“She’s not doing phone sex over there now, right? There’s a whole crowd visiting from what I saw and heard—unless…”Oh no, she couldn’t be…“She isn’t having an orgy in there or anything, is she?”
Gwyneth burst out laughing. “My uptight cousin? Naw, you just saw the folks who came for the séance. She’s a first-class medium too.”
Séance? Medium? Nut jobs must run in the family.“Well, it’s been nice talking to you, Gwyneth. I wish I could stay and visit.”
“Come back when you can. I’ll put on the kettle, and we’ll have a fine ol’ time.”
“Oh, sure. Sometime when I’m not so busy…”Suuuure…
He turned to leave, then thought while he was talking to her, he should ask. “Do you remember when I found you and your cousin in the basement, drunk out of your minds?”
Gwyneth’s spine straightened. “We werenotdrunk. Just a little tipsy is all. My gran-pappy used to say, ‘as long as y’all can hold onto one blade of grass and not fall off the face of the earth, you ain’t drunk.’”
“Oh, I see. Well, then, do you know why the cellar still smells like alcohol?”
“Huh? It do?”
“Yes, it do…I mean does. Any idea why?”
She scratched her chin and squinted like she was pondering hard. Then she snapped her fingers. “I got it. I bet y’all just got the smell up your nose and now you cain’t get it out. That’s happened to me when something stinks real strong. Like skunks and gasoline.”
Jules shook his head. “No, I—uh. Never mind.”Total. Nut. Job.“I’ll see you around.” Then he dashed back downstairs.
As he was passing Lillian’s door, he almost bumped into a guy who was leaving in a hurry. He was still tying his tie.
“Oh! Sorry.”
The guy just gave him a frantic look and said, “Be careful. She’s hot!” Then he rushed down the stairs and out the front door.
What did he mean by that?Maybe all the women in the building were beautiful crazies. Or was it more? He remembered her sizzling handshake. Jules stood there for a few moments, trying to decide whether or not he should check on his tenant in 2A. “Nah, screw it,” he said out loud. Returning to his apartment, he decided dating neighbors wasn’t the best idea anyway.
“You’re probably worried for nothing.”Chad floated over her bed as Morgaine packed her suitcase.
“What do you mean, probably?”
“You know. There are no guarantees in life. Now, death on the other hand…”
“Chad, shut-it. I’m nervous enough as it is.” She folded her favorite cashmere sweater, running her hands over the soft, comforting fabric before moving on to the next item.
“Why are you nervous? You’ll be with a vampire. A big, bad, bloodsucking killing machine, who can use mesmerism to make people do whatever he wants.”
“For fuck’s sake, Chad!” Morgaine threw her black satin nightgown at his frothy image. It passed right through him and fluttered to the floor.
“Why are you throwing your lingerie on the floor?”
“Why are you still here?”
He vanished, then reappeared on the other side of the room.“Man, if you let every little thing freak you out like that, you’ll be a wreck before you even leave the building.”
She blew out a deep breath. “Tell me about it.”
Chad scratched his head.“I don’t get it.”
“Don’t get what?”
“The agoraphobia. Why that?”
“It’s not exactly like I had a menu to pick from.” She held up the piece of paper on which she’d printed the hotel’s address and phone number, flipped it over to the blank side and pretended to study it. With her finger on her chin, she said, “Hmm…let’s see…should I take the paranoid schizophrenia or the multiple personality disorder? Oh, I know! I’ll get the agoraphobia and nyctophobia. They’re having a two for one special on those today.”
