by Wilde, Rhea
Refreshed and renewed, I made my rounds to see if anybody needed tending to. That’s when I noticed a man walking in that stood out from everybody else.
After he stepped into the bar, he stood there and looked around like he was searching for something. His hair was jet black and spiked up over his head but not in an outlandish way. Underneath a long winter coat, I could see a suit framed by a light blue tie. We had a lot of businessmen come in here all of the time but they usually came in groups with the intention of getting drunk. The way this man stood at the doorway made it seem like his motives were much more serious. He stood out like a piece coal in the middle of a field of snow.
As I watched him walk into the bar, he continued to scour over everybody. One of our drunk customers accidentally bumped into him and the man just stood there and looked at him. The drunk started apologizing profusely as he made his way back to the table.
From across the room, he noticed that he had caught my eye. For a second, I could have sworn he flinched when he looked at me. It was like he did a double take. I gulped and turned my head down, looking for some other patrons to attend to. From the corner of my eye, I could see him approaching me. I swallowed nervously again as I leaned over a table and took the drink orders of a small group. When I turned back to the bar, the mysterious man was sitting at a table just next to me. I didn’t turn in his direction but I could feel him watching me, staring at me intently. I had an odd feeling. Something about him, not just the way he looked, didn’t make him seem like an ordinary customer.
Thankfully, Sasha took a seat at his table and started speaking to him. I couldn’t hear what she was saying to him over the noise of the crowd but I didn’t care. I was just grateful that she distracted him long enough for him to stop staring at me.
“How are you doing?”
May greeted me as I leaned up against the bar, once again trying to gather my bearings.
“May, could you do me a favor?” I asked her.
“What’s up?”
“You see that guy sitting at the table over there. Don’t stare at him. He’s speaking with Sasha right now.”
“What about him? He’s kind of cute in a clean-cut, boyish kind of way. You want his number?”
“No. No, it’s not that. Can you ask him what he’s up to?”
“What do you mean? He’s just talking to Sasha right now.”
“I know. But he’s not here for the drinks.”
“You think he wants to fuck Sasha?”
“No! It’s something else. I’m just getting this really weird vibe from him, that’s all.”
May looked at me like I was crazy and maybe she was right. But ever since he walked into the room I couldn’t shake the feeling that had suddenly come over me. I felt uncomfortable just being in the same room with him and my focus was shaky.
“I think that’s just because he wants to sleep with you,” May said to me. “I say you should give him a chance.”
“May!”
I had my head turned toward the bar as I watched May stare at Sasha and the man having their conversation.
“Here’s Sasha,” May said to me. “She can answer your questions.”
“What?”
I turned around as May left me at the bar and I was suddenly greeted by Sasha.
“Um, you see that guy at the table over there?” she said as she glanced over at him. “He’d like to talk to you.”
“M-me? W-what does he want to talk to me for?”
I started to panic for some reason. I was more than nervous. I had this irrational fear shooting through my body. It felt like he wanted to do something to me and when I stared at him, I grew more and more uncomfortable.
“He just wants to talk to you, that’s all,” Sasha explained to me.
“B-But what if—”
“He’s not going to do anything to you. He wouldn’t try that in the middle of the bar. Just go talk to him.”
I looked at Sasha and she tried to comfort me. I didn’t know why I was feeling this way. It was completely out of character for me. He was just another customer but for some reason my body wanted to jump out of itself. When I turned back to him, he put up one of his hands and waved to me with a polite smile on his face.
Reluctantly, I made my way over to him and took a seat across the table. He looked young. His face was clean-shaven and the wear and tear on his soft and light complexion was nowhere to be found. He had these light brown eyes that almost seemed out of place. They stared at me like two targets in the middle of a firing range.
“Hello, Ariel,” he said. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. I’m sorry for being so forward but I had to ask your friend Sasha if I could speak to you since you seemed unwilling when I first walked in here.”
“Who are you?”
“Oh, forgive my rudeness, Miss…”
“Everhart.”
“Ms. Everhart. My name is Irvine Gold. I’m a detective for the city police department currently on an investigation and I’m wondering—”
“Where’s your proof? How do I know you work for the police? You have identification or something?”
“Of course. Where are my manners?”
He reached into the pocket of his jacket and placed a badge down onto the table. Next to it was his ID. His picture and name matched just as he said it did. Even though it seemed like he was telling the truth, I still didn’t rest any easier.
“Is that okay with you, Ms. Everhart?”
I nodded my head and he placed his belongings back into his jacket.
“I’m doing an investigation about the recent string of murders, Ms. Everhart. Brutal killings taking place in the middle of abandoned buildings and warehouses throughout the city. Are you aware of them?”
I started to panic even more. I thought about everything that happened a couple of nights ago. He must have known that I was there at the last crime scene. My underwear. The knife. My fingerprints were there. I swallowed nervously as I tried to hide my discomfort.
“Yeah, so?” I said. “What does that have to do with me? I… I didn’t do anything…”
He didn’t say a word. He just sat there and stared silently at me for a second. It was loud inside of the bar. There was music coming from the band and every person around me was drunk. But it wasn’t enough to distract me from the tension building in front of me. As I stared back at him, I found myself having trouble keeping focus on the hazels of his eyes. My body was shaking and my eyes shifted.
“Did you have a long night last night, Ms. Everhart?”
“What?”
“Your eyes,” he said. “It looks like you didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Yeah… Yeah, I didn’t get to sleep until late last night. I’ve been working a lot of hours here and haven’t had much time to rest.”
“You should get some rest, Ms. Everhart. Bad things happen to people who stay up past their bedtime.”
I gulped, wondering what he was talking about. Could he sense how nervous I was? Did he actually think I was a suspect? Why wasn’t he questioning me?
“Ms. Everhart, I fully intend to catch the people responsible for these murders. And I know that you would provide me with the information to find these individuals, would you not?”
“If I knew who it was, I would tell you.”
“If you knew who it was. Of course. Here.”
He placed down a card in front of me. There was nothing on it except for a name and phone number.
“If something happens, call me,” he said.
“I don’t know anything about your investigation,” I said. “I don’t know anything at all.”
“I never said you did, Ms. Everhart. I’m simply giving you access in case you do learn anything, since you want me to catch the individuals so proper justice can be served. Right?”
“Y-yeah, of course, Mr. Gold.”
“Please, call me, Irvine.”
He stood up out of his chair just as Sasha arrived with his drink. She
placed the drink down on the table and Irvine reached into his pocket and threw a wad of bills next to the drink.
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Everhart. Oh, and one more thing… I just want to let you know that these murders will come to an end. I will find the individuals responsible, with or without your help. But if you can help me, I certainly would appreciate it.”
He nodded his head politely to me then looked over at Sasha and winked at her. As he exited the bar, I turned around and watched him. The stride in his steps was perfect and straight. It was like the other patrons were dancing around him. When he finally left, I felt the uneasiness I was feeling suddenly disappear. It was like it had washed over me completely.
“Are you okay, Ariel?” Sasha said as she looked down at me.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” I told her.
“He must have given you his card for a reason. What was that all about?”
“I still don’t know,” I said. “He just said he was a police detective and wanted me to let him know if anything suspicious happened.”
“It never hurts to have the personal phone number of a detective.”
“No. No, it doesn’t.”
I looked down at the plain card in front of me. There was more to it than that. He was the second guy in less than a week that wanted to speak to me directly. This wasn’t just about guys wanting to sleep with me. There was more to it than that and there were more than enough waitresses to fulfill the desires of every drunk guy in here if that was the case.
No, this was different. Irvine asked me for a reason.
“What did he say to you?” I asked Sasha. “Why did he ask for me specifically?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged her shoulders. “I just took his drink order and he said he wanted to talk to you.”
I didn’t do anything wrong that night I was nearly raped. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And now I feared that being there was going to put me in a spot that I didn’t want to be in.
I had spent nearly the entire night thinking about Vaughn so much that I lost a morning’s worth of sleep. Out of all of the women at the bar, I was suddenly being pulled into the middle of a murder investigation.
“Ariel!”
Frank’s voice woke me from the daze I was in as I bent Irvine’s card between my fingers.
“Get back to work! What are you doing just sitting there?”
“Sorry, boss.”
I got up out of my seat and went back to serving the thirsty patrons their alcohol. I kept an eye out for Vaughn but he was nowhere to be found. Instead, I was left pondering the details about everything that was happening. Living in the city was turning out to be more stressful than I imagined and I wondered if I would be able to keep this up.
Chapter 8
I didn’t realize how much I needed some time off. Working every night at The Arrested Bar was wearing me out and after everything else that happened, it was more than just my body. I was having trouble thinking straight. I was nearly raped by a group of thugs. A man that I had invited to my apartment went running off. And now the police were talking to me about a murder investigation I wasn't sure I was a part of.
After catching up on my sleep, I noticed the redness in my eyes slowly starting to dissipate. The girl in the reflection was still me, even though the black around my eyes made it seem like I had on too much eye shadow.
I decided it would be good to get away from both the apartment and the bar. I could finally take the opportunity for myself.
During the day, the city wasn’t nearly as menacing as it was at night. Sure, there were dilapidated buildings with plenty of unsavory men and women walking back and forth. Addicts slumped up against walls looking for their next fix. The street-walking women had no shame in flaunting their wares in broad daylight. Dealers tried to remain as inconspicuous as possible but you could tell what they were doing if you looked close enough. Everybody else was a thug or gangster just looking to get into some trouble. But this was all in public view. Nobody ever tried anything blatant and I could roam the streets as long as I kept to myself.
With the sun shining bright above me, I threw on a white skirt and a matching tank that exposed some of my skin. I was getting pale from staying indoors so much and I could use some of the sun's rays. Who would have thought that grocery shopping would be one of the highlights of my life at this point?
I went to the local farmer’s market down the street. All of the produce was fresh and local. I wondered about getting a job in a nice place like this but from the looks of things, these people were barely able to make ends meet. I couldn’t walk away from the tips so easily. But maybe one day.
I sorted through the produce, trying to decide what I was going to eat for the rest of the week. Fresh fruits and vegetables filled wooden crates. I grabbed one of the oranges and closed my eyes as I held it up to my nose. Inhaling a deep whiff of it, for a moment I forgot about the smell of the unclean streets of the city.
“Is that how you tell the good ones from the bad ones?”
I opened my eyes and jerked my head toward the voice.
“Vaughn! W-what are you doing here?”
It had been a few days since I’d last seen him running from my apartment.
“I was in the area,” he said. “What a coincidence I found you.”
He looked different as he smiled at me. His golden locks looked more radiant in the sunlight, his teeth beaming just a little brighter. He still had a bit of scruff on his face. It had probably been a few days since he’d shaved. But I didn’t care. Even if he had gone running off on me, I was glad to see him again.
“I haven’t seen you in a few days,” I said. “The last time I saw you…”
“Ariel, look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have just left you like that. I just… I didn’t want to let my emotions get the best of me.”
“Vaughn, it’s not your fault. It was me. I… I shouldn’t have been so forward with you.”
“I didn’t want to rush things… I didn’t want to move so quickly.”
I gripped my hands tighter around the orange I was holding, unable to look back at him. That was the first time I’d ever heard a man say that. Most of the men I’d run into were just looking for one thing before they went running off. All Vaughn got was a kiss.
I nervously placed the orange back where I’d found it, preoccupying myself by sorting through them so that I didn’t have to think about anything that might be happening between us.
“What are you up to?” I asked him. “Where are you headed?”
“Nowhere in particular. I don’t have to work today, so my schedule is pretty open.”
“Really? I don’t have to work either. I’m just kind of enjoying my day off.”
“Hmmm… Maybe we can enjoy it together. I mean, I could help you with your shopping. Maybe you can teach me a thing or two.”
I looked at him and the innocence on his face almost made me laugh. But I felt so giddy around him that I was more focused on trying to not make a fool of myself. I was constantly fighting these feelings burning inside of my stomach for him. It wasn’t like this when he wasn’t around. For some reason, whenever I was in his presence he made me feel different.
“Okay,” I said. “Maybe I can show you a thing or two.”
“Great. What are you looking for right now? How do you tell the good oranges from the bad ones?”
“To be honest with you, I don’t really eat oranges. I just like the smell. I leave them laying around the kitchen until they go bad and then throw them out.”
“Oh…”
“What about you, Vaughn? What kind of fruits do you like?”
“Let me see…”
He looked around at all of the fresh produce as if he was trying to search for the perfect answer.
“Ah, right here,” he said.
“Of course. How could I forget?”
He picked up a lemon and held it in his hand.
“These lemons,” he said.
“My new favorite fruit.”
“You would think that but you forgot what I told you.”
“What was that, Ariel?”
“You were drinking more sugar than lemons.”
“Well, even still, you can’t make lemonade without a few lemons.”
I watched him as he picked up three of the lemons and started to juggle them in his hands. I was fascinated at his mildly unique talent. Suddenly, he tossed the lemons into my bag and started to laugh at me.
“How many lemons do you need?” he asked me.
“It depends on how much lemonade I’m making. How much can you drink?”
“In that case, you’re going to need a bigger bag.”
He winked at me and the smirk on his face made me blush at him.
“Okay,” I said as I picked up a few more of the lemons. “I’ll make you your lemonade. But if you don’t drink it all—”
“Don’t worry, Ariel. I’ll drink every drop.”
He smacked his lips softly and the sound of it set off something inside of me. I was suddenly reminded of how attracted I was to him. The arousal was inside of me and he just flipped the switch. I looked down at the ground and bit my bottom lip, trying to forget the sound of his wet lips against mine. We had unfinished business. I didn’t want to wait. I wanted him to kiss me and go even further right in front of the fruit stand but I knew that Vaughn didn’t have the gall to insult the rest of the other shoppers.
“You must like more than lemonade,” I said to him. “I mean, that’s just a drink. What do you like to eat?”
“I… I don’t know, Ariel.”
“You don’t know? Like, you don’t have a favorite food or anything?”
“I never really thought about it. I just eat… whatever’s available.”
I gave him a confused look but I was beginning to get used to his odd answers. Vaughn had already proven to be unlike any other man I’d ever met and he was doing little to disprove that notion.
“What’s your specialty, Ariel?” he asked me. “What do you like to cook?”
“Me? I’m not really a cook,” I said, suddenly feeling embarrassed.
