13 Murders

Coffee on the Curb

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

COFFEEE ON THE CURB

Amelia looks peaceful as I tell her the news. She looks concerned when I say Grace was shot, and understanding when I say I went to see her. But when I tell that it’s one of us, she turns white. I am not sure if she is shaking because of the cold of this afternoon, or because she is in shock. But I tell her to sit down anyway. She puts her hand to her forehead and breaths out slowly. We don’t talk for a long time, but it is not silent. The food processor is blending a smoothie for Xavier behind us.

 “Are you sure?” She eventually asks.

 “Yeah.” I nod. She nods her head slowly.

 “Xavier’s asleep. I’ll tell him when he wakes up.” Then we don’t talk. I let myself out. Walking down the empty street, I figure out she must be in shock. I mean, she did spend the last three years with most of them. I shrug off the feeling of loneliness. I cannot expect anyone to trust me, I am the newest. They’ve only known me for a few months. I hope they live by their motto. ‘Us murderers look after our own kind’. When I get home, I go down to the basement and figure out what I am going to do. Going to the police would be a bad idea, and chances are they’d lock us up for life if they knew who we were. The other option is to conduct the investigation myself, but I could never do that on my own. I don’t know where any of the thirteen are, other than Grace, Xavier, Amelia and Electra. That makes them my only chance and my only available companions.

 But I am not sure whether I want to put Xavier in a stressful situation, he’s too risky, too unpredictable. He is known for his uncontrollable Impulse, he wouldn’t think things through, and with his fits and medication, it is too risky for all of us. Amelia has seen too much death, and Xavier cannot be left alone, plus it would cause suspicion amongst our neighbours, and too much attention puts us at risk of being recognized. Grace is hospitalized and the cops know who she is, as soon as she’s stable they’ll have her back at Everleigh. That means I’ll have to get her out of there and with a doctor that won’t hand us over. But stealing a serial killer from a hospital bed isn’t a one-man job.

 That is why, as much as it pains me, I will have to get Electra to help me.

 I trace Electra’s name a few times on the table before I decide that she is my only option. Then I make myself a coffee and go outside to sit on the curb. The sky is a thundering mix of black and grey and reminds me of a time when Jeremy Linden and I went to the Harbour for a picnic. It rained and the day was miserable.

 Misery seemed to follow Jeremy Linden everywhere.

 I stop thinking about him. Thinking about him makes me miss him. And he is not someone I need to be missing. Someone I need to be missing is Grace, she is the one all alone in a hospital bed, caught, and in need of rescue. I also need to missing all thirteen of us. Because one of them no longer exists.

 From across the street, Jason waves at me. He is all hooded up, in a tightly fitted coat, a scarf and a beanie. He makes his way towards me, the tar crunching beneath his feet. He is ten meters away from me when he smiles and pushes his hands into his pockets.

 “Hey Liz.” He greets, sitting down next to me. His skin looks paler than usual today, but his nose and ears glow bright pink from the cold. I constrain and laugh.

 “Hey Jason.”

 “You know what, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages!” He exclaims, flashing me a brilliant white smile. I laugh.

 “It’s been two days Jason.” I inform him with a smile.

 “Feels like two years if you ask me.” He shrugs. Jeremy Linden used to shrug like that. Stop it Liz. Jeremy Linden is dead, remember? Gone. No more Jeremy Linden. Heat rises to my cheeks. I laugh a little nervously. Jason shrugs again.

 “Listen Liz, I was just heading out for a coffee because I am way too lazy to make one myself. But now that I think about, sitting here on the curb with you sounds like a much better option. So how about we go and make some coffee and sit on this curb.” He explains. His cheeks have gone a pinkish colour. I think he is blushing.

 “Sounds like a plan.”

 We go inside and make the two biggest cups of coffee I have ever seen and then come back out and sit on the curb. He slurps up coffee, yelping as the hot liquid burns his lips. I just laugh. It is the fist time I have laughed properly in three months. And for those thirty minutes, drinking coffee on the curb with Jason, I feel like a free woman. Like Lizzie Bird before she ever met Jeremy Linden.

 Our cups sit empty on the grass behind us. I am filled with coffee and am scared if a move too abruptly, I might burst. Jason breathes I heavily, which I guess means he feels the same way.

 “We should’ve just gone for a small coffee. I am so full.” I huff, leaning back onto the grass. I hear him chuckle.

 “No way, that coffee was great. Even if there was a lot of it. Besides, at least we got some fresh air.” He says. I hear him shuffle and he leans back onto the grass as well. We lie side by side. I can feel how warm he is. It reminds me of toast, which makes my stomach growl. I feel myself blush. Jason packs up with laughter. I join in.

 It is dusk when we get up from the curb. The grey clouds have risen off the horizon and have been replaced by swirls of indigo. I shove my hands in my pockets and rock back and fourth on the balls of my feet as he gets up.

 “It was nice hanging out with you Liz.”

 “You too, I enjoyed the coffee.”

 “One of my many brilliant ideas,” He says with a charming smile. “I hope I’m not going to have to wait forever to hang out again.” He smiles. I am about to tell him he won’t when I remember my plans for tomorrow. Now that I think about it, I might be gone for a while, but I can’t just say that. I need to tell him why, I need a reason.

 “Only a few days. My cousin and I are going on a road trip. It’s kind of a family tradition. We’re visiting all the cousin’s.” I am proud of myself for lying so easily. I am convinced it is from observing Amelia’s nimble-minded replies.

 “Oh. Well, can I call you then. We could chat on the phone, drink coffee on the curb on the phone. That’ll be fun.” I laugh at his suggestion but agree anyway.

 “Of course. Call me whenever.”