Part 28 (1/2)
”One second.” She made it to the bathroom and closed the door before he got there.
”Are you kidding me? I've been calling you for over an hour.” He tried to turn the handle, but she'd locked the door.
”Sorry, I shut my phone off,” she yelled before he heard the water turn on.
Jack straightened up and sniffed.
Gasoline.
The odor was strong and distinct. He reached on top of the doorframe to push down the little rod to unlock the door. His hand shook in anger as he jiggled the lock until it opened. Replacement shrieked as the door swung open. She stood in the shower, fully dressed, with the water soaking her clothes.
”I'm in the shower,” she pleaded.
”With your clothes on.” Jack stomped in and slammed the door shut.
”I'm going to take them off, so you have to leave.”
”Where were you?” Jack's body shook.
”We...Kiku and I...we had to do stuff.”
”Stuff? Stuff? I just heard a 10-70 over the scanner at 18 Winston.”
Replacement's shoulders slumped. ”Is a 10-70 a car fire?”
”Yes. Yes it is. And since you wouldn't know a radio code if it bit you on your a.s.s...did you torch that car?”
She lowered her head sheepishly.
”That's arson. Do you realize that?”
”I didn't do it.” She held her hands up and waved them back and forth.
”Kiku set the car on fire? d.a.m.n IT, d.a.m.n IT!” Jack pounded the sink; everything on it jumped. His hands balled into fists as he pressed them against his forehead. ”You drove my car. My Impala. You drove my car to go...commit arson.”
”I didn't know that she was going to do that.” Replacement looked down and rubbed her hands together. ”At first we headed over to Arber's. She said she was going to pay him a visit, but he wasn't home so we headed over to his mother's house.”
”Why did you go there? Do you realize how big of a mistake that was?”
”It would have been worse if I didn't go.” Replacement stuck her chin out.
”Worse? How could it POSSIBLY be worse if you DIDN'T go?” Jack threw his hands up.
”Because if I wasn't there, Kiku would have put Tina IN the car and THEN lit it on fire.”
d.a.m.n it.
Jack shook his head in frustration. Her lip started to tremble.
”Don't cry. Please don't.” Jack's hands went out.
Replacement's hand smacked into her wet jeans as she burst into tears.
”Stop. Stop.” Jack pulled the curtain back and then shut the water off.
She grabbed him and pulled him close. Her wet clothes instantly clung to his. She buried her face in his chest as he rubbed her back. After a couple minutes, he leaned back and lifted her chin. ”You okay?”
She nodded.
”You should get out of those clothes.”
”I will. You have to get out first.”
Jack shook his head.
”Please don't tease me.” She pouted.
Jack let go of her as he walked to the door. ”Why did you jump in the shower with your clothes on?”
”I got gas all over them. I didn't know what to do. I was afraid to just leave them on the floor.”
”They're not gonna burst into flames.” Jack exhaled. ”Where's Kiku?”
Replacement shook her head. ”She said she needed to go back to her hotel room.”
As Jack walked out, he shut the door and then stormed into the kitchen to grab his phone. He stared blankly down at it before he stomped back to the bathroom. As he reached for the handle, he hesitated. He knocked on the door.
”Stay out,” she answered.
”I know. Do you have Kiku's number?”
”It's in my phone.”
”Where's your phone?”
”Kitchen counter.”
Jack thundered back into the kitchen to search her address book for Kiku's number. The phone rang once before she picked up.
”How mad was he?” Kiku answered.
”WAS?” Jack growled. ”I'm beyond mad.”
”I am sorry, Officer.”
”You made her an arsonist.”
”Accomplice. She just drove.”
”Not funny, not funny at all,” Jack snarled.