Upon waking, Brian found himself slumped on the floor inside the open wardrobe, a stack of towels served as a makeshift pillow. Mud and grass flecked up his trousers, burrs clung to his shirt, and his scalp itched from god knows what.
After a thorough shower and quick breakfast, Brian left the apartment, headed for town. He wanted to grab a proper cup of coffee and tell Lexie about what had gone down the previous night. Brian wasn’t sure he understood everything that had happened but seeing as Lexie had been the first to mention an unsolved case, he figured if anyone could help make sense of things it was her. Brian didn’t know how much he’d end up telling Lexie but that wasn’t important. His first concern was more coffee and shifting his alcohol-induced headache. Last night’s bourbon might have been smooth, but Jesus Christ was he dealing with the aftermath.
In the car park, Brian lost his grip on his car keys a few steps from his Focus. They jangled on the concrete.
“You sure you should drive that?”
Brian looked up. Yuki was standing in front of her own car, an MX-5, gleaming red in the morning sunlight. He hadn’t properly looked at her car before—even when they’d gone on their coffee date things had been a blur—but seeing their vehicles parked next to each other, Brian felt a wave of embarrassment. He forced a grin then retrieved his keys from the floor.
“Clumsy, huh?” It was the first time Brian had spoken that morning and it shot out like a choked bark.
“Whiskey will do that to you.”
Bloody hell, did he still smell of it? Was he stumbling like a pisshead, too? He glanced at his hand to check his fingers weren’t trembling.
“Or beer,” Yuki said. “But you strike me as more of a whiskey man.”
“That a good thing?”
Yuki winked. “What do you think?”
Brian hadn’t a clue. He could barely string a sentence together before two strong cups of coffee, three on a hangover.
“So, I was thinking about our date the other day …” Yuki said.
Don’t trust anyone. But he did trust Yuki, yet there was a part of him that questioned it. Fuck. Between talking to the PI and seeing Lexie, Brian was damn near cheating on Her.
“Hello? I said I was thinking about our date the other day.” Yuki flipped her ponytail.
“Yeah, thanks for the coffee.” The fuck was he going on about? Not only did that make no sense given he’d paid for it, but it sounded dismissive, as if he wanted to get away from Her, which maybe he did but he still … not loved her but something close.
“I mean, thanks for showing me the new coffee place.” Brian adjusted his collar. “Not a new place but new to me.”
“Why, of course. Maybe we could do it again sometime?”
She looked divine. Skin smooth, lips pouting, eyebrows freshly plucked. And she was initiating a second date. Yet Brian was glued to the spot, unable to react.
Keep an eye on her, just in case.
“Yuki, are you okay?” Brian’s face deathly serious.
“The sun is out, yoga starts in half an hour, and the sea air is divine.” She inhaled.
“Because if you weren’t, if something or someone was bothering you, you could tell me.”
“Sure.” She flashed a smile, her teeth glimmering white. “And the same goes for you, mister Brian.”
Electric excitement charged inside Brian. Even in his state of worry, she mesmerised him.
“When was the last time you were experiencing trouble?” Brian asked.
“Experiencing trouble.” Yuki chewed over the words. “That’s a funny way of putting it. But I like it. There’s something a little magic realism. Maybe I should write a book about it.”
“You write books?”
“Not yet, but one day. You might be my muse, Brian. I know you’re my good luck charm. A few hours after our date I got a call from The Dolori Academy. I hadn’t even applied, some talent scout tracked me down—he’d been keeping an eye on me.”
“That a good thing?”
“Oh, it’s no biggie, they’re only the most prestigious dance academy in the universe. Just three locations. One in Italy, another in Germany, and the final one here in merry old England.”
Brian looked to the floor. His boots muddied light brown from the previous night.
“So, when you say experiencing trouble …” Yuki beamed. “Damn, even saying it has that quality, you know?”
Brian didn’t know. Hadn’t a clue why his dumb phrasing had delighted her, but her positivity eased him. Maybe that was a bad thing, distracting him from the actual danger. Was there danger? Fuck, his head hurt. He trudged towards Yuki and colours rolled into a blur. He backtracked, putting his left hand out to steady himself against the car but missed. His legs skittered out of control and he fell forwards kissing the concrete.
Lights and colours, sounds and smells, flickering back, painting reality. Yuki knelt next to Brian, holding his hand, telling him everything was okay.
“Yuki?”
“Shh. No need to talk, just concentrate on your breathing.”
Brian’s heart pounded. Breaths short and wheezy. He forced a long deep breath, exhaling slowly. His throat stung—sandpaper dry.
“Water?” Brian said.
Yuki squeezed his hand, then rushed over to her car. She returned with a bottle of Evian which Brian glugged in one. Yuki held his hand once more, her index finger stroking in soft circles, her gentle touch kissing and soothing. He concentrated on the sensation and Yuki’s voice. Her accent healing.
“Should I call a doctor?”
Brian snapped to attention. “A doctor? What exactly—”
“Try not to speak unless you have to. One moment you were walking towards me, the next you were on the floor—you were out for a minute or so. When you came to you were having difficulty breathing. I think you may have had a panic attack.”
“But I wasn’t panicking …”
“A panic attack doesn’t necessarily mean panicking. My mother used to have them when I was a kid, so I’m good at spotting the … Anyway, you don’t need to worry yourself with any of that. How are you feeling?”
Brian’s hands were twitching, matter of fact, so were his legs. “Better, I think, but strange. Like I’m shaking all over.”
“Darling, you are shaking all over.”
“I’ll be fine.” Brian made to stand.
Yuki helped him to his feet. “Slowly does it. Do you want to go inside for a bit? You can rest at mine, if you like?”
Brian couldn’t impose himself. Not in Her sanctuary. “You’ve got your yoga class.”
“You’re more important than a stupid class. Now, about that doctor?”
“I’ll be okay.”
“You sure? I don’t want you refusing because you’re being all macho.”
“I don’t think I’m capable of being all macho. You really think I’m that type?”
Yuki laughed. “I dunno, Brian, you’re full of surprises. A real man of mystery.”
“Like Austin Powers?”
“Way better than Austin Powers.”
“You don’t like Austin Powers?”
Yuki took Brian’s hand, even though he was steady and didn’t need it. “I see you haven’t lost your …” She paused for a moment, her hand not leaving his, her grip gentle, her skin soft and warm. “Well, you’re still you.”
“And that’s a good thing?”
Yuki winked.
Their hands parted and Brian walked back to his car, taking the keys from his pocket. “I have to go.”
“The only thing you have to do is look after yourself,” Yuki said. “Though I’d like it if you told me what’s bothering you.”
Brian looked Yuki dead in the eye, went to tell her it was nothing, but was unable to do so. He could keep things from Yuki, could bend the truth, but a direct lie was not an option. That was worse than blasphemy.
“Come on, mister. I know there’s something going on.”
“Well, I did just have a panic attack,” Brian mimed inverted commas as he said it.
“You did and it’s serious. More serious than you’re making out. But, look, I’m no idiot, I knew there was something up before that.”
Brian wasn’t sure if it was what Yuki had said or the aftermath of the attack, but his body felt hot all over. Last thing he wanted was for Yuki to think he was taking her for a fool. Her was divine knowledge and more, which meant … Which meant … Brian wobbled on the spot, but this time Yuki didn’t react, so maybe it had been in his head, unless she was getting angry, her patience waning. Brian looked towards her. For guidance. For a sign. Show me what to do. For a split-second, Yuki seemed to react, and Brian wondered if he’d said it aloud, but her facial expression soon returned to cool-calm.
“I can’t lie to you,” Brian said.
“And you won’t.”
Did Yuki know of her own power? Not a request but a direct statement, an acknowledgement that to lie to Her would be an impossibility. Perhaps she already knew about the man with the stones and the PI but was just testing him. Waiting to see if he’d come clean.
What if she even knew about the peeping?
“So, I, erm …” Brian shuffled on the spot. How the fuck was he even gonna put it? “I care about you, Yuki. Like, a lot.”
Yuki nodded and Brian felt he could trust her. Don’t trust anyone, was true enough. But Yuki wasn’t anyone, she was Her. He’d tell her about the PI but would downplay it, omitting certain details.
“I ran into this geezer last night,” Brian said. “Or maybe he ran into me. Either way, he was sniffing around the apartment complex, looking for clues and—”
“Clues?” Yuki raised an eyebrow.
“Right. Because he’s investigating a guy—”
“What guy?”
“I dunno his name or anything, but—”
“What fucking guy?”
Brian had never seen her like this. Had he done something wrong?
“There’s been a disappearance,” Brian said.
“A kidnapping?”
“Nobody got kidnapped!” Now Brian was the one raising his voice.
Yuki took a step back.
“At least I don’t think so. All I know is the guy’s missing. Not the guy who was sniffing around or the guy he’s investigating, but … but, there’s a third guy. And that’s the one who’s missing.”
“Wait, so how many people did you see last night?”
Fuck! If he said one it was a direct lie, but if he said two then shit got more complicated. Yuki filled the silence.
“When you say investigating, are we talking about a policeman or something else? Was this some sort of vigilante justice?”
Vigilante justice had been what the PI had said. Was that common in this town?
“He was a private investigator,” Brian said.
Yuki recoiled, as if slugged in the face. Then she wiped sweat from her brow, threw her head back, and laughed. Brian figured she’d meant it to be cute, but the laugh went on too long—a mask to screen her discomfort.
“A private investigator isn’t even a proper job. There are no licenses. Mostly it’s just frustrated police officers or, worse still, people who couldn’t hack police work to begin with.” Yuki spoke with calm confidence. “What I don’t get is why he was asking you. No offence, but you’re not from around here, you’ve only just moved in.”
“I guess it was a case of being in the right place at the right time … Or the wrong place. I didn’t enjoy him grilling me.”
“Was he aggressive? If he overstepped his boundaries, perhaps you should be the one going to the police about him.”
“He was friendly enough … Concerned, even. He just wanted to know if I knew anything about this guy poking around the apartments.”
“Someone’s been—”
“It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Wait, so you’ve seen this guy the PI’s investigating?”
“I don’t know anything about the guy,” Brian said, which was almost true.
“Should I be worried?”
Brian shook his head.
“Are you worried?”
“I don’t think so …”
“That’s hardly reassuring.”
“Have you had any visitors?” Brian asked, hoping he wasn’t overstepping.
“Not really. I haven’t long moved in myself so have barely had time to tell people my new address.”
“So, this guy under investigation hasn’t visited you?” Brian said.
Yuki frowned, then scowled. “What do you think? Matter of fact, the only guy I keep seeing around here is you.”
Brian’s face flushed. “What are you saying? This has nothing to do with me.”
“Brian, you need to calm down, or you run the risk of having another episode.”
Brian breathed deep. “I’m sorry it’s just, I’m not used to all these questions, first the PI, now you. Makes me feel like I’m guilty of something, but I swear to you, I’ve done nothing wrong—I’ve only ever done what felt right. What was right.”
Yuki leant in close, spoke low. “I didn’t mean to upset you, darling. I’m only trying to understand what’s going on here.” She cocked her head to the side. “But you see the PI again and you tell me, okay?”
Was Yuki concerned or scared? Was she somehow in on things? And what in the blue fuck were things anyway? Brian clenched his fists. That bloody PI had frazzled his mind. Had the bastard fucked with his brain? When Ted had conked Brian with his skull, had he caused some kind of brain damage? Was that why Brian had had a panic attack? He needed to get away from Yuki and from the apartments before he did or said something dumb.
“We should both get going,” Brian said. “You have yoga and I have to …”
“Go to the doctors?”
“Perhaps.”
“Panic attacks can be serious,” Yuki said. “My mother was like you to begin with, but then she was forced into action.”
“It’s probably just cos I was …”
“Because you were what?”
Brian couldn’t finish. No way was he telling her what had actually happened. “Last night was rough, is all.”
“It takes more than whiskey to cause a panic attack, Brian.”
A headbutt was more than whiskey.
Yuki toyed with her ponytail. “Take control of your health before your health takes control of you.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You better.” Yuki blew Brian a kiss before getting in her car.
Soon Brian was on the road, but he couldn’t stop thinking about the PI’s words: D.T.A, D.T.A, D.T fucking A.
When Brian entered the café, Lexie already had his cup of coffee upon the counter. She shot Brian a glowing smile and for a moment all his worries evaporated.
“It’s good to see you, mister,” she said, which charmed Brian until he remembered Her had called him mister, too, leaving him uneasy.
Brian gestured to the coffee. “So, either you’ve gained some special powers since I last saw you or—”
“Oh, I noticed you up the road a few minutes ago. I figured there was a ninety-percent chance you were heading here and what do you know, the odds were in my favour.”
“Damn. Am I that predictable?”
“Dependable. You’re dependable.”
Brian liked that. He hadn’t met many people who viewed him that way. The café was mostly empty, as was often the case, and Lexie slipped away from the counter and the two of them settled at a table near the door.
Lexie reached across the table for Brian and their hands found each other for a moment, but Brian didn’t think it right to let them linger so reached back for his mug and drank.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” Lexie said.
He hadn’t said anything was awry. Hadn’t pre-warned her or texted ahead to let her know he needed to talk, and yet she’d known. So tell her he did. And unlike with Yuki he held nothing back.
After Brian was done, there was a lengthy silence as Lexie considered the facts.
When she was ready to talk, her eyes widened. “Obviously you have to go back.”
“To the house?”
Lexie giggled and Brian couldn’t help but grin. Her delight was infectious.
“Of course, to the house,” she said. “Where else?”
“But why?”
“Why? Okay, now I can’t tell if you’re fucking with me or not …”
“I’m not.”
She giggled again. “Brian! Come on now, you have to go back and find out what’s inside.”
“But isn’t that kind of dangerous?”
“Isn’t all fun fraught with an element of danger?”
Brian didn’t know about that and besides, the way the PI had spoken about the guy who owned the near derelict house, he was highly dangerous.
“Aren’t you even a little curious about what’s inside?” Lexie asked.
She’d got him there. Of course he was.
“See!” Lexie said. “I knew it. Here’s a thought, what if the PI isn’t a PI, what if he’s in on it?”
“In on what?”
“That’s why you have to check the house. To find out.”
“I’m not so sure about that. And besides, the PI and the other guy, they couldn’t be more different. You’ve got one who lives in luxury, another who I’d wager can barely afford to pay the electricity bill. I honestly can’t imagine them working together.”
“Which is why it’s the perfect cover. Could be a ruse.”
“I guess it’s possible, but it seems far-fetched.”
“The so-called PI only made himself known when you went to enter the house. You think that was just a case of timing? A coincidence?”
“I suppose that is what I thought …”
“Only one way to know for certain.”
“Say that you’re right, won’t it be even harder to return? If the two of them are working together, the PI will have tipped the guy off. There’s no way I’m getting inside undetected. But if they’re not working together, then it’s as the PI says it is.”
“Hmm … but he didn’t say much, did he? You know what you have to do, Brian.”
Whilst Brian was settling up with Lexie, he remembered the ‘Get Out’ note.
“So, there was one more thing,” he said.
“Of course.”
“I got this note through my door, not long after moving in.”
“Oh?”
“It said ‘Get Out’.”
“Ah,” Lexie said, as if that explained everything, which was similar to how the PI had been—so blasé, as if it was how all residents were welcomed.
“What do you think that was all about?”
Lexie’s phone lit up and she picked it up on autopilot, mouthed ‘sorry’ when she realised her faux pas.
“Should I be worried?” Brian asked.
Brian felt a hand brush his shoulder. He turned around to see the woman from the previous day, the one in the vinyl trousers, only now she was wearing skinny cut jeans and a floral blouse. “Are you quite finished?” she said, as friendly as a kick in the balls.
“We were just having a conver—”
“Is this a fucking social club or a café?”
“Well, it’s a—” Brian began.
“Hey,” Lexie said. “He’s a customer, don’t be so rude. He’s as much right to be here as you have.”
She snorted. “Does he fuck? Coming around here and asking questions when he should just mind his own business.”
“I was just—” Brian said, but she was quick to cut him off.
“Stay in your fucking lane! And don’t ask any more questions.”
“Karen,” Lexie said. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave if you don’t cool it.”
“Yeah, well, good luck with that one.” Karen grunted, pointing a finger at Lexie then Brian. “I want you twos to know, that I’m leaving, but not because you told me to because I have a right to be here, but because I’m choosing to leave. I’m leaving as a … as an … individual.” She backed towards the door, pushing it open with her arse. She pointed her fingers towards her eyes and then to Brian. “I’m watching you, mate. I’m fucking watching you.”
Once Karen was gone, Lexie handed Brian his change and receipt. “Don’t worry about her and don’t take it personally, she’s like that to most people,” she said. “She’s an old busybody who needs to take up a hobby and cut back on the gin. Now about that old house, if you want, I could tag along. I’ll be your Robin, what do you say?”
“My Robin?”
“As in Batman and Robin …”
“Oh? No, I don’t think that’s a good idea—”
“Because?”
What could Brian say to that? Because I’ve already put Yuki in danger and don’t want to hurt another person I … Brian ran a hand through his hair.
“I just want to do this on my own.”
Lexie looked down for a moment. Soon she was smiling again. “Well then, I’ll be seeing you, mister. You know what you have to do. Now go be a hero.”