Shell Game – Chapter 18 – Mysterious Car

The fog was an opaque white wall, much thicker than when Evan first ventured out earlier that evening. Cones of luminance spread out from the streetlamps providing the only direction in the night. The haze erased the stars and moon, making the night sky seem like a ghostly ceiling pressing in on them. The lonely sounds of their shoes on the sidewalks made it seem like Evan and Claire were the only people left on earth.

Evan turned Claire up Constitution and then over to Commercial. They walked past The Granada. Harold’s play was still going on. Evan checked his watch. Not much else would be open at that hour, and even if there had been, he knew he needed to keep on the move until he could control the environment. Lauren Bacall might make her presence known at any time, and sooner or later, Evan suspected, she would become downright annoying. So, he invited Claire over to his apartment to wait on Harold. Evan said they could call on Harold at his hotel once the play let out. She agreed, and the couple headed east on 10th and then south on Exchange.

They turned the corner of Exchange toward First, and Evan could just make out the blinking red of the neon sign that hung from his building. Across the street, a car, outlined by a nearby streetlamp, sat waiting. It was pale-yellow and sat like a moored ghost ship in the vapor. He recognized the shape, which made his heart leap and his gut churn all at the same instant. To not rouse any adverse reactions in Claire, Evan acknowledged the shot of adrenaline coursing in his bloodstream and successfully worked to keep his breathing and footsteps even. Claire was doing a fair amount of talking which also provided a cover if his poker face had given anything away. If Claire had noticed the car, Evan couldn’t sense she’d given it any particular importance.

As the pair drew closer and closer to the apartment building, the car’s identity became more precise, only confirming Evan’s initial reaction. Its tall, boxy cab, the white-walled spare tire attached to the trunk, the dented back fender. Evan noticed the rolled-down driver’s window and braced himself for the conversation he knew was coming. He calculated that he was already spotted, so doubling back and going in through the rear entrance would only raise suspicions. Though, if he was wrong, he might sneak into his place unseen.

Evan pulled the brim of his hat down on his right side and guided Claire up to the front door. Before he could slip in, he heard a voice sing out from out of the misty dark, “Evan! Evan!”

Claire craned her head to see who was making such a racket in the middle of the night. “It seems you have an admirer,” Claire said.

“Evan! I’m glad I caught you!” again, it was Katherine. This was going to be tough to explain. After all, this was the part of the job that provided the most fuel to their problems. “Evan!” Her voice cut through the night air. Evan sighed.
“Wait here,” Evan said to Claire. “I’ll take care of it.”

“You don’t want to introduce me?” Claire said with mischief in her smile.

“Wait here,” Evan repeated and squeezed Claire’s arm.

He walked across the street. The pick-pock-pick-pock of his heels bounced off unseen houses and structures.

“Why look who it is, Evan Gold, private eye,” Katherine said. She wore a royal and navy gingham dress – Evan loved that dress on her. He rested his hands on the door through the open window.

“What brings you out here, Katherine?” Evan started.

“Who’s the girl?” Katherine said with an I-dare-you smile.

“You didn’t answer my question, Katherine,” said Evan.

“She’s pretty,” Katherine pointed a quick finger in Claire’s direction. “Is she here a lot or…?”

Evan twisted his waist to look over at Claire, who was waiting patiently in the light of the apartment’s entryway. “I told you, I had one last case that I need to wrap up. I know you’re not going to believe this, but I’m working right now,” Evan said.

“She’s pretty,” Katherine said, looking around Evan’s arm at Claire. “Did you happen to make it to the bank today?”
Evan felt the punch right in his gut and hung his head. “Well, I can see why.” Katherine jabbed. “You clearly have more important things to worry yourself with.” Then she locked her eyes on Evan’s face, “How can I even trust you if this is the kind of life you choose to lead?”

Evan sighed. “Katherine, it’s late. You should be at home. Why don’t you go home?” Something caught Evan’s attention at the edge of his vision. He adjusted his stance and shifted his eyes to the right. There she was. She’d found him.

Lauren Bacall. She may not be the best stalker, but she was persistent. Evan sucked his teeth. She leaned up against a lamppost, her hands jammed in her pockets. Her blonde hair and khaki coat stood out as clear as day. It was so brazen; Evan didn’t know if he should be nervous or impressed.

“You’re right. I should be at home. I was at home, and I thought that I wanted to see you. You know, why wait the full week before we work on us? And then, you’ll find this funny, I remembered I didn’t know where you lived now. But I remembered that you are a creature of habit, so I thought of where you were living before when we met. So here I am. I rang, but obviously, you were out.”

She was landing blow after blow, and he knew he just had to take it. Evan didn’t like getting sucker-punched, but her words landed like a blow in his gut all the same. He couldn’t tell her what was going on, what he was doing with Claire. Evan couldn’t bring her into a situation when not all the risks were known. He couldn’t open her up to danger.

Evan slid his right hand in his pocket and started to fiddle with the pearl, trying to think his way out of this situation. The pearl warmed up and showed him another badly cut movie in his mind. This one had visions of Claire, Katherine, and Evan all together in his apartment. A man approached the building from the outside. There was a smashed vase, a cut cheek, and Katherine leaving in tears while throwing her wedding ring at Evan.

He didn’t know what any of that meant. Was that what would happen, what might happen, or would never happen because he was crazy and believing wild thoughts from a talking pearl? Still, he was convinced of one thing regardless of the consequences.

“You should go,” Evan told Katherine and slid his eyes over to Lauren Bacall. “This case is not on the level, and I can’t have you getting hurt.”

“I don’t know about that,” Katherine said. “I mean about the hurt part. I believe you that this case isn’t on the level. But you’re an expert in hurt.”

“I can explain everything in the morning, but not right now. I’m busy,” Evan said.

“Mmm-hmm. Here’s another thought, Evan, why not just walk away now? You know? You always say truth and justice will make themselves known. Just walk away. Let some other gumshoe, or better yet, the police, pick up the pieces and see that law and order are preserved.” She put her hand on Evan’s. “Come home with me.”

Evan looked hard into the eyes of his wife; the woman he’d promised so many things. He knew that she could find a better man, but more than that, he wanted to take up her offer. Just get in the car and leave it all behind.

But he also knew that if he didn’t put this to bed, if he didn’t see to it personally, truth and justice might be served, but something from this mess would come back to bite him later. Bite him and maybe bite Katherine, too.

“I can’t,” he said eventually.

Katherine withdrew her hand. “You have to ride in on the white steed?” Katherine asked.

“Something like that,” Evan said.

“But not for me?”

“I know it doesn’t look like it, but this is for you,” Evan said.

“Well, you’re right,” Katherine said, “it doesn’t look like it. It looks like you’re choosing your work, or whatever she is over me.”

“Kathy,” Evan said.

“You know, I don’t think a week is long enough. I’m starting to think there may never be time enough Evan, I don’t like being pushed off. I came down here against my better judgment thinking… I don’t know what I was thinking.” She looked up into Evan’s eyes. “I thought you loved me.”

Evan took a deep breath and let it out between his teeth. “Kathy, I do love you, but…”

“But there’s a killer on the loose, and you have to bring him in.”

“Kathy. Listen. I’m on the clock. There’s a phone call I need to make.”

“I want to come up with you,” Katherine said.

Evan’s blood ran cold. This pearl’s visions snapped back in his mind. “No,” Evan blurted.

“I want to come up to talk,” she said.

“We’re talking right here,” Evan crossed his arms.

“Let me into whatever goes on in that brain of yours.”

“Please go home, Katherine,” Evan said. “This is no good. I’ll get to the bank tomorrow. This isn’t good. You need to go home.”

Katherine pointed her sad, green eyes at Evan, then over to Claire, then back to Evan. Eventually, Katherine said, “You’re not up to anything funny?”

“I promise,” Evan said.

“The case is not on the level, but you are?”

“Katherine.”

“You’ll call me, then?” asked Katherine. “Later?”

“When the week is out,” Evan said.

“It’s so good to know Athens has its very own Superman,” Katherine said.

A few more seconds passed before Katherine leaned back in her seat and turned the key. The engine roared to life.

“You promised,” Katherine said to Evan just before putting the car into gear and moving into the misty night.

As Evan turned to cross back over the street, he eyed the trench-coated woman still leaning against the lamppost. Evan sucked his teeth again and scraped his left foot on the asphalt. Then trotted back to Claire.

“Another client?” Claire asked when Evan made it back.

“Let’s get you inside,” Evan said.

“She seems nice,” said Claire.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Evan fished in his pocket for his keys.

“You alright?” Claire asked, touching Evan’s arm.

“Just something in the air.” Evan pulled out his key, turned the lock, and opened the building’s door. A moment later, he and Claire were safely inside.