It was. Out in the kitchen, her phone was buzzing.
“I’ll get it,” he said, but she was already out of bed and rushing naked into her kitchen. He followed because it was her. And because she was naked. He watched as she snatched up her phone and thumbed it on.
“Yeah? This is her. Yes, he’s here. I’ll tell him. Yes, I’ll be sure to tell him.” There were more words, each becoming more clipped than the last. And when she finally clicked off her phone, her expression was grim. “That was a Detective Phillips. He wants us to give our statements in an hour.”
Simon frowned. “We already gave our statements to Kennedy.”
She snorted. “Yeah, but Ryan’s in the gang unit. Phillips is from vice. He wants to talk to us alone.” Then she sighed. “We need a lawyer.”
He nodded. “The Gladwins have one. I’ll call…” His voice trailed away. Where was his phone? How did he call? “Damn it, I need to remember.”
“It’s in here,” she said walking into her second bedroom. She’d converted it into an office with two desks, a corkboard covered with articles he couldn’t read, and a complete computer setup. His laptop sat on the second desk and his cell was right beside it. Nanook’s computer was still in her car. She grabbed his cell and tried to thumb it on, but it didn’t work. “It’s dead. I should have realized you needed to charge it.”
Obviously, she was accustomed to thinking ahead for other people. “That was my responsibility,” he said as he held out his hand. Except where was his charger?
“I’ve got one,” she said, answering the question he hadn’t asked out loud. She pulled one out of a drawer. “I upgraded last year, so you can have this.”
He took it, taking a long frustrating moment to remember how to plug it in to his phone and then again into the wall socket.
“It’s really dead,” she said, “so it’ll take a few to even start.”
“I know how my phone works!” he snapped. Then at her raised eyebrows, he took a deep breath. Damn it, he wasn’t used to being this ill equipped to handle his life. “I need to call Alan. He’s the lawyer. But his number is in my phone and I can’t read to recognize his name.”
She nodded. “I’ve got that figured out, too.” She tapped on her laptop, which came to life on aSesame Streetprogram. “It’s just a matter of remembering things. I figure you start with the basics and build up until it comes back. It shouldn’t take you long.”
It shouldn’t, but even a few minutes was too long to remember something he’d been doing since he was five. And they didn’t have the time. They were supposed to go to the police station, but the cops would likely put them in separate rooms. She couldn’t cover for his lacks. And without time to find a lawyer, who knew what kind of legal hot water he could land in? It was just too complicated and he wanted to slam his head against the wall until his stupid brain worked.
And just when his frustration was growing into epic proportions, Alyssa touched his arm. “Hey, you haven’t eaten anything. Want some breakfast? Or at least coffee?”
“Coffee. Definitely coffee.” That way he wouldn’t just be stupid. He’d be alert and stupid.
“Coming up.”
She went back into the kitchen and he followed like a damned puppy dog. He watched as she pulled down a coffee mug and poured. And he lingered as he took it from her so he could stroke her fingers and not think about the disaster lurking ahead.
“Drink,” she said. “I’ll make us some eggs.”
“Thanks.” He drew the mug to his lips and inhaled.
Taint.
The scent was subtle, akin to bacon sizzled too long, and it made him wrinkle his nose in disgust. But it had been a long time since he’d had coffee, and God knew he wanted the caffeine, so he took a sip despite the smell.
Nausea roiled in his gut and he spit out the brew straight into the sink. He dumped his mug, too, while Alyssa stared at him in shock. And then he backhanded the faucet to kick it on, but the spray held the same smell. Stronger even, and he slammed it off as quickly as he could.
“What’s wrong?” Alyssa gasped.
“Did you drink that coffee?” he asked.
“Yeah. Some at least.”
He grabbed her mug and sniffed. Sure enough, the same taint was there. He dumped it while she sputtered her protest.
“It’s bad,” he said. Then he pulled her over as he turned on the water again. “Smell that. Can’t you sense it?”
She inhaled, but then shrugged as she straightened up. “It’s Detroit. Who can tell what’s in the water?”
“And you still drink it?”
