“I won’t.”
“Won’t promise, or won’t do it?”
“I think I’m going to lie down for a bit,” I said, easing past him and heading for the stairs.“Not long.”
“Damien!”
I shut my door on his complaint, only to have to open it a moment later for Muffin.Charlemagne, his collar catching the bright thin stream of watery sunlight peeking through the clouds and into my room, squeezed his eyes closed at us and turned away.The collar caught my eye again, the way it shone and was so extravagantly made."He really loved you," I said quietly, a realization dawning slowly."I don't think he tore up the room, not with you in it.He wouldn't have let you be in squalor, would he?You haven't torn anything up since you've been here.You haven't peed all over the rugs...Were you scared, Charlemagne?"
I padded over to the bed and carefully sat down beside him.He opened one eye to glare at me."I wish you could talk.What the hell went on in there?"
Chapter 13
“So here’s where weare.The Ladies Who Lunch are weird as a bag of hair.”I made a check mark on my notepad.“Someone is trying to frame me for arson and it might be them.”Another check mark.“Gerald Tubbs Junior is dead and it’s sketchy as hell” Check check.“He had a fight with mysterious lady Anmorata Blue the night before he died.”One more check.“And no one believes me that it’s weird as hell he was dead in that boat on his own and she’s turned into a ghost.”More checks.Then I added as I spoke, “Also, who the hell is stalking me?”Underline, underline, underline.
Muffin, helpful as always, uttered a softwoofand stretched out on his side.Charlemagne did not deign to offer a comment.
Tony brought the chaos, though.He jumped onto the bed and, in his enthusiasm, skidded across my stack of notes and sent them flying.I bit back a frustrated scream, gently moving him to one side.“Thanks so much, furball.”
I’d been at it for an hour or so, listening to Ben get everything together to head back to Boston after all and very pointedly making enough sound so I’d hear him up two flights of stairs.
No one needed to stack file folders that loudly.No one.
As tired as I was, I was also antsy and edgy.I knew I’d pick a fight with Ben about his suggestion that he stay if I went downstairs so I put myself to work on a Plan.Yes, with a capital P.
Thursday To-Do:
Replace phone.Again.
NATE???
Email Paul Santos re pap shots AGAIN.What does he know?
Contact Mario about pics—cease and desist for sites?
Geoff Hightower—why is he the money man for Tubbs?
