberly.
"Should I knock it back or take a sip?" Kimberly asked.
"There are no required ritualistic methods of consumption," Billy said.
"Meaning…?" Kimberly prompted.
"Doesn't matter," Trini clarified.
"Ah." Kimberly tossed it down her throat and swallowed, then shuddered. "Whoo! That is… whoa. It tastes… not like water."
"It's kind of like alien Gatorade or something," Trini mused.
"Hey, yeah!" Kimberly exclaimed. "Totally. It's so… wow. Rejuvenating age-defying healing powers or not, they ought to be mass-producing this stuff. It's so tasty!"
Trini poured another capful. "Kira?"
Kira exhaled sharply and swallowed the capful. It really did taste odd. It was like the water she'd drank all of her life was flat and two-month-old soda pop, and she'd finally found an icy-cold sip of the real thing. It was also as if she'd been extremely worn out and just slammed a Red Bull; she immediately felt wide-awake and alert, even though she hadn't been tired previously.
"Awesome," Kira breathed.
"Tell me about it," Kimberly agreed. A few of the small cuts on her arms were already gone, and a bruise on her leg was beginning to fade.
"Can I have some?" Conner begged. "Clown fight, remember?"
"It's not like we could really forget," Adam said dryly.
They began passing the water around. Thanks to Bonkers and the flaming torches, Adam was the most injured after Kira and Kimberly, though Rocky, Zack and Conner were covered in scratches from their mad dash through the trees, and the others had a bruise or two here and there. Only Ethan, Trent and Tommy hadn't been smacked around at all that day, but they all took a small sip for curiosity's sake.
No matter how much or little they drank, everyone was suddenly as awake as if they had drunk a pot of coffee. They all started chattering, ripping open the snack food Jason, Billy and Trini had bought and taking about everything and nothing. Rocky and Adam were anxious to catch up with Billy and get better acquainted with the newbies, and everyone wanted to hear more about the Dino Thunder days.
Eventually, Ethan started describing the Hovercraft Cycle, which prompted Tommy to inform Rocky, Zack and the Dino Rangers that Hayley would be arriving tomorrow. Kimberly, uncomfortable at yet another mention of Hayley (which now not only brought up conflicting feelings for Tommy but his newfound motivation to fight for her), glanced at the clock and sat up with a jolt.
"Oh, my god!" Kimberly exclaimed. "It's getting way late. Billy's first appointment is at eleven and I still have to get this hay out of my hair before bed."
"Well, goodnight, Kim," Conner told her with a wave.
"Uh-uh," Tommy told him. "You four need to get some rest, too."
"Dr. O!" they all complained in unison.
"Sorry, guys. I've already let you battle clowns, make out with strangers, sunbathe in the nude—"
"Underwear!" Kira fairly shouted.
Tommy ignored her. "—run from cops, attack bellhops, and ingest substances that aren't approved by the Food and Drug Administration. You're just gonna have to deal with going to bed before dawn."
"When did we do drugs?" Conner asked, frowning.
"He meant the alien water isn't approved by the FDA," Ethan explained as the Dino Rangers gathered up their carnival prizes.
"But really, Dr. O, bedtime?" Kira demanded. "We're seventeen. Besides, I wanted to see if they had a washing machine here; I'd like to get this outfit clean before these grass stains become permanent."
"Hey, if I can have the first shower, I'll wash it for you," Kimberly offered.
"Kim, the, um, the whole point was kind of that I didn't want to go to bed," Kira told her.
"Tell you what. As long as I can't actually see if you're awake…" Tommy trailed off.
"Gotcha," Conner said, and the four Dino Rangers left with Kimberly and Trini.
"About time," Jason said, pulling a twelve-pack of beer from under the bed. "I thought we'd never get to drink."
The six guys descended eagerly on the alcohol, even Billy, though he was more curious than anything else. "I never did get to drink at the wedding," Billy said, holding the beer up to the light to inspect it.
"I can't believe you're twenty-four and you've never had a beer," Rocky said, shaking his head.
"Yes, well, Aquitar and such," Billy said vaguely, sniffing the beer experimentally.
"So," Adam said, flopping down on the edge of Tommy's bed, "I've got a question. Actually, I've got about a million of them, but I figured I might as well start with—what's up between you and Kimberly?"
For a moment, Tommy stared at him, wondering how best to answer that. Then he decided that there was no point in denying anything. If he was going to get Kimberly back, he was going to need help, and the five people in the room knew Kimberly better than anyone, excepting perhaps Trini.
So Tommy started with the ice-bucket collision on Friday night, moved on to what he and Zack had overheard on the balcony, and quickly and methodically went through everything that had happened between him and Kimberly in the past few days. By the time he reached the previous night, he was pacing, waving his hands for emphasis as he unloaded every frustration and hope on his five best guy friends.
"So then I go, 'I'm going to get you back for this,' and she goes, 'I'm shaking in your shirt,' and then she actually wears it all day today!" Tommy ranted, tossing an empty bottle in the trash and reaching for another.
"That's rough, man," Rocky said sympathetically.
Adam shook his head. "If there's one thing Kimberly can do well, it's steamroll."
"So what are you going to do to get her back?" Rocky asked curiously, taking another sip of his drink.
Tommy paused. He hadn't thought about it yet… it had been sort of an empty threat at the time… but now that they were on the subject…
"You guys in?" he asked as he glanced at the clock, a plan already forming.
"What do you want us to do?" Jason asked carefully, not liking the idea of retaliating, simply because they of all people knew the girls were always one for fighting back.
"You'll just have to distract Trini."
"Ooh, I'm so in," Jason said quickly, relieved.
"Figured as much," Tommy said dryly. He stood up. "All right. Here's what we're going to do. Rocky, go down to the lobby, ask for a few large trash bags. Jason, see if you can get Trini out of the room, but be careful. Just Trini; they need to be separated."
"I'll get her to go down to the truck," Jason said eagerly.
"Don't park it under a streetlight," Rocky joked.
"Ugh," Zack groaned. "Never riding in your truck again."
"What, like your car's any better? Who knows who's been in there?"
Zack grinned reminiscently. "Ah, good times."
"And ignoring that, we move on." Tommy thought for a moment, then outlined the beginning stages of his plan. A few minutes later, Rocky, Tommy and Jason left the room and split up to accomplish their individual missions.
Tommy knocked on the door to 603. "Who is it?" Conner called.
"Me."
Tommy ignored the panicky whispers and the sounds of probably-forbidden items being stuffed into improvisational hiding places. "What do you want?" Conner asked, obviously stalling for time.
"Just need to see Trent for a minute."
A moment's pause, and then Trent opened the door a crack. "Yes?"
"I need a favor."
"Yeah?" Trent asked hesitantly.
"I think I've kind of upset Kira."
"What now?" Trent demanded.
Tommy cursed himself for not thinking up some imaginary problem he could have had with Kira. "Um, it's not really important. Probably best if you don't bring it up. Anyway, I was hoping you could do me the favor of cheering her up." Realizing how that sounded, he pulled out his wallet and quickly added, "By taking her for out. There's a twenty-four hour diner nearby, Diana's. Take a right out the front entrance and it's maybe six blocks. They have really good ice cream. Get Kira away from all the insanity for a while. You're probably the best bet at making her feel better." He took out the credit card Anton had given him. "Your dad's card. Don't do anything illegal, and make sure you bring it back."
Trent's eyes widened in surprise but he took the card eagerly; it would be nice to treat Kira to something, just the two of them.
"You got it," he said happily. "Just give me a few minutes to get ready."
"Take your time," Tommy replied, wanting Jason and Trini to be gone by the time Trent went to pick up Kira.
He was almost back to the room when Jason approached, his arm around Trini's waist. "Be back soon," Jason called cheerfully. "Just going to check out the pool."
"Right, pool," Trini said distractedly.
It didn't escape Tommy's notice that Jason's hand was wandering… into Trini's front pocket. Trini didn't notice as he pulled her room key out, careful not to jostle her, and let the card drop to the floor as they passed Tommy.
Score! Tommy thought happily as he swooped down to pick it up. That hadn't been part of the plan, but it was going to make things much easier. Jason, man, you're getting a killer Christmas gift!
"See you," Tommy called happily.
"Uh-huh," Trini replied, staring into Jason's eyes heatedly as he punched the button for the elevator. It opened, revealing Rocky.
"Made a huge mess," he said, indicating his fistful of trash bags. Trini nodded absently.
Rocky joined Tommy as the doors slid shut behind Trini and Jason. "Did you get Trent to help?" Rocky asked as they headed back to the room.
"Yeah… and Jason stole Trini's room key." Tommy held it up, grinning.
"See, now, that's why Zordon picked him to be the leader way back in the day," Rocky said, deeply impressed. "She's gonna kick his ass for that if she finds out, but that was awesome."
"Hell yeah," Tommy agreed, privately adding, And you're about to find out why Zordon picked me to be Jason's successor.
Kimberly checked to be sure she had her room key one more time before exiting the room and letting it swing shut behind her. Shifting the load of laundry in her arms, she turned and headed down the hall. Rocky and Tommy were standing in the corridor, talking in low voices. Rocky saw her coming and beat a hasty retreat back into Tommy and Zack's room. Kimberly groaned.
"Don't start," she warned Tommy as she approached. This was the first time they'd been alone together since the almost-kiss on the bench, and she didn't want him to try to mess with her again.
"I wouldn't dream of it," Tommy told her, pretending to be wounded. "Are you going down to do laundry? Billy wanted to talk to you about something."
"Yeah, I am."
"Okay. I'll tell him where he can find you."
Kimberly looked up at him suspiciously. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing," Tommy told her innocently. "Nothing at all."
"I mean it, Oliver—don't mess with me."
Tommy smiled at her. "Come on, Kim. You're paranoid."
She snorted and turned away from him, jabbing the down button for the elevator. "You'd like that, wouldn't you."
"I'd like you to do a lot of things," Tommy replied silkily, and waltzed back into his room.
Kimberly shook her head as the elevator doors opened. "He keeps this up, I'm going to kill him," she muttered.
Tommy grinned as the elevator closed behind Billy. Kimberly's room was now empty. Billy would keep her distracted. Jason would keep Trini busy, and Trent and Kira would be gone for at least a half-hour more, probably longer. Tommy felt a twinge of guilt at the thought of what they might be off doing, but he tried not to dwell. Kira and Trent probably wouldn't wander far, and they were generally well-behaved… as far as he knew, anyway… comparatively…
Sorry, Anton, Tommy said silently as he rammed Trini's key card into the lock.
The door swung open. He looked around with an evil eye. The room was messy, but in a decidedly girly way. Trash was relatively close to the trash can, makeup and other grooming supplies littered the dresser, and three piles of dirty clothes—one of pink-oriented things and two of yellow—were at the bottom of the closet. It was cluttered, not necessarily messy. It was an organized disaster area… which would make his job much easier.
Tommy headed over to the piles of dirty clothes and scooped up the pink section, dumping everything unceremoniously into one of his trash bags, and then yanking down the assortment of shoes from the top shelf—nine stylish pairs all in neat rows, so definitely Kimberly's. Trini had three pairs of shoes—sandals, sneakers and slightly dressy shoes, all with yellow and the occasional bit of red—and Kira had a small collection of boots and sandals, all in yellow and black. Only Kimberly would travel with more pairs of shoes than days in her vacation, and only Kimberly would give them such a prominent place in the closet. He threw them all in with the dirty clothes, opened a fresh bag to hold the more feminine dresses hanging below the shoes, and then turned to regard the rest of the room.
Red-and-gold backpack, clothes spilling out. That was Trini's, then. Black duffel bag half-covered by a pair of jeans, black backpack with yellow piping, Kira's. Kimberly's matching pink luggage… aha, bottom of the closet… empty.
"Dresser," he muttered, and pulled open a drawer. "Jackpot."
Tommy opened another bag and started throwing things in. Jeans, capris, skirts, shorts, skorts… what was wrong with Kimberly, anyway?
Another drawer. Shirts. Every last one got thrown in with the dresses. A third drawer. Accessories—belts and hats and things that he couldn't even begin to guess what they were. Last drawer. Underwear, socks and swimsuits.
Tommy sorted through it all quickly and methodically, selecting what he needed, glancing around to make sure he hadn't missed anything. He fished in his cargo pocket for the roll of masking tape he'd gotten yesterday at Wal-Mart. Then he glanced through the piles of makeup, searching for a red lipstick.
"Bingo," he said, fighting the urge to cackle as he turned to regard the mirror. Kimberly was never going to top this. Ever.