D
avid walked up to the door of the Linden Building with every intention of going through it, but something inside him made him stop. He decided he simply wasn't ready to face Joanna. Instead, he drifted toward First Avenue with his duffel bag slung over his shoulder. He ducked into the first bar he came to, but the nonstop Electroclash mix was booming so loudly from the speakers that it made his brain ache. Hennepin Avenue was no better with its nightly sea of neon. He'd already made his homage visit to the Gay Nineties, so he had no desire to go there, either.
Returning to the warehouse district, he stopped at a small coffee shop on an out-of-the-way street for a sandwich and coffee. Truth was, he was still so ashamed of what he'd done to Jane that he could barely stand up straight. She'd done her best to let him off the hook, but nothing she said made any difference. He could have killed her, and that realization was enough to send him running.
When he finally entered the loft's ground floor an hour later, he noticed immediately that it was much busier than it had been when he left. People were milling around, some with cameras around their necks, some with video equipment, some just rank-and-file curiosity seekers. The Greek restaurant was jammed with diners. David assumed
that the Twin Cities had finally wised up to the fact that they had a celebrity in their midst. For a moment, he considered how sweet his anonymity was.
As he threaded his way toward the elevator, a heavyset guy in the restaurant stood up and waved at him. David had never seen the man before. He reminded him of a bird of prey.
Glancing around, David pointed to his chest and mouthed, “Me?”
The bird nodded, motioning for him to come over.
The guy seemed so insistent, David figured he'd see what he wanted.
“David Carlson. That's right, isn't it?” asked the man, extending his hand.
“And you are?”
“Milan Mestrovik. I'm a friend of your sister's. I live upstairs, one floor above her.” He motioned for David to sit.
As soon as David pulled up a chair, a waitress appeared to take his order. “A Coke,” he said.
“That it?” Her hand remained poised over her pad.
“Yeah, thanks.”
As she streaked away, David sat back and looked around. “This place is a freakin' madhouse.”
“Has been since last night. Somebody must have spotted Joanna yesterday. I'm told she went out for a short walk. She probably regrets it now that she's been spotted.”
“Can't the owners of the building do something?”
Milan shrugged and went back to his meal. “It's a free country.”
Leaning into the table, David said, “So what did you call me over for?”
Milan chewed for a second, then said, “The people who love Joannaâand I count myself in that numberâshould step in and do something about that Luberman character. You with me?”
David's eyes widened slightly. “I don't know. What did you have in mind?”
“Total annihilation.”
“Excuse me?”
“The man is a menace.”
“I agree, but that doesn't give us a license to kill.”
“Did I say kill?”
“Well, yeah, I think you did.”
He shook his head. “Maybe it won't need to come to that.”
“Lookâ”
“I know, I know. I'm talking last-case scenario here. But I thought of all people in Jo's life, you'd understand how serious this is.”
David found Milan Mestrovik beyond creepy. “How well do you know my sister?”
“Very well. Those cases of wine in her loft? They're from me.” He winked. “You're gay, right?”
David nodded, not sure what his sexual preference had to do with anything.
“I'm bi. I haven't dated in years. Don't even go to bars anymore. I guess I've been kind of a recluse.” He smiled at David. “You like movies?”
“I'm in a committed relationship, Milan.” He needed to head off any potential trolling.
“Good for you. You happy?”
“Very.”
“You got an open marriage?”
“Nope.”
“Too bad.” He shoveled the last of the moussaka into his mouth. “I thought we might, you know. I mean, we've got so much in common.”
“We do?”
“Sure. Joanna. Far as I'm concerned, we're family.”
Milan had mumbled the last few words, and with all the noise in the room, David didn't catch it. “Nice meeting you, but I gotta get going.”
“Good to finally meet you, David. I'm sure I'll see you around. Oh, and give my love to your sister. You won't forget, will you? Make sure you say
my love.
”
Doing a slow take, David said, “Right.”
“Tell her I'm working on the Luberman thing and not to worry. I'll come up with a solution.”
“Great. Well.” Feeling that he was in the presence of a man with more loose screws than he had in his own head, David backed away. “I'm sure that will put her mind at rest.” He walked away as fast as he could without actually breaking and running.
Â
After a bumpy ride up to four on the old freight elevator, David was about to unlock the door to his sister's loft when he heard the door behind him crack open and a voice hiss, “Pssssst. Davey.”
He turned around. “Faye?”
“Come 'ere,” she whispered.
Hoisting the duffel to his other shoulder, he stepped across the hall. “How ya doin'?” When Faye opened her door all the way, a gust of cigarette smoke billowed out. She pointed to Joanna's door. “She's not alone.”
“No?”
“She's got a man in there with her. He spent the night last night. This is just a guess, you understand, but I think he's gonna stay again tonight.” She shook her head. “Bad news.”
“Why?”
“It's her ex. Freddy Kasimir. He's no good for her, Davey. He treated her like shit when they were married. I got no idea why she's even giving him the time of day. I mean, I warned her about him.”
David nodded. “How do you know so much about Freddy?”
“I read. Men suck.”
“Huh. Right. I'll remember that. But actually, he's really not such a bad guy. Neither of them were ready for marriage back then.” David wasn't quite sure why he was having this conversation with someone who was, for all practical purposes, a total stranger.
“Don't blame that sister of yours. She's a jewel. Kasimir is an asshole, didn't value what he had. In my book, that makes him not only a bastard, but a stupid bastard.”
“Joanna's not perfect, you know.”
“Wash your mouth out with soap, boy. She's as good as she is beautiful. Take it from me, the only reason she let that jerk into her apartment was because she's scared. It's Gordon Luberman. He's got her so twisted she doesn't know which end is up.”
“Yeah, you're probably right.”
“Of course I'm right.” She sucked in a lungful of smoke, blew it out through her nose.
David was getting a nicotine fix just standing next to her.
“You tell her to get rid of him. She should know better. She needs company, I'm right here.”
“Okay.”
“Be good to her, Davey.”
“I will. I promise.”
She looked him full in the face, then nodded and ducked back inside her door.
Surreal, thought David, moving across the hall and fitting his key into the lock. He'd been a resident of the
Twilight Zone
for months, but maybe there were more rooms in it than he'd first thought.
Stepping into the foyer, he deposited his duffel on the floor next to the front closet. He stood for a moment and listened. Soft music drifted out of Joanna's bedroom. Glancing into the kitchen, he saw an empty bottle of champagne and two empty flutes sitting on the counter amid the dregs of a take-out Chinese dinner. He should have called her cell before coming up. That was mistake one.
Mistake two was attempting to creep past Joanna's bedroom door just as she moaned, “Rip my clothes off, Freddy. Rip them off!” He'd almost made it past, when Freddy said, “Jo, we're not alone.”
“What?” she said, fear in her voice.
“It's your brother.”
Busted, thought David. He was about four feet past the door when Joanna shouted, “David?”
“Hi there.”
“Give us a minute, okay?”
“Sure.” He cringed-laughed into the cuff of his suede jacket. “You know, I can leave. It's not a problem.” He heard more whispers.
A few seconds later, Joanna appeared draped in a creamy silk bathrobe.
“You're back.”
“Yes, ma'am. I'm back.”
She leaned close and said, “Freddy's here.”
“Really.” He tried to act surprised.
Freddy walked out a few seconds later, sans hairpiece. He had on a striped terry cloth robe. As always, he looked fit.
“Fred,” said David, extending his hand.
Freddy shook it. “Great to see you again, David. Your sister and Iâ”
“No need to explain. We're all adults.”
They stood in the hallway, squirming through an awkward pause.
“Let's open a bottle of pinot,” said Joanna.
“My pleasure,” said Freddy, disappearing into the kitchen.
David followed Joanna into the living room. As they sat down on the couch, he said softly, “May I admit to being a tiny bit dumbfounded.”
“If one can
be
a
tiny bit
dumbfounded.”
“True. Come on, tell me what's going on.”
She rolled her shoulders playfully. Crossing her legs, she sat back. She looked elegant. Thin. Flushed. “We're an item. Again.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“It just happened. He's in town ⦠on business and we ⦠hooked up.”
“The old-fashioned way.”
“Don't be crude.” She leaned forward and plucked a lighter and a package of Djarums off the coffee table.
“Someone's been shopping, I see.”
“They're Freddy's. Indonesian clove cigarettes. He's already got me hooked. Try one?”
David shook his head.
“I've always loved him, David,” she continued, lighting up. “I think it was inevitable that we'd get back together.”
“Kismet.” He started to hum the song “Stranger in Paradise.”
“Don't be snarky.”
“Moi?”
“Only a gay man would be able to remember a song from an ancient Broadway show.”
“Now who's being snarky? Show tunes are gay spirituals. They're sacred.”
Freddy padded into the living room with the open bottle of pinot and three crystal wineglasses. David felt a sense of ease and comfort in the presence of a man sophisticated enough to understand the importance of the correct glass. Freddy was okay by David. Maybe even better than okay. There was no telling how long this reunion would last, but David silently wished them well. If nothing else, Freddy's sudden reappearance in Joanna's bed seemed to have taken her mind off Luberman. She actually looked radiant tonight.
As they were toasting a rosy future for everyone, Freddy's cell phone began chirping “The Stars and Stripes Forever.”
“Sorry,” he said, pulling it off the end table and checking the caller ID. “I gotta take that. I'll only be a sec.” Moving over to one of the rocking chairs, he said hello.
Since Joanna seemed to want to hear what he was saying, David sat silently and sipped his wine. He'd promised Jane he wouldn't drink until they figured out what was wrong with him, but a few sips of pinot could hardly get him in trouble.
“Good,” said Freddy, touching the top of his hairless head and frowning. “That's just what I wanted to hear.” He paused. “No, the funding's not a problem. Let me take care of that.” He glanced up at Joanna. “Sounds great. I owe you, Kev. Yeah. I'll be in touch.” As he slipped the phone back into the pocket of his bathrobe, a smile burst over his face. “It's all set. Now listen, Babycakes, I don't mean to be pushy, but we have a deal, right? We've got to get serious if we're going to make this happen. You promise me you'll call your lawyer tomorrow? See what he can do about ⦠you know.”