“Sherri, it’s been too long. How’s it going?” Daniel smiled summoning up every bit of acting skill he possessed.
“Save the shit, Daniel, I know that fat fuck is back there. Just bring him out now!” Sherri spat.
She jabbed her finger at him and Daniel had to resist the urge to break out in laughter. Covering his mouth, he turned his head to the side.
“He’s not here, Sherri, I swear. He left to pick up some supplies for tonight from his house.”
Sherri stared at him hard, her eyes narrow and judgmental. Minutes passed and she didn’t move, not even a blink. She stood there with her eyes locked on Daniel, possibly trying to cook his brain with her gaze.
Daniel looked back at her just as fiercely, conjuring up the smuggest expression he could make. Then, without warning, Sherri reached across the counter and grabbed him by his coat. Her grip was strong, manly, and rough. She nearly pulled him into the lobby as she tugged at his jacket. She moved her face within an inch of his and whispered in a deep, harsh tone.
“Do I look stupid to you, Daniel?"
"Umm..n...no?" Daniel replied.
"That's because I'm not. Now, you go back there and bring his ass out here! I know he didn’t leave, his car is in the damn parking garage.”
Daniel was starting to regret covering for Victor. He placed his hand on Sherri’s while clearing his throat and tried to loosen her grip. She clenched her fist tighter and pulled him closer, almost nose to nose. She stared into his eyes and her glare changed from one of anger to almost a look of seduction.
“Tom…Tom took him,” Daniel stuttered.
“Who the hell is Tom?”
She moved closer, placing her lips on his nose as she spoke. Her breath smelled like mint, mint with a mixture of fried onions. Although she’d finished speaking, she continued moving her lips, rubbing them across Daniel’s nose, smearing it with cheap, red lipstick.
“My friend, he’s down here for a while on business,” Daniel said and leaned away from the counter, turning his face away from hers. "He picked Victor up."
Sherri smiled, and something in her eyes told Daniel she was contemplating mounting him right there. Out of some self-preservation reflex Daniel made a gagging sound and she moved back a bit, slowly releasing his collar.
“I wouldn’t lie to you, Sherri. I know you and my wife are great friends,” Daniel said, placing extra emphasis on the word wife.
“Of course Daniel…of course. Well, you tell little Victor I’m looking for him. No one just leaves my bed, no one!” she winked at Daniel then turned and headed for the door.
Daniel watched as she left, trying to shake off the feeling of being molested. Once the elevator doors had closed behind her, Daniel shivered then walked back into his office.
Victor was still pacing back and forth. His face was covered in sweat and the armpits of his shirt was soaked. He looked up in fear as Daniel walked in.
“Did she leave? Is she gone?” he asked in a pleading tone.
“Yeah, she’s gone…for now. Said she’ll be back though so you might wanna sleep in here or something. What the hell is going on with her?”
Daniel plopped into his chair behind the desk and crossed his legs. Victor huffed loudly then dove into a long-winded speech.
“Well, Sherri’s got a thing for me as I’m sure you know. And we’ve been at it for a while. But with the murders going on Lawson’s getting crazy. He swears I’m involved somehow. So I thought it’d be better if we cut things out for a while. I thought we were on the same page, but when I stopped by my house on the way here, the crazy bitch was in my bed.”
“What!” Daniel blurted out loudly, startling Victor.
“Yeah, I walked in. All the lights were off and I ran to the closet to grab my coat. I turned around and she whispered my name. I turned the lights on and she was lying in my bed…naked.”
Daniel had been smiling since Victor started telling him the story. Once he heard Sherri was naked in Victor’s bed he couldn’t contain himself any longer. He burst into laughter almost falling out of his chair. Victor rolled his eyes.
"So, what happened next?"
"I got my ass out of there."
“Let me get this right, you just left… with her still in the bed?” Daniel asked, still chuckling.
“Hell yeah! I walked in and walked right back out. You’ve seen her, she doesn’t accept no very well.”
Daniel stood up. “You’re an idiot,” he said then headed for the door. “I got work to do and your insane love life is gonna get us both killed.”
Now that Sherri was gone the lobby was empty, which was unusual for a Friday night. Normally a cadre of strippers and so-called models would occupy the office, eager for any suggestions on how to improve their body. Victor was normally the man for the job, never one to turn down the opportunity to have a naked woman pose for him.
Daniel headed into the supply closet and began to unpack boxes that had been delivered earlier that evening. Barbara, the antiquated receptionist that normally handled the task had been off for the last few weeks with a broken ankle. Jackie was on vacation, so they were short-staffed. In their absence the closet had grown jam packed with boxes and bags that Victor had haphazardly tossed in.
Daniel waded through the pile of toppled over boxes trying to systematically work from the back to the front. After fifteen minutes of what seemed like virtual Tetris, he retired to a nearby chair and sat down. An hour into my day and I'm already doing manual labor, he thought.
The large clock on the wall ticked loudly, echoing through the empty office. Daniel stared at it watching the hands slowly melt away. It was now 8:13 and Daniel had managed to accomplish a little more than nothing.
“Thirteen,” Daniel said to himself. “Mile marker thirteen.”
He wasn’t sure what the significance of that was, or even where it was, but he’d seen that road sign in several his dreams. It would just pop up into his head like a long, lost memory. He was sure Ned would have a field day with that. He jotted it down on a sticky note and shoved it into his pocket.
Daniel crossed his arms and dipped his head as he watched the second hand on the clock slowly spin around. He tried to remember where he’d seen that sign before, but it wouldn’t come to him. He closed his eyes trying to visualize it and within seconds his head slumped back against the wall and he dozed off.
REALITY
Sherri was still sitting in her car, convinced that Victor would poke his head out sooner or later. The tiny, red Volkswagen idled quietly, cascaded by shadows in the corner of the musky garage. Overhead lights flickered on and off as Sherri lit up a cigarette and puffed away vigorously. With a buzz, the lights fizzled out and the amber glow of her cigarette illuminated the car.
“Come on out, Victor. I know you’re hiding,” she whispered to herself as she blew smoke into the air. It circled slowly in the cabin then billowed out of the cracked window like a fog machine.
Sherri clicked her teeth then began to fumble with her lighter to pass the time. She ran her fingers across the metal, mumbling to herself, complaining about Victor under her breath. Suddenly, there was a loud snap as the lights popped back on. Sherri jumped in her seat and dropped her lighter onto the floor.
“Damn it,” she grumbled.
Reaching down to the floorboard, she felt around blindly, but came up with nothing more than an old cigarette butt. She leaned forward, stretching her arm further back. As she did her forehead smacked against the rearview mirror and almost knocked it off the windshield.
“Mother fucker!” she growled.
Sherri sat up and rubbed her head cursing loudly, then reached for the mirror to move it back. She suddenly froze as she looked up at her reflection, her eyes meeting another pair that weren’t her own.
They glimmered from the back seat, peering at her through the dark. Narrow, cold eyes floating in the blackness, belonging to a face…a face she couldn’t see.
The hair on her neck stood up
and the feeling of ice cold water ran down the small of her back. Sherri’s heart pounded in her chest, so loudly it echoed in the car. She wanted to move, but before she could react, arms erupted from the shadows and lunged at her.
Her legs squirmed as a damp cloth was plunged into her face. An arm wrapped around her throat and tightened like a coil.
Sherri fought back, she punched wildly, ripping the rearview mirror from the windshield. She violently flailed her arms, gagging as she struggled for air. She yanked at her attacker’s hands and tried to bite their fingers, fighting to remove the rag from her face.
With all her strength, she managed to pull their hand down momentarily and let out a feeble squeal. She gasped for air, sucking in the scent of beef jerky and cheap perfume. Before she could breathe again, the shadowy figure jerked back, pulling hard against her neck at the same time jamming the cloth further into her mouth.
Sherri felt a bitter twinge on her tongue as her vision began to blur. Her leg kicked in a spasm and then her body went limp, collapsing against the car seat.
~~***~~
Daniel jumped up at the sound of the bell ringing at the receptionist’s desk. He wasn’t sure how long he’d been sleeping, but by the look on Donna Snider’s face she’d been there a while. This of course could also be attributed to her toucan-like nose, which gave her face a sort of permanent sneer.
Daniel stood up slowly, still a bit groggy from his nap. He gathered himself then walked towards the counter like a zombie, not entirely sure if he was awake or not.
“Evening, Ms. Snider,” Daniel smiled, rubbing his eyes and wiping the bit of drool that had begun to run down his lip.
“Dr. Montague, I was beginning to think you’d forgotten all about our appointment.”
“Of course not. Our receptionist is out this week, so I’ve been handling a lot of the back-office stuff. Let me grab some paperwork out of the office and we’ll get started,” Daniel said then disappeared around the corner.
He walked back to his office and slowly pushed the door open, cautiously poking his head in. Victor had given up on pacing and was now sitting at the desk staring into nothing. Daniel shook his head and snapped his fingers in Victor’s face. Victor begrudgingly sat up and sighed.
“You gonna do some work today?” Daniel jested.
“Yeah, this Sherri thing is just getting old.”
“I’m sure it’ll work out,” Daniel declared.
"I wish I had your optimism." Victor grinned at him then stood up, his ass still hanging out of his pants. Daniel raised an eyebrow and coughed.
“Um yeah. Ms. Snider’s here for her nose. Go find something to cover your ass and meet me in room three,” Daniel said.
Ignoring Victor, he opened his drawer and pulled out a hefty file folder. He slammed it onto the desk and flipped it open. Victor continued to sulk for a moment longer then waddled around the corner and disappeared.
“Poor bastard,” Daniel whispered as he plopped into his chair and began rifling through the manila folder.
“Ah hah!” he proclaimed loudly as he raised the golden form he was looking for.
He quickly tossed everything else back into his desk and locked it. He grabbed a pack of pens and darted out of the door. Shaking his head, he jogged back to the counter where an eager Ms. Snider paced anxiously.
“Ok, Donna. I just need you to fill out the front and back of this page and sign at the bottom,” Daniel instructed as he handed her the medical release form.
“So, if I croak on your table you’re in the clear?” she asked jokingly as she scribbled down the page.
Daniel opened his mouth to respond, but was cut short as Victor glided to the counter sporting a new pair of slacks.
“Donna, it’s been too long. When are you gonna let me get my hands on the rest of that body?” Victor pulled her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Donna giggled and blushed. “Oh, Victor, you do know how to flatter a woman.”
Daniel smiled. Victor rallied well. He’d gone from complete disarray to harassing the clients like nothing ever happened. Daniel shot Victor a dirty look then led Donna back into room three.
Four hours later Donna was lying in recovery and Daniel and Victor sat talking in his office.
“That’s the longest nose bone I’ve ever seen,” Victor laughed.
“Yeah, I’m sure she’ll like her new one much better.”
Daniel yawned while leaning back in his black, leather chair. He reached into his pocket and took out a ball of receipts and paper and tossed them onto his desk. Victor sat across from him spinning like a cyclone, his feet wiggling about like he was on a swing.
“You’re like a fat kid at an amusement park,” Daniel joked.
Victor chuckled then stopped the chair and jumped to his feet. “I’m starving. I’m gonna grab some food. You want something?”
“Nah, I’m good,” Daniel said and waved his hand. “Just be careful Sherri's probably looking for you. Never know where she might show up.”
Victor shrieked at the name then strode out of the office. His footsteps echoed loudly on the linoleum floor. The only other sound that could be heard was the grumbling of his empty stomach.
“I’m getting fucking french fries,” he mumbled to himself as he hopped into the elevator and punched the button to the parking garage.
With a loud ding, the elevator stopped on the ground floor and Victor walked out into the chilly air. Whistling, he strutted into the darkness. A few rats disappeared into the shadows as his heavy feet stomped across the concrete.
“Where the hell did I park?”
His head swept back and forth across the garage like a spotlight. Then suddenly he stopped and gasped. Staggering backwards, Victor shook and threw his hand over his mouth.
“What the fuck? What the fuck are you doing here?” he whispered.
Clumsily, Victor dove behind a column that was much too narrow to conceal him. He peeked around the corner, eyeing the red Volkswagen, praying he hadn’t been spotted. For what seemed like an eternity he stood there with his stomach pressed up against the cold concrete, trying to mask his heavy breathing.
“She’s not there…she’s not there,” Victor repeated to himself.
He was almost positive the front seat was empty, but fear kept him from moving. The shadows that consumed the car made it almost impossible to be sure.
“Sherri, you…you better not be there,” he stuttered.
Stealthily, Victor stepped out from behind the column and cautiously moved closer and closer. He did his best to tiptoe, but his clumsy feet smacked loudly on the grimy floor. He stopped at the back of her car and sighed, relieved that it was empty. Without another thought he turned and walked away.
Doing his best impression of jogging, Victor headed for his car. His chubby feet throbbed, squeezed into dress shoes that were two sizes too small. With sweaty fingers, he reached for his door and nervously fumbled with the keys. He cursed loudly regretting being such a cheap ass and not having keyless entry.
The overhead lights popped and Victor jumped. The garage went totally dark and his keys slipped from his hands and fell to the floor with a clang. Dropping to his knees Victor started feeling around the cold concrete blindly. An overwhelming sense of panic ran through him as he propped himself onto his stomach and reached under the car.
“Come on…come on,” he grumbled.
He anxiously swept his hands back and forth then froze as he heard the tapping of footsteps. They sounded heavy, not like Sherri’s narrow heels she’d always wear, but like a man. The footsteps weren’t that far away and they were coming towards him.
Victor desperately stretched his arm as far under the car as he could. He furiously patted the ground with his hand, smacking the concrete like water. He wiggled and squirmed as the footsteps grew closer and closer.
With one last lunge, his finger caught the ring of his keys and he dragged them towards him. They rattled and scraped across the floor as he pulled
them and the sound echoed in the darkness like a bell.
The footsteps suddenly stopped. Victor froze and held his breath. Out of nowhere a flashlight erupted and swept back and forth across the garage. Victor tried to squeeze himself under the car, but it was no use. The bright beam inched towards him until it stopped on top of him, illuminating him like a spotlight.
“Victor, what the hell are you doing?” a familiar voice blared out, echoing through the garage.
In complete shock Victor rolled over and looked up. He shielded his eyes from the light and glared at Sheriff Lawson in confusion.
“I um…dropped my keys,” Victor muttered as he struggled to his feet and brushed off his pants.
He glanced to his right at Sherri’s car then quickly looked back at the sheriff. Slowly, he slid to the side, forcing Lawson to look the other way. The sheriff kept the light on his face, glowering at him like a dog that had peed on the carpet.
“You need something, sheriff? What brings you down here?” Victor mumbled is his most polite voice.
“Don’t take that damn tone with me, Victor. I’m here on police business, official police business,” Sheriff Lawson stammered as he jabbed a finger at Victor.
“Oh, I didn’t mean a tone, just wondering how I can help you,” Victor pleaded.
With a loud pop the lights came back on, but the sheriff kept the light shining on Victor. He eyed him suspiciously as he bit his bottom lip.
“Where’s Daniel?” he spat.
“He’s in his office sheriff. He’s um, filling out paperwork. I’m just on the way to grab some food.”
“Don’t go too far,” Lawson demanded and headed off towards the elevator.
Victor grinned after him then dove inside of his car and let out a long sigh. He watched patiently as the elevator drifted away. Once it was gone he buried his face into his hands and grunted.
“Stupid, stupid, stupid,” he repeated over and over.
Shivering, Victor cranked up the beige Volvo and put it into reverse. He swung his head around and started to back out, but suddenly slammed on the brakes. The car loudly shrieked to a stop.
When the Night Calls Page 6
