Gargantuan_ A Ruby Murphy Mystery - Maggie Estep [52]
I am suddenly reminded of a scene in high school, when I met my first best friend, Bliss. She was a tall handsome redhead who seldom showed up for school, but somehow passed all her classes. She didn’t seem to have time for her mere mortal classmates and I’d always been afraid of her until one day we encountered each other in the girls’ bathroom. She asked if I had a cigarette and I gave her one. We smoked, talked, and promptly became inseparable.
I give Violet a brief biographical sketch, telling her that my life was similar to hers in that I was restless and didn’t know what to do with myself. I tell her about nearly drinking myself to death before age thirty but then finally sobering up, landing at Coney Island, and calling it home. I tell her a little bit about last spring, when I worked as a hotwalker and, through a series of unlikely events, got to the bottom of a racehorse killing scam and was able to save a young colt I’d grown fond of.
“So it’s true!” Violet exclaims. “You are a horse person.”
“Oh I’ve always loved horses, yes. I’ve always felt like I could get inside their heads and feel them. I’m convinced it’s the only reason I do well when I actually put money on a race. If I can see the horse in the flesh beforehand, I can usually guess how it’s feeling and bet accordingly.”
“You’re in trouble, dear girl,” Violet laughs. “Those are the symptoms.”
We finish our cigarettes and I watch Violet frantically searching her pockets for a stick of gum to hide her smoker’s breath. At last she finds the gum, pops it in her mouth, then asks me to sniff her hair.
“You don’t stink,” I assure her. “I probably ought to head back to the track and watch Attila ride,” I add. I feel so at ease with Violet that I’m tempted to tell her that someone is trying to kill Attila. But I keep my mouth shut.
Violet and I agree to meet up for a sandwich later on and I head toward the track. I start to feel anxious again, worried about Attila’s situation and not knowing quite what to do about it. One minute I feel like the unpleasant events of the last few days have all just been a coincidence, the next minute I feel certain someone is about to kill the man I’m sleeping with and that if I don’t tell the police soon, I will, in a sense, be responsible if something bad befalls him.
I reach the rail of the training track and gaze out at the working horses and riders. I close my eyes to better hear the sound of their hooves pounding the dirt of the big sandy track. For a moment, I’m at peace again.
ED BURKE/SAM RIVERMAN
16.
She Run Good
Irolled over and almost had a heart attack when I made contact with another body. I was about to reach for my weapon when I realized the body belonged to Lucinda and that I had invited her to be here.
I sat up and looked over at the girl. She was lying on her side, turned toward me but sleeping at the far edge of the bed. She had one hand tucked under her cheek. Somehow, she looked weak in spite of her muscular body’s obvious strength.
After taking a nap yesterday evening, I’d awakened feeling panicked. I’d put on clean clothes and had taken a quick walk to clear my head and think things through. The Bureau. My horses. Ruby. When I got back to the apartment I tried calling Ruby again. No luck. My facial hair was itching and I was lonely.
I called Lucinda. She sounded a little aloof but did accept my invitation to go out for a late dinner. We had wine with our meal. Whiskey after. I offered to drive her back to her place. We got into my car. She gave me a soft sad look, then tentatively reached over and brushed her lips against mine. I put my hand on hers. Her skin was rough. She kissed me again. Harder this time. I took her home with me.
She stood perfectly still as I removed her clothes. I tried to be tender. She was nervous. It was awkward and vaguely painful. And now, here she was. Sleeping at the far edge of the bed, as if afraid of intruding, even in sleep. She was naked and the sheet had come off the bed.
I went into the kitchen and put a can out for