“If I am not knowing better, I would think you were avoiding me.” Vashti’s husky voice causes the anger inside of me to melt into something much nicer. I am practically deliquescing on the street.
“Sorry, Vash,” I say lamely. “I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
“I understand. How is Paris?” Concern laces her tone, and I’m grateful. I know she and Paris aren’t the best of friends, but she’s a kind-hearted woman.
“The same,” I say, my throat tightening. “He’s still in a coma.”
“Oh, Rayne, I am so sorry,” she sighs. “Is there anything I can be doing for you?”
“I’d like to see you,” I say impulsively. I can’t spend all my time working on the case or at the hospital, or I’ll go mad.
“I cannot see you tonight, but how about tomorrow? I’ll make you dinner.”
“Sold.” Vashti is a fabulous cook, and I have no qualms about letting her cook for me. We agree on seven o’clock, then I click off. Immediately after, the phone rings again.
“This the cunt roommate of Paris?” The voice is hoarse and ugly-sounding, not the same one as the one who’s been calling my home number.
“How did you get this number,” I demand, like an idiot. Why on earth would he tell me that?
“Don’t worry about it, bitch. Back the hell off before someone else gets hurt.” Before I can respond, he hangs up on me. I immediately press *69, but with little hope. Just as I suspect; it’s scrambled. I call Lyle.
“Hello?” His voice is low. “Rayne? Let me call you right back.” He must be in the hospital; they don’t allow cell phone conversations in most parts of hospitals. He calls me in five minutes. “What’s up?”
“That bastard or one of his friends called me on my cell,” I fume. Lyle doesn’t ask which bastard, for which I am profoundly grateful. “Told me to back off.”
“Your cell? I wonder why he switched?”
“To show that he can get an unlisted number,” I say impatiently. “There are very few people who have this number.”
“We’ll talk about it and more when you come here. I talked to Bil—Matthews. I cannot in good conscience call a guy over twelve Billy. Anyway, get here as soon as you can.” He clicks off before I can tell him I’m on my way. I’ve run out of steam, so I hail a cab to take me the rest of the way. The cabbie is an older white gentleman who calls me, ‘doll’ and ‘babe’. I find it oddly enduring and don’t jump on his shit as I normally would. He tells me about life as a cabbie, something he’s been for over thirty years. He doesn’t believe the city’s become more dangerous—we’re just more aware of it. He has a high school diploma, but never went to college. Didn’t really see the point. Got out of being drafted for ‘Nam because of his fallen arches. He is sympathetic when I tell him about Paris. Turns out he has a friend in St. Luke’s, too—a fellow cabbie. The guy was driving his shift one day when he had a heart-attack. He managed to drive to St. Luke’s since he was in the neighborhood before passing out. Zachary, my cabbie, says his friend had to have a quadruple bypass, and wasn’t that a bitch? I agreed that it was. I give Zachary a healthy tip when I exit his cab in exchange for him cheering me up. I stride to the ICU waiting room where my happy band of fellow sufferers are waiting for me.
I wander around the gym, engaging random people in conversation. No one working out, of course, because that would be in violation of club rules. Besides, I know how I’d feel if someone was pestering me as I was trying to do my reps. However, there are quite a few people just milling around, looking as if they’re either resting or done or about to start. Those are the ones I target. Understandably, most of them are reluctant to divulge anything to a total stranger, but the fact that I’m a petite woman who is not a potential threat disarms the women. The fact that I’m a good-looking petite Asian woman disarms most of the men—and more than a few women. Unfortunately, even when I’m able to pry information out of people, there is precious little to be had. Gym rats are creatures of habit, and most of this crowd never step foot in the gym until late afternoon. After an hour, I’m more than a little dispirited. I decide to try one more person before giving up. My quarry is a burly he-man hulk with bulging muscles and a tiny waist. I don’t understand why guys go for that look, but I’m sure many guys don’t understand why some women slather makeup on their faces with a trowel. The guy has bought some kind of wheat-germ drink from the juice bar and is chugging it down methodically. I wait for him to swallow before I speak.