In the Stacks Ch. 09

"Everyone who's anyone knows that that cunt is so tight her shoes fucking squeak." Ann spat.

Trinity could smell the beer on her breath.

"I got to say, Marilyn don't treat everyone equal, that's a fact."

Ann snarled, "damn right. No way in hell Henry could do this. He's a good man, Trin."

Trinity knew a drunk when she saw one, and also knew a woman in love when she saw one. She took some deep breaths and said, "when you get a sec, start me up a cheese burger and some fries."

"You got it," Ann said. "You know Heather's out of town, right?"

"No I didn't. Where did she head off to?" Trinity asked. She knew that Heather, Ann's daughter was the only person that could talk sense into Ann when she was on a bender.

"Day before the fire she head off to Seattle. She wants to be a Physical Therapist and is scouting out schools up there. Maybe come home on the weekends, maybe not. I don't know. My baby's growing up, Trinity."

"You're baby is twenty-four and has a year of college left before she's got her degree, Ann. You'll be busy with the bar, you'll have no worries." Trinity offered.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I just wonder about... stuff..." Ann said. She looked around to make sure Trinity was in the bar, alone with her, and then pulled a bottle of whisky out from beneath the bar. She poured a double, one for herself and one for Trinity.

Trinity shot it down without a second thought as did Ann, neither woman wincing at the cheap, hard liquor. Ann refilled both glasses and Trinity nursed her beer for a while. There was silence as the smell of the French fries wafted through the air, the grease clung heavy to the particles of dust creating an odd, clotting smell. Trinity's stomach gurgled and she lit a clove to calm it down.

The back door opened again as the Bud distributor came through the door, his cart stocked with the usual assortment of cans kegs and bottles. He smiled politely at them both, and tipped his hat.

"Afternoon, ladies."

Trinity grunted, not liking to be called a lady under any circumstances and Ann said nothing, gesturing toward the two pallets of empties that she had tidily set up for him. He smiled at them both, his mood lightening the place as Trinity took deep hits off the clove.

He walked over to them with his clipboard extended, a pen tied to it.

"Can I have you sign here?" He said.

"Sure, sure, whatever." Ann said.

Trinity idly glimpsed the invoice. Her eyes grew wide as she realized that owner of the bar was not one, but two people, Ann Rampling and Henry Peterson. Trinity swallowed. Something in her mind clicked.

"So Ann, um, it's been pretty quiet since the fire, huh?" Trinity said after the beer man left.

"Actually I get more business. Nobody goes over to the pizza place to drink beer anymore, they all come over here." She shrugged a half shrug and laid the plate in front of Trinity.

"So if Henry didn't do it, who did?" Trinity asked, just before taking a huge mouthful of burger.

"I don't know," Ann said, looking into the distance.

"They got him with the gas can, Ann. Seriously, he's going down for this. He'll do hard time for it. He's lucky he didn't kill anybody."

Ann shrugged.

"Henry's a stupid drunk. He'd drink up his own stock, and couldn't hit the broad side of a barn half the time. I can't tell you how many times I found him curled up in that field where they found him. It wouldn't take a genius to set him up." Ann said.

Trinity watched her speak and never once did Ann look her in the eye.

"Put this on my tab, huh?" Trinity said.

"Yeah, sure, no problem." Ann mumbled.

Trinity scarfed down the burger and fries in almost record time, washing it down with the cheap whisky and washing that down with the equally cheap beer.

She had a healthy buzz, and as was her habit smoked a few more cigarettes outside, next to her bike before she took off. She had parked next to the dumpster in the rear left of the parking lot and took in the buzz of the cloves, feeling their high in her system. It was a good high, to her, one that she was careful with. She watched curiously as a Honda with two people went over into the parking lot of the burned buildings.

Penny got out of the driver's side, and the blonde got out of the passengers side.

'Well, well,' Trinity thought, 'little Penny's getting some on the side.'

Trinity hopped up on her Ninja and crossed the street, having some serious questions and wanting nothing more than to get Penny's little butt in trouble.

***

"Wow." Chris mouthed. He gestured toward the mess of cinders and water.

"Yeah, it's a goner all right. I thought that you and Will would have seen it by now."

"No, we've pretty much stuck with you guys. I figured they wanted some mom and son time, so that's why I offered to go with you to your place."

Penny nodded. She had changed out of her dark suit and into a shorter skirt, pleated with a peter pan top. Chris had retained his dark pants, but was wearing a pastel pink shirt. He had a hand on one hip and wasn't trying to be effeminate nor funny, but somehow was both.

"Have they found out who did it?"

"Henry Peterson, the guy that owns the pizza parlor. Caught him in the act, but Marilyn, she's stubborn. She doesn't think he did it."

"Oh really? She's probably plotting some bizarre conspiracy theory, I imagine. We'll see it in her next book," Chris said, an odd bitter tone in his voice.

Penny opened her mouth to speak, to cut him off, to snap at him, but the purr of the motorcycle distracted her.

"Great," she muttered.

"Our visitor at the marker?" Chris asked.

"Trinity, one of Thomas's care providers, I believe." Penny said.

"Penny, play along with me, okay? I want to do something," Chris said.

"Um, okay." Penny replied.

Trinity neatly parked the bike and flipped off her helmet. Her breath stank of booze, grease and cloves and she looked every inch a diesel dyke.

"Hey Pen, how goes?" Trin said, putting a cigarette into her mouth and lighting it.

"Fine, Trinity," she said. Her nostrils took in the sharp clove scent and she looked at Chris.

"Trin, this is Chris," Penny offered.

"Hello Trinity," Chris said. He offered his hand, looked Trinity square in the eye. "I'm Christine Albrecht, Will's fiance'"

Penny turned white as a sheet.

"Ah, I thought so. Will's the man. You to back from Chicago?" Trinity asked.

"Yes, we make our home in the windy city." Chris said. His mannerisms were no longer flaming, but simply feminine. "Penny was being a dear and showing me about the town. I've missed my chance to see the bookstore proper, so I thought I'd at least look at what was left."

"It's a mess. Hey, Penny, Ann over there," she thumbed to the tavern, "thought Marilyn was having a fling with Henry. That's all bullshit, right?"

"Best of my knowledge," Penny said. There was a look in Trinity's eyes, a look that said she wanted to say something more, but didn't know if it was safe to do so around Chris.

"Marilyn? Sleeping around? You're kidding, right?" Chris said in astonishment.

"Exactly," Trinity said. "Ol' Henry, he'd never be her thing. She's a rock, solid to the core."

Penny nodded emphatically and then spoke. "We should be heading out, I've got to get to my place and then pick up eats for dinner."

"I'll get out of your way, then. Tell Marilyn thanks for letting me come, I'll email her later."

Penny gave Trinity and uncharacteristic smile and nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Christine." Trinity said, tossed the cigarette away and sped out of the parking lot.

Penny tuned to Chris.

"Christine?" She gasped.

Chris shrugged, "sorry for snapping at you, and thanks for playing along. I just wanted to see if I could do it without make up or a padded bra."

"Do what?"

"Be a woman." Chris said.

"Chris, I don't think that's a problem. I think you could be whoever you wanted to be. You're that good." Penny said as they climbed into the Honda.

Chris clicked his seat belt, "that's the problem, Penny. You get lost in so many roles, you wear so many masks, there are times that you forget who you area, and what you want in life. I'm luckier than most, I have a good man, a good career, I've been able to use my talents as an actor. Sometimes I have to remember to be myself."

Penny looked at him, and tilted her head like a dog whose master had made a strange sound.

"I moved to this town so I could be myself," Penny said.

"Really?"

"So I could write Historical Romantic fiction. Then I found Marilyn, she was the first friend I made here."

Chris nodded, "you scored good. How long you been in town?"

"A few months. It's like the last two weeks have been a whirlwind." She said.

"Marilyn paddling your ass, Thomas dying, and of course moi." Chris said, the effeminacy back into his voice.

Penny couldn't help by smile. They chatted like a couple of girls throughout the rest of the journey.

***

SUBJECT:Hey Marilyn READ THIS HEAD's Up!
FROM:funnydyke (Trinity)
REPLY-TO:marilynmarshall (Marilyn)
DATE:July 17
TO:marilynmarshall (Marilyn)

Marilyn,

Just wanted to thank you for letting me come. I don't do crowds well so I hung back. I got something to say to you though.

I was over at the Tap afterwards, and my friend's mom, Ann, she hates you guts. I know you never did nothing with Henry, but she sure thinks you did. Ann can be a bitch, especially when she's drunk.

Watch your back.

Love 'n Leathers,

Trin

PS:
Will's fiancé has a good ass, what? She's a hottie.