cursed (2022)

chapter twenty: reefer rick

I told Steve and Robin everything I told Dustin, from Chrissy getting out of Eddie's van to Eddie running away screaming. I mentioned how Chrissy was upset and throwing up in the bathroom. I told them about how I saw her lying dead in Eddie's trailer and how all of her bones were twisted in ways that weren't normal. How could a human being do that?

Now me, Robin, and Dustin are calling around looking for him while Steve attends to the customers- mostly flirting with them if they're girls. One of Eddie's friends informed me that Eddie gets drugs from a dude called "Reefer Rick". Weird name, but whatever. And for the record, this dude must have something against Eddie if he sold him out so easily. He doesn't know where he lives, but at least we're getting somewhere.

"Hey, guys, I might have a lead," I announce.

Dustin and Robin both turn to me and Dustin says, "Seriously?"

"Yeah," I nod. "Apparently Eddie gets his drugs from some guy named Reefer Rick, and sometimes Eddie crashes there."

"That sounds promising," Robin retorts."Well, where does this Reefer Rick guy live?"

"See, that's the thing. No one knows." I explain. "He's more a legend than someone people actually know."

"What about a last name?" Dustin suggests.

"Bet the cops know the last name," Steve says.

"What?" I raise an eyebrow. I comprehended what he said just fine, it's just the stupidity of it.

"Cops," he repeats.

Now all of us are looking at him like he's crazy, and he might as well be.

"I mean, listen. If this Reefer Rick is actually a drug dealer, I guarantee you he's been busted at some point. Means he's in the system."

God, Steve is so stupid.

"The cops," Dustin's eyes widen. "Really, Steve? That's your suggestion?"

Steve shrugs, "I mean, I just think at this point, they should probably be filled in on what we know, what's going on."

"You think Eddie's guilty, don't you?" Dustin says.

To be fair, I kinda did too at first. But with everything that we've been through, there's most definitely a possibility that the Upside Down has something to do with this.

"Woah!" Steve says. "I believe in innocent until proven guilty, all that constitutional shit. I just, you know, still don't think we can rule it out."

It's as if he's missed the whole point. We need to talk to Eddie because only he knows what happened. If we go to the cops and they question him, say he tells them what he saw and it turns out to be some shit like the Mind Flayer, they're going to call him crazy and lock him up in an institution.

"That's precisely what we're trying to do here, Steve," I say.

"And maybe we'd have a little bit more luck if you spent less time trying to find a girlfriend, and more time trying to find Eddie!" Dustin adds.

In attempt to defend himself, Steve says, "Oh, well somebody has to attend to the customers!"

"Especially if they're babes, right?" Robin winks. Just as she winks, the door opens and they have a bell, so it was like she was doing one of those movie winks with the "ding" kind of sound effect.

"Hey!" Steve points at her. "Not fair, okay? I attend to all of the customers equally, babes and non-babes alike. We've got a very big selection in here, it can be super overwhelming for people, okay?"

"Yeah, it can be," Robin smiles and turns back to the computer. I think she has an idea.

"What are you doing?" I ask.