Sympathy for the Devil

part eight

Bill pushed his legal notepad away and went over to Star, stirring in bed. She turned over, registering him with sleepy eyes. Her color was back in her cheeks and she looked relatively fine despite her being sick all night.

"My head..." she winced, putting a hand to her forehead.

"Here. I got you aspirin and some Alka-seltzer," he handed her both and quickly went to fill a glass with sink water from the bathroom. "Are you okay?"

"I fucked up..." she said sadly after taking the aspirin.

"No. It's my fault. You didn't fuck anything up."

"I'm so stupid..." she said through a sigh.

Bill shook his head. "Can you remember anything from last night?"

Star rested her head back on the pillow, shifting her eyes, searching her mind. "I-I don't know? What happened?"

"A lot... can you remember who was in that room? You were in there for a moment do you remember that?"

"I remember Ron askin' me to go in with him... Maybe if I take a bath, I'll start remembering? It all comes back to me eventually..."

"Okay... it's really important that it does."

"Somethin' happened, huh? Was it me? I blew it didn't I?"

"No... Ron is uh... he was found dead early this morning. A little after we left but not by much."

"Dead?! You gotta be fuckin' kidding me!" Her head throbbed from sitting up too fast at the news.

"I wish I was... fuckin' wild huh?"

"Oh shit..." Star said softly. "Are you okay?" She said finally really looking at him. The thin skin under his eyes were darker than normal and his green eyes were just a thin rim around the dilated black pupils. He was high and she could tell. "You didn't sleep?" She frowned.

"I'll sleep later..." he looked away from her.

"Did something happen to you last night? I know you were taking care of my drunk ass but I remember you were out with Randi? He say something ugly to you?"

"Uh, no. No," he didn't want to think of Randi at all. And he was happy he was locked up now. He could rot there for all he cared.

"Mm okay... but you should sleep, alright," she said slowly swinging her legs out the bed. "And thank you for takin' care of me, Bill."

Bill nodded watching her take cautious steps to the bathroom. She didn't have to thank him.
...

Star sunk into the sudsy bath, submerging her head just before her nose dipped in the water. She was thinking, processing and replaying the night in her head up until the point she couldn't. It went black and some memories that she could recall were fuzzy. She wasn't going to give up though. It truly all came back to her, although sometimes it took a few days... But with how Bill was pressing her she didn't have that kind of time. She needed to remember.

She sat up taking a washcloth to her left leg, propped up on the edge of the tub. There was something about getting clean that she loved. She could stay in a shower or bath until she the skin on her fingertips wrinkled. Even then she'd stay a little while longer just to feel the water cascade on her fresh skin. It was cleansing to get the dirtiness of men's touch off her.

With the news of Ron being dead it meant this CI job was done. But also her hooking job was over too. A sense of relief washed over her until the sadness came right after it. She wasn't sad about leaving her corner. It was the fact that she was going to have to find something else and Bill would be gone. She hated feeling lonely. In the last weeks, she had made a good friend in him. However, it was just work. No man in their right mind would really want to be friends with a hooker.