Jeanne Stein: Crossroads

Silence. Is he buying it?

David leans toward me. “None of this makes sense. How did they get me? Why did they take me ?”

“Maybe you stopped in a bar somewhere. Someone recognized you, thought a local celebrity would be fun to party with. They must have slipped something in your drink.

Shit. I don’t know.”

I stop. David isn’t listening. He’s hardly breathing. He’s so stil, I wonder for an instant if he heard what I said. Does he realize the flaw in my story? Is he going to ask how I found him? Shit. What do I say to that?

There’s a shift in the set of his jaw, a flicker of light in his eyes. He’s remembering something. I know it in the way he’s looking at me and I know what it is.

He’s remembering what Judith Wiliams told him about me.

I jump up so fast, it makes David jump, too. My brain is twirling like a dervish, trying to formulate a response to what I suspect David is about to say.

He stands up, too. Looks me square in the eyes. “Those twins. They were students at SDSU. I remember that. And they gave me their phone numbers. Do you know what I did with them?”

“ That’s what you want to know?”

Part of me is so relieved, my knees are weak. The other part can’t believe what he just asked.

“I tel you that you were drugged and brought to a stranger’s house where you partied for two days and al you want to know is if I kept the telephone numbers of who you were partying with?”

He rubs a hand over his face. “No. I have plenty of other questions. Maybe the twins can provide answers. But first I have to find a way to break what I did to Miranda. We have to get tested for god only knows what.”

Whoa. So not a good idea. “Why would you tel Miranda?”

That earns me an “are you crazy?” look. “Why do you think? Evidently, I had multiple sex partners during a weekend she thought I was recuperating from an accident. I have to tel her we should get tested for STDs and worse because if I was drugged up enough to have sex with strangers, it’s a safe bet I was too drugged up to use protection. She’s not going to understand. Fuck, I don’t understand.”

The Boy Scout is back. Just as I predicted. Luckily, I’m not a den mother. “Wait a minute. Get tested yourself first. There might be nothing to tel.”

His expression tel s me that argument is not going to fly.

So I go with, “Think about it. If you tel her, she’s most likely to break up with you. Or kil you. Or both. What’s the worst that can happen if you wait?”

“And what excuses do I use for not having sex with her while I wait for test results?”

“Ever hear of using a condom?” It pops out. He’s giving me the look again. “Then don’t see her for a little while. Go to a private doctor or clinic and request a rush. Shouldn’t take too long.”

The hard look evaporates into one of desperation. “Shit, Anna. How could I have let this happen?”

“You didn’t do anything. It was done to you. The best thing now is to do damage control. Take care of the things you can.”

“No.” David’s hands curl into fists. “The best thing I can do now is find those twins and see what they can tel me about that night — or nights if what you tel me is true. Then I’l go after Judith Wiliams. If she’s behind what happened, I’l press charges.”

Another bad idea. “Do you think anyone wil believe the wife of the former police chief — the recently murdered former police chief — is involved in drugs and sex parties? Shit.

David, I have a hard time believing it and I dragged you out of that house.”

“Then we’l go back to the house. You know where it is.

There’s bound to be evidence. And she admitted to me that she was there. That should count for something.”

He’s got the locked-jaw look of somebody hel — bent on action. “What about those telephone numbers?”

I can’t believe this is happening. If he pursues this, I’m screwed.

“I threw them away.” I threw them away al right, into a drawer in my desk. I figured I’d fol ow up with the girls and see how much they remembered about their weekend at vampire central. I haven’t gotten around to it. Now I think I’d better just burn the fucking things.

David is not happy at the answer. He blows out an impatient breath and slams a hand down on the table. “Then I guess that leaves Judith Wiliams, doesn’t it?” He stands abruptly and takes his mug to the sink.

I fol ow, pat his arm and steer him to the door. “First things first, David. Take care of those tests. In the meantime, I’l cal Detective Harris and see what he knows about raves being held in the area.”

No reaction so I plow ahead. “And David, forget about Judith Wiliams. For now. She’s too smart and too wel connected to let herself become implicated in a crime. The factaid what she said today proves that. It’s your word against hers and you can bet she won’t repeat it again in front of witnesses.”

David gives no indication whether he intends to fol ow my advice or not. He leaves looking as dejected now as he looked angry when he came in.

My fault. Why didn’t it occur to me that there might be greater physical consequences to his sexcapades that weekend? Al I was concerned about was his remembering that Judith told him we were both vampires. At least she didn’t throw out that nugget when she saw him this morning.

I wonder why. What is the bitch up to now?

Fuck. Just when I thought I was at a point when I could look ahead for once, I get hit with three titanic reminders of my past. Al compliments of humans in my life: Detective Harris, Max and David.

Wel, can’t do anything about Detective Harris and for al I know, David might be off chasing down his girlfriend in spite of our conversation. The only one I can do something about now is Max.

Should I cal him?

I’m right back where I started.

I look around the cottage. Usual y this place is my oasis of tranquil ity. This morning it’s been invaded by a suspicious detective, an angry business partner and, by way of a note, an ex I never intended to see again.

My life was never so complicated when I was human.

I’VE BEEN SITTING ON THE BED STARING AT THE telephone in my hand for fifteen minutes. Max’s number is up on the screen, just waiting for my finger to press Send. I’m not sure why I’m so hesitant. There’s only one reason I’d cal him, and the only thing I have to decide is the number of expletives to insert before I tel him to fuck off.

So what’s the problem?

I suck it up and punch Send.

He picks up so fast, it takes me a second to realize he’s on the line.

“Max?”

“Anna.” There’s relief in his voice. “Thanks for cal ing. I need to see you.”

“Why?”

“I can’t talk about it on the phone. Can I come in?”

My grip on the phone tightens. “What do you mean, come in? Where are you?”

“Outside. On the boardwalk.”

I cross the bedroom to the deck, look toward the ocean.

The boardwalk is crowded. It takes me a second to locate him. Max is leaning against the seawal, staring up toward the cottage. He waves when he sees me. But it’s not a cheery wave and he’s not smiling.

I’m not smiling, either. “What are you doing here? How did you know I’d cal?”

“I didn’t, but Culebra told me you’d picked up the note.”

“Did he also tel you I don’t want to talk to you?”

“Yes. I’m glad to see he was wrong.”

“He wasn’t wrong. There’s only one reason I’d cal you. To tel you to fuck off—”

“Anna, please.” I see Max cup his hand around the phone.