If You See Kay Jig

by Quinn Glasneck

  Connor looked over at Kay. “Am I supposed to follow that?”

  Kay shrugged.

  “Was it Sal?” I asked.

  Justice lifted a piece of cheese up to Nicodemus. “Yeah, he was out back smoking his cigar again. He flicked the ash off, and it looks like a spark landed in the dumpster. You can see it happen on the security footage. Later, the flame popped up. By the time I was taking the trash out, it was a pretty big fire.”

  “You handled everything really well, thank you,” I said.

  “Your dad just poked his head in and said that they have another call. But I can let folks back in now.”

  “Dad’s gone already?” The corners of my mouth tugged down.

  “They just left.” Connor tipped his head to the side scrutinizing me.

  Justice opened the door and stood back to let the patrons file in.

  I gave myself a shake. No one was coming to a bar to see a grumpy bartender. I slapped on a grin and called out, “Some Beavers walked into the bar and the bartender yelled, ‘Shut the dam door!”

  The team piled in. With them came Delight. She turned and looked over the men who were taking seats at the various tables.

  “We need Beaver shots!” a teammate yelled.

  “Wait,” Delight said. “These look like different Beavers than the Beavers we had here last night,”

  “These are the Beaver Dam Police rugby team,” I explained. “They’ll be playing the Polly’s Cove Beavers in the rugby match in the morning.”

  “So you’re saying it’s gonna be Beaver on Beaver action?” Delight asked.

  “Yeah,” their captain said, “but we’re going to lick ‘em straight off.”

  15

  Saturday Night

  Hooch’s Bar

  “You look tired,” Connor said, reaching for my hand.

  “It’s been a long day with little oxygen.”

  “Maybe you should go home and get some sleep. Did you drive? I’ll walk you to your car.”

  “No. I ran over here. I wasn’t sure what I’d find. What with the fire trucks and all I thought that it would be hard to find a spot, and I’d just be wasting time. It seemed quicker to run.”

  He gave me a little tug. “Come on, I’ll drive you home.”

  I didn’t say a word, just held his hand and walked to his car, let him open the door for me, then folded myself in.

  The drive was in silence.

  When he pulled up at the curb next to my building, I hesitated, my hand resting on the seat belt buckle.

  “Tell me what’s going on.” Connor’s voice was warm. “Bobbi Jax, let me help you.”

  My phone buzzed. It was a text from Dick.

  Dick: I just heard about the fire in your alley. Justice showed me the security tape. Are you at home? We need to talk about this.

  Me: I’m heading into my building now.

  Dick: I’ll be there in five minutes.

  I showed my phone to Connor.

  “What’s all that about?” he asked.

  “If you want to come up, I can tell you both at the same time. I honestly don’t think I have the energy to tell this twice.”

  Connor pulled the keys from the cup holder and pressed the button to turn off his engine, popped the door, and climbed out.

  I was glad.

  I didn’t want to go up to my apartment alone, though, Twinkles would be up there. A sudden frisson of fear slid across my nerves. I pushed through the door and raced up the stairs two at a time.

  Connor was right on my heels.

  I pressed the buttons on my lock and pushed the door wide.

  Twinkles lay on his blanket with the tip of his pink tongue sticking out and his eyebrows raised high.

  I pounded my fist into my chest to reseat my heart.

  Connor wrapped his hands around my arms. “Hey, what’s going on here? Why were you afraid for Twinkles’s safety?”

  “Because Nicky Stromboli’s cousin, who’s come to town to run his restaurant, is ‘the butcher.’ And according to Sal, he has wicked skills with a hatchet.”

  Dick listened to the tape. He was sitting on my couch, knees wide, elbows posted, fingers laced. He had this detective pose down. Any victim of a crime would feel like they were in competent hands. He pressed the rewind button and listened again.

  Connor was sitting at my kitchen table. He’d put his stoic mask in place. I had no idea what he was thinking.

  “BJ, I wasn’t there, and I know you were reading body language and facial expressions. But listening to this, there doesn’t seem to be anything nefarious going on.”

  “The fire?” I was sitting cross legged on the floor hugging Twinkles.

  “Sal smoked cigars in the alley. You said he was there yesterday, it was a spark from his ash. He wasn’t pouring gas and lighting a match. Look, everyone will readily admit that you’ve been through a lot in the past year. I mean, I’ve never known anyone who finds as many bodies as you do, and that counts the professional search and rescue folks who go out actually looking for bodies. It’s a lot. I can imagine that your brain is trying to protect you by signaling that circumstances are dangerous. But let’s explore the possibility that these are just that, warning signals, and that everything is much more innocent than it looks.”

  I glowered at him.

  “I researched Sal,” Dick said. “He owns his own insurance agency. He actually sells insurance policies. He’s very successful. He’s won tons of industry awards.”

  “Well of course he does! But how does he sell them? I mean, I could sell a shit ton of booze if I said, buy my booze or I’ll hit you in the head with my bat.”

  “Has Sal said that, BJ?” Dick asked. “Has he threatened you overtly in any way, shape, or form?”

  “No.” I pouted.

  Dick’s phone buzzed, he pulled it out and stared down at the screen then put it back in his suit pocket. “Okay, well let’s keep an eye on it. Keep recording. Keep reporting back to me. If there’s anything that becomes concerning, then we can act.”

  “I’m concerned! He followed my car Friday. Remember?”

  “What I’m curious about is the envelope that Joseph Russo gave you. Have you opened it? Where is it?”

  “It’s in my car. No, I haven’t opened it yet. And I’m not going to. I’ll wait until Monday when I’m in my lawyer’s office.”

  Dick looked at Connor then back to me. “I need to leave, they just found my witness, and I don’t want to lose this opportunity. But I’m a phone call away, BJ. You know that.”

  “I know. Thank you,” I said. Though I really felt like he was trying to placate me. He didn’t see what I did. Danger loomed. The family was using Nicky’s illness as a path into Jamesburg’s community. I couldn’t let that happen.

  Dick stood up and let himself out.

  I listened as he jogged down the stairs.

  I turned to Connor. Still stoic. I hoped he’d tell me his thoughts.

  “I’d like you to pack an overnight bag for you and Twinkles. It would make me feel better if you stayed at my house tonight.”

  I held his gaze.

  “I’d take you over to Kay’s but she’s asleep by now. And I think you’d sleep better in a bed instead of her couch.”

  To be honest. I was grateful for the offer. I nodded then headed back to my room to gather the things I’d need into a backpack. I zipped my wench’s costume into a garment bag. I’d never stayed overnight anywhere when it was just me and Connor.

  I should probably think this through.

  Too bad my thinker wasn’t working right now.

  16

  Saturday Night

  My Apartment

  Connor reached out and took my backpack as we made our way up his sidewalk. He’d bought this house two years ago, and everyone was terrified that it’d meant he was about to propose to Ashley, his old girlfriend, thereby cementing her resting bitch face permanently in the holiday photos. After a year of his living here alone, people finally e
xhaled, deciding that the home purchase wasn’t a harbinger of horrors to come.

  Twinkles ran up the steps to the porch and sat patiently beside the door.

  We’d been here before. A lot. We felt at home here.

  But not for an overnight.

  If this got around, I’d have some rumors to stomp on.

  Connor shoved his key in the lock, twisted the knob, and pushed the door wide for me to walk in first.

  I stepped inside and stopped.

  He flicked on the light and locked the door. “Do you want to go straight to bed?” he asked.

  I stood there all deer in the headlights.

  He reached out and took the dress bag from my hand. “How about I put these up in the guest bedroom, and you can head up when you’re ready.”

  Whew! The guest bedroom. Okay. Good. Of course he didn’t think I was coming over to sleep with him. Connor was a gentleman. We were dear friends who loved each other. There was no misunderstanding. Connor would never try to take advantage of my fear. I just needed to stop with the hyperventilating and anxiety.

  I was still standing in his foyer when he padded down the stairs. He’d changed into a pair of flannel pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. It was what he liked to hang out in in the evenings and always had. That I was now noticing how the loose pants hung low on his hips and how the t-shirt wrapped his biceps like that…yeah, it was not a problem, I told myself.

  “What were you doing when you got the call about the fire?” Connor asked.

  “I was going to watch a mindless movie on Netflix and snuggle on the couch with some hot cocoa.”

  “We can do that,” he said and headed into the kitchen.

  Twinkles had gone into the den and was curled up dead center on Connor’s couch.

  I sat on the far side and picked up the remote to find the movie I’d started earlier. “Are you sure you don’t mind a sappy chick flick?”

  “I don’t mind,” he called back to me. He walked in with a mug in each hand. The one he set on the coaster next to me had a huge cloud of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper. Just the way I liked it, hot and spicy. I gave the mug a little sentimental frown.

  Connor sat on the other end of the couch, reaching an arm down behind to where he kept a stack of blankets, mostly for his friends’ kids to play forts when they came over, but equally useful for snuggling. As soon as his hand came up, Twinkles stood up and stepped over me. I had a face full of Twinkles’s fur. “What are you doing?” I complained.

  Twinkles took another step into the little space between me and the sofa arm, then swung his head to look at me.

  “What?” I asked.

  He pushed me with his nose.

  Fine. I knew it was a losing battle. I scrooched over onto the center cushion, grumpy to have been moved away from my cocoa. “Happy?” I asked as Twinkles circled the space I’d warmed then flopped down.

  The movie started, and Twinkles squirmed, pushing his butt into me.

  I scooted over.

  He pushed.

  I scooted over until Connor and I were sitting thigh to thigh.

  I remembered what Delight said about Connor’s fine thigh muscles.

  I blew out a breath. Being here might be a mistake. Was probably a mistake.

  Twinkles kicked me twice and Connor chuckled, stretched an arm around my waist and pulled me over toward him, tucking me under his arm, my cheek against his chest. From this position, I could curl my legs up on the couch and the three of us could be comfortable.

  I focused over at my cocoa at the other end of the couch.

  “I’m happy to share,” Connor said. He reached out his free hand and brought his mug around to hand to me.

  I could swear I saw Twinkles wink.

  I was comfortable in Connor’s guest room.

  I could hear him across the hall moving around his bathroom. I lay there listening as he took his shower, but I put the kibosh on my imagination. which wanted to put that scene fully formed into my mind’s eye. He ran the water in the sink as he brushed his teeth and shut the door to get into his bed.

  Lying flat on my back, I looked out the window at the full moon that made the tree limbs, now almost bare, shimmer against the night sky. Twinkles lay with a paw over my feet, twitching with some wonderful dream. After a few minutes he quieted. Then, he began to snore.

  This felt domestic.

  It was fine. I reassured myself. Everything was fine.

  Until it wasn’t.

  At some point, I’d fallen asleep. I knew in some cognizant part of my brain that what I was experiencing was a nightmare. I told myself that. I yelled it in my head.

  I kept trying to rouse myself, but I couldn’t seem to pull myself away.

  Images flashed, Guido was chasing me with my red hatchet in his hands. Meadow was screaming warnings to me, “Run! He’s the butcher! Run!” I ran. In my sleep, I ran as hard and as fast as I could. My heart was thumping against my ribcage. My breath was ragged. In my dream I had run all the way home to my own apartment, thundered up the stairs, grabbed at the doorknob while my shaking fingers punched into the lock code. I got the beep that said I’d made a mistake. Again, and again, I tried. I couldn’t think of the right number.

  Wait. This was easy. The code was Connor’s birthday. I just had to think of Connor, and I’d be somewhere safe.

  Once I’d tapped the numbers into the lock, the door came magically open. I slammed it shut behind me and threw the bolt. Whew, was I glad to be back in my apartment.

  But where was Twinkles? I went into my room and saw the bump under my covers. “Hey, big guy. You know you’re only allowed on the end of my bed.” I flung the covers back to find a severed horse head, dripping blood onto my pillow.

  With that I sprang upright and awake. Sweating and shaking. I looked around confused. Then I remembered where I was, in Connor’s guest bedroom. I reached down to reassure myself by scrunching my hands into Twinkles’s fur, but there was no Twinkles. I got up, calling softly under my breath, “Twinkles. Twinkles where are you?”

  My nerves were still alight, and I wanted Twinkles to comfort me.

  A soft whine sounded.

  I followed the noise all the way to Connor’s room. In the moonlight, I saw Twinkles lying there in the middle of Connor’s king-sized bed, pushing Connor to one edge.

  I lightly tapped my thigh.

  Twinkles looked at me.

  I whisper called.

  Twinkles stretched and rolled over.

  I looked back at the guest bedroom. Yeah. I was still freaked out. I crept on tiptoe into the room. Twinkles was in the middle, so we had a chaperone, I thought, trying to convince myself this move was okay. I quietly climbed into the far side of Connor’s bed and pulled the blankets up to my chin.

  I lay there staring up at the ceiling where his clock projected the time. One minute. Two minutes. Three…

  Twinkles stood up on the bed and put his paw on the far side of me. I sent Twinkles stern thought waves. Stop it!

  Twinkles stepped his back two legs to the other side of me.

  I didn’t want Connor to wake up and find me in his bed. If I wrestled with Twinkles, that’s exactly what would happen. So as smoothly and gently as I could, I rolled to the middle of the bed and let Twinkles have the outside.

  Twinkles snuffled around getting comfy, kicking and squirming. I slid a little further away to give him room to settle. And more. And more.

  Connor’s arm reached out and hooked me around the waist, pulling me backwards up against his stomach. He ran a hand over my hair, tucking it away from his face, then scooped his arm back around me to pull me in even tighter.

  Did he do that in his sleep?

  Did he know what he was doing?

  If I moved now for sure he’d know.

  I didn’t know what to do about this situation. But I realized that my fears had vanished. I felt safe. And I felt sleepy. I decided I’d just own up to my nightmare in the morning and apologize f
or this.

  17

  Sunday Morning

  Connor’s House

  I wasn’t the first one up. The scent of coffee and bacon wafted under my nose, making my stomach grumble.

  Yesterday, I hadn’t eaten much of anything. It was that whole heart-in-the-throat inability to swallow thing.

  I was so hungry.

  That smelled so good.

  But if I took even a single bite or even a single sip, I reminded myself, there was no way I’d get back into the dress. And I had decided I was going to do this for Delight. I didn’t want her to be disappointed, not after the wonderful friendship she’d shown me. I wasn’t sure how I would have managed the Celtic Festival had she not stepped up.

  I rolled over to pet Twinkles, but the bed was empty. The clock at least said I hadn’t overslept.

  I went back to the guest room and moved the dress bag to the bathroom in the hall. I took a quick shower in cold water, so everything would shrink down as tight as possible, toweled off, then started the process of getting the costume on.

  I was jumping around grunting and cussing when a knock sounded at the door. “Bobbi Jax?” Connor said. “Is everything okay in there?”

  I opened the door red-faced and sweating. So much for the cold water and shrinkage. “Can you help me?” I had my hands at the top of the bodice holding it up as far as it would go to cover my boobs – which wasn’t nearly far enough.

  “Are you asking me to get you dressed?”

  “Would you?”

  “Sure,” he said, eyeing the situation. “Dressing women isn’t my specialty, but I’ll do my best.”

  And in my mind. I thought, with undressing them, on the other hand, I imagine you’re quite proficient.

  He twirled his finger in the air to get me to turn around. He reached for the zipper and stalled. “Did something happen to this dress? This isn’t going to close. I can see that before I try.”