Unsympathetic Magic - Laura Resnick [135]
“We still don’t have the answer to that,” Max said, frowning thoughtfully. “And I believe it’s crucial to know.”
“Where are the baka?” Puma wondered. “And the zombies?”
“Man, you people are never satisfied,” said Jeff. “The dangerous reptile is dead. Celeste is exposed as some kind of dangerous nutbag who’d better never show her face again around here. And Nelli is back to her usual self. That all strikes me as a good night’s work.” He put his hand over Puma’s.
Biko looked at me and rolled his eyes. “We’ve got two baka and four zombies still lurking somewhere in Harlem. But Jeff’s satisfied with the night’s work, so I guess we’ll let it go.”
Puma glanced at Jeff, then at Biko. Then she looked at me and rolled her eyes.
“You each have a point,” Max said. “As Biko notes, there is still danger afoot. Connected, perhaps, to whatever the mambo’s goal was. Or is. For that reason, I suggest that everyone continue wearing their protective charms. Puma, Biko—I made a gris-gris pouch for each of you earlier tonight. Please wear them until we’re sure the danger has passed.” He looked up at the clock that hung on the wall. “And as Jeff notes, we have put in a good deal of work tonight. I propose that we start fresh after some rest. Due to the inclement weather, the sky isn’t light yet, but it will be soon.”
I realized how exhausted I was. Although I was nervous about the mambo still being on the loose, I also desperately craved sleep. And I was scheduled to be on a location shoot for D30 in about twelve hours, so I really needed to get some sleep. I didn’t need to look bright-eyed and perky to play Jilly C- Note, but I certainly needed to be on my toes.
23
I awoke late, feeling groggy and exhausted. I hadn’t gotten to bed until after seven o’clock in the morning; and it had been, after all, a very eventful night.
Moreover, I’d had to sleep on my lumpy couch. The ruined condition of my bed had actually slipped my mind, until I returned home around dawn and entered my bedroom. That was when I remembered exactly what had happened . . . and also realized that I hadn’t seen the flame-ravaged mattress sitting outside the building when I returned home. Someone had taken it during the night. A truly desperate Dumpster diver, apparently. However, even considering the useless condition of the mattress, I wasn’t that surprised. The quickest way to get rid of anything in New York was simply to put it outside on the sidewalk. I half suspected that Mambo Celeste could have disposed of the discarded zombie corpse that way.
So, all things considered, I was cranky and crotchety when I woke up, as well as still sleepy.
However, actors who let grass grow under their feet don’t get to eat or pay their rent. So I telephoned Thack while my coffee was brewing, and I told him about The Vampyre.
“You really want to be in a show about vampires?” he asked doubtfully.
“Thack, I’ve played a singing rutabaga, a half- naked forest nymph, and a crack whore. Why would vampires be beneath me?”
“All right, I’ll look into it and get back to you.”
“Don’t ‘look into it,’ ” I said irritably. “Get me the audition.”
“Somebody certainly got up on the wrong side of the coffin this morning,” he said.
After ending the call, I packed up supplies for the day, realizing wearily that I wouldn’t return home until the early hours of the morning—at which time, I’d get to enjoy the luxury of sleeping on my couch once again.
Jilly C-Note’s boots smelled bearable after a couple of days with solid air freshener sitting inside them. The push-up bra and purple fishnet stockings were clean now, and the dry cleaner had done a good job with the sweat-stained Lycra top and unsavory vinyl skirt that I had dropped off on Friday; luckily, the plastic bag covering the clothes ensured they didn’t smell of smoke from last night’s mattress fire. I carefully packed the costume into a small duffle bag, along with two water bottles and some snacks, and I left my apartment.
Outside on the street, though reluctant to do so, I telephoned Lopez. I got his voice mail.