by Evie Nichole
Barkley set the table up, lifting it with strong arms. Selene was impressed; she hadn’t thought him that strong.
“You hit the gym?” She teased.
“Couple times a week.”
“Don’t tell me…you have one here?”
“A small one. I have larger ones in my other homes.”
If only I wasn’t here because of a case, Selene thought glumly.
“Do you?” Barkley asked over his shoulder, reemerging from the closet a moment later with a large warmer for the chili.
Selene thought of the rundown boxing gym a block from her office and apartment. The old man who owned it was blind in one eye and walked with a stoop, but he was still coaching. Unfortunately, the gym only had about five regulars, including Selene.
“I hit the weights a little, but I mainly just stick to kickboxing.”
“Whoa! She’s going to kick your ass, Barkley!” Chuck chimed in. Tom nudged him and told him in colorful language to shut up.
“Maybe she could.” Barkley agreed. “Maybe I would like that,” he said under his breath, his words for Selene only.
After the one o’clock game and the four o’clock game, Tom announced that he needed to leave. He had been quiet and at times almost peevish for the entire day.
Chuck, wobbly from too much alcohol, leaned into Selene. “He’s just pissed because his blind date was a dog.”
“She wasn’t,” Tom said quietly. “Just not my type.”
“She was ugly as sin,” Chuck slurred, one eyebrow raised, an affirmative nod causing his eyes to cross slightly.
Barkley shook his head, his arms crossed over his chest. Chuck had managed to spill a beer, drop a bowl of chili, and leave enough chip crumbs around his seat that the police could use it as a chalk drawing for a homicide.
“I’m going to have to pay Betty triple to clean up after him,” Barkley said to Selene from the corner of his mouth. He turned his attention to Tom. “What’s his problem today?” All three watched Chuck singing to himself as he waltzed with a pretend partner around the room. They all winced and sucked in air as Chuck hit the pool table and waved his arms to keep his balance.
“The final divorce papers arrived with a courier yesterday.” Tom offered the explanation quietly. It wasn’t quietly spoken enough. Chuck whirled around and waved them off.
“Ah, screw her! She didn’t know what a good thing she had.”
“That’s right, buddy,” Barkley said and jerked his head towards Chuck. Tom nodded, and Selene watched with amusement as the two men tried to get Chuck pointed to the double doors. Eventually they got him to the front doors. Barkley closed the door on Chuck’s promise to behave next time, a farewell to the beautiful Gisele, and the beginning of the Star Spangled Banner, because no communist was going to take over his country.
Barkley sagged with his back against the door, a hand still on the doorknob. Selene began giggling, which soon turned into full belly hugging laughter.
“That was the most…pitiful…hilarious thing…I have ever seen!” she choked out, wiping at her eyes.
“He’s a hoot, but I’ve never seen him that messed up. Not since college anyway.”
“I guess he has taken the divorce pretty hard?”
“Harder than I thought apparently. Tom handled his fairly well. His was final about a month ago. The worst that happened with that was a near disastrous situation with a prostitute.”
Selene’s eyes grew large. “What happened?”
“Well, he was arrested. Turns out she was an undercover cop. I bailed him out of course and had my own private attorney handle the court case. He basically got off with a slap to the wrist.”
“That’s good, I guess.”
“Yeah, it was. He learned his lesson.”
“I hope so.” They stood awkwardly for a moment, neither knowing what to do or say next. Selene knew this should be the moment to say she had to leave, but she didn’t want to leave. She used the excuse for herself that she might be able to get more information from Betty or even Barkley himself.
“Hey, let’s clean up so Betty doesn’t have to,” Selene offered.
Barkley’s face lit up, obviously happy she wasn’t leaving yet. “That’s a great idea. Maybe I’ll only have to pay her double now.”
They began moving towards the entertainment room, and Barkley cautiously draped an arm over her shoulders.
“Thank you for how you handled my mother earlier. I’m sure you think I’m a cad.”
“No, I just think you’re frustrated.”
“That’s an understatement.”
“What do you think will happen?”
Barkley sighed. “I imagine my mother will be residing here for the time being. I think I might see if she would like a vacation at my Cayman home. Maybe the change of environment will help her make a rational decision about this.”
“Did she already…?”
“Know?” Barkley interrupted. “It’s one thing to suspect, and it’s even one thing to be nearly sure, but now there is no denying it.”
“Right,” Selene agreed, taking the pot of chili off and walking towards the kitchen. Betty was busy at the sink, and she smiled when Selene walked in.
“You have been ordered to cease. Barkley and I are cleaning up.”
“Bless your hearts! I’m going to go back to my mystery novel then.”
“Ok.” Selene laughed.
Barkley entered the kitchen, an arm full of trash stacked dangerously high.
“Where’s Robert today? Is he off?” Selene asked, opening the dishwasher.
“He went down to my house in Virginia.”
“Without you?”
“He’s been a little stressed out. He goes down there every week to just unplug.”
Selene’s hands stilled over the dirty silverware she was rinsing. A butler who had that much control over his employer’s real estate? It didn’t sound right.
“How long has he worked for you?” Selene kept her voice conversational and resumed rinsing the silverware.
“Oh, I don’t know…ten years? He’s actually only five years older than me.”
“Yes, I thought he was young.”
Barkly laughed. “Young? We aren’t old for sure, but young as an adjective for us middle-aged nouns? Nah, I don’t think so.”
“Age is only a number. It depends really on how you feel in here and in here.” Selene touched a wet hand to her forehead and chest. Barkley ran a thumb over her forehead to remove the droplet of water she had left behind. His touch lingered, his eyes mischievous and bright.
“I agree, and I have to admit that you make me feel like I’m twenty again.”
Selene blushed and continued with the dishes. Her mind was in two places at once. First, she needed to get more information about Robert. It was only a hunch, and probably in the end none of her business, but things didn’t seem right concerning him. Second, she needed to shake the feeling of Barkley’s thumb on her forehead. She needed to shake him altogether. Her increasing feelings towards him had no future. How would he react when he discovered that she wasn’t a stripper named Gisele, but instead a private investigator named Selene? A private investigator investigating him!
“Ah…Betty left her ring.”
Selene jumped at her good fortune. “I can take it to her,” she said innocently, drying her hands on her jeans. “Just tell me where to go.”
“Good a time as any for you to see the house. I wanted to show you.” Barkley smiled so warmly that Selene felt a stab of guilt.
“You can give me a proper tour before I go home.”
“Sure.” Barkley placed the thin silver ring with red-colored stone in the palm of her hand. “Go up to the second floor. Where the hallway makes a T, take a left. The second door on the left is Betty’s room.”
“I hope I don’t disturb your mother.”
“Oh, you won’t. She’s at the other end of the hall. Robert’s room is across form Betty’s.”
Bingo.
“I’ll be right back.”
“Take your time…explore a little if you like.” Barkley turned his attention back to the trash.
This just gets better and better. I have permission to snoop.
Selene took the steps, admiring the oriental style runner that ran down the center of the dark wood stairwell. It curved slightly and ended, just as promised, in a T-shape, the oriental runner meeting with matching carpet. Selene ghosted a smile at the framed portrait of an adolescent Barkley standing behind his seated father, his pudgy hand resting on his father’s shoulder. Ruth Bailey stood on the other side of her husband, her face fuller, happier. Her smile actually met with her eyes.
Selene left the picture behind and went to Betty’s door, knocking softly.
“Come in.”
Selene opened the door and peeked inside. Betty was propped up in front of several frilly pillows, an open book on her lap.
“Hello, dear. Come in.”
Selene looked around the room, amazed at the amount of pink within. The frilly pillows matched a satin comforter, the walls were pale pink, which matched the carpet. It was feminine on steroids.
“You must really like pink.”
“I do.” Betty laughed. “Barkley agreed to the décor as long as it didn’t bleed into any other part of the house.
“Here, you left this downstairs.”
“Oh. Goodness. I would lose my head if it weren’t attached.”
“I’m going back down. Have a good night.”
Betty opened her mouth, but thought again, and allowed her jaws to close.
“What is it, Betty?”
“I just…I just wanted to say that the past couple of days have been good for Barkley. He’s been…better. I think your presence has accomplished that. I just hope…” She sighed, her mouth working. “I just hope this isn’t a one-sided arrangement. He’s already been through so much.”
“What do you mean by ‘better?’”
“After Sarah…before Sarah went missing actually, but definitely after…Barkley was not himself. He was more withdrawn than normal…touchy…I don’t know, it’s really hard to say.”
“Was he mean?”
“No…I mean to say…he does have a bit of a temper.” She seemed to grow impatient with her lack of better soliloquy. “It doesn’t matter. I simply wanted to tell you that you are making a difference in him. Even after only a couple of days. Just please, know what you’re getting into.”
“I think I understand what you’re trying to say. I have been enjoying Barkley’s company.”
Betty accepted it and relaxed against her pillows once more. “Glad to hear it. It has been nice having another young woman here.”
Selene closed Betty’s door, shaken by the exchange. There were many questions as to the real personality of Barkley Bailey, and there were the questions as to what she would do about her developing feelings for him once the case was over.
Selene doubted Robert’s door would be unlocked, but she wanted to try anyway. She dared a quick peek over her shoulder to make sure Ruth hadn’t emerged from her room, and to make sure Betty hadn’t followed as well. The doorknob turned easily in Selene’s hand. She opened it part way and slid her body inside, carefully closing the door behind her.
She took a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the low light. Blinds were closed and the evening had slipped into twilight. She blinked several times, taking in the room.
The room was smaller than Betty’s, or maybe it was the fact that it was just dark and cluttered. Robert had a dresser and a desk, which sat side-by-side, but he also had a large armoire. Selene frowned. There was a closet, why did he need an armoire, too? All of the furniture was a dark wood, and there was a possibility they could have been family heirlooms. They didn’t have the look of modern furniture. Selene risked only turning on the small lamp on the desk. The oval pool of light revealed a tidy desk with calendar set that was outdated by five years. There was only one picture on the wall, a cheap print of a famous artist’s painting. The closet held only shoes and clothes. Selene carefully opened each of the drawers of the desk, all opened and were surprisingly empty, except for the bottom right-hand drawer. She thought it was stuck since all the others were unlocked, but no amount of tugging would budge it. She stood, brow creased, and moved to the armoire. That too was empty. Selene moved the doors to close them, puzzlement leaving her confused and frustrated.
She went back to the desk and opened the slim center drawer again. The only things inside were a stapler and pencil. As she moved to shut the drawer again, a tiny piece of glossy paper caught her attention. It was stuck in the crevice between the back and bottom, as if something had managed to get caught under the drawer itself. She plucked at it with her thumb and forefinger, turning them into makeshift tweezers. The paper wiggled, the little corner piece becoming a little larger. Selene took the pencil and stapler out and set them on top of the desk. She pushed down on the edges, stepping back slightly when the front of the bottom of the drawer popped upward. Selene cautiously lifted it, revealing a secret compartment beneath, barely high enough to hold more than a few papers. The secret space was filled with photographs, mostly Polaroids, but a few were regular photographs. Selene shook her head. She hadn’t even known that Polaroids were still being made.
Selene picked up one photo, then another, they were all of a blonde-haired woman with striking blue eyes. Some were candid shots; for others, she posed. The final picture Selene picked up showed the woman leaning into a man, her hand resting against his bare chest, sheets tangled around their hips. Robert’s startled face stared at Selene from the photo, while the serene, sleeping face of Sarah Mitchell Bailey kept her eyes closed.
***
Selene closed Robert’s door and ran a hand over her hair just in time as Barkley emerged at the top of the stairs.
“There you are! I thought you had gotten lost.”
Selene shrugged. “You told me to explore.”
“Have you been to the third floor yet?”
Selene shook her head and swallowed. “Not yet. I actually talked to Betty for a few minutes.”
“Come on, let me show you my suite.”
Barkley took her to the other end of the hall and rounded the corner just past the room where his mother was staying. Selene couldn’t help but notice how he seemed to lighten his steps until they were past. Ruth had only come down once while they were watching football. Her stay was brief; only long enough to get a bowl of chili, which she had sniffed with distaste.
Barkley opened a door and flipped a switch revealing a narrow staircase.
“It was the attic, but I turned it into my own apartment of sorts.”
Selene walked up the steps behind him, she could smell his cologne wafting down towards her. It made her feet feel unsteady.
Barkley rotated another switch once he was at the top of the stairs, light coming up as he turned the little knob. Selene’s brows shot up, as she looked at the massive room before her. A comfortable couch and chair were positioned in front of a television nearly as large as the one downstairs. She noticed an impressive stereo system against the wall with an Mp3 player stuck in a port in the top. The furniture and throw rug were earth tones with a hint of black here and there. Selene noticed a bay window with a seat across from the couch and chair, the window above it was large and round. It gave a perfect view of the rising moon.
“I sit there often and contemplate life.” Barkley had moved close behind her, his breath moved the hair a top her head, ticking her scalp.
“Have you figured anything out yet?”
She could feel his arms snake around her waist. “I’m working on it.”
Selene wanted to give off the vibe that she didn’t want to be touched. It was the more appropriate thing to do under the circumstances, but instead of her body obeying her brain and going ridged, she found herself leaning back into the embrace.
Barkley breathed in deeply, a satisfied relea
se of air falling around her. “Let me show you the rest of the space.”
Barkley didn’t let go of her, instead he released her waist but took possession of one of her hands. There were double doors at the other end of the room, which opened into a small bedroom, although still bigger than her own bedroom, and off of that was a bathroom fit for a king, complete with an octagonal, glass-enclosed shower. A large showerhead hung from the top, and there were three more showerheads in the walls. It would be a glorious shower with water hitting from all directions.
“This is really something.”
“I have to admit that sometimes I enjoy the shower so much, I stay until the water runs cold.”
“I bet the rest of the household enjoys that.” Selene laughed.
“Oh, I have my own hot water heater up here. I wouldn’t do that to Betty.”
“Just worried about Betty, huh?”
Barkley shrugged. “Sometimes I think she’s the only one who really cares about me.”
Selene looked at Barkley sharply. “That’s not true. Stop feeling sorry for yourself.”
He leaned a hip against the vanity. “Seems that way.”
“I’m sure your parents care deeply for you.”
It was his turn to give a sharp look, which came from under heavy eyebrows. “I won’t go into that with you right now.” He pulled her towards him, his arms once again enfolding her small waist. “Tell me…do you care about me?”
“Of course I do.”
Barkley’s grip tightened. His face moving closer to hers. “I don’t just mean in the general way most humans automatically care about other humans.”
“It’s only been a few days…”
“It doesn’t matter. You’re special, Gisele. You are already special to me.”
Selene inwardly cringed as he spoke her alias with such intimate meaning. She didn’t want to lie to this man any longer. Yet, how could she not?
“Relationships take time, Barkley.”
“I’ve got all the time in the world.”
“And what if your wife comes back?”
“She won’t.” Eyes on her lips, his words were a whisper, soft and dangerously sweet, but Selene’s heart stopped and her fingers turned to ice.
