I Read What?!

After a flood of belated Tables of Contents (I'm not sure I got tenses right there), I'm now back to reviewing! Yay!

So last time, Jack saved an artist. Then mildly hypnotized an artist. But the guy's okay, that's the important part, right?



So we resume with Jack having just got a "long day's rest". But sadly, he's still got his problems.

Alex Adrian's in the papers again, since his girlfriend's been murdered. But Barb Steler ended up with the scoop as to how two suspects were captured. Conveniently, per Escott, she'd somehow forgotten to include Jack's name. Jack admits they had a little talk at the hospital. I bet.

We also learn that Escott's "usual" radio station is classical - a string version of Mozart. Turned low, Jack almost finds the higher pitched notes bearable.

Apparently Barb DID talk about Escott's business though, he appreciates that, even though he's annoyed at being called a "private detective."

Escott's got more done though: he's seen Sandra's autopsy report:

“Sandra Robley had some bruising on her face and the left side of her skull was smashed in by a very powerful blow. The forensic man was of the opinion that she’d first been struck by a fist and then hit with something much harder while she was down. The police found a heavy bronze sculpture by the sink in the Robleys’ kitchen. They think the killer took it there to wash away the blood and fingerprints. It was next to a damp towel and quite clean.”

Poor Sandra. The only thing stolen was her change purse, and they both think it's a blind.

I've never heard the word in this context. Google isn't helpful, but I PRESUME they mean that it's a fakeout. There was nothing valuable at Sandra's place and well, they're artists. "Confidence tricksters or forgers" might target them, but they usually aren't violent.

An interesting note is that the cops seem to be of the same opinion. They're not unfamiliar with the idea of someone getting murdered for a few dollars, but they're also questioning people to see if there's a personal motive instead.

Poor Evan, by the way, is recovered enough to give a statement, but is still in the hospital. He'd walked his lady friend home, came back, found his sister's body, and called Alex, but nothing beyond that. The woman backed him up, and both she and her roommate vouched for Evan's character and his lighthearted mood.

Escott does consider the fact that Evan could be an actor or lying type, but Jack doesn't think so.

Brett, by the way, has come by and cut Escott a check. He's happy to think that the mobsters are the murderers. And Charles admits that while Wallace and Roller seem tailor made for the villain role, the actual motivation seems shaky. They'd be more likely to try to frighten Evan and Sandra to get more money out of them.

The police also found a third guy, who'd been about to sell Adrian's car. The police all seem to be settled on the idea that Alex isn't the killer at least, so that's good.

Escott seems skeptical and clearly would like Jack to talk to the man. Jack leaves, taking a moment to visit Bobbi.

Bobbi's with Marza, who is the usual kind of unfriendly, but they still get a moment together. Bobbi's phone's been ringing nonstop, due to her role as being at least a semi-famous person who discovered a dead body. She's worried about her job, and feels guilty for being selfish with everything going on.

Jack reassures her, as a good boyfriend should, and fills her in on everything with Alex and Evan. He admits that he's going to talk to Alex, and she seems to get what that means. She invites him to come by later (with plans to kick Marza out. Heh.)

So Jack heads to the hospital. First, to see Evan. Reva and Brett are there. Brett notices Jack and joins him out in the hall. Apparently Reva's just gotten Evan to talk about Sandra, and Brett would prefer not to spoil the mood. Jack understands. Brett is very worried about Evan. He'll be getting out tomorrow though, and Reva and Brett will have him stay with them.

Jack wonders about Alex, but Brett doesn't think Alex can take care of himself, much less Evan. He tells Jack a bit more about Alex's wife's death, and his guilt. Apparently he'd been painting in his studio when Celia died, and believes he might have been able to stop her if he hadn't.

Ah, that does put a context on his artist's block, doesn't it.

Jack does get to see Evan, who's pretty listless. But they do banter a bit about Bobbi (Jack says he left her home because he'd heard of Evan's reputation". Jack very gently hypnotizes him to get at his blocked memories. Evan had told the truth to the police. And Jack confirms that he's not the killer. He does, it seems, make it clear that Evan has no thoughts of suicide.

But...maybe he had an audience...

I stood and turned to leave—and stopped short. Adrian was standing just inside the door. His mouth was slightly open and he was twisting his wedding band around. I’d been focused entirely on Evan and had heard nothing.

“Hello,” I said, hoping it didn’t sound as awkward as I felt.

“I was wondering if you might show up,” he stated neutrally. He was casually dressed, his shirtsleeves rolled back to accommodate all the bandaging on his wrists.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Well enough.”

“Been there long?”

“Oh, yes.”

Alex had witnessed Jack last night, recall. But Jack had hypnotized that out of him...right?

Either way, Alex is willing to talk to Jack, and they head to a private place that reminds Jack of Alex's studio. And well...maybe the end of last chapter mislead us a bit.

“And you prefer sitting in the dark?”

He got the chair the rest of the way out and sank gratefully into it. His movements were slow and careful, an indication of the stiffness lingering in his shoulders and back. “I don’t mind. It softens reality and makes the impossible more acceptable.”

“Me, for instance?”

“Yes.” He brought out a pack of cigarettes and tapped one onto the table, but didn’t fire up his match. Perhaps even that tiny spark would have made things too real for him. “I meant what I said last night, I won’t tell anyone about you—or about what I just saw.”

So yeah, Jack may have done SOME hypnosis. But not that.

Alex has questions, and Jack admits that he might not answer them. But okay.

So we get a Q&A a bit. Nothing we didn't know, but Jack ends up laughing when Alex asks what he is. And Alex smiles too, realizing it's all kind of ridiculous. They change the subject after all.

And well...

I broke away from the door and took one of the other chairs at his table. “Sandra.”

Muscles on both sides of his neck tightened into iron. “No.”

“Have to.”

“Why? No… never mind, it’s all too obvious. As with Evan, you want to know if I murdered her.”

“You need to be eliminated from a list of possibles.”

“Same thing, nicer phrasing.” He looked directly at me, his eyes and voice like ice. “Ask.”

Jack does, by the way. And "got the answer he was expecting". (I presume no, since the book still has a few chapters left.)

He also asks about Celia. Alex says he didn't kill her, not directly anyway. The story, such as it is, comes out. He sees himself as an addict for art, and he needs silence and solitude. Celia ended up seeing another man, and was trying to get his attention with it. Alex got upset and they fought, though apparently Alex getting upset had proved to Celia that he still loved her. Two days later, she got into the garage and started the car.

(There's actually a really interesting tangent about creative outlets, in the midst of this, that have an nifty little echo later in the chapter for Jack and Bobbi. But I can't really find a way to work it in.)

He'd been avoiding her with work, and while they'd talked divorce, neither of them really wanted. Per Alex, Celia broke off their relationship the only way she felt she could. So indirectly, Alex killed her.

Sandra didn't know about this. And Alex had resolved to do things differently and put her first. Celia had never said who the man was that she was seeing, though Alex definitely doesn't think it was Evan (he doesn't go for married women and was in a relationship at the time.) Alex honestly doesn't have any idea who it was, and doesn't really care anymore.

Aw.

So we transition to Jack talking to Bobbi, and noting that if Charles is still up when Jack goes home, he'll get an earful. And I'm suddenly realizing the guys are roommates. Hah. That was established but it didn't really register.

Bobbi notes that Alex has really gotten to Jack, and Jack relates it to losing Maureen. He sees himself in Alex, wants to help, but can't.

He asks if Bobbi would like to see a movie. She suggests a western with a cattle stampede, and he gets what she's really saying. It's time to go to the Stockyards. He recommends she dress down.

And we do learn what she wears. Of course, Bobbi always warrants a good description.

Ten minutes later we were cuddled up in the front seat of my car. Bobbi wore some battered Oxfords, a dark sweater, and a matching pair of wide-legged ladies’ trousers. Her bright hair was covered by a black cloche hat she said she hated, but hadn’t gotten around to throwing out yet. We didn’t talk much, but it was a companionable silence. I drove sedately and parked fairly close in.

The best kind of outfit for watching your boyfriend chomp a cow.

So the smell's pretty distinct, but Bobbi isn't chickening out. They'll climb a fence (Bobbi, wisely, brought gloves. She's been thinking about this a while apparently.)

This does get a bit funny.

Bobbi stared at the three cows huddled in the far corner and they stared unenthusiastically back. “Big, aren’t they?”

“They stink, too.”

“But you put your mouth—”

“Baby, I get so hungry, it just doesn’t matter.” A lazy stream, a wind from a distant slaughterhouse carried a breath of the bloodsmell over us. Bobbi couldn’t pick it up, but I could and it stirred dark things within me.

She asks if he's hungry now. He'd eaten yesterday, but compares it to being a person who's full, going past a restaurant and still salivating.

So we get some description on how Jack's mojo works with cows. Though amusingly, he has a bit of a performance issue with the teeth. Bobbi helps out with a bit of cattle pen smooching.

A few minutes later I had to pull away from her. “I should have brought you along sooner, it’s a lot more fun like this.”

“Just as long as you don’t feel the same way about the cow.”

“Good grief, no.”

Heh.

So now to eat. Bobbi gets to see the cow afterward, it looks fine. She notes that the experience wasn't what she expected. No horns or foaming at the mouth. He just looked like he was enjoying it. And when they head back to her place and change/wash up, Bobbi's pretty inclined to continue what they'd been doing in the cattle pen.

It quietly, seems like a milestone for them,

She stifled a shriek as I picked her up and carried her to the bed. We fell into it, laughing, and proceeded to do some delightfully indecent things to each other. Between the giggles and gasps, we talked of love and, eventually, consummated it.

Aw.

After, they doze together and chat about the big decision. Namely, if Bobbi wants to be a vampire. She notes it's kind of scary, but love is scary, and that ultimately, she wants to spend forever with him. Or try, anyway. Aw.

So, we get another kinda-sort of sex scene. I'm a prude, so I'm not including it. But Jack notes that people say that making love to produce a child is different, more intense and vital, and this kind of feels the same way.

It goes on for a while. MUCH more detailed than the usual scenes. As they go on, Jack cuts the vein in his neck and Bobbi figures it out quickly and drinks the blood. And apparently, Jack really likes vampire bottoming. Good to know. But also not surprising in the least.

The chapter ends there.