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Sly Fox

By Mary Eileen Callan

Born 1934, F, from Silver Spring, MD, United States

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Sly Fox

“Is it all right if I sit here?”
The Blond barely looked up at him and shrugged.
“I’ll have a Jameson on the rocks.”
The bartender wiped the space in front of him with a dingy damp rag.
“Coming right up”.
“You want a refill? The newcomer asked. He was wearing a gray tee shirt and jeans, clean and worn.
Blondie nodded.
Once the drinks were served the man took a better look at the woman seated next to him. Her black tee shirt was untucked, and her jeans weren’t new. Casual like he was. His face must have given him away.
“Surprised?” She asked.
“I never guessed you were so young.”
“Aren’t you going to ask where I got the scar?”
“Well, it’s none of my business.”
“True, but I’ll tell you anyway. I was burned by a splash of boiling water my stepfather threw at me. He came on to me and I fought him off.”
The glass trembled in her hand as she took a sip of her gin and tonic.
“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“Don’t fuss.” She snapped.
He kept quiet. She squirmed in her seat.
“I’m not very good company. My Doctor said I should get out more. Don’t feel bad, it was going to happen sooner or later. It always does.”
“What happens?”
“A man starts to talk to me and after he gets a good look he walks away.”
Someone put quarters in the jukebox and Eva Cassidy belted out “Gee Baby Ain’t I Good to You”.
“Dance?”
“Why not?”
The next Cassidy song was “The Shadow of Your Smile”.
They returned to the bar more relaxed; he held her hand. She smiled.
Blondie wanted to say thanks for the dance and the drink, but she swallowed her words just in time. No use getting her hopes up; this wasn’t going anywhere.
Instead she finished her G and T and moved to put her knubby fleece jacket on.
“Leaving already. Isn’t it a bit early?”
“I’ve had two drinks that’s enough for me.”
She stood for a moment looking out at the street of slanted shadows.
“I’d like to see you again. We could maybe get together for lunch. Get some food and have time to talk.”
She didn’t see the harm in having lunch with him. Who knows?
“All right, that sounds nice.”
“How about tomorrow? I can pick you up or we can meet somewhere.”
“Did you have a place in mind?” She asked.
“How about the new deli on Parkway. I’ve been wanting to try it.”
“I love delis. I’ve heard parking is a problem. Maybe you better pick me up.” She gave him her address and cell number.
She waved goodbye but he said he’d walk her to her car. They stepped over to the door and she looked out again at the street and drew back inside.
“What?”
“What do you mean what?”
“What has you spooked?”
She fingered the scar, “I’m not, oh why pretend, I’m terrified to go out there because I saw a man who’s a friend of my stepfather’s. He’s is in jail because of me or rather what he did to me.”
“Do you really want to leave now?”
“Yes, but not with him there.”
“Wait a minute,” he speed- dialed a number on his cell phone. “Jerry? Come over to the Sly Fox. I’ll buy you a drink after you take care of something for me. Come in the back way and park behind the building.”
“Now you’ve got me curious.” He said.
In a few minutes Jerry came strolling through the back door.
“So, what’s happening?”
Mike explained. Jerry thought for a minute, “Where is your car miss?”
“It’s a silver Toyota Carola parked in the lot out front.”
“You start for your car and as soon as he makes a move, I’ll get him. “What does he look like? What’s he wearing? “
Blondie described his clothes.
“He shouldn’t be hard to pick out wearing a Nationals baseball cap and a red windbreaker.”
“Mike you follow a behind a couple of rows over. Act drunk, stagger and weave as you go.”
As Blondie walked toward her “Carolla” the stalker emerged from the bushes. He lunged at her; Jerry was right behind. He grabbed the man and twisted his arm and ordered him down. In the struggle the knife slashed the sleeve of Blondies coat.
The stalker screamed when his other arm was twisted behind his back and handcuffed. Blondie’s knees buckled and Mike held her for a minute.
“Ready to go home?”
She nodded. A trickle of bright red blood ran down her arm onto the sleeve.
“Look at your arm?”
“I don’t feel anything.”
Blondie struggled out of her jacket and Mike tied his clean handkerchief around her arm.
“It’s only a scratch, thank God. I’ll bandage it when I get home.”
Jerry watched waiting in the parking lot for backup and added another felony to the list he was making against the slasher.
“I’ll follow you to make sure there are no others around.”
Mike ordered them to come into the station the next day to make a statement.
Chapter 2
Her small apartment building was in a nice neighborhood with established old trees and a trim front yard. After walking Blondie to her front door, he started toward his car. He was conscious of a tan car parked nearby. The man inside was on his cell phone.
An upstairs light went on and closed the shades. Mike pulled out his cell phone and speed dialed Jerry.
“Hey Mike, what’s up?”
“There’s a tan car parked outside her apartment.”
“No worries, I put a man there just to be sure no one else turns up. He got there fast.”
“That’s great. I’m heading home; too much drama tonight. I feel like I’m in a detective novel.”
“Like I am!”
“I owe you Jerry.”
“That’s nice of him,” Blondie said, when she heard what Jerry had done. “I’ll sleep better.”
Lucie Connors, AKA Blondie, spoke to her reflection in the mirror.
“If it weren’t for the scar…if mom hadn’t met Al …if she hadn’t… How many times do I have to say that to myself before I get it out of my system?” Putting her head down on the dressing tables she allowed herself time to feel sad. Later picking up her hairbrush began brush and count to one hundred. After washing her face Lucie applied the burn cream. Slipping under the covers she tried to sleep. But sleep wouldn’t come.
Should she have taken a little more time before refusing the promotion and transfer at work today? She had hidden the scandal so carefully. An offer of promotion involved a deep background check and her family secret might come out. No, she did the safest thing.
Lucie thought back over the evening. Mike was interesting, nice. She liked him. Nothing will come of it, but it was fun to have someone to think about.
Mike parked his Beemer and entered his house through the garage. He was tired but excited at the same time. He’d see her tomorrow first when he picked her up to go to the police station and then at lunch. Things were looking up, but he still had one hurdle to get through and it was a big one. How would she react when she found out? He struggled to get his shoes off and undressed.
Chapter 3
Lucie wore a pale blue tee shirt and a newer pair of jeans. Mike made a concession and wore a white button-down shirt open at the collar, sleeves rolled up to the elbow and a pair of chinos.
“Hi, how’s your arm?”
“It’s okay. It stopped bleeding after about ten minutes. I need a favor.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“I need to get a tetanus shot. I can’t remember when I got my last one. “I’ll go to the walk-in clinic if it’s not crowded.”
“Let’s do that first.”
“Thanks.”
With the shot done and her arm freshly bandaged, Lucie and Mike walked into the Police Station and asked for Jerry. The officer behind the desk lifted his nearly bald head from the magazine he had been reading and slowly picked up the phone and put in the request. “Have a seat he’ll be down shortly.” His yellowed fingers gave away a lifelong smoking habit.
He took another look at Lucie and said “Say, don’t I know you. You been here before? I could swear I’ve seen your face somewhere.”
Lucie shook her head. She remembered him years ago when he came to the house that night spoke to Mike quietly. “I hope this doesn’t take too long. That old guy makes me nervous.” The worn plastic chairs were hard. Wanted posters decorated the walls and the floor was down to the concrete in places. Burned coffee left a bad odor in the room.
“He looks like he is counting the days before he retires. Don’t worry about him I’ll keep him busy if he pipes up again.”
Jerry walked in and took them back to his office. “How is your cut?”
“The cut wasn’t very deep, but Mike took me to get a tetanus shot. I haven’t had one in a while.”
Jerry scratched his chin, “Good idea. I’m sure the knife was dirty. If you would both write down what happened last night and sign your statements, you can get on with your day.” He pushed over blank papers and Bic pens.
“After these are typed you need to sign them. Stop by in a couple of hours they should be done.”
“What happened last night after we left? Is that man going to jail?”
“He is going before a judge this afternoon; I think he will serve time because of the assault with a knife and the connection with your stepfather.”
The deli wasn’t crowded at a little after eleven. They chose a booth at the back and opened the oversized menus. The server stood by and asked if they needed more time.
“I can’t look at all these choices, I’ll go crazy trying to choose. I’m going to have a Rubin and a large diet coke.”
“Can’t go wrong with that. I’m going to have a Pastrami sandwich and coffee.”
Their server called out the order and then she appeared with their drinks. The scent of fried onions, grilled hamburgers and French fries filled the air. The quiet atmosphere soon changed as muted conversations from the noon crowd filled the air.
“How are you really doing today? That was a bad scene last night.”
“I’m glad I wasn’t alone. I could have been killed.” She shredded her paper napkin and twisted the pieces. The ice clinked against the side of her glass as she took a sip of her diet coke.
When she raised her eyes, they were filled with concern. “Do you think it’s over?”
“I can’t imagine he will try any more trouble after his friend got caught.”
“A Rubin for you, and a Pastrami for you sir.” The waitress said.
“This is enough to feed a whole family,” Blondie said. The plate overflowed with fries and a Rubin stuffed with more corned beef than she had ever seen.
Mike’s Pastrami was the same. “We’re going to need boxes to go.”
They ate in comfortable silence. “Do you want anything else? I took a look at the desert case and there were some fancy cakes and pies.”
“I’ll have to come back just for dessert another time. No, none for me.”
It was 12:30 now all the tables were taken. Mike paid the check.
“It’s my turn next time.” Mike smiled at that. She wanted to do this again.
Chapter 4
“We’ve been gone almost two hours; the statements should be ready for our signatures.”
“Let’s find out.”
The same old officer was at the front desk. Mike asked to see Jerry. He came right down and ushered them into his office. “Sign right here and you are free to go. Lucie, you and Mike will need to be present when his case comes up. Will that be a problem?”
“No, will my stepfather be there?”
“I doubt it. I don’t know how the DA is going to play it. It’s fairly simple in terms of what happened. Shouldn’t take very long.”
“I don’t want to go over all that happened with my stepfather again.”
“That won’t happen, this is an entirely different case.”
“Do you think there will be a jury?”
“His lawyer may ask for that but given the circumstances, I think that would be a big mistake.”
They stepped out into the bright sunshine and heat. The old cop was sneaking a cigarette. He stepped in front of Lucie and gave her face a searching look. “Lady, I know I’ve seen you before, where was it?”
“She already answered your question. Come on let’s go.” Mike took Lucie’s arm and they got in his car. “You’re shaking, don’t let him get to you. Nosy old guy, won’t take no for an answer.”
Lucie sat beside him and tried to calm down. Maybe it was being in that police station again that threw her, maybe it was remembering the whole episode with her stepfather or maybe it was what happened after that, what her mother did. Tears filled her eyes and she dug in her purse for a handkerchief.
“Hey what are you crying about? Tell me. I want to help.”
Mike’s hand swallowed Lucie’s and he pressed gently. The kindness overwhelmed her, and she blurted out the story of her mothers’ suicide. “I found her lying in bed already dead. The empty pill bottle was on the table. I phoned 911 and that policeman and another showed up. He questioned me and kept me from calling my lawyer. I remembered he was creepy then and he still is.”
Mike kept quiet and held her hand. Lucie dried her eyes and gave him a little smile. “Now you know all my secrets.”
Mike swallowed.” I’ve got something to tell you and it’s big.”
“I already know. You lost part of your right leg and wear a prosthesis.”
Mike’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“When I fell in the parking lot, I saw your shoe. “Were you in the service?”
He nodded. “Now I know about you and you know about me. I’m glad you do because I was afraid to tell you.” She said.
Mike leaned over and kissed her. “Me too.”