It was dark by the time Ian made it home. Fortunately, he already seemed to be old news and the reporters were all off annoying someone else. Maybe the afternoon of rain helped. Ian’s brush with notoriety, however fleeting, had made him cautious and drained. He just wanted to go home and forget it all.
He let himself in the house and made a dinner, a little pasta and garlic bread. He enjoyed his new wardrobe, but preferred the sweats and old tee shirt he had quickly changed into shortly after getting in the house. It made him feel a little normal, something that was getting harder and harder to do, especially since he wasn’t quite sure what that was.
As he returned to the kitchen to unload the dishwasher he spotted Ralphie sitting at the backdoor, soaking wet but wagging his tail. Obviously he had gotten out again and that Kellen guy hadn’t returned home from work. Ian brought him in, dried him off and fed him the left over half of garlic bread.
Ian found an old Frisbee and Ralphie seemed to enjoy chasing it in the backyard for a while. The dog soon wore him out. Ian sat in the chaise, Ralphie’s head on his lap.
Ian pulled his tee up to wipe his face and grabbed his smokes. He laid back in the chaise with Ralphie beside him, pounding his tail gently on the staccato. Ian crossed his arms behind his head and started to drift off to sleep.
Something stirred him. He opened his eyes to find Kellen sitting in the chaise next to him, smiling.
“Hey, buddy, wake you from a nice dream?”
“I was just about to drift off, been a Monday all day long.”
“Anything I can do to help?"
“Nope, just make Tuesday hurry up and get here.”
Kellen snapped his fingers, “Done!”
“I feel better already. Thanks.”
“Any time. So my son, got out again?”
“Looks that way.”
“You should have just chained him up.”
“He’s good company. I only had garlic bread to feed him though.”
“I ran a little later than expected. Sorry.”
“Not a problem. I didn’t mind at all.”
“Wish I could figure out how he’s getting out of the house. Sometimes I think he can walk through walls.” He looked at Ian and smiled. “Looks like you’ve about had it. I’ll take this bad boy back over to my place and leave you to some peace and quiet.”
Ian smiled and nodded his head.
“Have a good night, Ian.”
“You, too.”
“You were really hot the other night.”
Ian’s face flushed. “Uh…thank you.”
Kellen smiled. “You’re embarrassed?”
Ian looked at the grass. “Yes.”
“Why?”
“Oh lots of things…” Ian wasn’t sure if he should tell the man an image of him having sex on his balcony just popped in his head, or that he was so drunk Saturday night he barely remembered anything after the first scotch. “I don’t usually…”
“Turn an entire crowd on with your music?” Kellen looked at him with doubt. “Come on, surely you are used to that.”
“Actually, I was going to say I usually don’t get so drunk I don’t remember anything.” He added, “And I’ve never had a hangover in my life. Believe me from now on I stay away from the scotch in California.”
Kellen cocked his head, reaching over to scratch Ralphie’s ears. “How many did you sock away?”
“Three…” Ian thought about for a second. “Including the one I stole from you.”
“And you blacked out?” Kellen seemed a little perplexed.
“Sort of. I remember you clearly, and I remember the first song…well most of the first song.”
“Something’s not right about that.” He said.
“Well, I’ve never been too much of a drinker.” Ian defended his theory.
“But you had a hangover you said…after three little scotches…”
“I guess so, never had one before. My head pounded and my mouth was dry…queasy. A couple of aspirin did the trick though.”
Kellen thought a moment and then looked back to Ian. “I don’t think you were drunk, no one blacks out and has a hang over after that little alcohol, unless they’ve never had alcohol before.”
“What I suddenly developed an allergic reaction to booze?”
“No. I think you were rufied.”
“What?”
“I think someone put something in your drink.”
“Drugs? What on earth for? So I’d make a fool of myself in public?” Ian thought the idea was preposterous.
“No to take advantage of you.”
Ian laughed. “You think some woman put drugs in my drink so I’d sleep with her.”
“No, I think some guy put something in your drink.”
He laughed again. “What for?”
“To take your cherry.”
“What?” Ian sat up in the chaise. “I don’t understand.”
“So he could fuck you.”
“Oh…that I understand.” Ian looked at Kellen. “Why would someone do that?”
“Why does anyone do anything?”
“Thanks for getting philosophical.”
“Sorry, best I can do.” Kellen thought a second and tried to explain. “Everyone in this town knows who you are and want you do and everybody, like it or not, is connected to the entertainment industry in one way or another.”
“I see your point, but that still doesn’t explain why you think…”
Kellen put up his hands, “Let me finish…I don’t know for sure, but it makes a lot more sense than you weren’t used to drinking that much, if you had you’d have been sweating and puking, not singing and dancing…and you wouldn’t have just blacked out like that. Am I correct? It wasn’t a gradual thing, just all at once?”
Ian thought a moment and then nodded his head. “Yeah, one minute I was singing Mick Jagger, then next I was in my bedroom with a head like one of those cartoon characters.” He mimicked his head expanding and shrinking.
Kellen scowled. “You were rufied.” He stood up. “Look I’ll get Ralphie back and then I’m gonna check with the club. If someone did this, they need to know and take precautions that it doesn’t happen again.”
“But no one got hurt, I’m mortified, but no one got hurt.”
“But what about the next time, Ian? There are video cameras all around the club. It’s a long shot, but maybe we can catch who did this and stop it from happening again.”
“It’s still hard for me to believe that someone would deliberately…”
“Look, two scenarios here, neither one really pretty. Either someone wanted to take advantage of you physically, or they were hoping that you’d do something crazy and cause a big scandal.”
“I suddenly feel like I’m on a really bad episode of “Law and Order”.
“Just be careful, Ian. You’re a nice guy in a town that isn’t.”
“Yes, Mr. Policeman, sir.”
“Ex-Mr. Policeman.” Kellen shook his finger at him. “And take this seriously, Ian.”
“I will.”
“You have a good night. Thanks for watching out for my baby here.” Kellen rustled Ralphie’s coat and stood. “Com’mon boy.”
“Hey, Kellen, speaking of something that doesn’t sound right…you’re the ex-cop.”
“That I am.”
“Do you have any connections still? I mean could you check in to something for me? I know I have no right to ask.”
“Ian, you were very possibly drugged in a club my business contracts to keep things like that from happening. What happened was on my watch. You have every right to ask me anything you want.”
“Uhm…Bambi Helton…”
“The woman who killed herself?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t seem right. I’m mean she overdosed by shooting heroin…into her thigh? Is that a new thing? Shooting up into the fatty tissue of your legs? Wouldn’t that slow down the process and ruin the high?”
Kellen nodded his head. “That doesn’t seem right to me.”
“The newspaper said she was found with a needle in her thigh. Com’mon, a needle in her thigh and its suicide?”
“Well she could have injected it the usual way and when she started seizing fell on the needle…that’s why they do autopsies.”
Ian nodded his head to process the information. “Thanks.”
“Why the concern? You doing a story on her or something?”
“No just a personal interest.”
Kellen couldn’t hide his surprise. “Personal interest? That I didn’t expect.”
Ian smiled. “No, no…NO! She came into my office last week for a series pitch. Granted, we’d only met the one time, but being a heroin addict. I bet not, and unless the bottom hit pretty quickly, I doubt that she was suicidal.”
“Did you accept her pitch or whatever phrase you use?”
“Well, not that one, but I encouraged her to refine it and gave her an open door to come back. She was determined and focused, not…what were the words the paper quoted…upset and depressed.”
“When was this?”
“Last week…” Ian thought. “Wednesday or Thursday morning. I could check the schedule and give you an exact day and time.”
“Tell you what, I still have a few friends downtown, good friends. I’ll tell them what you’ve told me and see what they think. If it turns out that any foul play was involved, some one will come and talk to you. Does that help?”
“Yes. Thank you. It’s just, if there’s a possibility…” Ian looked at Kellen. “I know in most people’s eyes this woman was a freak, a porn star, little more than a hooker, but she was a human being, and just trying to survive in, as you said, a town that’s not known for being nice. She doesn’t deserve to be written off as some nympho who did this to herself, especially if she didn’t.”
Kellen looked at Ian, the wheels in his head turning. “I understand.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re tired.” Kellen said. “I’m tired. I’ll get Ralphie home and let you get some sleep. Let’s uh, get together and have a drink sometime.”
“Sure…but for now, let’s make it tea.”
Kellen laughed. “Sure. Night, Ian.”
“Night”
He watched Kellen head back toward where the gate used to be, Ralphie following dutifully behind him. Ian watched until he was out of sight.
His mind was peacefully blank for a change. He knew he should be upset or something, anything. He didn’t feel empty; he just felt a strange peace. It was a nice change. He intended to just enjoy it.
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