Skin Puppet

by Jeffery Craig

  “Did you bring me a present?” she asked after a minute. Sometimes, he did and sometimes, he didn’t, teasing her by saying he didn’t want her to be spoiled rotten.

  “Maybe. You’ll have to wait and see.”

  She settled back in her seat, content with his answer, although she spent a few minutes imagining what he might have brought her.

  “How was school?”

  “It was good.”

  “Do you have any homework?”

  “Nope. I had reading yesterday, but Miss Lindsi helped me with it, so it’s all done.”

  “That’s good. What else did you do while I was gone?”

  “Just normal stuff. We had a snack, watched a video, had some dinner—she made mac and cheese—and then, we just did reading. Then, she helped me get ready to go to sleep, and that was it.”

  “Sounds like a busy day. Did she brush your hair like I do sometimes?”

  “No, silly! I don’t let anyone brush my hair but you—just like you said.” Jessica wasn’t sure why it was so important, but he reminded her about it a lot. Maybe it had something to do with the funny marks on her neck. She didn’t really remember when the marks happened, but it was a long time ago—at least two whole years!—before she came to live with her daddy. She didn’t like thinking about before, so she didn’t. All she knew was where she was now was much better.

  Nathan Fields nodded in satisfaction as he pulled into the drive and opened the garage doors. After the car was in the garage, he opened the trunk and pulled out his suitcase and a large bag and unlocked the back door. “Go wash your hands, princess, and I’ll see if I can find you something good for a snack.”

  Giving the big bag a speculative glance, Jessica hurried to obey.

  After a snack of a few apple slices with a little peanut butter, Nathan put in a movie and Jessica curled up under her blanket on the couch while he pulled together dinner. When the table was cleared and the pots and pans and dishes were clean and put away, he retrieved the bag and bought it into the living room.

  Jessica squealed with excitement. “I knew it! I knew it! You’re the best daddy in the whole world.”

  He handed over the bag, and she knelt down on the floor and dug out two wrapped packages. “Which one should I open first?”

  “Your choice, princess.”

  The first package contained a bright red dress with puppies printed around the hem. “Oh! It’s my favorite color! And look—puppies!” She held it up to examine each one. “Do you thing that one day we can have a puppy? I mean, a real one.”

  “One day, maybe. When you’re old enough to take care of it by yourself. I don’t have time to take care of both a puppy and my princess.” He pointed toward the remaining package. “Go ahead and open the other one.”

  She tore into the wrapping paper and soon had the box opened and the tissue packing strewn about her on the floor. “Oh, she’s sooooo beautiful.” The doll was dressed in red, just like her new outfit, but didn’t have puppies as decoration. Instead, her long, full skirt was trimmed with sparkly beads and black lace, and she wore a long, lace veil attached with a rose to her dark, curly hair. Her tan, porcelain skin and dark, glass eyes shone in the light.

  “She’s a Spanish lady, Jessica. A real senorita! Do you like her?”

  “Yes! She’s the best one you ever brought me.”

  “Good. I’m glad. What are you going to name her?”

  Jessica smoothed the dress and adjusted the folds of black lace. She ran her small fingers across the beautiful face and touched the glossy curls. “Her name will be Lucy.”

  “Lucy, huh? You know what? I think that’s a perfect name. Now, run and put her away and hang up your new dress while I pick up all of this tissue paper. You made quite a mess, princess. Go ahead and brush your teeth and put on your PJs. I’ll be there in a bit to tuck you in.”

  “Read me a story?”

  “We’ll see. It’s getting kind of late.”

  After the trash was taken care of, he went down the hall and pushed open her bedroom door and watched while she changed into her pajamas and hung up her school clothes. The new doll was sitting with her others and the red dress was hanging on the closet door where she could see it.

  He helped her under the covers and brushed her soft, silky hair back from her face.

  “Daddy?”

  “Yes, princess?”

  “I’m glad you’re home.”

  “I’m glad to be home. Now, can I have a kiss goodnight?”

  “Of course, silly.”

  After she’d presented her pink, rosebud lips to be kissed, she snuggled down into the bed. “Daddy?”

  “Yes, sweetheart?”

  “Do you want me to give you a special thank you, like you sometimes do? I remember how to play.”

  He thought about it as he ran the long, golden hair through his fingers, realizing he didn’t feel even the slightest twinge of desire. It had been a long two days. “Not tonight, princess. Sleep tight.”

  “Night.”

  Nathan turned off the lamp on the table by the bed, and closed the door behind him. As he was nursing his drink, he reflected on why he hadn’t felt like playing one of their special games. He was tired, but part of him wondered if maybe Jessica was just getting too old. After all, she was going to be nine in a couple of months. He downed the rest of the scotch and rinsed out his glass. As he walked down the hall to his bedroom, he decided he’d be sad when he took her back, but it would soon be time. He wondered what kind of trade-in he’d be able to negotiate.

  After he undressed and hung up his clothes, Nathan had a thought. Maybe he could find someone to teach her rudimentary Spanish. Given where she’d likely end up, it would be good for her to know. It could be a sort of goodbye present. After all, she’d been his perfect little princess for two years. Of course, he’d have to move again, but that wouldn’t be a problem. He’d moved before and had plenty of connections to facilitate things. Besides, he was too important to the overall operation to waste. Satisfied with his plans, Nathan soon fell into a deep and satisfying sleep.

  ***

  Melba hauled the last load of dry cleaning to her car and hung it on the pole suspended between the back doors. At least that was done, and she wouldn’t have to dig around for something to wear in the morning. Sliding into the front seat, she tossed her clunker purse on the passenger-side floorboard and started the engine. She was trying to see around the jackets and blouses hanging in the back when her phone range. “It never fails.” Putting the car back into park, she reached over and hefted her bag onto her lap and dug out her phone. She frowned at the number until she recognized the digits belonged to the office. She was still getting used to it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Melba,” SarahJune greeted her. “I didn’t remember you saying if you were coming back by the office or not, but you have a couple of messages, and I thought I’d call to make sure. I didn’t know if they were important or not.”

  “Yeah, I’m coming back in after I drop my mountain of cleaning off at home. But since we’re already on the phone, you might as well tell me who called.”

  “Okay. Moon called and wondered if one-thirty Tuesday afternoon would be a good time for you to drop by so she could mark the alternations needed for your party dress. I didn’t even know you bought a new party dress. What’s up with that?”

  “Believe it or not, I bought not just one, but two. It’s kind of a long story. Anyway, I guess Tuesday afternoon works. I don’t think there’s anything on my calendar. Call her back and tell her I’ll see her then, but warn her I might have to change if something comes up.”

  “Okay. She also said to remind you to bring the right kind of shoes.”

  Melba groaned into the phone and then caught herself. “I don’t have any idea what the right kind of shoes are, but I’ll figure it out. What else?”

  “Some guy called and said he was with the band and wanted to know when it would be convenient for him to
come by and check out the space.”

  “What band? I don’t know anything about a band.” Suddenly, she had a pretty good guess. “I bet you ten dollars Zhou Li has gone and hired a band for the party!”

  “I’m not taking that bet. My momma didn’t raise no idiots. You want me to call him back?”

  “I guess. I should just tell her we don’t need a band, but I’d have to listen to all the reasons why it’s necessary and would end up giving in anyway. Set up a time that works with your schedule.”

  “Got it. The final things is, Tom Anderson called. He said you’d know who he was.”

  “I do, indeed. Am I supposed to call him back?”

  “Well, his message was ‘Angelo’s, noon tomorrow, call him if that doesn’t work, but otherwise, he’d see you then.’ Does that make any sense to you?”

  “As weird as it sounds, it makes perfect sense, and I won’t need to call him back. That it?”

  “That’s it.”

  “Okay. I should be back in another forty-five minutes or so.”

  She dropped the phone back into her purse and retrieved a note pad and the stub of a pencil. She scribbled out “SHOES!!!” and tore of the page and stuck it in the console between the seats so it was clearly visible. She tossed the purse back onto the floorboard, and checked the rearview mirror. This was never going to work. Unbuckling her seat belt, she wiggled in between the seats and pushed the clothes to either side of the temporary rod so she might have some small chance of actually seeing what was in the mirror. Her right foot caught the edge of her clever reminder note and nudged it out of its resting place. She never even noticed as it fluttered to the floor and tucked itself right underneath the passenger seat. Out of sight, and out of mind.

  ***

  Toby spent the balance of the afternoon studying, trying not to nod off. That was the price of a lunchtime cheeseburger and a mountain of fries, but man was it worth it! After he found himself struggling to keep his eyes open for the umpteenth time in the last half hour, he closed his book and stretched. Maybe a walk would do some good. At least the wind had eased off, and the weather had warmed up from the unseasonable chill the city had been experiencing the last few weeks.

  He grabbed his shades and, after some consideration, left his jacket hanging on the back of his chair. After scribbling a short note for Melba and letting SarahJune know he’d be back in a bit, he walked out the front door and just stood on the sidewalk for a minute, reveling in the bright, early spring sunshine. “This is more like it! ‘Bout time you decided to make an appearance, Mr. Sun.” Stretching again with his arms spread wide over his head to catch as much solar power possible, he started off down the sidewalk at a good clip.

  The downtown area was pretty busy for the time of day. It seemed several other folks had needed an afternoon break and had made their way outside to escape offices and shops. An especially well-built young man—probably a college student by the looks of him—jogged past him on the sidewalk. Toby turned to admire the sight of strong legs and back as the runner made his way down Capital Street toward the State House. “Too bad he has his shirt on.” Still, eye candy was eye candy, and the legs exposed by the brief nylon shorts more than compensated for the presence of the loose t-shirt. “It’s time for you to get your ass back in the routine,” he decided. “If you keep gobbling down carbs and greasy burgers, you’ll scare away the tourists when you tug on your own jogging shorts.” He caught his reflection in a mirrored window of an office building and figured that, at least, the regular sparring sessions were keeping things in control for the time being. Still, a run would feel pretty good.

  He strolled down the street for a couple of blocks, occasionally stopping to look at an interesting display in a shop window or read a menu tacked to a door or window. There were a surprising number of new eateries popping up in the downtown district, and he mentally made note of a couple that caught his interest, along with their hours. It never hurt to have choices within walking distance.

  He crossed the street to head back to the office, wondering how he’d failed to notice all of the changes happening downtown. Of course, he’d holed himself up in his apartment for a few weeks last fall and had spent a fair amount of time with Grams over the holidays. The last few weeks he’d been out and about more, working on the upgrades to the office and starting the courses needed to make progress toward his own investigator’s license. Still, it seemed like ages since he’d roamed his old stomping grounds and it felt like he was connecting again. “You need to get out more,” he told himself as he waited for the light to change.

  He crossed the street and passed the parking lot next to Green Dragon. “I’ll go on down another block or two and then work my way back,” he decided when he noticed Melba’s car wasn’t back yet. He looked in the window of Madame Zhou’s shop and could make out the shape of Lindsi up on a ladder, restocking the various glass containers. He thought about stopping in for a quick hello, but decided Zhou Li probably wouldn’t appreciate it if he interrupted her new assistant’s progress. He snuck another quick glance behind him and never noticed the adjacent door opening and the six feet of lean muscle that stepped out in front of him.

  “Oomph,” was all he managed before his butt hit the pavement, and his legs tangled together with the object of his collision. “Oh shit! Sorry, I didn’t see you.”

  “That has to be the understatement of the day,” Jon answered as he extracted himself from their entwined appendages and levered himself up off the ground. “Are you all right?” he asked, reaching one hand down to help.

  “Yeah, no harm done to my body, but it may take a minute or two for my pride to recover.” Toby brushed off his behind and directed a glare to the man in front of him. “Where’d you come from so fast, anyway? Were you just waiting to pop out and clobber some poor, unsuspecting pedestrian?”

  “I came from inside, and I wasn’t waiting to pop out and clobber anyone. I’d thought I get some air and, the next thing I know, some idiot—who was not paying attention to his surroundings, as usual—ran right into me. Good thing the door doesn’t open outward, or you would have banged right into the glass.”

  “It probably would have been a softer landing, but at least I didn’t bust my lip open again.” Toby eyed the man in front of him as Jon tidied his ever-present practice tunic and brushed a bit of dirt off one sleeve. “You okay?”

  “Yes. I’m fine.”

  They stood and regarded each other uncomfortably for a moment.

  “I was—” they both spoke at the same time.

  “You first. After all, I ran into you,“ Toby offered.

  “Well, I was wondering if you had time to help me with something in the next day or two.”

  “Yeah, I guess so. I was just planning on doing some more studying and maybe getting in a couple of runs. What do you need?”

  “I’m planning to go out and get Auntie some plants for her terrace. She’s been a little low-keyed for the last day or so, and I thought it might cheer her up. Since she isn’t driving, I thought it might be a nice thing to do—as a surprise. Looks like the weather is supposed to hold for a few days.”

  “Sure, I can do that. Just let me know when.”

  “We could go tomorrow around mid-day, if that works for you. We have classes in the morning, so sometime after lunch might work.”

  “Ummm, about that. Remember I’m not going to be in class in the morning. I have an appointment with Dr. Edmondson.”

  “Oh. Yeah, I remember you mentioned it, but to tell you the truth, I’d forgotten all about it.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing I ran into you, then.”

  “Next time, just send me a text.” Jon’s smile took any sting out of the words. “Since tomorrow’s out, how about Saturday? Around one?”

  “Yeah, sure. You want me to just meet you here?”

  “Yes, here is fine, unless you want to try actually making it inside…just as a change from today.”

  “Okay, smart ass
. One o’clock on Saturday it is.”

  After another minute of shuffling feet, Jon smiled again. “Your turn.”

  “What?”

  “That’s what I wanted—to see if I could con you into helping me with the plants. Now it’s your turn to say whatever you were going to say a minute ago.”

  “Oh, yeah.” For the life of him, Toby couldn’t remember what he’d been about to say. “It must have slipped my mind. Maybe I’ll remember it later.”

  “Maybe.”

  Toby shrugged to break contact with those damned gray eyes and looked away. “I guess I’ll head back to work now.”

  “I guess I’ll resume my walk, then.”

  “Go up the street that way,” Toby suggested, indicating the direction from which he’d come. “There are some cool shops and a few new restaurants. I was thinking I might have to give a couple of them a try one of these days.”

  “I heard there were a few new ones opening. I haven’t had a chance to check them out yet.”

  “Me, either. I mean, obviously. That’s what I just said. I mean…”

  “Maybe we can try them someday.”

  Toby’s blue eyes snapped back to Jon. “You and me?”

  “Yes.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes.”

  “Like a….a…”

  “A what?”

  “Like a…meal together?” Toby wondered just how lame that sounded. “Uh, that’d be great.”

  “I mean dinner together. Not just a meal. Okay?”

  “Okay. Well, I better get going. Enjoy your walk.”

  He started to cross the street, but Jon’s next question stopped him in his tracks. “When?”

  “When, what?”

  “When do you want to go…get a meal together?”