The hall outside Gabriela’s apartment, as usual, smelled like chiles and chocolate. Theo noticed Selene’s nose wrinkle as they waited by the door. “It’s not a Christmas thing,” he whispered quickly. “It’s a Mexican one. Spiced hot cocoa. She drinks it all winter.”
“Sounds highly unpleasant.”
“Or amazing.” The smell conjured memories of long nights filled with laughter and arguments and the occasional board game. It’s been too long, he realized. This was the first winter in nearly a decade that he and Gabi hadn’t spent any real time together.
The door finally opened. Gabi looked terrible, her warm skin ashen, her black curls even more out of control than usual. He’d forgotten how short she really was—she nearly always wore heeled clogs. In her fur-lined slippers, she stood barely five feet, and the distraught look on her face, so different from her usual wry smile, added to her appearance of vulnerability. He immediately folded her into his arms. “I’m sorry I finally come visit and it’s because of this.” She nodded wordlessly into his chest, then poked him hard in the kidney.
“What was that for?”
“For being an asshole and ignoring me all month. Also, for making me feel all safe and loved just now, which just makes me want to cry because Minh’s not safe and not loved, and I don’t know what to do about it.” He pulled away, thinking she was done, but she grabbed him by his parka and kept going. “And because you’re a man, and right now I hate you for it, even though you know I love you, and it’s not your fault your whole damn gender are dicks.” She finally released him and led them into the apartment. “Oh,” she called over her shoulder, “and did I mention I’m really glad I’m a lesbian?”
“No, but it was implied.”
“You know,” Selene said quietly as she followed behind him, “it’s too bad she hates me, because right now I kind of love her.”
“She doesn’t hate—” Theo began, but he fell silent when he saw the woman sitting at Gabi’s kitchen table. She held a mug of cocoa, untouched, in her hands. After a glance at Theo and Selene, she quickly turned her head away. But not before Theo saw the massive bruise along her jaw.
“This is Minh Loi,” Gabi said. “She works in … is it okay to tell them?”
The woman nodded without looking up.
“She works over in Earth and Space. You know I usually leave that wing of Natural History to its own torturously boring devices, but we’ve been working together on a special exhibit on Mayan astronomy. She’s even proposing a show at the Hayden Planetarium to go with it, because she’s that awesome. Minh’s an astronomy rock star. Like a Chinese version of that chick from Fleetwood Mac.”
At that, Minh gave a short laugh that sounded more like a choke. Theo knew Gabi’s flattery was meant to lift the woman’s spirits, but Minh did look a little like a middle-aged Asian Stevie Nicks. Long salt-and-pepper hair cut in bangs across her forehead. Delicate nose and high cheekbones, currently upstaged by her puffy, red-rimmed eyes.
Theo moved to sit at the table, but Gabi stopped him with a quick shake of her head. “Why don’t you wait in the living room while Selene and I talk to Minh?” She batted her eyelids at him for emphasis. Theo tried not to look surprised by the dismissal—it made sense that the victim wouldn’t want to speak in front of a man. But he was getting tired of every woman in his life lumping him together with his entire sex and all its multifarious faults.
He left the kitchen and sat in the notoriously uncomfortable wicker armchair in Gabi’s living room. In an apartment this small, he could still hear the women talking in the kitchen. He told himself eavesdropping was unavoidable—what was he supposed to do, hang out in the lobby?—and then shamelessly scooted the chair a little closer to the door so he could hear more clearly.
“Tell me everything. From the beginning,” Selene said. Her voice held little sympathy, but at least it wasn’t tight with rage. She sounded calm and professional.
“I’m so stupid,” Minh began. Selene, Theo noticed, didn’t contradict her. “I finally went online a few months back. It’s been two years since my divorce, and everyone kept pushing me to do it. I had a couple of dates, nothing too horrible, but nothing worth repeating.” She paused, and Theo heard her take a sip of cocoa for the first time. When she remained silent, it was Gabi who pushed her to keep talking. Selene, for all her habitual impatience, had centuries of experience listening to women relate their suffering—she knew when to wait for the story.
“Lars was exactly what I was looking for. A scientist and educator, like me, and completely committed to his work. He’s a keeper at the Central Park Zoo. Cute, right? And a single dad with two young kids, and I don’t have children of my own, so I was excited about that. Not to mention he’s six-four and Norwegian and age appropriate.” Another sip of cocoa. “I spend most of my time in a darkened planetarium, so I found the whole outdoorsy daredevil thing irresistible. He goes into the grizzly enclosure and plays with the bears, safety precautions be damned. By our third date, I was ready for more. Then, in the middle, he asked me to …” She paused for a long moment before saying, “Do things I wasn’t comfortable with. I said no, but he didn’t listen. We’d shared two bottles of wine …”
“What exactly did that hijo de puta do?” prompted Gabi.
Minh’s voice sank to a whisper. Theo couldn’t hear her words, but Gabi’s horrified gasp was unmistakable. “Is that when he punched you in the face?” she demanded.
“No, nothing like that. He sort of … slammed my head into the bedpost. It was just an accident.”
Gabi snorted.
“Before we go any further”—Selene’s voice was carefully controlled, almost monotone—“I have to tell you that your best option is to go to the police and have this man arrested for rape.”
“It wasn’t rape. It was consensual … at first.”
“Like I said. Have this man arrested for rape.”
“I couldn’t do that. Even if I thought that’s what happened, it’s too murky. I said yes … then I might’ve said no … but I can’t really remember, and I should’ve been smart enough not to get myself into that situation in the first place. And his kids … they adore him. He’s a great dad. I’d never want to see him taken away from them.”
A chair scraped back from the table. “Then why are you wasting my time?”
Theo glanced at his watch. It had taken Selene all of ten minutes before she’d said something insensitive and inappropriate. She’s improving. During their last private investigation case, a month before, Selene had gotten so angry at the victim for saying she still loved her child-abusing husband that she’d brought the woman to the point of a hysterical breakdown five minutes after walking in the door. Eventually, Theo’d convinced the woman to call the police—a task made easier by threatening her with the only other option: having to work with Selene.
Minh’s voice took on a new fierceness as she answered Selene’s question. “I told Gabriela to call you because whatever happened … I never want him to do it to anyone else again.”
“So you’re looking for a castration?” Selene asked matter-of-factly.
“No! My God …”
“Selene’s just kidding,” Gabi put in.
No, she’s not, Theo thought, not without pride. There was something refreshing about Selene’s brand of ancient justice, even if it did make him unconsciously cross his legs.
“I just want someone to talk to Lars. Not take him from his kids or anything. Just warn him to stop what he’s doing.”
“Why don’t you do it yourself?”
“Because I’m scared, all right? I don’t like to admit that. I’m a forty-three-year-old woman, and I’m scared of this big man who could … who has … hurt me. Gabriela said you sometimes pose as a police officer, so I was thinking you could pretend to be a cop and give him an official visit.”
“That would be illegal.” But Selene didn’t refuse. “And Gabriela shouldn’t be talking about something she knows nothing about.”
“Knows nothing?” Gabi spluttered. “I saw you with a fake badge when you were investigating that cult!”
Theo winced at the memory. No wonder she doesn’t trust Selene, having seen her at work. But Selene didn’t seem fazed. She spoke to Minh with a chilly calm that only highlighted the ruthlessness of her words.
“If you want my help, I’ll proceed as I see fit. The only guarantee I can give you is that this man will never bother you—or any other woman—again.”
A long pause. Then a barely audible sound of agreement.
“Good. Now tell me more about this Lars. Where can we find him without his kids around?”
“He’s at the zoo four days a week.”
As Minh continued, Gabi rejoined Theo in the living room. “Knowing Selene’s methods, I don’t think I should hear any more,” she whispered. “Plausible deniability and all that.” She gestured him to follow her into the bedroom and closed the door. They sat companionably on the neatly made bed.
“You know that dead giant squid that used to be in the glass case in the lobby?” she asked with her usual disdain for exposition.
“At Natural History? Yeah …”
“You know how no one’s ever captured a living specimen? It’s this massive deep-sea monster, forty feet long, eyes the size of dinner plates, and it’s so wily, so rare, that the closest we come is the occasional dead body washed up onshore?”
“Where are you going with this?”
“Well, that squid in the case reminds me of your girlfriend.”
“Are you saying Selene looks like a slowly decomposing cephalopod? That’s a bit unfair, even for you.”
“Are you kidding me? She’s maybe the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Those legs! That face! It’s just that I get the same feeling when I’m with her that I get when I’m looking at the squid. Like I’m seeing something that’s so deep and dark that it should never see the light of day. Like it’s a secret we aren’t meant to uncover.”
Theo shivered. For all Gabriela’s bluster, she was one of the most intuitive people he knew, and she’d hit shockingly close to the mark. He lay back on the bed, suddenly wishing he’d gotten more than three hours of sleep. “You’re only saying that because she’s so tall.”
Gabriela sighed. “Maybe you’re right, chico. You know I can’t deal with women over five-eight. I feel like I’m staring at their breasts the whole time I’m talking to them, and it’s completely dehumanizing for us both.”
“I thought you liked staring at women’s breasts.”
“Please. I’m a lesbian, not a man. And Selene’s breasts, sorry to say, are her one less-than-impressive feature. Way too small for my taste. It’s just that watching her with Minh, she had the most bizarre look on her face. Any other woman would’ve been sympathetic. Or maybe scared. I, for one, was angry. But Selene was all ice. Is she some sort of sociopath?”
“Overdramatic, are we?”
“She does not have normal human emotions, that’s all I’m saying. Then again, next time I go for a walk through the park in the dead of night, remind me to keep her number on speed dial. Girl is fierce.”
Theo laughed. “As if you’d be dumb enough to walk through the park in the dead of … wait … why would you do that?”
“Oh, calm down. I’m trying to get in shape.” She looked down despairingly at the curve of her belly. “I’m too busy at the museum to exercise during the day.”
“So when have you been going into what park?”
She screwed up her face at him. “Morningside Park. Like two or three.”
“A.M.? Are you carrying mace or something?”
“I don’t believe in mace. It’s a tool of the elite. It’s something white women carry because they’re scared of big black men. No thank you.”
“This isn’t about politics, Gabi. It’s safety. Promise me you’ll go join a twenty-four-hour gym or something instead. Or, Christ, do some Richard Simmons in your living room at two in the morning!”
“I like the park at night!”
“Then carry mace. Or a gun!”
“What are you, some NRA member!” She recoiled in horror. “What is that woman doing to you? Didn’t you say she hunts for fun? I’m telling you, she’s deranged. Or at least a Republican.” She shuddered.
A knock on the door. Theo suppressed a groan. “You know she just heard all that, right?” he said, keeping his voice to a totally futile whisper. Selene had ears like a bat.
“So? She knows I don’t like her,” Gabi replied, not bothering to lower her voice. “Come on in!” she called sweetly.
Selene stood in the doorway. She didn’t even look at Gabi. “I’ve got all the info I need. Let’s go.”
“What should I do with Minh?” Gabi asked.
“How would I know? I’m a sociopath, remember?” Selene stalked away.
“You’re amazing,” Theo said to his friend. “You’re deliberately sabotaging my relationship.”
“False!” she pouted. “I just want you to be happy.”
“I am happy. Or at least I was before you insulted the woman I love.”
“You what?”
“I haven’t told her that yet … but … I don’t know what else you call it when someone enters your life and remakes the whole damn thing. I see differently now, I feel differently. If she left, I’d be like Dorothy returning to black-and-white Kansas after seeing the Technicolor glory of Oz.”
That shut Gabi up. If only for a moment. “I’m sorry, Theodear. I was being a bitch, you’re right. Maybe I’m just jealous.” She let out a long sigh. “But … be careful, okay? I don’t want you getting your heart broken.”
“Only if you promise not to get your heart stabbed. Will you think about the mace?”
She gave him one of her usual wry smiles. “Fine. Pepper spray. For you.” She patted her sternum. “I’ll keep it right here between my breasts for easy access. And I’ll think of you every time it accidentally goes off in my face while I’m jogging.”