The Bullet Catch
Page 25
“Just a little push in the right direction. Sometimes people you think are dead aren’t as dead as you think.”
Another long pause. I wasn’t sure of the best way to end the call, but a glance down the counter presented an answer.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” I said quickly. “I remembered the name of that skin cream, the one magicians use for dry skin,” I added, hoping to spark his memory on the topic.
“Marvelous,” he said, his voice rising an octave. “Let me just write this down.” I could hear some movements and mumblings on the other end of the phone, and then his voice returned. “There, I’m all set,” he said.
“It’s called Papercreme Fingertip Moistener,” I said, pulling out a container and reading the name.
“Papercreme Fingertip Moistener,” he repeated back to me.
“Yes, that’s the stuff. I think it will do the trick for you.”
“Excellent. Thank you, young Mandrake. And where would I best purchase this product?”
“Oh, we have it right here in the store,” I said and immediately wished I could pull the words back out of the phone. “And online,” I added quickly. “Online might be the best route to go in your case. There are much better deals online. With free shipping and such.” I was babbling at this point, but he didn’t seem to hear or care.
“Right there in the store, you say? That’s good to know. It will give Harpo and me a reason to take a drive. Thank you, Mandrake. You remain my favorite magician.”
There was a click on the phone line and he was gone. I held the receiver for several frozen seconds and then replaced it gingerly back onto the cradle, for fear that it might ring again while still in my hand. At that moment, the bell above the door tinkled and I almost did the same.
I slowly looked up, terrified the pale and skeletal Mr. Lime was standing in the doorway. I gasped involuntarily when I saw who it was.
It was Megan.
“Sorry to startle you,” she said, her hand still on the door handle. “Is this a bad time?”
“No, no, this is the best time,” I said, stepping out from behind the counter and approaching her quickly. I stopped about two feet away, not sure how close I was allowed to get in the present state of our relationship.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “He was on the phone.”
“There was a ghost on the phone?”
“Sort of.”
She looked at me for a long moment. “I just stopped by to make sure you were okay. Franny said you got hit on the head.”
“How did Franny know?”
Megan shrugged. “Franny knows everything. Plus, she talks to Harry.”
“Franny and Harry talk?”
“On the phone. All the time. They’re like phone buddies.”
I smiled thinking about it. “Well, good for him.”
“Actually, I think it’s good for both of them.” She looked up at me and then reached up and gently touched my head with her hand. “Does that hurt?”
I took her hand and then shook my head. “Not anymore.”
She put her hand on my heart. “Does that hurt?”
“All the time.”
“I’ve missed you,” she said softly.
“Me too,” I said. “I mean, I’ve missed you too. I haven’t missed me.”
She smiled. “I understand.” She looked down at my hand, which was holding her hand. “I’m tired of being on a break,” she said, still looking at our hands.
“Yeah, it’s getting old,” I said.
She glanced over at the curtain at the back of the shop. “You want to go upstairs?” she said, looking away shyly. “I haven’t been up there for a while.”
“You were just there two weeks ago,” I said and then stopped. She was shaking her head.
“I wasn’t there. We were on a break,” she said firmly.
“Oh, that’s right. You weren’t there. Sure, let’s go. I’ll lock up first.”
I let go of her hand and flipped the lock on the front door. When I turned back, she was looking at me quizzically. “What’s wrong?”
“How are you doing on the heights thing?”
“You mean the suicidal scared of heights thing?”
She nodded.
“How do you know about that?”
“Franny told me. Harry must have told her.”
I shook my head. “I haven’t told Harry about it. So how does Franny know about it?
Megan shrugged. “Franny knows everything.”
I couldn’t argue with that. “It’s coming along okay,” I said. “My therapist has me on a program. Every day I climb a little bit higher. Until I’m no longer afraid.”
Megan stepped closer and took my hand again. “Well, your bedroom is two flights up. Is that a good goal for today?”
“I think that would be perfect.”
I took her hand and we headed for the stairs. And you know what? For the first time in a long time, I wasn’t afraid of heights.
About the Author
In real life, John’s not a magician, but he has directed six low-budget features that cost very little and made even less – that’s no small trick. He’s also written multiple books on the subject of low-budget filmmaking. Ironically, they’ve made more than the films. His blog, “Fast, Cheap Movie Thoughts” has been named “One of the 50 Best Blogs for Moviemakers” and “One of The 100 Best Blogs For Film and Theater Students.” He’s also written for TV and the stage. John lives in Minnesota and shares his home with his lovely wife, several dogs, a few cats and a handful of pet allergies.
The Eli Marks Mystery Series
by John Gaspard
THE AMBITIOUS CARD (#1)
THE BULLET CATCH (#2)
THE MISER’S DREAM (#3)
THE LINKING RINGS (#4)
Short Stories
THE INVISIBLE ASSISTANT
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