Part 24 (1/2)
”Not so far as I know, but he does sometimes do stuff that surprises me. Johnny?” I called, walking back to the bedroom.
Johnny looked up groggily from a pile of fuchsia pillows.
”Hey there. I'm going to rescue Edie, and I want to look good doing it. Can you help me?”
”Huh?”
”She's always better dressed than me, and she's dead for cryin' out loud. For once I want to show up and impress her.”
”Oh. Can wait to the morning?”
”No.”
”Oh,” he said, rubbing his eyes.
”Hey,” I said, spotting a pack of Kool cigarettes on the nightstand. ”Can I have one of those? It's been so long since I smoked.”
”When you smoke, Tammy Jo?”
”Well, actually never. So you see my point? I've been good for twenty-three years. I'm ent.i.tled to one cigarette without a federal case being made.” I picked up the pack and tapped one out. I popped it between my lips and fired it up with a match.
”Now, I need a dress. I'd like something short with fringe. Black would be good. Can I use your shower?”
”I didn't know Duvall had any good drugs in town,” Rollie said. ”Who on earth is your supplier?”
I took a long drag and only coughed a couple of times. Not bad for my first time. ”This has to be like really quick. Can you get him up please?” I said to Rollie, nodding at Johnny.
”You are a pushy little thing.” He looked at Johnny. ”The girls in Dallas will go crazy over her.”
”I'm not pushy. I said 'please.' ” I marched into the bathroom, puffing away on my cigarette. I twisted my hair up into a towel to keep it dry. Definitely not enough time to shampoo it. I set my cigarette on the corner of the sink and stripped out of my clothes. I took a fast, hot shower and went back to smoking while I dried off. Cigarettes really do taste good. No wonder people are willing to get cancer to smoke them.
I marched out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. If Zach could walk around in front of strangers in a towel, so could I.
Rollie and Johnny went to work on me and fifteen minutes later I was dressed to kill. Too bad I'd lost my gun.
”You gorgeous,” Johnny said, fluffing my hair as Rollie put a third coat of mascara on me.
”Forget this town. Let's take her to New York and make her a supermodel.”
”She not tall enough.”
”She's what, five-seven? Kate Moss is five-seven. And Kate's a crazy drug addict, too. Our little redhead will fit right in.”
”Can I have another cigarette?”
”No, you not smoke,” Johnny scolded.
”Hmm. Can anybody say gateway?” Rollie said.
I looked myself over in the big mirror. Fringed green beaded minidress, gemstone encrusted gold shoes by some Italian shoe designer whose name I couldn't p.r.o.nounce, and five pounds of the s.e.xiest makeup ever worn by anyone in Duvall, except maybe Rollie himself.
”This dress is the berries,” I said with a smile.
Rollie gasped. ”I haven't heard that expression since Cool Cal was president.”
”Huh?” I asked, c.o.c.king my head.
”Calvin Coolidge. He ran the place about eighty years ago.”
”Hmm. Well, wish me luck. I'm going to get our ghost back. And anyone who tries to stop me is going to get a mascara wand jabbed in his eye.”
”Good luck, Tammy Jo,” Rollie and Johnny said.
Mercutio and I zoomed across town, not having to run over any werewolves on the way. I could feel the pull of Edie's spirit. My tor spell was working like gangbusters.
Then I drove straight up to Bryn Lyons's gate.
”Well, b.u.t.ter my b.u.t.t and call me a biscuit. Will you just look where we are?” I said to Mercutio while checking out my lip gloss in the rearview mirror. ”So Mr. Tall, Dark, and Gorgeous was in on it all along. No wonder he was at Georgia Sue's instead of at the mayor's party. Well, don't you worry. He's not going to outsmart me again.” I pressed the security buzzer.
”Yes?” the security box said.
”Steve, is that you?”
”Yes, ma'am.”
”Tammy Jo here. Is he home?”
”He is.”
”Can I come on in? Pretty please?”
”Are you alone?”
”Just me and my kitten, Mercutio.” Mercutio looked at me. I took my finger off the buzzer. ”What? You're seven months old. That makes you a kitten,” I whispered. ”And we're trying to seem nonthreatening.”
The gate slid open.
I grinned. ”Say what you want about the guy, Merc, but I like that Steve. He's always been on our side.” I drove up to the house and s.h.i.+mmied out of the driver's seat, liking the swish of my fringe.
I opened the door, catching a faint smell of bleach in the air. Who the heck had been cleaning at this time of night? Bryn was coming down the stairs but stopped when he saw me.
”h.e.l.lo.”
”h.e.l.lo yourself,” I said.
He looked as gorgeous as ever, but better. His blue eyes were super vibrant, like a bolt of electricity had lit them up.
”How'd your night go? Were you struck by lightning or anything?” I asked.
”No, you?”