XIV: In Which Jane Has A Customer

Jane glanced at the clock on the computer screen as she wiped down the counter. Ten minutes until she could lock the doors. Good.  There wasn’t a single other person in the shop, except Ahmed back in the office counting cash drawers, and she’d been able to get her closing duties done early.  Fifteen minutes and she’d be free.  Sleep.  Sleep in  her nice soft bed was all Jane wanted now.  Five AM had come much too early this morning and Eleven PM had taken its sweet time getting here.

She turned and knelt down to wipe the lower cooler doors.  Dried milk painted the left hand one in vertical stripes and she had to use a bit of elbow grease to get it off.  When had it gotten spilled on there to be completely dry already?  Probably when Stacy had been making the large order of lattés for the Uggs gaggle.  Of course she left it for Jane.  Stacy was far too precious to kneel on the floor to clean her own messes.

Warm human blood in a wine glass.

Someone cleared their throat behind her.

Jane jumped up, startled.  She hadn’t heard the door chime at all.  “I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you come in.”  She said, reflexively.  Crap.  She didn’t need a customer this late.  Where did they keep the human blood?  Had she put it away already?

A man in an expensive-looking suit stood at the counter, looking very pale in the dim light.

“Good Evening.  I wonder if you might help me.”  He began, looking deeply into his eyes.  “I seem to have lost my dog.”  His eyes were so beautiful.  “I was wondering if I could put a flier on your bulletin board.”  Jane couldn’t look away.  His irises were so dark, she couldn’t tell where the pupils were.  “He is normally such a faithful hound.”  The man continued in his honeyed voice.  It was so soothing.  “I am simply beside myself with worry.”

Jane found herself nodding in commiseration.  “Might you show me where a good spot may be?”  She hoped he would never stop talking, never look away.  “Such a terrible thing to not know where your closest companion has gone.”  The tall shape if the coffee grinder broke their eye contact as she reached the end of the counter.

The door chime sounded like a thousand wine glasses shattering on a stone floor.

“Kess ikhtak!”  Ahmed’s voice came from the office, before he poked his head out.

Jane looked over to see a woman coming in.  Vaguely, she thought she recognized her.

“Thank you.  I shall check back later.”  The well-dressed man was already halfway to the door.

“Have a pleasant night, sir.”  Ahmed called after him as he slipped silently out.  “I’m sorry, miss, we are about to close for the weekly maintenance.  May I offer you a plain coffee to-go, on the house?”

“Oh, no, that’s just fine.  I just came in to see if Jane wanted to get a drink with me.”  The woman said.

“Ah, good.  She will lock up now, then, and be done shortly.  Please, have a seat.  Are you certain you would not like a complimentary coffee?”  She shook her head and Ahmed disappeared into the office.

Feeling like she was swimming to the surface of a lake made of mental pudding, Jane recognized Selena.

“Hey, I didn’t expect to see you ‘til Saturday.”  Jane said.

I know, but it couldn’t wait.”  Selena said.  “Look, I know you’re super-tired, but I need to talk to you about Charlie.”

“Charlie?”  Jane was suddenly wide awake.  “Where did you hear that name?”

“Good.  I got your attention.  Close up and we’ll go somewhere to talk.  Your place, my place, populated public neutral ground, wherever you’re comfortable.”

Jane nodded, walked over and flipped the open sign, locked the door and finished her closing duties.

Twenty minutes later found the two of them in a cozy corner booth at Mary Anne’s all-night diner, splitting a basket of greasy bacon cheese fries and rootbeer floats.

“So, what did you want to talk to me about?  You mentioned Charlie.”  Jane said between fries.  She had calmed down considerably.

“It wasn’t your fault.”  Selena said.  Well, so much for calm.

“I don’t know what -”  Jane started, but dropped off at the older woman’s sternly raised eyebrow.

“I was enjoying a nice nap this afternoon when I found myself standing outside of an ice cream shop in my dream.  There was an adorable nine-year-old girl sitting at a picnic table with her mother.”

“Eight.”  Jane said.  “I was eight.”

“I’m sorry, hun.”  Selena put her hand over hers.  “I don’t want to make you relive this, but I have to tell you what happened.”

“I know what happened.  I was there.”  Jane’s eyes were welling up.

“No, you only think you do.”  Selena said, firmly.  Jane waited, and she continued.  “The car pulled into the parking spot across the street and the boy got out.  The girl … you.  You saw him and got excited.  You jumped up and squealed ‘Charlie!’ and you knocked over your mom’s purse in your exuberance.  You and your mom bent down to gather up the stuff that spilled out while Charlie ran forward.  Charlie’s dad leaned into the back seat to get out his little sister.”

“And then Charlie ran out into the street to come see me and he got hit by the car and died.”  Jane sobbed.  “I’ve seen it in my dreams, too.  Hundreds of times.”

“But that’s not what happened!”  Selena squeezed her hand with an odd strength.  “You were looking for the rolling lipstick tube with your mom.  Charlie’s dad was fiddling with the seat belt.  Hell, even the driver was looking at the theater signs.  Nobody was looking at Charlie.  Nobody but me.”  Jane looked up into her eyes, unsure.  “Charlie stopped at the curb to wait for his dad.  He was waving for you.  He stepped onto the narrow grass strip between the sidewalk and the road to avoid the teenager racing down the sidewalk on his skateboard.  Nobody was looking.

“He pushed him.  He didn’t even stop, he just shoved him in the back and kept going.  You heard the thump - oh gods, that horrible thump - and the tires screeching.  Everybody rushed over, but there was nothing anybody could do.”

“Somebody killed Charlie?”  Jane’s world was spinning.

“There’s more.  When I got to him, when everybody got there, he looked right at me.  Nobody’s ever seen me in my dreams of the past, but Charlie did.  He looked straight into my eyes, twisting his neck at that terrible angle, and said: ‘Help Jane.  You have to get to Jane right now.’.”

“They told me he was delirious.”  Jane was almost hysterical.  Tears were pouring out of her eyes, forming a pool on the table, but she didn’t care.  “They said he was trying to get to me.  That’s why he ran into the street.  He was asking me to help him, but I couldn’t do anything.  They said it wasn’t my fault, but he was too excited to see me and didn’t pay attention.  They said I killed my best friend.”  Selena grabbed a handful of napkins and slid around the booth next to her, wiping Jane’s eyes.

“I’m sorry. I thought that part was just in my dream.  I didn’t realize…  Oh god, Jane.  I’m so sorry.”  Selena held her gently while she cried and waited until she had calmed down.

“I woke up in panic mode, grabbed my purse and keys and drove straight to the coffee shop.  It was the only place I could think of that you might be.  When I saw that man, I thought he was about to grab you.  I reached in my purse for my pepper spray, but he’s lucky he didn’t touch you ‘cause I grabbed this instead.”  She reached into her purse and brought out a collapsible pocket knife with a five-inch blade.

“Coño!  Remind me never to f**k with you.”

“But then he left and I felt stupid.  I was just so worried.  I’ve still got my Gundam slippers on and I’m not even wearing a bra.”  Selena made a self deprecating gesture.

Jane laughed and hugged her fiercely.