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“Not according to anyone I’ve ever talked to.”
“Now that is a very good point.” Oliver’s eyes went to the door. He stood up. “I see my date.”
Cindy turned around. Rolf Osmondson was big, bald, with a sizable belly. He wore a handlebar mustache. He looked as if he’d been exploring the fiords. She said, “He doesn’t seem like your type, Scott.”
Oliver regarded her with a mock aghast expression. “Now you’re getting in the act?”
“Just showing solidarity with my sisters.”
Oliver wagged a finger at her. “Don’t draw lines in the sand, Decker, unless you’re prepared for battle.” He ran his index finger across Hayley’s shoulders. “See you later, ladies.” Then: “Or maybe not.”
Cindy watched him go, greeting the Norseman, shaking his hand. They took up the reserved booth in the back. Out of Cindy’s range of vision, which, she supposed, was what they wanted: privacy to discuss a case. She sneaked a sidelong look at Hayley, who was clearly upset. The woman was making a stab at her beef dip, tearing off a grizzled corner and chewing it slowly.
No one spoke.
Finally, she said, “He’s such an idiot!” Then she whispered, “I’m an intelligent woman. Why does he have this effect on me!”
Cindy picked up a French fry. “You know that Sheryl Crow song—‘My Favorite Mistake.’ We all have them.”
“Well, I wish mine wasn’t such an asshole!” She got up from her chair. “I gotta go reapply my lipstick.”
After Hayley was gone, Rhonda took a bite out of her turkey dip. “Poor thing.”
“She covered it well.”
“Except her armpits are the size of swimming pools.”
“How long were they going together?”
“I don’t think they were ever going together. It was just a casual thing.”
“Not to her,” Cindy answered. She glanced at her plate, at the ceiling, at the bar stool. Anywhere but behind her back. Andy Lopez caught her eye. Involuntarily, she nodded, which was a dumb thing to do. Because Andy nudged Tim. Then they both got up.
“Oh dear.” Cindy downed some beer for fortification. “Here they come.”
Rhonda licked her fingers, which were coated with turkey gravy. “You be nice. You’re way too new to be jaded. How old are you? Twenty-one?”
“Twenty-five.”
Rhonda made a surprised face.
“I know. I look young.”
“I would think eighteen except you’re drinking.”
“Hey, Decker.” Tim Waters plunked his scotch on the table. He had a medium build with light brown hair, murky green eyes, and bland features. He struck Cindy as Any-man USA. “Heard you were a big hit with Tropper.”
“Good news travels fast.” Cindy pointed to the chairs. “Take a seat. But bring over another one for Hayley.”
Waters said, “After seeing Oliver, we thought she took off.”
His smirk was ugly. Cindy stared at him long and hard. It must have been effective, because his cheeks pinked. She said, “No, Hayley’s still here … just in the john.”
Waters grabbed another chair and sat. Andy Lopez took up space next to Rhonda. He was on the small, slight side. But Cindy remembered him in the weight room, bench-pressing 320.
Lopez said, “Actually, Brown said you did okay.”
She focused her eyes on him. “That’s good to hear.” She wrinkled her brow. “So why do I feel that there’s an addendum to that statement?”
Lopez stared at her.
She said, “What else did Brown say?”
“Brown’s sitting right over there.” Waters cocked his head toward the bar stools. “Why don’t you go ask him?”
“Because I’m eating my dinner.” Cindy gulped down more beer. “What’d he say, Andy?”
“Just that …” Lopez stole one of Cindy’s French fries. “You know …” His voice faded.
“Perhaps he said something about me and frankfurters?” Cindy caught Jasmine’s eye, mouthing another beer. “I wasn’t hotdoggin’ anything!”
“I believe you, Cin—”
“It was a very tense situation. I was doing the best I could.”
“Brown said you did good,” Waters answered. “What are you bitching about?”
“Because Tropper’s pissed.”
“Yeah, Tropper’s real pissed,” Lopez said.
Cindy stared at him. “And?”
Lopez ate another French fry. “Jesus, Decker, I’m just letting you know. Don’t kill the messenger.”
Waters said, “Forget it, Decker. Tropper won’t do anything.”
Almost word for word what Beaudry had said. “How do you know?” Cindy asked. “What? Is he afraid of my father or something?”
Waters sipped his scotch. “Let’s just say he has a healthy respect for authority.”
Jasmine came with a fresh brew. She regarded Cindy with concern. “You know, maybe you should eat a little. It’s good to get something in your stomach so it doesn’t go to your head.”
Cindy took a bite of her sandwich. It went down like lead. She drank half of her suds. “I’m okay. Honestly.”
Waters smiled. “And if you’re not okay, I can always drive you home.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
Hayley came back, freshly made up. Cindy thought she looked dynamite good. Apparently Waters did, too. His eyes lingered on her chest a bit too long. Marx glared and said, “Who let the riffraff in?”
“I plead guilty.” Cindy raised her hand. Mother Jasmine had been right. After four-plus beers, she was getting a definite buzz and needed something in her stomach. She attempted another bite, but it came out a nibble. Andy was glancing at her sandwich with longing in his eyes.
“You want some, Lopez?” Cindy asked. “I’m really not that hungry.”
“Well, if you’re not going to eat it.” Lopez grabbed a half. “Why let it go to waste?”
Suddenly, the smoky air was oppressive, constricting her chest movement. She felt short of breath but didn’t dare gasp. The current tension had been magnified by the residual strain from the afternoon. Combined with the liquor, Cindy felt as if she were climbing out of her skin.
She needed out and right away. Quickly, she stood up. Just as quickly, the room started to spin. She slammed her palms against the table for balance.
“You okay, Decker?” Hayley asked. “Sit down, girl. You look pale.”
“No, I’m fine.” Attempting a smile. “I’m just tired.”
Andy said, “Lemme drive you home, Cin.”
She knew he meant it sincerely. And it made sense because she was woozy. But the thought of being alone in a car with him didn’t settle well. “Thanks, Andy.” Again a smile. “I’m really fine.”
“I’ll drive you,” Rhonda offered. “Hayley can pick me up later—”
“It’s not necessary!”
Her voice sounded harsher than she had intended. “Really, Rhonda. Thanks, but I’m fine. I’ll see you all later.”
She threw her bag over her shoulder. Knowing that they were studying her sobriety, she made sure to walk away on steady feet. But as soon as she got outside, she broke into a sweat. Her heart started pounding, her hands shook, and her vision blurred. She was drowning from the stress of conformity. Standing in the middle of the parking lot, staring at the sea of cars. Where the hell was hers?
“Please, God,” she prayed. “Just let me get home in one piece, and I’ll never do it again.”
She walked down one row, then another. The misty night air did little for her revitalization. But it did frizz up her hair.
Finally, she spied it—her Saturn. She would have never noticed it except that she had parked under a light. Her car was that sparkly, neon green color that had been in vogue a couple years back. Now the tint was passé, and the coupe looked like an old, painted whore.
She teetered over to her wheels and fumbled with her keys while perspiration poured off her brow. She managed to unlock the sucker, but then the world started spinning. She shut her eyes, but the reeling wouldn’t stop. She leaned against the metal, plopping her head against the thick cool glass, praying she wouldn’t upchuck.
“Give me—”
Cindy started, jumping backward, almost plowing into his chest. She turned and glared at him, sweaty face and all. “Do you always sneak up on people like that?”
“Only if they’re felons,” Oliver answered. “Which is what you’re going to be if you drive in that condition. Give me the keys.”
She was too sick to argue. She handed him her ring.
“Can you make it around to the other side?”
“I suppose I can if I walk slow enough.”
Oliver opened the driver’s door. “Slide in.”
“Thank you.”
She managed to trudge her body from the driver’s side to the passenger’s seat, then threw her head back and closed her eyes. Everything was still spinning. She clutched her legs, hoping the tactile sensation would settle her stomach.
Oliver reached over and fastened her seat belt. “Here. Chew these.”
She opened her eyes and stared at the proffered cup. “What is it?”
“Ice chips. It reduces nausea. When you left, you looked a bit unsteady … a little green.”
She took the cup, biting her lip to hold down her stomach. “Were you spying on me?”
He ignored her. “Where am I going?”
“Philosophically?”
“Cindy—”
“Turn left at the first light—”
“Give me an address.”
“To my apartment?”
“Yes, Cindy, to your apartment.”
“It’s off Bagley. Three blocks north of Venice. You know the area?”
“That’s near Culver City, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. Exactly.” She crunched the frozen water between her teeth and gave him the number. “Sorry about this.”
“S’right.”
She let out a deep, beer-filled exhalation. She wanted to say more, to explain herself, but she couldn’t get the words from her throat. She stared out the windshield, fixing her eyes on the asphalt road ahead.
They rode in silence, the protracted twenty-five minutes feeling like hours. Each turn or lane shift sent acid-coated waves up her esophagus. She sucked ice chips and swallowed often. She wiped sweat from her face with tissues, then wrinkled her nose because the Kleenex stank of beer.
Five pints and she was reeking. She stole a glance at her driver. If the stench was bothering him, he had the decency to remain stoic.
Finally, finally, he parked the car in familiar territory. She somehow got out on her own, dragging her bag along so that the straps scraped the ground. Oliver came over, and Cindy held out her hand for the keys. “I think I can take it from here.”
“I need to use your phone.”
Cindy opened and closed her mouth, staring at him through squinted, suspicious eyes.
Oliver said, “I’ve got to call a cab, Cindy. My car is still at Bellini’s.”
“Oh.” Cindy thought for a moment, processing the words. He has to call a cab. “I can do it for you.”
