Chasing Shadows (18 page)

He seems shell shocked. "What time was this?"
He asks.

I feel my eyes widen in confusion. "I don't
know. Early, 11ish I guess." He reaches up and turns one of his
heat vents on me. "Thanks." I say.

"I thought you worked last night."

I groan. "I'm on leave without pay." I say.
"It's bullshit. Someone planted a book in my bag. I'm not allowed
to go back to Flagship 'til after the investigation."

"
Planted
?" He asks.

"I know, I know. I sound paranoid, but it
wasn't my book. All my books have the receipts taped in
them."

Schuyler sighs. "So that's why you didn't
answer your phone."

I look at him pathetically. "Sorry." I mumble.
"I was upset, not at you or anything."

He shakes his head. "I should've... I could've
gone with you. Next time..." He grips the wheel and looks
exasperated. "Did you even call a lawyer?"

I balk. "I wasn't under arrest. Besides, how
would I know a lawyer?"

Schuyler runs his hands through his hair, and
for the first time I notice he looks really tired. There are dark
circles under his big brown eyes. He could be forty with that
face.

"Lawyers are good for things." He says like
he's explaining this to a ten year old. "The police wouldn't have
held you all night if you'd had a lawyer."

"Schuyler I'm so sorry man. I know I'm
stressing you out. Sorry. I don't know any lawyers. Are you
okay?"

"You should have
called
me." His voice
has an edge to it now.

"Sorry." I whisper. Oh shit. There are those
tears again. Oh my God. Do they slip estrogen into frozen dinners?
Is that why I unhinge so easily?

Quietly Schuyler eases the Escalade out into
traffic. "You want to come over, or should I drive you
home?"

"You want me to come over?" I
squeak.

He gets this odd, overwhelmed look. "Of course.
I offered didn't I?"

"Why are you so mad?"

"I'm not mad." He looks at me briefly. "I'm
just tired. I was sleeping."

I feel like such a jerk. "I'm
sorry."

"Quit apologizing." Well, what do you say to
that? I don't know, so I shut up and we drive in silence for a few
blocks. Eventually the silence grows comfortable, then easy, and
now, Schuyler breaks it. "So what are you doing tonight?" he asks
with careful optimism.

I shrug. "I dunno. Nothing, I guess. I'm
definitely taking the night off from this Madeline
business."

He nods. "Good, you should. Wanna hang
out?"

“Yeah.” I say relieved. “Cool.”

He smiles a little. “Good. We’ll sleep
first.”

“First? What’s second?”

Now he smiles bigger. “Whatever. We could hit a
party or two, or none. I like to go to Golden Waffle and sit by the
windows. It’s like a parade on Halloween.”

I smile. “Can we make fun of
people?”

He laughs. “Yes.” He says. “That’s exactly what
we’ll do.”

“Awesome.” I grin. “We’ve never done that. I
wasn’t quiet sure how we ever forged a friendship without the
mutual-derision-of-strangers bond.”

Schuyler smiles sideways nodding. “Yeah, we’ve
been stuck in crisis management mode from day one.”

I take a deep warm breath. “Thanks for coming
to get me.”

He nods. “You’re more entertaining than a
psychotic break.”

I laugh. “That’s hilarious. That’d be my slogan
if I were a product. Get a Meegan, cheaper and more entertaining
than a psychotic break.”

“Cheaper?” He leers.

I chuckle like Santa Clause and look at my
feet. Wow, my socks are filthy.

Chapter Eight

I wake up in a sunny room and wonder where I
am. I'm on a big beige couch and I'm wearing my clothes. My belt is
digging into me. Somehow it and my pants got all twisted up in my
sleep. I look left and see my jacket on the floor... Schuyler's
floor, yes that's it. I lift my hips to straighten my pants and I
hear a throat clear. Groggy, I sit up. Sure enough, there's
Schuyler. He's standing in the hallway that's down past the foot of
the couch. I smile. He smiles.

"You talk in your sleep." He says.

I shrug. "What did I say?"

"Nothing, just moaning mostly, but I did catch
the words Diet Coke." He walks closer. I fold my legs up so he can
sit on the couch.

"Yeah the cops took that too." I say with a
yawn.

He assumes the shocked expression. "Animals!
They took your calorie free beverage?"

I shake my head. "One calorie." I hold up my
finger. "Half a calorie for me, since they took it before I was
through. Well, more accurately they set it on the ground and failed
to retrieve it for me once I was placed in the squad
car."

"Well, that's better."

"Yup."

"Gotcha something." Schuyler says.

"Really?" My voice gets high. "How long have
you been up?"

"Few hours." Schuyler hops to his feet and
lopes down the hall that leads to the bedrooms. "Wait here." His
legs are so long it’s like watching a giraffe, except
not.

"K." I mumble lying back down and rubbing my
eyes. It’s so sunny in here, can't be more than five PM. I should
still be asleep. When I hear his tread on the hardwood I prop
myself up on my elbows and smile with my mouth closed. My breath
stinks and I think I have a new zit. Welcome home zit, join your
people.

"Here." Schuyler's cheeks are a little red as
he sits down next to me. "I thought if you were up in time, we
could go shopping before we head out, pick you up some
clothes."

I sit up the rest of the way. My eyebrows lift
as Schuyler hands me a big brown shopping bag. I know as soon as I
hold the bag what's inside. The man bought me boots. I
grin.

"Thanks." I dig into the bag, pull out the box,
flip off the cover and squeal. They're just like my old boots but
new! "Oh my God. Thank you, thank you, thank you." I pretty much
dive across the couch to hug his neck.

I'm going to pause here to say that I am a
woman who knows how to receive a gift. One of my first memories
after I'd gotten an apartment and a job, is of trying to give a
coworker a used book I knew she wanted. She turned me down flat.
She said she couldn't possibly take a gift from me, she'd never be
able to repay it, and bunches of other dumb ass things. She thought
she was being humble. I thought she was being a sanctimonious
bitch. It’s not nice to be rejected when you're trying to display
affection and gift giving
is
affection so... Whenever anyone
gives me something, if I like them at all, I just say thank you.
This also totally screws the people who offer you things they think
you'll turn down and that makes me laugh, dishonest
pricks.

Schuyler laughs at my hug and he hugs me back.
He's grinning wider than I am. "Glad you like them."

I inspect the footwear. "How'd you know my
size?"

"Last time you stayed over I checked out your
boots."

"While I was sleeping."

For a moment silence falls. Then, "It's not
like that." Schuyler says.

I giggle. "Who am I to judge?"

"Shit." He says, but he's still smiling. "So
where do you want to go for clothes?"

I suck my cheek for a sec. "I don't know.
Really, unless we're going someplace crazy fancy I think this is
fine." I lift my sleeve a little. "What I really need today is
tooth brush, and my shampoo and conditioner, and my face stuff so
maybe we should head to my place."

Schuyler shakes his head. "Already got all
that. It’s in the bathroom."

"Huh."

"I mean." He continues. "Maybe not the right
brands, but I remembered you bitching about it last time you stayed
on my couch, so while I was out getting your boots I got that stuff
too... and cigarettes."

"Damn." I say. "I'm... thanks. You don't even
smoke." Schuyler shrugs. "You are so
nice
to me!" I wrap my
arm around his waist. "So, should I thank your housekeeper or
what?"

He laughs. "I went myself!"

"Thank you, Lupa!" I shout, just in case she's
here somewhere.

“I went myself.”

"Yeah, for the boots maybe, but conditioner?
Where would you even begin?"

He smiles and turns red some more. “I asked the
sales lady for help.”

“Well, then you must not have gotten them where
I go, because there is no sales lady at CVS.”

He nods. “Macy’s.”

“Macy’s?” I gasp. “They sell shampoo at
Macy’s?”

“Yeah.” He blinks in surprise. “All the
perfumes, or lots of them anyway, have other bath products with the
same scent so they can sell more stuff. ‘Layering scents’ is what
the lady said.”

“Huh.” Well, I’m sure the bath products I’m
about to use are going to be the most expensive bath products I
have ever laid eyes on. I smile. Schuyler has no idea how rich he
is. It’s kind of cute. I reach up and mess with his
hair.

He closes his eyes. “That’s nice.” He says it
so softly I have to guess a little that I really heard it, but
since I did, I keep on. The man bought me boots! I scooch closer to
get a better angle and Schuyler leans my way. It’s like petting a
cat. I half expect him to roll on his back and stick his feet in
the air.

“Meegan.” He says.

I keep scratching. “Mm Hmm.”

“You need to brush your teeth.”

“Ha!” I laugh out loud. “K” I say, hopping up
to head to the bathroom. “Do you have to go, cause I’m just gonna
shower while I’m in there.”

“No, bathroom’s yours.” He smiles. I smile
back. God I’m glad I know this guy. Schuyler’s place is the perfect
retreat after the crappy couple of days I’ve had. I silently enter
the bathroom and check out the supplies. Cool. Next thing I know
I’m surrounded with costly bubbles and steamy shower jets. I brush
my teeth in the shower with my new vibrating tooth brush. I lather
and exfoliate all things flesh colored. This may be the best shower
I have ever had, though I have to admit I do sort of miss the
pulse, pulse, pulse, bang I’d be hearing at home.

When I’m done with the cleansing process, I
turn off the shower jets and step out to survey the counter. It’s
packed with face creams and hair products, like a mini department
store just for me. I apply some expensive looking cream that I hope
will fry my zits off. I brush my hair and load it with foam
products to make it lustrous and silky or whatever. I think about
proposing to Schuyler. Seriously, would it be wrong to marry a guy
for hair gel if it was really, really
nice
hair gel? Should
I buy him a ring? I laugh at myself. It’s tempting to spend all
night in here trying everything, but that would come off as weird
and maybe materialistic.

I look down to find my clothes, so I can put
them back on... Where the fuck are they? I know I didn’t do
anything snazzy like fold them and set them someplace. I’m
reasonably sure I just shucked them onto the floor. Well shit. Now
I’m naked and trapped in the bathroom. There’s a robe hanging on a
hook by the door so I wrap myself in it and head out to find
Schuyler. I don’t have to go far. When I open the door he’s waiting
there in the hall.

“Hey.” I say.

“Yeah, sorry.” He says eyeing the robe. “I
can’t stand to put dirty clothes on after a shower. The more I
thought about it, the worse it got in my head, so I snuck in and
your stuffs in the washer.”

“Weirdo.”

“Sorry.”

I shrug. “Whatever. Thanks for washing my
stuff.” It seems a little odd that Schuyler’s being so helpful. I
wonder if this is part of his crazy. “So I guess we’re stuck here
'til it gets done.” I say cheerfully.

“Uh...” Schuyler looks embarrassed.

“What?”

Schuyler sucks in his breath. He’s not making
eye contact. “Lupa is buying you some clothes. I called her at
home.”

“Why?"

He looks at me like a drowning puppy. “I don’t
know.” He says. “I didn’t think you’d want to wait?”

“You see me as impatient?” Not that I’m not,
but still.

“No, no...” He’s avoiding my eyes some more. He
looks panicked.

I sigh and cross over to him, wrapping my arm
around his waist. “It’s okay, you know. I’m not mad at you. It’s
all okay.”

He lets out his breath. “You don’t think I’m
crazy and controlling?” He asks seriously, hopefully.

I kiss his shoulder because it’s as high as I
can reach. “Of course I think you’re crazy and controlling.” I lean
my head on him. “It’s okay though, I like you and there are worse
things anyway. You still taking your medications?”

Schuyler sighs. “I ran out of one, but I’m
taking the really important ones, and my doctor called in the one
I’m out of, so Lupa’ll get it tomorrow when its ready, but anyway
I’m supposed to go in for blood work, and I put it off so that’s
why I ran out...” He pauses as if to catch his breath. “I didn’t
mean to freak you out.”