667: Issue #2 "Activation"

June 5th, 2016

Adam Baudin

I got to the bar the same time Nate did. He let me in the back and poured me a soda before getting to work on opening the place up.

“You think she’s gonna show up?” Nate flipped over one barstool after another in front of the long mahogany bar.

“If she wants her phone she will. She’s going to need it being in a new city with only one friend.” I propped my feet up on the table and drank my soda.

“Two if she counts you.” Nate laughed, implying that I had already laid claim to her.

“She’s cute.” I agreed. That accent really made it too. But I wasn’t looking for anything serious with everything else that had been going on. She wasn’t a girl you just slept with one time and never spoke to again; she was worth more than that.

“Not that now would be a good time to ask her out after what happened last night.” Nate had a point there too.

Someone knocked on the front door and Nate opened it to reveal Violet dressed in cut off shorts and a black shirt with some sort of band logo on it.

“Morning, Violet. Adam’s over there.” Nate pointed at me and I waved. She had her hair down today and I could see how incredibly thick it was, like a horse’s tail. Despite being a red head she had not a freckle on her body save for a few light ones speckled across her nose.

“You have my phone?” She slung her bag on the table and waited impatiently.

“I do. You’re welcome.” I pulled it out of my front pocket and slid it across the table. Violet snatched it and started going through it like I was going to leave lewd pictures somewhere on her phone.

“You want to go for a walk with me? Maybe get some coffee and beignets?” For someone who didn’t want to date, I sure wanted to take her out to places. She had this strange hold over me.

“I don’t know…” Violet looked down at her phone.

“Got other plans?” I figured she and her friend Missy would be up to something with her just coming into town.

“Not till later this afternoon.” She spoke quietly, still going through what seemed to be her text messages. “She did try to call me.”

“Missy?” I asked. Violet wasn’t totally part of our conversation.

“Yeah. She was still up when I got home. I thought she hadn’t called to check on me, but she did; I just didn’t have my phone.” Violet finally stuffed it in the front flap of her bag and stood from the table.

“You leaving so soon?” I lifted my feet from the table to stand with her.

“Didn’t you promise me beignets? I’ve never had them before.” Violet gave me the most genuine smile that I had seen since we met.

I began to walk her towards the door, “I know just the place.”

(*)

“These are like eating the sweetest, fluffiest clouds. And the coffee—” Violet licked powdered sugar off her fingertips before taking a sip of her coffee.

“Yeah, they really are wonderful.” I laughed. The expression on her face was sheer joy as she took the last bite of her beignet and finished her coffee.

“Where do you want to go now?” I asked, walking closely alongside her.

“It’s only noon; I don’t have to be back till three.” She shrugged, checking her phone.

“Good; then there are two things I want to show you.” I hurried her down the street towards the spot I had found her the night before.

“You know, I have no idea where you found my phone,” Violet questioned me suddenly as if she knew where I was taking her.

“I’m going to show you.” I took her hand and jaywalked across the street to the exact same spot we had met the prior evening.

“I must have lost it in the struggle.” It dawned on Violet when she had actually lost possession of her phone.

“I walked back by here last night on the way home and found it. Notice anything strange though?” I stepped under the awning where the tables were and waited for it to sink in.

“Where’s the body?” Violet furrowed her brow and looked from me to the spot where I had killed the man that had been attacking her.

“It wasn’t there when I came back here last night. There’s no police, no police tape, no chalk outline. The body is just gone and I don’t think anyone even noticed it was here.” I pointed out the lack of any sort of police presence.

“Somebody did because the body is gone.” Violet pointed out. She was right about that. Someone had to have found the man’s corpse, but why had they taken it and not reported anything to the authorities?

“Let’s get out of here just in case.” I grabbed Violet by the elbow, but she jerked her arm violently away from me.

“I’m sorry.” She sputtered, backing away from me as her chest heaved up and down.

“No, I’m sorry. I should be more thoughtful.” I wanted for her breathing to level out before I urged her to follow me in a different direction. I was going to take her to my home and introduce her to Henri.

He had a few things to say about the situation that I had gotten myself into with her the night before, though I hadn’t been very specific. I figured he’d change his tune when he met her.