Swingin' in the Rain (9 page)

  She looked at me and blinked. “Oh, yeah. I’ll catch up with you guys. I have to go to the ladies room.” And she headed off in the other direction. Before I could ask her how she’d find us, she had turned the corner.

  George and I looked at each other. “Do you think she’ll be all right?” George asked me.

  “I have a feeling she’ll be just fine.”

  Patti stopped in front of another window. I looked in. This must be the ‘Doctor’s Office’ because there was an exam table and a few people gathered around it dressed in Doctor’s scrubs and masks. It looked like someone was on the table.

  “This is so hedonistic,” George said. “Mind blowing and fascinating, really. What it says about our society, I mean? The Romans engaged in this sort of thing and look what happened to their civilization.”

  I nodded and added, “So true, but I’m not one to judge. Who’s to say what consenting adults should or shouldn’t do. What I find so fascinating is how they can share their husbands and wives or significant others with other people without any fighting? If I ever saw Jakes with someone else, I’d have to kill him.” Patti looked at me. “What? It’s just a figure of speech, Patti. Really.”

  She looked a little skeptical. “Do we really need to have a dissertation on the social implications of this lifestyle choice right here? Right now?” she asked. “And it’s Vivica!” Then she turned and continued down the hall. She was pissed. Was it because I had bullied her into taking us here? Maybe because her secret was out? Or was it something else?

  We stopped at another door that said: Girls Only. I looked in the window not knowing exactly what to expect but it was empty.

  “It’s early,” Patti explained. “It’ll be full within the hour, I’m sure. It’s a very popular room.” She moved on down to the next window.

“I can’t see anything,” George said, squinting.

  “That’s because the window is painted black. This is the Scary Room.

  George and I both looked confused, and probably a little scared.

  “What does that mean?” I asked.

  “It’s pitch black. So no one can see anything. Or any one for that matter. Nobody ever admits to going in there. But, well...it’s
always
full. If you know what I mean.”

  “I know what you mean. And this is all very shocking in an interesting and perverse way. But what does it mean?” I asked. “If you’re trying to tell me that Randy had some kinky sex habits, okay, I get it. Obviously, he had changed, because believe me he wasn’t into this stuff when we were together.” I was getting exasperated. “Why did you want me to see this? What does Randy’s death have to do with all of it?”

  “I told you before. I don’t know anything about Randy’s death, Alex.” Patti hesitated before she added, “I just thought you should know.” She seemed frustrated and resigned. “Follow me.”

  She furtively looked around and then led us to a dark corner. A door marked: Office with no window next to it was there. “I’m going to get a drink. I’ll be right back.”

  “Wait a sec. You can’t just leave us! Is this another theme room? Someone’s playing secretary in there or something?”

  She looked around again nervously. “Look, I’ve told you everything I know. I gotta go.”

  “Wait, Patti! What do I do now? What about...” But she was gone.

  George and I looked at each other.

  “Now what?” He asked me.

  We were alone. No Tonya. No Patti. “I guess we go in.”

CHAPTER NINETEEN

  I turned the knob and slowly opened the door, not sure what we’d find in there. I half expected to see couples playing CEO and secretary games. But I was happy to see it was just an office. I let out a sigh of relief.

  “What’s in there?” George whispered behind me.

  “Nothing that I can see. Just a desk, sofa, bookcase. It’s an office.” We both stepped inside and closed the door behind us. “For some reason Patti wanted me to come in here.” I gave the place a quick once over but couldn’t see anything. It was too dark. “I’d better nose around a little. Wait outside, George, and be my lookout. Knock twice if anyone comes by.”

  “I don’t want to wait outside. What if someone wants to do something with me in one of those rooms?”

  “Deal with it.” I grabbed his hat and put it back on his head, then shoved him out the door.

   I stepped further into the room and found a desk lamp. I turned it on and the room was bathed in a dim light. There was a long table behind the desk with papers on it. I was rifling through them when I heard two quick knocks. I ran to the door and slowly opened it. George was standing there. Alone.

  “What?”

  “Nothing. I just wanted to make sure you’d come out if I knocked.” I gave him a look and closed the door again.

  I went back to the papers but couldn’t find anything of interest. It looked like cost sheets and other business related stuff. Nothing I recognized. I opened a few cupboards and pulled out some clothing.

  “Ewww.” I dropped them when I realized what they were.  A policeman’s uniform--probably used for the Jail room. Lovely.

  I went to the desk and started opening up drawers. There was nothing of interest in the first three, except one had several packs of cigarettes. There was one more drawer at the bottom I hadn’t gone through. I opened it and found files. Four were bound together.  Each cover page had a large fleur di lis printed on it but a different name directly beneath. I quickly looked over the name:, Cliff Dweller, Bobby McBalls, a few others. Were these people kidding? I put the files away and heard two quick knocks, again. This time they were more urgent. I peeked out the door. George came bursting in.

  “You’re not going to believe who I just saw going into the Doctor’s Office!”

  “Who?”

  “My dentist! How crazy is that?”

  “Your dentist? What? Did he see you?”

  “No. I don’t think so. I pulled my hat down. He was with his wife! Oh my God. I can never have him put a drill in me again! Have you found anything, yet? I’m getting nervous.”

  “Give me five minutes. Any sign of Tonja?”

  “No. I think that girl is off exploring. Hurry!”

  I pushed him back into the hall and closed the door, leaning on it. Then I looked around wondering what the hell Patti thought I would find so interesting in here. I saw a bookcase on the other wall and walked over to it. The books were varied, some on sports, some on travel. There were bookends and knick knacks interspersed along the shelves.

  Then I saw it.  clay figure. It looked like it was supposed to be a dog or an animal of some sort. You could tell it had been made by a small child. And not just any child. It was made by Sarah. She had made it for her father when she was not quite three years old.

  I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. To find something so personal in such a strange and random place was more than a little disturbing. I couldn’t make any sense of it. What was this piece of my daughter’s childhood doing on this bookshelf in this office in this kind of a club? It could only mean one thing. 

  This was Randy’s office.

  I became frantic as I looked around the room

  again. What hadn’t I seen before that I would see now?

  I examined at the books more closely. Sure enough the travel books were all Randy. All about various cities and countries in South America. That was where Randy had run off to after he had stolen my money. I knew he had fallen in love with that part of the world and the number of books on the region confirmed it. Also, I realized now that the packs of cigarettes in the desk were his brand.

  I scanned the walls and floor. Could something be hidden in them? Then my eyes fell back on the desk. I had been in the middle of looking through files when George interrupted me. I hurried back to the drawers, pulling files out, laying them on the desk under the lamp. 

  Knock-knock.

“Shit! George! Not now!” I muttered under my breath. I kept going through the papers and saw one with Randy’s signature on it. It was some kind of a purchase agreement. George poked his head in.

  “We gotta go! Now!”

  “Why? I’m just now on to something.”

  “Trust me. We gotta go!”

  “Shit, shit, shit!” I quickly put the files away, ran back over to the bookcase and picked up the little clay dog Sarah had made. Should I take it? Would anyone miss it?

  There were two very frantic knocks on the door again. I put the figurine in my purse and hurried out the door. And right into Natalie.

CHAPTER TWENTY

   “What are you doing in here?” she asked, looking alarmed. I glanced at George and his eyes were as big as saucers.

  “Uh, I thought it was another theme room. You know, Secretary and boss shenanigans?” I said thinking on my feet. Natalie eyed me suspiciously as she opened the door and stepped into the office. She looked around and came back into the hall.

  “You’re not supposed to be in there. It’s private.” 

  “I’m so sorry.” I put on my most innocent face. “I’m new to all of this. Sorry.”

  “I think you all need to leave.” She wasn’t being so warm and silky anymore. She was being downright mean. “Where’s your friend?”

  “You mean, Patti? I mean, Vivica?”

  “No. The other one. Patti left.”

  “Patti left?” I asked.

  Natalie nodded.

  “Fifteen minutes ago.”

  That was news to me. Why would

  Patti leave without telling us?

   “And he’s not supposed to be wandering around alone,

  remember?” she said gesturing to George.

  “Oh, yeah. The ‘Girl’s Rule’ rule.” George said. “But I wasn’t really wandering. I was just kind of loitering.”

  She took out a key from her pocket and locked the office door.

  “Find your friend and leave. You’ve got five minutes.” And she left.

  “I wonder what the bouncer looks like, here?” George said.

  “This is so bizarre.” I had sweat on my upper lip. “We gotta go.” We started down the hall; I was holding onto George for dear life.

  “Did you find anything?” George whispered. He pried my fingers off his wrist.

  “You’re not going to believe it.”

  “Tell me.” We turned the corner and there was Tonja, standing squarely in front of the Jail Room window. She was looking around wildly, like she was lost, and when she saw us this look of relief came over her face.

  “Oh, hi, you guys! I was looking for you!” She seemed tipsy and I saw that her skirt was on, well, backwards. George saw it, too.

  “We’re leaving,” I said, leading them both to the exit.

  “Oh, so soon?” She was very disappointed.

  “Natalie wants us to leave,” George interjected.

  “Oh Natalie, schmatalie! I don’t want to leave. Uh, I think I’ll stay awhile. I ran into some people I know.” She got very close to my face and I could smell whiskey. “I wish they had a Basketball Room. I’d rock it! Go Lakers!” I backed away and was losing my patience, fast. “Natalie really wants us to go. Now.”

  “I’ll have my friends vouch for me.”

  “And how will you get home, Tonja?” George asked. He wasn’t so patient either.

   “I’ll get a ride with one of my pals.” She seemed very fidgety, anxious to get back to . . . what? “I’m just going to stay and have another cocktail. And dance.” She lowered her voice. “You know.”

  “Riiight. Dance. Okay.” I asked.

  “That would be great! I’ll see you tomorrow!” Off she went in the direction of the Jail. I heard a distant “Go Lakers!” coming from somewhere.

  George and I looked at each other.

  “So much for this not being her ‘thing’,” he said.

  “Never mind. Let’s just go.”

  “What did you find?”

  “I’ll tell you in the car.”

  George and I were on the 10 Freeway, heading toward Venice Beach. A light rain had begun to fall.

  “George, I think we should go to Patti’s. Where does she live?”

  “Why should we go there? Now?”

  “Because I want to know why she just left us there?” I said.

  “Get off on Highland and take it towards the Hollywood Hills.”

  “I’ve got to call Wayne and tell him we’ll be later. Home!” I shouted out. The phone rang twice and Wayne picked up. “Hi Wayne. How are you and Sarah?”

  “We’re good. She’s sound asleep. How are you two?”

  “Fine. I just wanted to let you know we’ll be a little later than we thought. We’re stopping by Patti’s on the way home.”

  “Is everything all right?” Wayne knew enough about our antics to be concerned.

  “We’re fine, Sweetie,” George yelled out. “You’re not going to believe the stories we have to tell!”

  “I can’t wait to hear all about it. Be safe out there, you two!”

  “We will!” George and I yelled out at the same time, then looked at each other as I disconnected the call.

  “What did you find in that office? C’mon. Enough with the suspense.”

  I reached into my purse and pulled out the clay figure. I carefully placed it in his hand. “I found this. Can you believe it?”

  George looked from his hand to my face a couple of times.