Jack And Mr. Grin Part 4

Maria motioned for him to come behind the counter with her. He followed her into the back room, pa.s.sing Joey on his way to the front.

"Hey Joey," Jack said.

"Hey Jack. Everything okay?"

"I think so." He sincerely wished he could offer something a little less ambiguous than that.

Maria held up at the last minute. "You want a cup of coffee or something?" she asked. "You look cold."

"Yeah. That'd be nice. Thanks."

"Be right back."

The back room consisted of a small burnt orange couch and an old Formica and chrome kitchen table with four black vinyl seats surrounding it. The tabletop was covered with magazines- Rolling Stone, Mental Floss, The Modern Drunkard, Rue Morgue, Bust Down the Door and Eat All the Chickens and Reader's Digest. He thought that last one seemed a little out of character but who was he to judge? He pulled one of the chairs out and then decided he probably shouldn't sit down in it. He was still dripping. The heat of the cafe was nice. It made his skin sting and itch.

Maria came back with an ivory ceramic mug. "Black?" she asked.

"Yeah. Black is good."

"Sit down."

"I'm soaked."

"I don't think anyone's going to care. That chair probably cost less than a cup of coffee."

"Thanks."

He sat down at the table and took a sip of the coffee. It was hot and good.

"So what's up? I don't think I've ever seen you not in the same room as Gina. Is she okay?"

"Yeah. I think so. I just wanted to ask you if you've noticed anything odd about her lately."

"Odd?" Maria's silver eyebrow hoop rose slightly. "Gina's always been a little odd. Is she sick or something?"

"No. Well, I guess what I wanted to know was... do you think she could be having an affair?"

"An affair? Gina?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

He noticed she asked why instead of flatly stating that it was impossible. "I just... I don't know. I've been getting these strange phone calls and..." He realized he didn't have much to suggest Gina having an affair that wouldn't also let Maria know what was happening. And, of course, she couldn't know what was happening because that would go against the rules and if she decided to go to the police as any sane and rational person would then it was likely Gina would end up dead. He was not a good liar. He never lied. But he had to now. "Well, she said she was going out with some friends last night and she didn't come home."

Maria's jaw dropped.

"And I didn't know if you were with her or not. I know you guys go out sometimes. I was just wondering if she, you know, ever went home with any guys or, h.e.l.l, I don't even really know what I'm trying to prove..."

"Usually, when we go out, she's the driver. I mean, I've been pretty wasted a few of those times and I guess anything would have been possible, I wouldn't have even noticed but, Jack, I think she's crazy about you."

"So, you never noticed anything?"

"I can say in good faith that I haven't. Do you know who she went out with?"

"Oh, it was her sister and some of her sister's friends. I don't know any of their numbers or anything like that or I'd try bothering them."

"Have you tried calling Gina's phone?"

"Yeah, but she won't pick up. I think she thinks I'd be mad at her."

"You want me to try?"

He hadn't even thought of that.

"Yeah. She wouldn't have any reason not to answer a call from you."

She walked to the back of the small room, to a coat rack, and reached into her dangling olive drab backpack, pulling out her phone. She opened it and pressed a b.u.t.ton.

"It's ringing," she said, looking at him. Then a disappointed look crossed her face and she mouthed, "Voice mail," before saying into the phone, "Hey, Gina baby, it's Maria. I'm at work but call me when you get this, okay? Leave a message if I don't answer. Later."

"No luck, huh?" He knocked back another heavenly warm slug of the coffee.

"Nope."

"d.a.m.n."

"Are you sure there isn't something else going on? You guys get in a fight or something?"

"No. We never fight."

"I know. Believe me, I've heard all about the perfect relationship of Gina and Jack."

"Sorry," he shrugged.

"No. It's nothing to be sorry about. I'd take it if I could get it."

Maria reached a heavily ringed hand out and put it over his. "You should let me know if things don't work out between you."

His heart skipped a beat. My G.o.d, was she hitting on him. It put into perspective how not-serious his predicament seemed to anyone who didn't have all the information.

He took another shaky sip of his coffee and said, "Thanks for the help, Maria."

"Any time," she smiled.

He stood and paused at the door leading out into the cafe, turned and said, "When you guys went out... was it normally just you and her or did anyone else ever go along?"

"No. It was normally just us. Sometimes we would run into people she went to high school with and hang around with them but never outside of the bar or anything."

"Like who?"

"Oh, just people..."

"Like ex-boyfriends and things?"

"Oh, you mean like Tim Fox?"

"Exactly."

"Yeah, we ran into him a couple of times but she never went anywhere with him. I mean, there was nothing there. Besides, he's married and has a kid and everything. You shouldn't worry about him."

Yeah, he thought. And Gina probably thought she didn't have to worry about you, either.

"No. Okay. Thanks, Maria."

He walked through the cafe and out into the cold noon drizzle.

Twelve.

Once outside, he stopped, turned, and went immediately back into the cafe.

"Hey Joey," he said. "You guys have a phone book here?"

"White or yellow pages?"

"White, I guess."

Joey reached under the counter and brought the book up, plopping it onto the counter, the smell of cheap newsprint wafting up from it. The front of it had an overhead picture of Alton on it. The picture was from far away-the further you got from Alton, the better it looked. Opening it, he flipped to the "F" section. If he was going to try and find Tim Fox, he supposed he should know where he was looking. A Timothy L. Fox was listed at 118 Ettinger Lane. He would just have to a.s.sume this was his man.

Or Gina's man...

He closed up the book and said thanks before a sound came from the back of the cafe, startling him. It was a very succinct scream. Almost more of a bark. Probably Maria, he figured. Joey's eyes grew wide and he started for the back. Jack held up a hand.

"Stay out here," he said. "I'll check and see if she's okay."

In the few seconds it took him to cross around the counter and get into the back room he had already hoped her scream came from something simple like pinching a finger or slipping or any other mundane household accident but, in the back of his brain, he already had thoughts that it was something more sinister. He couldn't help but think everything happening to him had something to do with Gina's disappearance- from the storm to Moran's behavior to his bizarre actions and now to something as minor as Maria's brief yelp.

When he reached the back room, he saw her standing in the middle of the room, holding her left wrist with her right... looking at her forearm. He thought he knew what she was looking at before asking, "Can I see?"

Her eyes were huge, her eyebrow ring now nearly meeting her hairline.

"What the f.u.c.k?" she said.

"When did this happen?"

"Just now."

"You're kidding." He thought her shout had been one of surprise more than pain given the rest of her p.r.i.c.kly accoutrements and many other tattoos and piercings that were probably not visible.

"No. I was getting ready to come back up front and I felt this stabbing pain like something was biting me and I pulled up my sleeve and there it was."

It was exactly like the one on Moran's arm. A vertical rectangle with a horizontal line bisecting it, turning it into two squares. And it definitely looked more like a branding than a tattoo. He couldn't see any ink. Just angry red welts. Five altogether.

"What the f.u.c.k is it?" she asked.

"I don't know. How could I know?"

"I don't know," she mumbled, continuing to look at her new brand. "I just thought maybe you would."

"I haven't a f.u.c.king clue."

He could tell by looking at her she wasn't telling him something. Some people made good liars. Some people wore their lies on the crease of their brows and the depth of their eyes. Maria was one of the latter.

"What is it?" he asked, putting a hand on her shoulder, feeling the heat coming through the thin cotton of her shirt.

"When it happened... I had a... vision of you. Like I saw your face very clearly in my head." She bit her lower lip. "That's happened before but this was... different. Like I immediately a.s.sociated the pain with your face."

"Interesting," he said.

"Interesting? I want to know what the f.u.c.k it is."

"It's probably been there all morning and you just now noticed it. It'll probably clear up. I wouldn't worry about going to go see a doctor until tomorrow. See if it isn't better."

"I don't like doctors."

"Who does?"

"Now what aren't you telling me?" she asked.

He couldn't help but laugh. "What am I not telling you," he said. "Oh, there's a whole lot of s.h.i.t I'm not telling you. I'm sorry. I really am but I can't. Really, it would probably be best if you just forgot I came here today. Will you do that? Then maybe you, me and Gina can sit around in a couple of days and laugh about all this over some beers."

"Okay. I just want to make sure no one's in trouble. You kind of act like somebody who's in a lot of trouble."

"I might be," he said. "Just... you know, don't tell anyone what I asked about Gina. I don't want it to get back to her if she's not seeing anyone else. I don't want to look like a jealous paranoid a.s.shole. And if she is, it'll really just be embarra.s.sing..."

"I understand."

"You should come by the house tomorrow. If you don't hear from me or Gina before then, you should stop by tomorrow, maybe on your lunch break or something."

"Jack, what the f.u.c.k's the matter?"

"I can't, Maria. I wish I could. Boy, I really wish I could tell you. I think I need to go. Take care. Call me on my phone if anything else... strange happens, okay?"