I was about to text Asher but decided I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Instead, I was going to have a full-on pity party. I stopped by John’s of Times Square on 44th, grabbed a large Margherita pizza, and headed home to my apartment to eat until I could bust. It’s not like I had to worry about fitting in my costume tonight. So, if I ended up a little bloated after all the pizza, I didn’t have to give an elf.
Chapter 23
Itookthepizzaback to my apartment and I squirreled myself away. There were a million and one emails, voicemails, and text messages. So many people were trying to get a hold of me, I wondered if someone would try a carrier pigeon or singing telegram. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, so I avoided looking at anything and refused to answer my phone or open my door. At the rate the messages were pouring in, I half expected my therapist to call to make sure I was okay.
I sat down on the floor with my back resting against the couch. The pizza lid was open, so I could more easily grab my next slice. I’d also opened a bottle of wine to wash it all down with. I didn’t bother with a wineglass. Bootsy came and curled up next to me. He could tell that momma was not in a good mood and needed his comfort. I grabbed a slice of pizza and decided to find out how my life had ended so quickly.
I tried to find the audio for myself on the internet, but I quickly realized I didn’t know how to do that beyond googling myself. I found the article from an anonymous user at TheBrodway411. The article was set up like an interview. It omitted the fact that it was pulled from a conversation without my knowledge.
My phone vibrated, and it was a call from my lawyer. Brice must have called him. I thought about not picking up, but I hit the call button.
“Hello?”
“Erika, Charles Pearson, your lawyer.”
“Yes, Mr. Pearson, I remember.”
“I heard about that unfortunate business that happened today. I wanted to let you know what we know so far. Apparently, the audio came from a streaming platform for gamers. Honestly, how anyone picked up on the fact that you were having a conversation with someone over all the fighting noises is beyond me.”
“You’ve heard the audio, then?”
“One of my associates found it. It wasn’t easy to find. Where were you when this was recorded?”
“I was at my neighbor’s apartment. His teenage niece had been playing video games, and we were sitting on the couch talking.”
“Hmm…That’s good to know. And both would verify that?”
“I would assume so…since that’s what happened.”
“And you don’t suspect either of them having done this on purpose?”
I hesitated for a microsecond before saying, “They’re not the types who would do something like this on purpose.”
“Not even for money. People do all kinds of things for money.”
“No. Again, they’re not the types.” If it had been some of my other neighbors, I would have had some second thoughts. But Carissra and Kirk were about the most straightforward people I knew. There was a twinge of guilt in the back of my mind that I considered for a microsecond that they’d set me up.
“Well, this is good information to have. If anything changes, I’ll let you know.” And with that, my lawyer was off the phone.Will I get billed for the five minutes or a full hour for that phone call?
I picked up another slice of pizza and ate it. Then I picked up another, folded it in half and ate it too. I continued my way through half the box and the entire bottle of wine. I folded the lid on top of the pizza box, curled into a ball on the floor and cried myself to sleep.
Around 7:00 p.m., someone knocked on my door. I was still lying on the floor. I pulled a pillow from the couch and covered my head, hoping whoever it was would disappear.
“Erika, I know you’re in there,” Johnny’s voice came from the door. He was loud enough to wake the whole building. Admittedly, I was still slightly inebriated. I hoped that Johnny would magically go away if I didn’t answer the door.
“I’m coming in,” he said. Only then did I remember that I’d given him a spare key for emergencies. Light streamed in from the hallway, lighting my body curled up in a ball. I twitched my head to the side to avoid looking in the light. “Oh, my!” Johnny said. “This is bad.” He flipped on the hallway light switch and shut the door. “Oh, Erika, honey…” His voice trailed off.
He walked over and sat down on the ground next to me, picking up the bottle of discarded wine from the floor and putting it on the coffee table. “You want to talk about it?” he asked. I shook my head. “That’s okay.” He reached out and touched the side of my face, brushing hair from my eyes. He stroked his thumb over my cheek. For a long time, he said nothing, knowing that this was not a time to speak. He didn’t try any stupid platitudes like “it gets better” or “this will work itself out.” He sat there and caressed my face while I slipped back to sleep.
When I woke, I was on my bed with a pillow beneath my head. I stirred and tried to sit up, but I got lightheaded.
“Easy there,” a voice reassured me. “You’ve been out for a few hours.”
I rubbed my eyes and found Kirk sitting in a chair next to my bed reading.
A garbled sound tried to escape my throat.
“Let me get you some water.” Kirk folded his book in half and walked out into the kitchen.
