Part 21 (1/2)

”But recent signs of habitation,” Danny said. ”Note that the paper is today's and... Aha...there are still ice cubes in the gla.s.s.”

Someone picked up the gla.s.s.

”Not to mention cheap vodka,” Ranson snorted, evidently having smelled it.

* 143 *

”True. Here is the bottle in the trash to prove it,” Danny said from my kitchen.

”A bottle of vodka and two bottles of Scotch. How often does Micky take out her trash?” Ranson asked.

”She can be very schizophrenic about it. At times, the worst slob you've ever seen and at other times almost obsessively neat.”

”That's right, you two lived together for a while.” There was a pause. ”Well, there are some empty cat food cans in here and egg sh.e.l.ls and none of it seems close to rancid, so those bottles piled up pretty quickly.”

That vodka bottle was almost empty. I took the trash out on Friday.

Today was Sunday. Two days. Two bottles. A nice round number. And one of those I'd opened on Thursday. Let's not exaggerate too much, Joanne, dear.

I heard my answering machine being played back.

”She was here at the time of my call. The message light's off and the tape was wound back,” Danny commented.

”Or she came in shortly afterwards,” Ranson added.

”No, she was here. d.a.m.n her b.u.t.t anyway. I've got better things to do then chase after a Micky who doesn't want to be found.”

”She's drinking too much. I don't like that,” Ranson said.

”She always drinks too much. Micky's very good at living on the edge. I used to worry and wait for her to fall, but she's too good. You just make a fool of yourself trying to catch her,” Danny exploded.

”Whoa! Sounds like someone got hurt in that affair of yours. Both of you always acted like it was just a casual thing.”

”It was for one of us.” There was a pause, then Danny continued, ”I guess we all get kicked real hard in the face at least once.”

”What did she do?”

”Nothing, really. Micky was just being Micky. The kick was that she didn't change for me. I'd seen her all through college, ringside seat.

She drank a lot and probably other things, too. All the d.y.k.es and not-so-d.y.k.es on campus were after her. And they could all have her, too, most of them; she did have a few peculiar standards. But only for a night or two. The other nights she'd spend with me, the platonic friend, over cheap beers in a nearby bar or in our rooms studying or just being two poor kids from Naw Lins.”

”How did you become lovers? Here, have some of this. She * 144 *

doesn't need it.” I heard gla.s.ses being filled. s.h.i.+t, Detective Ranson had detected my spare bottle of Johnny Walker.

Before Danny answered, they sat down on the couch. Springs groaned dangerously over my head.

”We both came back here after graduation and found an apartment together, since we couldn't afford to live alone. One night, in early June, we were standing at our one window with a view, watching a spectacular thunderstorm. The lights went out. I remembered watching the lightning flashes on her face. Neither of us went to get candles.

There was a tremendous clap of thunder and we started kissing each other. I remember thinking, after the first time we made love, that I was set. I had a degree from a name school, I was going to law school and no one could stop me, and I had a smart, funny, great-looking woman for my lover and I didn't have to try to explain bayou country or even the South to her.”

There was a pause. I heard my good Scotch being sipped.

”Things were great at first. Great s.e.x, a lot of fun, but...well, the closer I wanted to get, the more Micky pulled away. We had lots of fun that summer, but autumn came and...the ease and comfort of the summer went away somehow. I was devastated when I finally realized that she was sleeping around on me. But I kept thinking she would fall, and I had to be there to catch her. Then, one night when she was out, I didn't know where, but she was gone, and I was there alone, I realized that she had never told me that she loved me. Never said the words.

What I had always heard was my a.s.sumption. And I knew she never would. I'd be waiting there for her to fall into my arms and she never would. The next night, when I finally saw her, I broke it off.”

”How come you're still friends, after that?”

”When I told her it was over, she looked at me and said, 'I know.

I'm sorry. I'm not very good at this.' And the next day, while I was at cla.s.s, she cleaned up the apartment, stocked up the refrigerator, peeled a whole bunch of crawfish my parents had brought that were going to waste, took all her things, and left. I remember crying that whole night when I got home. But she was kind and clean going out the door and that was the best thing for both of us.

”When my dad had his heart attack, Micky was there. She still visited them occasionally, after we broke up. She looked after the bait shop for two weeks while he was in the hospital and my mother * 145 *

was with him. I didn't even know she was doing it. I came out on the weekend, figuring I would at least open it then, and there was Micky, suckering some rich tourist into buying fis.h.i.+ng gear that had sat around for years. How can you not be friends with someone like that?”

”Yeah. When Micky's good, she's very good.”

”But when she's bad, watch out.” But Danny laughed when she said it.

”Another drink?”

”Sure, why not? Micky's a great host when she's not here.”

Ranson got up and stole more of my Scotch.

”She ever talk much about her childhood?” Ranson asked.

”No. Her parents were killed in a car wreck when she was ten.

And she got sent to live with a harridan of an aunt and lump of an uncle.

I met them once when their youngest son was hauled in for possession.

I overheard her telling her husband that they would have no trouble getting their son off, since a darkie was prosecuting the case. The boy had the decency to look embarra.s.sed, otherwise I would have kicked his a.s.s as far in jail as I could have.”

”Ever get the feeling that she's hiding something?” Ranson asked.

”Lots of things, but then aren't we all?”

”Yeah,” Ranson replied. Then there was silence. Whatever Ranson knew, she hadn't told Danny. At least not yet.

”Can I ask you an intrusive question?” Danny said. Ranson must have nodded yes, because Danny continued, ”You were seeing each other at some point, weren't you? Did you ever sleep with her?”

”Yes and no. Yes, we went out a few times and even got as far as sitting in my car and kissing. A cop car came by and I freaked out.”