The Darling Members Club (Ch 5-6)
Chapter 5: Driving
By the time we passed under the next streetlight, a light mist had formed on the windshield. I ran the wipers one time across and back. Jeeze, is it gonna rain now? On top of all this?
Soon the glow from another streetlight moved up over the hood and the windshield. The mist was heavier.
I set the wipers on an intermittent setting—wonders, what they’ve done with windshield wipers—and glanced at Darlene. “You sure you don’t have any place to go? A friend or relative maybe? Or a shelter?”
“Nah, but it’s no big deal.”
“In fact, if you’re—you know, a lady of the evening—”
She busted out laughing. “A ‘lady of the evening’? Jesus, how old are you, man? A ‘lady of the evening’? Can you not say ‘hooker’? Can you not say ‘working girl’?”
I wanted to say that my secretary Janice is a working girl. Waitresses and stewardesses and maids are working girls. Women who work in any environment might be called working girls. But I knew what she meant, so I held my tongue.
“Or like Sammy. He calls me a worthless whore.” She shuddered.
“So it was Sammy who was chasin’ you.”
“Yeah, a’right.”
“So you’re his girl?”
She snorted. “Not hardly.”
“All right.” I hesitated. “I was just gonna say, if you’re—you know, in that profession—I could drop you by the precinct. You could turn yourself in.” I shrugged. “You know, you could make somethin’ up. Or just tell ’em a guy was after you an’ you got nowhere to go. At least you’d have a place to sleep tonight.”
She only looked at me.
I glanced at her, then at the clock in the dashboard. “I mean it’s only a little after 7:30. They’d probably still give you supper. And you’d get breakfast in the morning before—”
“Before they kick me out, right? So two hots an’ a flop and back on the street? That’s what you’re suggesting to solve all my problems?” She shifted in her seat, tugged at the hem of her skirt, and crossed her arms over her chest. “Thanks for nothin’.”
“Of course not. I was only sayin’—”
“Well don’t.” She looked at me again. “Besides, turn myself in for what?”
“You know, turning tricks or whatever you call it.”
She looked through the windshield and shook her head. Quietly, she said, “Lady of the evening. Jesus.”
“I was just trying to show you a little respect, that’s all.”
I felt her looking at me again. Quietly, she said, “Are you kiddin’ me? Respect?”
When I glanced over, she was looking at me, but she wasn’t smirking as I expected her to be. And her head was canted slightly. “Respect for what?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’m a ‘walk a mile in their shoes’ kind’a guy.” I shrugged again. “Look, everybody has hard times.” I paused. “And everybody has flaws, right? When I was working vice—”
“Ha!” She pointed that finger at me. “You are a cop! I knew it! But you blew it, a’right? I didn’t ask you for money, so—”
I put up one hand. “No, you didn’t. And if you’re thinking of entrapment, it comes in two parts, okay? You’d have to ask me for money in exchange for something illegal, and you didn’t offer me anything. So you’re in the clear. Just relax, all right?” I paused. “Besides, I told you, I’m a PI now, not a cop. I’m a citizen, just like you.”
She said nothing.
I turned the wipers up to the next notch, then the next. Then I sighed. “But okay, yeah, I used to be a cop. After I retired, I got my license as a PI.” I paused. “But I was gonna say when I was working vice I knew some guys like you’re talking about. Even among the cops. Real jerks. But the way I figure it, you show a little respect for people, maybe that’s where things change a little. Maybe that’s where the good stuff starts.”
She snorted. “As if.” She looked out the passenger window, took a final drag on her smoke, then dropped it through to the street. She powered up the window.
A moment later, she looked at me again. “So what good stuff?”
I shrugged again. “I don’t know. Some people just have it a little rougher than others, that’s all. Some people just need a break. Then things can turn around.”
We rode in silence for a few minutes. Finally, like a mouse whispering, she said, “I wish I could believe you.”
“Yeah, well... I wish you could too.”
I turned up the wipers to their regular setting. “It’s really comin’ down out there.”
She said nothing.
Several minutes later, I turned into a parking garage. “Here we are.”
“Where?”
I found a spot on the third level, parked the car, and opened the driver’s side door. “Come on.”
“Where are we?”
“A parking garage.”
“Duh.”
“I’m going to my apartment. You can come too if you want, or you can stay here or go wherever. But you’re not staying in my car.”
She shook her head. “I was wrong. You’re all the same. Every last one’a you.”
Tough to the bitter end. “Yeah, I guess so. Come on.” I turned away.
Behind me, the car door closed. At least she didn’t slam it. A moment later she caught up with me, but she didn’t say anything.
*
I opened the door to the apartment, then stepped aside and gestured. “After you.”
She brushed past me. “Nice place.”
“It’s good enough for me.” In the light, her makeup wasn’t as heavy as I’d first thought. There was a red bruise under her right eye. Her hair was red like I thought, but it was long. A lot of it was in kind of a flattened, braided bun on the back of her head. A French something or other I think.
I pointed past her. “The bathroom’s through there. It’s a good shower, and you’ll find towels and all that in the closet. I’ve got some TV dinners if you’re hungry.”
Timidly, she said, “Thanks, but I ate a little while ago.” The tough-girl persona seemed to be slipping. “You have some wine, maybe? Or something harder?”
“I don’t keep any of that around here.”
“Ah.” She clasped her hands at her waist. The fingers of one hand nervously worked between the fingers of the other. “Well, all right.” She looked around. “So where’s the bedroom? We might as well—”
“I told you, that isn’t why I brought you here.” I pointed again. “But the spare bedroom’s behind that door. You can sleep in there tonight if you want.”
She frowned and canted her head. “But if you don’t want to—you know—why am I here?”
If I don’t want to ‘you know’? This girl’s no hooker. “I couldn’t very well turn you out in the rain, could I?”
She only looked at me.
I shrugged. “Look, if you don’t want supper, you might want to turn in early. You’ll feel better for it in the morning.”
She only nodded. “Maybe.” She turned away, and after a couple of steps toward the bathroom, she stopped and looked back. “Thanks, Stern.” She paused. “Is that really your real name?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded. “Maybe I was wrong about you.”
I nodded. “Maybe.”
I turned away to go into the kitchen. As I took a salisbury steak dinner out of the freezer, I heard the bathroom door close. I peeled back the plastic cover from one corner like the directions said and popped my dinner into the microwave.
I miss the old tinfoil dinners. Maybe they weren’t as healthy, but there was more food. And it tasted better.
A moment later, I heard the shower running.
Reinforcements, that’s what I need. I picked up the phone and dialed Carolyn’s number.
“Hello?”
I grinned. “Hey you, it’s me.”
“Stern? This is a pleasant surprise. I thought I wouldn’t hear from you until tomorrow. You aren’t calling to cancel our picnic, are you?”
My grin broadened. “Not a chance. Listen, could you maybe come over? It’s important.”
She hesitated. “I guess so. What’s going on?”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “Oh, I’ve kind’a got a situation here, and I’d rather you’d see it than hear about it. I’ll explain when you get here.”
“Okay, sure. I should be there in about ten minutes.”
“You want me to put in a TV dinner for you?”
She chuckled. “Thanks, but I ate before I left work.”
“Okay. Listen, it’s raining pretty heavy, so be careful all right? See you soon.”
Chapter 6: Carolyn
When the quiet knock came on the door, Darlene was still in the shower. The TV was on that show I mentioned earlier, and my mystery meat TV dinner was back in the microwave. I had to take it out after a few minutes and stir something, I forget what. Peas, maybe. Then I had to reseal what I’d opened before and put it back in the microwave for a few more minutes.
With the ones that came in tinfoil, there was none of that. You’d just pop them into the oven and take them out when you remember. If the food wasn’t crispy, you’re golden.
I went to the door and opened it.
Carolyn was dressed in white Nike’s with pink highlights, jeans, a white turtleneck under a lightweight brown leather jacket, and a brown ball cap with pink trim along the brim. The brim of the cap and the shoulders of the jacket had a few darker spots on them from rain. Her long, dark-brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail. “Hey you,” she said, then smiled and kissed me lightly on the lips.
I stepped back and gestured. “Come in, come in.”
She swept into the room as I closed the door.
And I mean swept. No matter how she’s dressed, Carolyn Price moves more gracefully than any other woman I’ve ever met. Her back to me, she raised her head slightly, sniffed the air, and grinned past her left shoulder. “I think your dinner’s done.”
As if on cue, the microwave beeped. Five times. Annoying.
“It can wait.” I took her into my arms and gave her a real kiss. Then I hugged her for a moment. “It’s so good to see you. Thanks for coming.”
She giggled and stepped back, those blue eyes sparkling. “Mmm…. Was that the prelude to the ‘situation’ you mentioned?”
I grinned. “I wish, but unfortunately, no. The situ—”
She frowned and glanced over her shoulder. “Is the shower running?”
“Yep. As I was about to say, that’s the situation. She’s in there.” I pointed toward the bathroom door.
Carolyn looked at me and canted her head slightly. “She?”
I nodded. “And I really need your help.”
She frowned. “Who is she?”
I curled my finger at her and she walked with me into the kitchen. As I took my dinner out of the microwave, I said quietly, “She says her name’s Darlene, but that might or might not be true.” I set the dinner on a plate, then peeled the plastic cover off the whole thing and dropped it into the trash can. “What she actually said is, ‘You can call me Darlene’.”
“Ah.”
I pulled a stool away from the island and gestured.
Carolyn sat down.
I pulled another stool out and joined her. While my dinner cooled, I explained what had happened from the time the girl ran out in front of my car.
When I’d finished the story, I said, “I wanted to drop her off somewhere, but she said she has nowhere to go.” I shrugged. “It was raining, so I brought her here. I offered her the spare room.”
The shower cut off.
I said, “I think she’s maybe early to mid-twenties.”
Carolyn grinned. “Got it. Going on twelve?”
I chuckled. “Something like that.”
Still smiling, she caressed my cheek with one hand. “Aw, my brave collector of lost kittens.”
From the bathroom, Darlene called, “Stern? Did you say the towels are in the closet?”
I looked at Carolyn and spread my hands.
She grinned, leaned forward, and kissed me on the cheek. “So helpless. Eat your dinner. I’ll go introduce myself.”
I went to the silverware drawer and took out a fork. As I got back to my stool, Carolyn tapped lightly on the bathroom door, then opened it and stepped through.
*
When I finished eating, I dropped the little cardboard container in the trash and put my plate back in the cabinet. Just as I sat down at the island again, the bathroom door opened.
Darlene came out smiling with Carolyn right behind her. Carolyn was smiling too, and they were both coming toward me.
I stood up and grinned. “Ladies? Get everything worked out?”
Darlene said, “Yep.” When she reached me, she put one hand on the end of the island, rose onto her tiptoes, and pecked me on the cheek. “Thanks, Stern.”
I touched my cheek. “For what?”
“Carolyn explained everything. I appreciate what you did, but I’m gonna stay at her house tonight.” She paused and glanced back at Carolyn, then looked at me again. “Well, after we stop by to pick up a few things.”
I frowned. “Stop by? Where?”
Behind her, Carolyn wagged a hand and made an “I’ll call you” sign with her thumb and her little finger.
I shifted the frown to her.
Darlene said, “Sammy’s place.”
“No!” I waved my hands in an X in front of me. “Absolutely the hell not! No way! Sammy Gitano’s a connected—”
Darlene said, “No he isn’t. He’s just a—well, I forget, but he’s like a gopher. Like a delivery boy. He ain’t even an associate yet.”
I looked past her at Carolyn. “Baby, this is not a good idea. I’ll go with you and—”
Carolyn grinned. “There won’t be a problem. I got a secret weapon.”
Got? Why’d she say ‘got’? “You’ve got a secret weapon?” I shook my head. “I still think I should—”
She laughed. “Sammy Gitano? Me, I was in school wit’ Sammy’s mother.”
“His mother?”
“An’ his aunt an’ two of his uncles. Even I’m more connected than Sammy.” She wagged that hand again. “Like I said, I’ll call you.”
“Look, I’m going with you. Or I’ll follow you.”
“No, you won’t.” Carolyn moved past Darlene, who stepped aside. Carolyn put her arms around my neck and kissed me. When she stepped back a little, her hands were still on my shoulders. “Listen’a me, Talbot. Darlene an’ me got a little business’a take care of, a’right? An’ you.” She poked me in the chest. “Ain’t.” She poked me again. “Goin’.” She poked me a final time. Then she grinned, but she seemed to be searching my eyes. Like she was questioning me and sending me a message at the same time. “You got that?”
I frowned and sat down on the stool again. Apparently this graceful, pleasing creature had picked up whatever tough-girl attitude Darlene had dropped. “Carolyn?”
Her gaze only became more intense. “Look, you’ the man, a’right? I know that. But you gotta trust me on’is. I can deal with this mook myself, a’right? I got this.” She kissed me again. “It’s a’right, a’right? I’ll give you a ring when we get t’my house. An’ I know you an’ me obviously got some things to talk over, but I’ll explain tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“At the picnic, right?” She smiled. “Listen, it really is okay, my man. Things just ain’t always how they look. But you a’ready knew that, am I right?” She glanced at Darlene, then back to me. “An’ I ain’t no pretender.”
What? But I could only nod. I might’ve been in shock.
“Just trust me on’is, a’right?” She kissed me again, just a light peck on the lips, then stepped back. Still looking at me, she winked. To Darlene, she said, “C’mon, girl. Let’s go get your stuff.”
As they walked toward the door, I said, “B-but what if somebody else is there? Somebody dangerous?”
“I’m good.” She didn’t turn around, but her voice had a smirk in it. She produced a Glock from somewhere and held it up. It looked like a G43X. Then it disappeared just as quickly. “Like I said, I’ll give you a ring.” She opened the door, ushered Darlene out, then stepped out behind her and closed the door.
Like I said, it was one of those nights.
Wow. I'm hooked. Stern is a cool guy. And Carolyn, with a gun out of nowhere!