Scowling, she threw the towel on the counter. “That’s easy for you to say.”
“Well, yeah, it is,” I said, glancing around at my own apartment. I’d faced a coldhearted killer, too, right here in my home. I’d managed to avoid spilling any blood, though, thank goodness. It had been hard enough to reclaim my sense of safety and security without having the memory of blood to color everything.
“How about this?” I said. “We’ll have my mom do a purification ceremony. We can all prance around with clumps of burning sage and smudge the place clean.”
She pressed her lips together to keep from smiling. Because, really, the image of my crazy mom dancing around, ponytail bouncing, waving sage, and chanting to ward off evil spirits? It was pretty funny.
Her smile was short-lived. “Look, I appreciate the attempt at humor, but you’ve never had to deal with . . .” She stopped talking as she noticed my eyes narrow down to slits. “Okay, um, I take that back.”
“Damn straight you’ll take that back.” I leaned against the refrigerator door and folded my arms. “You know what I went through when that psycho killer showed up at my house.”
She held up her hand. “I know, Brooklyn, but you have to admit this is different.”
“Okay, you’re right. I wasn’t sleeping with the victim.”
“Yes, that. And because . . . you know, the blood.”
“Blood can be cleaned,” I reiterated, trying to keep the exasperation from my voice. It’s not that I was mad at her. I knew what she was feeling, and honestly, a part of me wanted to curl up in a ball and hide, just like she did. But another part knew that the only way to buck Robin up was to be tough. “Look, here’s the deal. You can’t allow some murdering creep to chase you out of your own home. You love that place. You’ve been there for years and you know all your neighbors and you’ve got all your favorite places to shop and eat.”
“Yeah, I guess.” She blew out a breath, but she was standing a little straighter. “Oh, hell, I don’t know.”
I grabbed her shoulders. “And think about it. Who in their right mind would give up a two-bedroom rentcontrolled flat in the heart of Noe Valley?”
She smiled at that. “Now, that’s the best reason you’ve come up with so far.”
“There you go.” I pushed away from the refrigerator and straightened the soap dish on the sink. “Look, I was scared to death to come back to this place after they carted the killer away in handcuffs. Intellectually, I knew there was nothing to worry about, but I still had to beg my mom and dad to stay here with me for three nights. Finally I realized I was being silly. It was over. I was safe. And besides, Derek stopped by every day for a week.”
“He’s so nice,” she said wistfully.
“Yes, he really is.”
“You’re so lucky.”
“I know.”
And with that, she burst into tears.
After we’d managed to calm Robin down, Derek left for his office and I convinced Robin to take a long, soothing bubble bath. Then I cleaned up around the house and took out the trash. We have a trash chute in the building, so I walked down the hall and around the corner to the small trapdoor in the wall. I tossed the bag through the opening and waited, listening for the satisfying thud as it fell into the garage Dumpster six floors below.
“Hello, Miss Brooklyn.”
I turned and saw the little boy I’d met last night. “Hi, Tyler. How are you?”
“Fine, thank you.”
“Tyler?” his mother called from the far end of the hall.
“I’m here, Mama,” he bellowed.
“Whoa, who’s doing all the yelling?” My neighbor Suzie strolled up carrying a large white plastic trash bag. “Yo, Brooklyn, howzit?”
“Hi, Suzie,” I said. “Have you met Tyler?”
“Hey, munchkin,” Suzie said, grinning at the boy. “Are you our new neighbor?”
“Yes, sir,” Tyler whispered. He stared in fascination at Suzie, whose fashion choice today was a sleeveless black leather shirt with matching bell bottoms and spike-toed boots. Her white blond hair was short and spiked, and she wore at least ten different earrings and studs in her ears. Happily, none of her other parts were pierced. At least, none that showed. She looked like a scary but sexy lesbian chain-saw artist, which was exactly what she was.
Tyler’s mom came jogging around the bend. “Tyler, I called you to—Oh, hello.”
“Hi, Mama,” Tyler said. “This is our new neighbor.”
“Good morning, Lisa,” I said. “Have you met Suzie Stein? She has the place closest to the elevator on the east side of the building.”
Lisa bowed. “How do you do?”
“I’m dandy,” Suzie said. “I think you met my better half yesterday. Vinnie.”
Lisa cocked her head. “I met Vinnie. She is half of you?”
Suzie chuckled. “No, she’s my better half. That’s a kind of silly way of saying we’re a couple.”
“Ah. She is your roommate.”
“That’s another way to say it.”
“I am still have problems with some colloquialisms.”