This Girl Who Was A Ghost, page 19
part #2 of Near Future Series
Valentina grabbed the phone and hit “erase.” “Why do you need this? You go around talking name, you party crash own funeral.”
Johnny waltzed up to the table, his gaze on Sammy.
She lowered her head. It was dark enough at the table, but she didn’t want to take any chances.
“Is everything okay here, folks?”
Bernie raised his glass. “Fine wine and even better company.”
Maria raised her glass. “Very fine company.”
“You didn’t take the psychedelic, Sasha.”
“Sasha is fine Russian name,” Valentina said.
“Val, don’t you have a show to do?”
“There is time, Johnny. I want to spend it with very fine company.”
Johnny leaned over the rope and knocked on the table. “There’s more where that came from, Sasha, so don’t be shy.” He drifted away from the table, looking back every few steps.
“Why he’s absolutely smitten with you, Sugar.”
Sammy picked up the pill. “How many of these do you think it’ll take to forget this night?”
Valentina sucked up the last of her drink. “You play shy girl. That’s how you do it.” She clanked down the glass, gazing at Sammy across the table. “Are those tits real?”
“As real as yours, Scrumptious.”
“For what I pay, these better be real.” Valentina spun out of her chair. “You see real dance now. You see Russian dance.” She pranced away from the table, hips swaying as she went.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
________________________________________
Cindy stopped by the dining room side of the counter, holding a phone with a dark screen. “You should take it to one of those phone kiosks. It might just need some credit.”
“It’s broken.”
“You haven’t had it that long.”
“They’re cheap.” Sammy was going to say like the one Johnny got for her, but didn’t.
“You’ll get credit for it even if it’s broken.”
“It won’t be enough to buy a new phone.”
“Maria’s going to pay you.”
“I’ll believe it when I see it.”
“She can’t always call me to get to you. I might be at work.”
“I’ll tell her if she wants to talk to me, she can buy me a phone. I’m getting tired of all these things she’s expecting me to do.”
“At least you got a chance to dress up and go out. I’m stuck in the dungeon. That’s what Linda calls it, the dungeon.”
“Dressing up and going to the Pleasure Palace is not exactly my idea of fun.”
“Could’ve at least stopped by and said hello.”
“I was made up to look like Johnny’s love slave,” Sammy said, recalling his wanton gaze. “Think I need to take another shower.”
“Everyone was talking about it, and I missed it. You could’ve at least kept everything on until I got home.”
“I looked like the time you fixed me up for Xanadu.”
“He didn’t recognize you?”
“Probably mesmerized by my phony boobs.”
“You have a beautiful face and a lovely figure.”
“Got a body like a boy.”
Cindy dashed for her ringing phone. “Maria’s here.”
Sammy stepped out of the kitchen, but Cindy was already out the door.
Leo strolled through. “So tonight at eight?”
“For what?”
“For the nerve stimulation exercises. Didn’t you get the schedule?”
“How did you send it? Morse code?”
Leo’s face brightened. “Are you familiar with Morse code?”
Sammy shook her head.
“Unfortunate,” Leo said, dwelling on it. “Nonetheless, I have the eight p.m. window open for the exercises.”
“How am I going to get there?”
“A transporter?”
“Cindy has the transporter credits. Should I bring her along?”
“Hmm, I understand the dilemma.” Leo scratched his chin. “I’ll give you my phone before I leave. We’ll need a longer-term strategy, though.”
Maria waltzed in, carrying a bag. “Another admirer?”
Sammy sneered.
Cindy rushed Leo. “Looking for me?”
Leo shook his head and turned back to Sammy. “I’ll see you tonight.”
Cindy watched Leo meander out the door. “What was that about?”
“He wants to check my nerves.”
“Something wrong?”
“You know Leo. He’s got to double and triple check everything.”
Maria leaned against the counter, the bag dangling from her side. “Is he a doctor?”
“Something like that,” Sammy said.
“Lunch,” Maria said, holding up the bag.
“Thought you made a mistake and brought my money.”
“I have your money, Sasha.”
“Ha, ha.”
Cindy trudged back from closing the door. “Missed everything.”
“Didn’t miss much.”
“You should’ve seen her last night. She was so sweet and demure as Sasha.”
“Didn’t want to blow my disguise.”
“I think there was a flicker of a flame between you and Johnny.”
Sammy rolled her eyes.
Maria chuckled. “You loved the attention.”
“Showered twice today thinking about it.”
“You should’ve seen her nudging to slip away every time Johnny left. She couldn’t bear to break his heart.”
“You think I care about his feelings?” Sammy turned to Cindy. “Have you ever seen me worried about his feelings?”
Cindy shook her head. “I think you enjoy hurting his feelings.”
“See.”
“It was the end of the night. What difference would it have made if he found out who you were by then?”
“Because… Because it would’ve been weird.”
“Maybe you might want to go back there one night and flutter your long lashes at him.”
“She does have nice lashes,” Cindy said.
“You’re siding with her?”
“I’m just saying that you have nice lashes, Sam.”
Maria grinned, dangling the bag. “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
Sammy glared at Maria. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Look it up.”
“Giving me homework now?”
“Just trying to expand your horizons.” Maria sashayed around the counter, holding up the bag. “I’ll put it in the fridge until you’re ready.”
“You’re not staying?” Cindy asked.
“I have to attend the mayor’s annual urban renewal conference. It’s one of those feel-good things where nothing gets done.”
“Then why go to it?”
“It’s all about maintaining contacts with city officials.” Maria pulled out a tablet from her pocket. “I have the recordings from last night’s bugs. I ran the translations this morning, so you should be all set.”
Sammy huffed. “Except for having to listen to a hundred hours of recordings.”
“It’s just over thirty hours, smart-ass.”
“Oh, is that all?”
“There are usually a lot of gaps in these. Play it at two-times speed, and you’ll get through it in no time.”
“Great. Listening to gerbils talk.”
“Whatever you can’t finish, I’ll help you with tomorrow.”
“I can help you with it, Sam.”
“You going to pay her?”
Cindy flicked her wrist. “You don’t have to pay. It’ll be like I’m back upstairs instead of being in the dungeon.”
“You going to pay me?”
Maria sighed, pulling out her phone. “What’s your account number?”
“The account is five hundred bucks.”
“Number, smart-ass.”
“Gladys has our account numbers,” Cindy said. “That’s how the state pays her.”
“Really?”
Cindy nodded. “We get them back when we’re out of the system.”
Maria dropped the phone into her pocket. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Sammy trudged into the living room. “It’s always something.”
“You’ll get your money.”
“Where have I heard that before?”
“It wasn’t from me.”
Cindy trailed behind. “You can trust Maria, Sam.”
“That’s what you said about Johnny.”
Maria grinned. “Johnny owes you money?”
Sammy looked away. Here it comes.
“Once everything is cleared up, he’ll pay,” Cindy said.
“You could always dress up and go back. One flutter of those lashes, and he’ll empty the safe.”
Sammy dropped to the sofa, sneering at Maria.
Maria sat next to Sammy. “Sorry, couldn’t resist.” She showed Sammy the recordings and how to flag sections of interest.
Sammy played back the first few minutes of the recording at two-times speed. “Makes listening to these creeps tolerable.”
Maria leaped from the sofa. “Got to go. Talk to you later.”
Sammy showed Cindy what she had to do on the holo-tablet, then delved into listening. At about an hour in, Sammy had to take a break.
Cindy sat up, her lower lip rolled up over her top. She wasn’t listening.
“Taking a break?”
“I thought they were nice guys.”
“Told you they were creeps.”
Cindy looked away as if she wanted to hold onto some notion that was slipping away from her.
“You don’t have to listen, you know. You’re not getting paid.” Sammy rolled her head back, looking at the ceiling. “I probably won’t get paid either.”
“She would’ve paid you if you had your account number.”
Sammy hunched over the tablet. “I wonder what she meant by that Shakespeare quote.” Sammy found the reference. “It says that by denying something strongly I’m hiding the truth. What truth?”
Cindy shrugged, not willing to engage.
Sammy went back to the recordings, then stopped partway through one where it was just a bunch of drunks talking trash and listened to the next.
Cindy stood, stretching her back. “Want something to drink?”
Sammy nodded. “Pineapple juice.”
Cindy padded into the kitchen.
This recording sounded artificial. It was a translation. Cindy left the juice on the table while Sammy marked flags in the recording. These guys were up to something, and it had a lot to do with a guy named Doric.
“Don’t forget your juice,” Cindy said.
Sammy took a sip. “Do you know a guy named Doric?”
Cindy shook her head. “Don’t really know any of their names except Bernardo.”
“He goes by Bernie now.”
“Really?”
Sammy nodded. She liked “Bernie” better. Sammy continued listening. Another guy joined the table, and the conversation turned to the Russian dancer who was killed.
“It was Doric.”
“He tell you?”
“He left with her. Who else?”
Sammy leaned back, letting out a breath.
Cindy looked up from her glass. “What is it?”
“Think I know who killed her.”
Chapter Forty
________________________________________
Sammy peeked out from the back room of the Pleasure Palace and spotted Bernie at his usual table. She darted across the lounge and stood outside the ropes.
Bernie grinned. “Come in and sit down, Sugar.”
Sammy stepped past the parted ropes, glancing back at the tables. “Do you know a guy by the name of Doric?”
He shook his head, holding the glass up to his mouth as if he was ready to take a sip. “Who is he?”
“I think he’s a guy who killed that girl a couple nights back.”
“You saw him? Don’t tell me you saw him.”
Sammy shook her head. “I overheard a couple of guys talking, saying that he left with her the night she was killed.”
“Dorchak you said?”
“No, Doric.”
“Where did I hear Dorchak?” Bernie asked. “A foot doctor. Does great work on bunions.”
“Nice to know if I ever get them.”
Bernie chuckled. “It’s no fun with bunions.”
Johnny stood by the back entrance, his gaze fixed on their table. He jogged over and stopped a few feet away. “You?”
“Hi to you too.”
He waved her out. “You’re not supposed to be in the lounge.”
Sammy stood. “I just stopped by to say hello to Bernie.”
Bernie took a sip of his wine. “Take care of those feet, Sugar.”
Sammy passed through the parting ropes.
Johnny followed her to the back room. “What are you doing here?”
“Here to see Leo.” Sammy opened the basement door and sprinted down the steps. Johnny didn’t follow.
Leo was in the back by the rat cages. “You’re late.”
“I think we found out who killed the girl.”
“I hope you’re not working with the police. Their forensic tools may be substandard, but they’re certainly capable of uncovering your DNA.”
“I’m not working with the cops.”
“Good, now sit,” he said, pointing to the stool by the nerve stimulator. “We don’t have much time thanks to your detective work.”
“You’re such a humanitarian, Leo.”
Leo picked up the probe. “You have no idea.”
He started by stimulating the extension nerve and measured the growth five different ways.
“I’ll increase the potential and check for greater extension.”
“So you’re going to give me a bigger zap?”
“Zap? This is not a pest-control device.”
“Did you try it?”
Leo sighed, making his adjustments. He gave her another jolt, extending the fingers a little longer. He began the endless measurements. “Will you stop fidgeting? I can’t get an accurate measurement.”
“How many do you have to take?”
He pinched her finger between the jaws of the caliper. “Just hold still.”
“Make sure you get all those measurements now, Leo. I wouldn’t want you to miss one.”
“It’s easier working with the rats. At least I can anesthetize them.”
“You know, Leo, I’m starting to really believe you’re a bot. I’ll find that reset switch someday, and you’ll be back outside selling lemonade.”
He glared at her over the console. “Retraction stimulation next.”
“You’re not going to do all those measurements again when my hand is back to normal.”
“Everything must be checked.”
“You got two good eyes, don’t you?”
“Precisely. Everything must be checked precisely.”
He zapped her hand back to normal and took his measurements.
“Next time I come, I’ll bring a few lemons. After a couple of squeezes, you’ll be itching to go back out to your lemonade stand.”
“If you can manage to hold still a while longer, we can get another round in.”
“What happens after that? You go into recharging mode?”
“The hordes descend for the psychedelic mix,” he said, pinching her pinky finger with the caliper.
“Yeah, wouldn’t want to get in the way of the hordes.”
Leo jotted down the last of the numbers, then made adjustments on the stimulator. “Increasing potential on the extension nerve.” He touched the probe to her arm.
A jolt surged through her arm. Her fingers shot out a good twelve inches. “Whoa!”
“We appear to have crossed the threshold.”
Sammy stood, flexing her fingers. Were the fingers at this size when she strangled Tatiana? Could she swing through trees with these? “Feel free and easy.” She thought of saying “natural” but didn’t. “Do the other hand.”
“We don’t have time. I need to take measurements.”
“Come on, Leo. Don’t be such a bot.”
“We’re running late as it is.”
“I’ll come back later when all the hordes are gone. You can take all the measurements you want then.”
“You’re going out?”
Sammy nodded, flicking her fingers like fronds in a breeze. “Weird, but I kind of miss these.”
“What are you going to do?”
Sammy shrugged. “See what I can do with these. I’ll be back in an hour, two tops.”
Leo picked up his caliper. “Let’s do measurements first and see how it goes after that.”
“You zap this arm first, then you can do your measurements before the witching hour.”
Leo sighed. “Rats are so much easier.”
“I’ll even bring you back a few lemons.”
Leo picked up the probe. “Wasted enough time.”
“We’ll have a contest later to see who can squeeze the most juice out of the lemon. Bot versus octopus girl.”
“Stimulating the extension nerve.” He touched the probe to her left arm.
A jolt surged through her arm, shooting her fingers out. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.” Sammy intertwined the fingers together.
Leo glanced at the clock. “Turn around so I can get these measurements before you go out.”
The door swung open and Cindy rushed in. Sammy slipped her hands under the table.
“What is she doing here?”
“Sam!” Cindy raced to her side, wide-eyed and breathless. “It’s Maria. Something happened to her.”
Cindy’s phone rang. She fished it out of her pocket. “It’s him again.”
“It says Maria.”
“That’s what I’m trying to say. It’s her phone, but it’s not her.”
“Who is it?”
“Some guy with an accent called, saying that Maria needed me to meet her. It didn’t sound right, so I asked him why can’t I speak to Maria? I heard in the background Maria shouting for me to run, so I ran out and called a transporter. I got another call. It was the same guy, telling me that he just wanted the recordings.”
“What did you say?”
