No Quit

Chapter 11

Gabe exhausted his tour of the bus and train station, asking as many people as possible if they'd seen a woman fitting Sandra's description. Nothing. On a hunch he decided to go to the bank and pretend he was an investigator, see if he couldn't shake some information out of the staff. He could do that; he would say he was a private investigator.

He looked at himself in the dresser mirror and realized that his appearance would more likely prompt an investigation. He counted out the last of his money and figured he could afford to spend about half without leaving himself in jeopardy and he hunted down the address for a used clothing outlet.

Two hours later, Gabe had a steel blue suit jacket that could pass as a sport coat and a pair of beige slacks. He had to settle for black loafers, the only size that fit him. His shirt was good enough and he bought a safety razor and shaved some of his beard growth away before getting dressed. In among the wallets stolen from the last robbery he found one for a legion member that looked official with a military crest and he chose one of the wallets that resembled an official badge holder. One last check in the mirror and Investigator Gabe Tucker headed out to investigate.

The manager only got a quick glimpse of Gabe's fake badge. Before he could ask to see it again, Gabe had explained, with a lot of TV gleaned jargon, that he was investigating a woman, for a very large insurance client. She was using stolen credit cards to gain cash withdrawals. The manager couldn't help enough and called in his tellers one by one for Gabe to question.

When Curtis entered the office he'd already been given a heads up by the others and he did all he could to remain outwardly calm. He'd replaced the money that morning so there could be no danger from that quarter but he knew in his heart that this man was not the real thing. From her description he knew that this man was Sandra's abuser.

By the same token, Gabe had a gut feeling that this was someone who had information on Sandra and when the interviews were done he thanked the manager and left, taking up a vigil in his car just down from the bank. He would catch Mr. Curtis Martin after work and grill him a little more—on both sides—to see if he was right. He had no other options at the moment so he settled back, lit a cigarette and watched the women walk by.

******

Toni pulled the sheet up to her chin and stared fixedly at the ceiling. She could hear Ted's gentle snore beside her in the bed and feel the radiating warmth of his body. What had she done? First date with a total stranger! Then again how many other 'dates' had she had that didn't make her feel that this was automatically expected—and how many were as pleasantly enjoyable? She pushed the sheet down and swung out of the bed, padding quietly to the chair for her t-shirt. She heard him stir and hurried to the bathroom, leaving the rest of her clothes.

The shower felt good after a night of hot activity and she propped her hands on the wall letting the water beat down on the back of her neck. Her mind drifted over the recent events comparing his experience with hers, and Ted's age with her own. He was only three years older but he made her feel that he was just a kid—a competent, clever kid but still a kid. She liked his sense of humour and the fact that he didn't come off like some of the other jerks she'd unfortunately aligned with from time to time. This felt different. It felt... honest.

She stood up and took the bar of soap, lathering her entire body and letting the water rinse it away as she did. When she finished washing her hair, she shut off the water and stepped out onto the mat and let the cooler feeling air paint her warm skin. The mirror was opaque and she wiped it clear with her towel and stayed still looking at her image. Better think this one over carefully, Antoinette Fulmer, time is going by.

Ted woke slowly, hearing the sound of water running and he rolled onto his back feeling for Toni and realizing that she was in the shower. He rubbed his eyes and heaved up onto his elbows, blinking away the sleep. The night returned with a barrage of memories bringing a huge grin to his face as he ran his fingers through his untidy hair and tossed back the bedsheet.

Things didn't look quite the same as in his memory and he chuckled over the comparison, wondering if women had any of the same thoughts. He put his feet on the carpet and stretched mightily then sagged limply with his head in his hands. It had been some time since he'd had such a spectacular night. When he thought about it he couldn't remember ever having such a night. Steady there, Teddy. Let's not let one romp, albeit super, decide the rest of your life.

The shower stopped and he looked up, watching the bathroom door. Another ten minutes passed as he agonized through the sound of the hair dryer and pinched his bladder inside, needing the bathroom badly. When the door opened she came out and stopped, a little surprised that he was up and then she realized that all she had on was her t-shirt and she blushed, hurrying to her clothes on the chair.

"Morning." Ted said and fled to the bathroom, slamming the door shut. When he finally came out he was still dripping from his shower and he had not taken his clothes with him. He looked at her lithe figure as she sat with one leg over the other reading the paper.

Toni looked up from the paper and started to laugh. "No towel? Sorry." She got up and went to a cupboard and handed him a bath towel. "Looks like your friend wants to be dried first." Her face split into a laugh as her words came stuttering out.

Ted glanced down and groaned at his unexpected arousal, covering himself with the towel and scrubbing furiously. Toni was still laughing, one hand over her mouth and the other grabbing the chair for support.

"It wasn't that funny," he complained. "You certainly didn't laugh last night as I recall." He finished drying and tied the towel around his waist.

"It was dark last night." She began giggling again.

"Oh right. He crossed to the chair and picked up his underwear. "What the hell happened to these!" He held up his shorts and gaped at the large reddish stain covering the back.

"I guess you forgot the first act of our little romance. In the kitchen? After the chicken wings?" He stared, baffled. "We uh- kissed and then kissed again and you sat back on the table right in the juice from the wing take-out box. Your jeans are the same." She giggled again at his expression. "We laughed last night."

"Well hell, I can't wear these."

Toni went to her dresser and dug around, coming up with a pair of cotton briefs. "You can use these for now."

"Huh? Their yours, I can't get into those!"

"You managed last night."

"That's not what I meant." He picked up his jeans and shook them out and looked at the stain with dismay. "Don't you have a washing machine?"

"Nope. I go to the mall. These'll fit." She tossed the panties to him, laughing again at his bleak look. "And your friend won't pay no mind." She sang the phrase from Neil Diamond's song with a surprisingly good voice, spoiled only by the uncontrolled laughter.

"What about my pants?"

"Leave your shirt out, it'll do until you sneak into the hotel."

******

Ted climbed out of the ghastly Buick and closed the door, leaning down on the window frame. "Thanks for the lift." He pulled his shirt down at the back and glanced around.

"Any time, sailor." Her smile was contagious and he slapped the car and shook his head. "You can keep the panties as a souvenir."

"I hope that doesn't mean like it sounds."

"You're the one that's leaving town."

"It's only a couple of weeks at the most."

"Okay, then it's my way of staying close to you." She slipped the car in gear and roared off.

Ted watched, scratching his head... and then tugged the shirt down again.