Don't Make Me Choose Between You and My Shoes

by Dixie Cash

  But no one approached. She grabbed her hand mirror, stuck it through the door opening and looked up and down the hall. Frank was walking away all right, and he was empty-handed.

  She looked back into the room at Debbie Sue and Celina sleeping. Her mind was tumbling and turning. She didn’t have a clue what she should do. The same remedy kept coming to her repeatedly: Follow him. Follow him.

  Didn’t she owe that much to Cher?

  She tiptoed to the dresser, picked up a room key and her cell phone, sneaked out the door and headed up the hall toward the elevators. Frank was nowhere in sight and the elevator was descending, so she assumed he was its passenger. She ran to the stairs, threw the door open and started down the steel steps, her wooden platform shoes clomping like horses’ hooves, the hollow echo reverberating off the walls.

  She heard a sound and stopped. She couldn’t tell if she had heard something real or if her sleep-deprived mind was playing tricks on her, but the hairs on the back of her neck told her the door leading to the stairwell from the sixth floor had just opened and closed. Had Frank opened the door? Was he plotting to trap her here, where no one could see or hear them? Had he been hiding in the recesses of the hallway waiting for her to make a fatal error?

  Edwina didn’t know where the speed and agility came from, but she remembered her childhood. In that memory she was strolling home from school and for some reason she became convinced a monster was set to pounce on her from behind. If she dared look back she would be devoured. So she broke into a run and by the time she reached her home, she practically charged through the screen door, with her mother standing there looking on in bewilderment.

  The next thing she knew, she was entering the hotel lobby in a dead run, legs and arms pumping. Before now, she hadn’t known she was capable of what she had just done—descending the stairs four steps at a time, gripping the hand-rail and swinging her body to the next level like a trapeze artist. She had been magnificent. Olympics material, for sure.

  The best part was that no one was behind her, and fifteen steps ahead of her was Frank Rogenstein. He pushed through the revolving doors and stood outside on the sidewalk, made bright as day by the lights of Times Square.

  “Humph. I’ll just see where that sucker’s going,” she mumbled to the air.

  She trailed him at a distance, safe from detection, but never letting him out of her sight and paying no attention to her surroundings or the direction in which she walked. Her dogged determination paid off. Rogenstein entered a brightly lit corner store that proudly advertised WE SELL EVERYTHING! on a sign in the plate-glass window.

  Pretty ballsy of the owners to make that claim, she thought. She didn’t think even Wal-Mart could say as much.

  She didn’t dare go in and get trapped. She stood outside a few feet from the door and stared through the tall display windows. What wasn’t sitting on the shelves hung from the ceiling and she didn’t doubt that merchandise was crammed into every nook and cranny.

  Only a few minutes passed and Detective Rogenstein came outside lugging a large trunk. It didn’t take a genius to know how he intended to use the trunk. Picturing it stuffed with Cher’s body, a shiver skittered up her spine and she caught a quick breath.

  Frank hailed a cab and Edwina watched helplessly as he and the cab driver loaded the trunk into the cab’s trunk and sped away.

  “Ohmigod, ohmigod, ohmigod,” she chanted, dancing in circles. All she could think was that she had to call Debbie Sue before Frank returned to the hotel and left the room with poor Cher’s body.

  She dug the phone from her back pocket and pressed the ON switch. The screen remained blank. Her stomach rose to the back of her throat. She couldn’t remember the last time she had charged the phone. Then she realized she didn’t have any money—or her purse. She couldn’t even use a pay phone. Shit!

  We Sell Everything might do just that, but she doubted they did it for free, and cabs didn’t operate that way either. As to her exact location? She was standing at the intersection of God Knows Where and Boy Are You Screwed.

  Dammit, girl. Think! And while she was thinking, she starting walking in the direction from which she had come. She had to get back to the hotel before Rogenstein, and definitely before six o’clock.

  At an intersection she noticed that every other person had a cell phone stuck to his ear. A couple of people even had two. She remembered the admonishments from her friends in Salt Lick not to mix with New Yorkers, but hell, she had to do something. Figuring she had nothing to lose, she drew a deep breath and yelled, “Does anybody have a cell phone I can borrow to make one teeny-weeny call?”

  To her astonishment phones magically appeared from everywhere. “Wow, this is really nice. I only need one. Here, I’ll take this one. Thanks, everybody. Thanks so much.”

  When the light changed everyone moved except her and the cell phone owner, a young black man in baggy jeans and an oversize basketball jersey. A bill cap was perched sideways on his head.

  He cocked his chin. “W’ sup, tornado bait?”

  Tornado bait? Is he talking about me? “Uh, I’m trying to stay one step ahead of trouble, but I think I’m losing the race.”

  She wasn’t sure why she explained her situation to him except that he had been nice enough to offer his phone, and from the looks of him he might appreciate the circumstances.

  “Oh, snap! Pass me an oar, you know what I’m saying? I mean, that’s some whacked shit.”

  “Uh-huh. Well, I—”

  Keying in Debbie Sue’s cell number, she smiled at him as the phone started ringing. A voice came on the phone. “Detective McDermott here.”

  “Oh, snap,” Edwina muttered. She was no longer losing the race. The race was over and she was sucking everybody’s dust.

  “Edwina? Edwina, is that you?”

  Edwina’s heart dropped to her feet. Dammit, Matt wasn’t supposed to be there yet. “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “Where are you? I’m sending a unit to pick you up.”

  “Let’s see, I’m catty-cornered from a cute little church. It looks really old. It’s called St. Paul’s Chapel. Do you know where that is?”

  “Wow. You walked quite a distance.”

  Nobody had to tell Edwina she had walked quite a distance. Her feet were killing her.

  “But luckily, you’re not that far away,” he added. He sounded serious. “You’re at Ground Zero.”

  “No kidding? Oh, sweet Jesus. I was so afraid I wasn’t going to get to come here before we left. Where were the buildings? Were they at this construction site that’s all lit up? They were, weren’t they? It seems so small. I just want to sit down and cry. This is so sad.”

  “Edwina, listen to me. Are you safe? Is Rogenstein anywhere around?”

  “He left. He bought a big trunk in this store that sells everything and put it in a cab and drove away. I don’t know where he was headed, but I didn’t have any money, so I had to ask—”

  “I’m sorry to keep interrupting you, but listen to me carefully. You are to come straight back to this hotel when the officers reach you. Is that clear?”

  “Yessir. I’ll wait right here for the officers.”

  “You’ve been foolish, woman. You could have become another victim.”

  “I’m sorry, Matt, but I lost track of the time. When Frank left the hotel, he seemed hell-bent on the direction he was going and I got carried away. What time is it, anyway?”

  “It’s five thirty. I came back a little early.”

  “Well then, it’s not my fault,” Edwina said indignantly. “You said six o’clock. I’d have been back by six o’clock.”

  “We’ll discuss it when you get back here. The car should be pulling up any minute now.”

  Edwina disconnected and handed the phone back to her new street-savvy friend.

  “Five-Oh comin’ to haul yo’ ass to lockup?”

  Edwina thought a moment. “I don’t think so, but they are coming to pick me up. He said a couple of cops in
a cruiser.”

  The young man gave her a round-eyed look. “That is off the chain! You must be some Bonnie-and-Clyde motherfucker!”

  “Yep, that’s me all right. The chain’s slipped off. Or on the chain, or whatever. That’s me.”

  “I thought you was jus’ some sad ol’ wack-a-loon that was lost.”

  A police car pulled up to the curb. The officer on the passenger side got out and opened the back door. “Miz Martin, Detective McDermott asked us to escort you back to your hotel.”

  Edwina entered the cruiser as if she were royalty. She glanced back at her new friend. “Thanks for the use of the phone. And take it easy, sleazy!”

  “Backatcha, spooky lady.”

  “Backatcha, baggy pants.”

  chapter twenty-one

  Edwina worried as the squad car approached the Anson Hotel. She didn’t dread seeing Detective McDermott nearly as much as she did Debbie Sue. Her friend and partner would give her a ration of shit for sure. At the same time she wondered if Rogenstein had returned.

  The hotel’s porte cochere was congested with police vehicles. Uniformed men and women seemed to be everywhere. Had they been looking for her? They must have been. The last thing she had expected was that Matt and/or Debbie Sue would be so concerned that they would sound an alarm and get the whole NYPD involved. The best thing she could do was simply not put in an appearance.

  Edwina leaned forward to speak to the two cops in the front seat. “Hey, guys, I don’t suppose you’d want to take me back to Ground Zero, would you? I’m from out of town, you know. I didn’t really get to look around as much as I’d like to.”

  The cop on the passenger’s side turned halfway in his seat and looked at her. “Detective McDermott was direct about us bringing you straight to the hotel.”

  Mentally, Edwina winced. “Oh, yeah. There’s that. Well, I mean, he’s not your boss or anything like that, is he?”

  When neither policeman replied, she slumped back in the seat.

  The police car pulled to a stop in front of the hotel entrance and Edwina climbed out. “Thanks for the ride, boys. It was nice to meetcha.”

  “I’ll walk you to your room,” one cop said, sliding out of the passenger seat.

  Somehow Edwina had known he would say that. She trudged wordlessly beside him, her mind whirling with questions. Rogenstein had left We Sell Everything long before she had. Had he already come back to the hotel, and was he here now? And if the answer to either question was yes, then what?

  She stood silently as the elevator rose to six. When the door opened she said to her escort, “Thanks, shug. I’ve got it from here.”

  “If it’s all the same to you, ma’am, I’ll hand you over to Detective McDermott. That’s what he told us to do and he was clear on the matter.”

  Police lined the hallway leading from the elevator to the room she shared with Debbie Sue and Celina, some on phones, some just leaning against the wall talking to one another. The scene was congested but fairly quiet, except for the frazzled, coming-apart-at-the-seams night manager, Homer.

  Edwina tried to be inconspicuous, but Homer spotted her and marched toward her, his lips drawn thin. He was within a few steps when a hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back. It appeared Debbie Sue was hell-bent on reaching her before Homer did.

  To Edwina’s surprise Debbie Sue grabbed her in a big bear hug and rocked her back and forth, half talking, half blubbering. “Oh, Ed. You’re alive. I pictured you dead. I’ve never been so happy to see anyone in my whole life. I couldn’t stand it if something happened to you. What would I tell Vic?”

  “Well, hon, that’s so sweet of you. But I’m fine—”

  “You’re not hurt?” Debbie Sue held her at arm’s length, her gaze running up and down her body. “Did he grab you and make you leave with him?”

  “No, hon, I followed him.”

  “Shit.” Debbie released her, scowling. “That’s exactly what I was afraid of.” Now the friend who seemed so happy to see her suddenly became the person Edwina had dreaded. “Shit, Ed. Have you taken leave of the good sense God gave you? Do you know what could have happened to you out there? How do you think we felt when we woke up and you were gone?”

  “I tried to call earlier—”

  “Did you even think about what could have happened to you? Will you please promise me you won’t go off half-cocked again? From here on out we do things together, right? As a team, right?”

  Edwina raised her right hand. “I promise. Where’s a Bible? I’ll swear on it. Now, do you want to know what I found out when I followed him?”

  Before she could tell, Homer planted himself in front of Debbie Sue. “I’d like to know when you and your party will be leaving this establishment.” Indignation made his voice tremble.

  Debbie Sue swung her attention to Homer. “We’ve got a room ’til Sunday morning. That’s when we leave, Homer.”

  Edwina drew herself up to her full five feet and ten inches. “Just why are you in such a hurry to see us gone, Homer?”

  Matt was suddenly standing between them. He addressed the night manager. “Sir, these women haven’t done anything except be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

  The manager pointed a finger at Edwina. “That one has caused an untold amount of damage in this hotel.”

  “But you wouldn’t want to see harm come to her and her friends, would you?”

  “Well, no. But there are policemen—”

  “Yes, sir, I’m aware of that. I called them. Now that Mrs. Martin is back safe and sound, I’m going to send all of them on their way. Everyone else is going back into the room. All will be quiet again. Isn’t that what you want?”

  “Yes. Oh, God, yes.” Shaking his head, Homer covered his face with both hands. “I just want some peace and quiet. And some order. Mr. Pembroke demands order. He comes in at nine o’clock sharp on Fridays and if he sees—”

  “There’s nothing for him to see,” Matt said. “Thank you for your cooperation and understanding. I’ll be happy to write a letter to Mr. Pembroke praising your professionalism and the extent to which you’ve gone to help the men in blue. Now, why don’t you accompany these officers downstairs?”

  One of the cops stepped up beside Homer and said, “Happy to help you, sir.”

  He settled a withering glare on Edwina and pointed a finger at her again. “You. You stay out of the bar, stay out of the restaurant, stay out of the lobby.” He pounded his palm with his fingertip. “You stay in this room. Do you understand me?”

  Edwina huffed and hoisted her chin. “Well, I never…”

  After the uniformed cops and Homer left their sight, Edwina turned to Matt in awe. “You know, you’re slick as bat shit. You’re wasting your time as a cop. You could have been a used-car salesman.”

  “And you should have been a magician,” he replied, without smiling. “Come into the room, Houdini, before you disappear again.”

  Edwina was thrilled to see a cart of food inside the room. Breakfast! She’d had no sleep, she was pumped on adrenaline and the long walk in the early morning air had kicked her appetite into full gear. She grabbed a plate and started heaping on muffins and pats of butter and fresh fruit.

  Celina was sitting in a chair, her big eyes brimmed with tears. “Edwina, are you all right?”

  “Look, y’all, cut it out. I’m fine. He never knew I was following him. Lord, I’ve been in worse life-threatening situations than that.”

  “You have?”

  “Lord, yes. Every time a customer sits down in my chair and announces she wants something ‘fun and exciting,’ I know I’m in trouble.”

  Celina laughed then. “Oh, Edwina, you take the cake.”

  “Thank you, I think I will. I’ll take this piece right here.” She gave Celina a big grin as she grabbed a slice of white cake covered with strawberries and added it to her heaping plate.

  Everyone calmed down and began to eat. “Tell us everything that happened,” Matt sai
d, pouring a cup of coffee for himself. “Don’t leave out any detail. Anything could be important.”

  Edwina told of hearing Rogenstein’s door open and seeing him walk up the corridor and of herself being overwhelmed with the urge to follow him. She told of his entry into the store that sold everything, his coming out with the trunk and stopping a cab. “The trunk’s green. It has a large loop handle. Did he come back here? Have y’all seen him?”

  “No, he hasn’t been back,” Debbie Sue said. “Or if he has, we missed seeing him. But then we were asleep until Matt showed up.”

  “So how’s the investigation going?”

  “I’m working on it,” Matt assured her. “Under any circumstances there’s red tape involved in getting a warrant, but in this particular case there are more concerns. Since we don’t have the recording, I want to be sure everything’s done by the book. I don’t want something coming back to bite me.”

  “I still can’t believe all of this is happening,” Celina said, shaking her head. “I never in a million years thought coming to a convention to learn how to be a detective would end up with me involved in a real murder investigation.”

  Matt turned a grim look at her. “And you’re right in the middle of a really big one, too. I hope you’re enjoying the adrenaline rush.”

  She returned an angelic smile. “Honestly? I’m not. I think it’s very sad and very scary. This isn’t for me. It would come across as really exciting on paper, but being in it is a whole other story. I miss my library. Finding a book I thought was lost is enough excitement for me.”

  He turned to Debbie Sue and Edwina. “And you two. I suppose you love it.”

  “It has its moments,” Debbie Sue said. “But today is the first time I’ve been honest-to-God scared and it wasn’t for my own safety.”

  Edwina knew Debbie Sue was talking about her and was genuinely touched. “I’m sorry, Debbie Sue. The next chance you get to do something really lame, I won’t say a word.”