Billie Girl

Chapter Thirty Six

The back seat of Stanley's car was quite plush. The upholstery was sleek black leather.

"You kids sure know how to get yourself in a heap of trouble," Stanley said as he drove.

"Billie has been acting pretty crazy. I was following her through the path and she was like talking to herself. I really think she might be losing it. I hope this is a wake-up call."

Blake had no idea that I was wearing a headset and that I had been communicating with Stanley the whole time. He was still not onto the secret operation.

"Girls can be crazy sometimes," Stanley said.

We were driving to Blake's house which was not far, over in East Town.

"I think having a killer loose in this town is making everybody go bonkers," Blake said.

"Listen, Kiddo, I appreciate your energy. But it isn't advisable to jump your own girlfriend when she is standing totally alone in the middle of the night. Lucky she is young, or she might have had a heart attack."

"Yeah, that's what I said too," I said punching Blake on his belly this time. "Fuckhead."

When I said that, I noticed that Stanley shifted his body weight in the driver's seat. I didn't think he appreciated that sort of language in his car. His mood seemed to darken.

"You know there are so many words in the English language to choose from to express your thoughts. Words like 'fuckhead' should be something you say as a last resort."

"Sorry detective, it's late. I wasn't thinking. I didn't mean to be disrespectful. Really I didn't."

"Yeah, show some respect, he saved your sorry ass from me," Blake said. "And everybody knows I am the serial killer."

"That's not something to joke about either, Buster," Stanley said.

"Buster? Now that's a name I have never been called. And I have been called a lot of names. Oh yeah, there is my crash pad."

Stanley's Porsche came to an abrupt stop and my head jolted forward, almost hitting the seat.

"Sorry about that. I didn't want to miss the house," Stanley said.

Before Blake opened the door he said, "Billie, are you sure you don't want me to spend the night?"

"Not tonight Blake, I am tired, and my mother doesn't like it when I have anybody over."

"That's bull, you have Tova staying there."

"Tova's like family, and she went home anyway."

"Well I'm like family too, and your mom should know that she needs people around now, more than ever."

"Well, my mother is weird that way."

Blake stepped out of the car, and then leaned his head in one last time. "You take good care of her now, Mr. Detective."

"I will," Stanley said.

We drove in silence for awhile. "Well, I guess we will have to continue this later. We are going to have a hard time with the work we have to do if your better half keeps stalking you like that."

"He is just trying to keep an eye on me."

"He almost got himself a night in the slammer. They are really on edge at the precinct, and the next thing you know, they will think he is a person of interest. And that won't look so good on his college entry form. Believe you me, you don't want shit like that on your record."

"Now there you go using the words you tell us not to use."

"Like you said, Billie, it's late."

Stanley turned on the radio to some stupid soft rock station called The River that featured the sappiest ballads of the 70s and 80s. I had always been pretty up on my retro pop songs. And the song they were playing now was by Olivia Newton-John. It was called "Magic." Dad used to tell me how beautiful Olivia Newton-John was. He had the biggest crush on her, and Mom was OK with it. Mom was cool that way. We drove in silence till we got to my house as the song seemed to take the edge off the night.

The light was out in my mother's upstairs bedroom. Stanley pulled up into the driveway just behind Mom's Ford. He turned off the motor and got out, then opened the back door for me like a true gentleman and I was once again thinking that gee, it would be great if my mother was up and in better spirits, and if only Leslie was still around and if these could only be better times. In a better set of circumstances, I was sure that Mom and Stanley might actually really hit it off. Stanley, I was convinced, would have made a pretty darn good-step dad, too. But I bet he could not have been a better handyman than Dad. Nobody could. My father could fix anything from an electric fuse that blew, to figuring out why your iPod wasn't working.

"Well, thanks for everything," I said to Stanley, and it kinda sounded like this was the end of a date or something.

"You're welcome and I will be in touch as to when we might need you next."

I reached down to the mat at the front door where my house key was always stashed, and I unlocked the door. Stanley stepped down the steps and headed toward his car.

I closed the door behind me and the house was pitch dark. My mother had clearly been absentminded and failed to leave the house lights on for me.

I started taking off my bright green jacket, and then I sat down and started tugging off my boots.

Then I heard a light knock at the door. It startled me for a second. I peeked through the keyhole out of habit. It was Stanley, so I opened the door.

"Billie, I forgot to check your availability over the next few days." He was holding his Blackberry in one hand.

"Well I will check my dance card. But I am pretty open...."

"How about....right now?" He said with a friendly smirk on his face.

For the love of God. He didn't expect me to go out now again and start wandering around like live bait hoping to catch the killer. "I am pretty tuckered out."

That was a phrase of my Dad's once again. I always talked like him.

"Sorry, but I think I need my beauty sleep," I added. "My super powers are all maxed out for the night."

"I didn't mean to imply that I was requiring you to work as a decoy, what I meant was...."

I wanted to say, "Then what the fuck did you mean? You aren't paying me, you know!"

But I didn't say that.

Stanley showed a shy and meek quality to his personality that I had not yet encountered. He just stood there at the doorway like some old suitor from yesteryear who was itching to ask the girl he had a "come callin for"...for another date.

But then he stepped forward and shoved me so hard I lost my balance and fell back onto the hardwood floor.