“Max…you are welcome here anytime.” He handed Max his cell phone number and a direct line to his office. “Anytime you need to talk, if you need any kind of help at all. I’ll do whatever I can.”
He turned the little card over and over. “Why would you do that…for me?”
“You were a friend of Bambi, and I feel like I owe her.” Ian bent down to be able to look in his face this time. “And I know what it’s like to feel no matter what you do, no one will ever let you be anything more than what they think you are, and what they think isn’t good.”
“Thank you.”
“I mean it…anything.”
Max nodded his head and cranked the car several times before it started up. It finally turned over and Max nodded goodbye.
Ian put his hands on the open window. “Wait…Max? The money, did she tell you where the money came from?”
“No. She just told me she was going to use it to change back.”
“Change back?”
“Yeah, we looked up a doctor in the phone book and she was gonna have it all taken out, you know the super boobs and the cheeks and stuff.”
“She was going to have it all reversed?”
“As much as the money would allow. She said she wasn’t proud of how she got it, but she was gonna take it and make sure next time she looked in the mirror, she’d see something resembling a human being and not a freak.”
“Had she done it? Had the surgery?”
Max smiled. “You really have no clue about that stuff do you?” He shook his head and laughed a little. “She didn’t have time. The money’s gone though, envelope…every thing.”
“I guess the police have it. You did tell the police, right?”
“No.”
“Why not? Max, maybe it was a robbery and someone tried to cover it up.”
“Ian, the police never bothered to ask. They just hauled me in to identify the body and give me a hard time. They didn’t ask me or anyone else I know one thing about who she was, what was going on or what kind of state she might have been in. To them, she’s just a used up porn queen tired of being able to do anything else but open wide. I guess one look and that’s all there is.”
“Max, how do I stay in contact with you?”
“I got a cell phone…that’s probably the best way. Gotta a pencil?”
Ian handed him a pen. Max grabbed his hand and wrote his cell phone number down. Ian looked in the back of the car, and saw some dirty clothes and a filthy quilt. He reached in his pocket and got his wallet. He emptied it out and shoved the money at him. “Here take this.”
“What for?”
“Shut up and take it, Max.”
“I’m cool, it’s okay…really.”
Ian shoved the money in the pocket of the tee. “Flowers, Max. Buy some flowers for Bambi. She seemed like the kind of woman who’d like lots of flowers.”
“Daffodils. She loved daffodils.”
“Yeah…” Ian stepped back and the car started to roll. “Max…call me later. Just check in a let me know how you’re doing.”
“Serious?”
“Bambi’s gone now, and someone’s got to keep you on the…uh straight and narrow.”
“Sure…”
Ian watched him drive out of the driveway. When he turned to see the man look back, he waved. Ian was a firm believer that any time you looked back someone should be standing there to wave goodbye.
Watching him drive off, he looked at the phone number scribbled on the back of his hand. “Ew!” He went back into the house, jotted the number down and then washed his hand. As he dried, he stared at a stack of scripts piled neatly on the end table in the living room.
Hanging the towel on the rack, he searched for his cell phone. He hit speed dial and went to the stack.
“Morning Ian.” Came to cheery voice on the other end.
“Morning Blake, anything going on?”
“Nothing we can’t handle. We’ll see you after lunch?”
“Actually…” he methodically started making a second pile of scripts, “I’m on my way in, but would you mind calling a florist and having some flowers sent for me?”
“Gee, I wonder to whom?” Blake laughed.
“Saxon Allen, please. Do you need an address?”
“Not any more. Anything special?”
He held up the script he was looking for. “Daffodils, a couple of hundred dollars worth, fill up her living room with daffodils.”
“Mmmm…”
Ian wasn’t sure wasn’t the sound meant. “Thanks, Blake. Schedule for this afternoon?”
“Pretty clear, although Susan Andrews wants to be called the moment you’re in the office.”
“Interesting.”
“I’ll call her and let her know you’re on your way in.”
“Don’t. Just send the flowers to Saxon, please.”
“Sure, boss man.”
“See you in an hour. Bye.” Ian shut the phone and put it back in his pocket, and piled the scripts back in one alphabetical pile. He tossed the single on the table and then reached back in his phone hitting speed dial again.
Tucking the phone between his shoulder and his ear, Ian managed to not cut the signal as usual and heard it go straight to voice mail. “Hi, Saxon. It’s me. Listen, when you wake up, don’t even try to make me think you aren’t still in bed, would you come to my office? I have something for you. Thanks.”
He started to hang up and added. “And don’t bother slapping on a coat of makeup, you’re perfect without out it. Just come to me, as soon as you can.” The phone slipped out and dropped on the hardwood floor, splintering in three pieces. “Crap.”
He fussed at himself, then scooped up the pieces and dropped them in the open zipper pocket of his backpack. Before he left the house, he picked up the lone script, slipping it into the slot in the back pack he reserved for scripts, and headed toward his car.
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