Ghost Days, page 9
Elver extended his hand to Garza. “I apologize if I caused you any undue stress.”
She was so surprised by the apology that she almost forgot to shake his hand. “Consider it forgotten. I just... I-I want to know what happened.”
“That makes two of us.”
Singh escorted Garza out of the building to her car. The sun had gone down while she was inside and the street was full night, lit only by streetlights on either corner. Garza said she lived at the airport. Singh gave a nod and started driving.
“So that’s it? I’m done with the police, no more surprise visits or being taken down there to be questioned in that little closet.”
“You should be,” Singh said. “If not, you call me again. Don’t let them tell you no.”
“I appreciate that. How much do I owe you for today?”
Singh said, “For this? I’m not charging you for slapping him on the wrist like that. He’s a good guy, but he was abusing his power to satisfy his own curiosity. He should have just asked about the wrench and moved on. I don’t mind doing that gratis. The woman who doesn’t exist is weird. But I could tell he believed you believed she was real. If he thought you were just making something up off the top of your head, he would have gone after you harder. I think he believes you met somebody, it’s just not clear who.”
Garza finally relaxed into her seat. “Thank you.”
Singh nodded, then said, “Ah shit. Wait. Buy me a coffee.”
“What?”
“Do you have a dollar?”
Garza patted her pockets. She found some coins and counted them. “I have eighty-five cents.”
Singh held out her hand, and Garza dumped the coins onto her palm. “Okay. I was officially employed as your lawyer for the past hour, so everything we talked about is covered by confidentiality. It’s a formality but it will help you feel a little more secure that I won’t blab about... anything.”
“Oh. Thanks.”
“Mm-hmm.”
She pulled into the airport parking lot a few silent minutes later. She pulled up in front of the office and stared at the door for a long moment.
“There’s a card game. First Thursday of the month. We alternate who hosts. It’s me and a couple other ladies from town. Like-minded ladies.” She looked at Garza. “If you’re looking for something like that.”
Garza was stuck on “couple other” ladies. She’d never imagined there was another gay woman in Red Kite, let alone enough for a card game.
“I’m... not really good at poker.”
Singh laughed. “It’s not really about the game. Sometimes we watch movies. Sometimes we just talk. You’re more than welcome to join.”
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
“Sure. The more the merrier.”
Garza opened the car door, then stopped. “You’ve never met Christine Parrish, have you?”
“Describe her.”
“Australian accent. White-blonde hair. About a head taller than me. Freckles.”
Singh shook her head. “Doesn’t ring a bell. And I think I’d remember the accent and the hair if nothing else. I’m sorry. Did you give that description to Sergeant Elver?”
She nodded.
“Okay. Then I’m sure he’ll spread it around. If someone saw her, they’ll speak up. And I’ll ask the others, just in case they know her and aren’t willing to admit it to the police for whatever reason.”
“I appreciate that.” She held out her hand. “Thank you. For everything.”
“I’m happy I met you, Miss Garza,” Singh said, shaking her hand.
“Erika.”
“Anna.”
Garza got out of the car and watched her leave, then went back inside.
Once the door was closed behind her, she was struck by a severe feeling of waking up from a surreal dream. She was supposed to have spent the past few hours naked and riding Parrish, not being driven into town by the police and questioned about a murder. Not being forced to out herself to a complete stranger. Not being asked to question her own sanity.
She hadn’t realized how hungry she was until she turned on the kitchen light. She made a sandwich and ate it as she walked through the house to the bedroom. She flicked on the light and stared at the bed, trying to make sense of the past few hours. Whatever had gone wrong, it must have started on Thursday, when Parrish failed to show up. And there had to be a reason Parrish took the wrench with her when she left. It was a big, heavy thing, as long as her forearm, and it wasn’t something that she could have accidentally carried off when she left the house.
There was something else that scared her. Elver said Saul had been killed by a downward blow. Parrish was taller than Garza, but she was shorter than Saul. Not by much, but enough that she would have to be stretching her arm over her head to deliver a downward blow, and Garza felt like that would take a lot of power from it. Would it still have been enough to kill with a hard enough weapon? Possibly.
The way she saw it, there were only two possibilities, and she didn’t know which one scared her more. One, there was a chance that their conversation Thursday morning had made Parrish do something drastic, and now she was on the run or in hiding until she figured out what the next step might be. Or two, there was some third party out there who had killed Saul and Parrish was... collateral damage? A hostage? Was she in danger while the police were sitting around scratching their heads?
She went to her bed and sat down, staring at a random spot on the wall. She’d never even asked to go to Parrish’s house instead of spending all their time at the airport. She tried to remember the brief interactions she’d seen between her and Saul. At the time, she’d been too jealous to pay close attention. Now that it actually mattered, she could only recall snippets. Parrish always seemed to be the one in charge. Saul telling her to stay in the car, but Parrish got out anyway. Parrish scolded him for being angry when Garza had been late and got him to apologize.
But what did that prove, except that she had some independence in the relationship? Garza knew that already. She didn’t know what it meant, if anything, and she knew she’d drive herself crazy if she spent much more time twisting everything around trying to make it make sense.
She fell back onto the bed and closed her eyes, letting her brain rest, falling asleep with too many unanswerable questions swirling around in her brain.
Chapter Ten
Over the next two weeks, Garza took as many flights as possible. Long stretches to Winnipeg and Edmonton, a quick jaunt to Moose Jaw, an endless flight to Fort McMurray where an engine problem stranded her overnight. When she was home, she checked the newspaper religiously for any information about the Saul Oakhill case but, after the initial few articles, it was still unsolved and eventually the paper moved on.
She called Sergeant Elver three times to see if he had any information he could share. A suspect. A lead on Parrish. Anything. He had finally been forced to tell her to stop calling. “We’ll let you know if we find out anything,” he promised. “Consider it penance for coming down so hard on you when this all started. Deal?”
She reluctantly agreed.
The first Thursday of the month arrived. She didn’t have any clients, and the idea of puttering around the airport would drive her insane. She needed to get away from the familiar and distract herself from worrying and building a list of questions that would just buzz around in her head like bees. She took out Anna Singh’s card and chewed the end of a pencil as the line buzzed in her ear.
“Anna Singh Legal Services.”
“Yeah, hi, it’s Erika Garza,” she said. “I was wondering if the invitation to tonight’s card game was still available. You know, with the... with all your--”
Anna laughed. “Yes, I know which one you’re referring to. You’re more than welcome to join us, if you’d like. Let me give you the address.”
She was excited about the party for a solid two hours, showered and did her hair and found an outfit that made her look cool and interesting - she hoped - and then went out to the hangar to get her bike. Then she thought about how her helmet would mess up her hair, and how noisy the bike would be in Anna’s neighborhood, and they’d probably think it was annoying and she was annoying, and then the whole night would be awkward for everyone, so it was better if she just stayed home.
Then she pinched her earlobe and said, “Shut up, Garza, get your shit together.”
Then she got on the bike and went to the party.
Her anxiety faded, for the most part, during the ride. By the time she arrived at the house, she felt almost like a functional human being.
Anna came out onto the porch. Her hair was down and she was wearing jeans and a flowy T-shirt, which made her look at least ninety percent softer and more approachable than she’d been at the police station. Despite Garza’s fears, Anna was smiling like a kid on Christmas. She ran her eyes lovingly down the bike’s length as she approached.
“You have a plane and a motorcycle? You might be the coolest person here.”
“I’d be terrified if that was true,” Garza said.
Anna laughed. “Come on in. The others are already here.”
Garza followed her up the driveway. Three other women were waiting inside. Two women sitting together on the couch, both older, (“Carol and Amanda,” Anna introduced) and another coming out of the kitchen with a bottle of Budweiser (“Marie”). The one with the bottle was Garza’s age, with long brown hair and sharp features that came together to make her look solid and reliable. She gave a nod and raised two fingers in greeting when Anna said her name.
“And this is Erika Garza,” Anna said, “pilot, biker, and occasional murder suspect.”
“You said I was never really a suspect,” Garza said.
Anna grinned and patted her on the shoulder. “Go with the story, kiddo. Makes me sound cooler for getting you out of the jam.”
Garza laughed nervously. She noticed Marie seemed to be giving her a once-over, and didn’t know if she was sizing up a threat or preparing an attack.
“Everything set up?” Anna asked. Marie nodded, so Anna motioned for everyone to move into the kitchen. “All right, Erika’s first game is ready to go. No one take it easy on her. I represented her pro bono so I’m looking forward to taking some cash from her tonight.”
Marie lingered so she could walk into the kitchen with Garza. “So you’re a pilot?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Marie nodded. “That’s pretty cool. I’ll have to convince you to take me up sometime. I’ll repay you with a tour of the fire station.”
“You’re a firefighter?”
“The only one in town,” Marie said. “Everyone else is volunteers. I keep the wheels turning.”
“Oh. That’s cool,” Garza said. “And yeah, we could... we could trade. Sounds fun.”
Marie took a drink, winked at Garza with the bottle still against her lips, and went to take her seat. Garza, against her better urges, took the opportunity to check out Marie’s ass. It was a very nice ass, and the jeans seemed to have been made specifically for her curves. A very nice sight, and worth taking the trip into town all on its own.
Anna was shuffling a deck of cards and started dealing. “So, Erika, you gonna join us or are you just going to stare at Marie’s ass all night?”
The other women laughed as Garza blushed, but Marie just smiled. “Cool, so it worked.” She winked at Garza again as she took one of the chairs around the dinner table. Garza sat across from her.
“So it’s usually just the four of you?” Garza said. “Can you play poker with just four people?”
“Sure. Sometimes we have guests.” Anna dealt. “Marie will be dating someone, or Carol’s sister will be in town. And when your friend shows up again, she’ll be more than welcome to join us.” To the others, she explained, “Erika’s got a friend who is missing.”
Marie tilted her head to the side. “Murder charge, you’re a pilot, and now a mystery about a missing person? You’re the most interesting person we’ve had in years.”
“She also has a motorcycle,” Anna said.
The women made a sound of amazement.
Marie said, “I hope we’re not making light of something serious.”
“It... might be. I don’t know. I hope not...”
Anna sensed the discomfort. “We don’t have to talk about that right now.” She moved a few chips to the center of the table. “But if any of you know her friend. Christine Parrish?”
“Australian accent,” Garza said, feeling like she was reciting from a card. “White-blonde hair. Freckles.”
They all shook their heads sadly as they placed the antes. She could see they were trying their best to place the mystery woman so Garza waved it off as if it didn’t matter.
“It was a long shot anyway. Tonight’s supposed to be about distracting myself from all of that.” She picked up the cards Anna had dealt her. “You’re going to have to explain some things to me first. Most of these cards just have faces and letters on them. A, K, Q, J, how can I tell how good they are? And should they all be the same color like this?”
Carol and Amanda folded.
Marie grinned. “You’re dangerous, fly girl.”
Garza shrugged. “If you want to take a fool’s money, go ahead and stay in.”
Anna chuckled. “Oh, you are going to be fun.”
***
As soon as Garza let go of the mystery of Christine Parrish for the night, she ended up having a great time. Carol was hilarious, a woman in her sixties who had only come out of the closet six years earlier when she and her best friend finally admitted their feelings for each other. Amanda, Anna, and Marie were all deeply closeted, but they’d found each other through various dating escapades and encounters at bars in Saskatoon and its surroundings.
“It’s rough out there,” Anna said, “reading signals and trying to find the one other lesbian in the province you and your friends haven’t already dated.”
“Who knew there was one hiding out at the airport?” Marie said, taking a slow drag off her cigarette, keeping her eyes on Garza.
Garza blushed.
She ended up winning two dollars which, given what they were betting, was a fortune. She was helping Anna clean up when Marie motioned her aside.
“I liked meeting you tonight,” Marie said.
“Oh! Yeah, it’s a great group.”
Marie smiled. “Yeah. I’d kind of like to not wait until next month to see you again. If that’s all right.”
“Oh, like taking that flight you were talking about?”
“Sure,” Marie said, chuckling softly. “Or maybe a movie. There’s a drive-in two towns over where we could go.”
It took her a second to realize she was being asked on a date. “Oh! Really?”
She almost told the truth, that she really didn’t go to the movies. Or maybe it was too soon after everything with Parrish... if this period of time really was ‘after Parrish’, which she wasn’t sure she was willing to admit. But Marie was beautiful. And funny. And it didn’t have to be anything more than two new friends getting to know each other.
“I don’t have a car. Just the bike.”
“That’s fine. I can pick you up.”
They exchanged phone numbers and tentatively agreed the movie would happen on Sunday, unless Garza was booked for a job.
On the ride home, she kept turning Marie’s number over in her mind. She expected she’d have it memorized by their movie date.
Their date.
Her first real date in... who knew how long? No, that wasn’t true. Could she count the trip with Parrish as a date? She assumed so. They’d gone to a game, had dinner, slept together. That was a date by anyone’s metrics. But Saul had made it feel different. There was no real endpoint with Parrish, no expectation that maybe one day they’d truly be together. Or as together as the law would allow.
With Marie, there was hope. A chance that it could be more, that she would be the only other person in the relationship.
She didn’t want to give up on Parrish. Not yet. But the longer she was gone, the easier it was to see beyond her, to take off the lust-colored glasses and see reality.
Waiting for Christine Parrish was a quick route to heartbreak.
Maybe it was time to see what the rest of the world had to offer.
***
The movie was Raiders of the Lost Ark. The opening scene was exciting enough, but Garza couldn’t stop thinking about the woman sitting next to her. The drive-in offered a strange kind of public privacy. The car made them relatively anonymous, so they could make out if they wanted. But there were cars on either side of them and either of the people in those cars could glance over and realize they were seeing two women kissing.
Of course every time Garza glanced over, she saw that any potential witnesses were too preoccupied to notice anything outside their own cars.
Marie didn’t push things either way. She just sat and ate her popcorn, sipped her soda, and watched the movie. Eventually Garza forced herself to focus on the screen.
“I’m having a hard time following this,” she said. “Are you confused?”
“No,” Marie said. “But I’ve seen it before. And I’ve been looking at the screen instead of running around inside my brain.”
Garza flinched. “Sorry about that.”
“Don’t be. I know we joked around at poker night, but you’re going through a hell of a time. The woman you’ve been sleeping with vanishes the same time her husband gets killed? I’d be going insane. If you want to consider tonight just a, you know, pause button on everything, that’s fine with me. I’m happy to provide that. And it’s a pretty fun movie.”
“Yeah, seems like it. I liked that guy in the space movie.”
Marie smiled, nodding. “And Marion is pretty hot, too.”
Garza chuckled. “Yeah.”
“Looks kind of like you.”
“We should have parked closer to the screen if your eyes are that bad.”
