A Do-Si-Do With Death by Grant Michaels

Author:Grant Michaels [Michaels, Grant]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay fiction, Boston, Stan Kraychik
Publisher: ReQueered Tales
Published: 2022-05-23T16:00:00+00:00

12.

FORGET THE CAB. I take the Orange Line to Back Bay Station, then walk to Newbury Street and Snips Salon. I want to see Nikki, partly for comic relief, partly to reground myself after that session with Branco. All right, I know he cares about me. He has to, right? I saved his life. But to say the words? Someone cares about you.

It’s mid-afternoon and the salon is busy-busy. Nicole is working, and I stop at her manicure table.

“Having a nice holiday weekend, doll?”

“Benjamin phoned,” she says without looking up from her work. “He’s very concerned about you.”

“I’m fine.”

“But he doesn’t know that, Stanley. You should call him and put him at ease. It’s the least you can do after last night.”

Nicole’s client looks at me askance.

I reassure her. “It’s okay. We’re family.”

Nicole says to me, “Where would you have ended up if Benjamin hadn’t been there? In some emergency room? And then they’d call me as next of kin and I’d have to come running out at some ungodly hour to get you home.”

“But you would have come, right?”

“Grumblingly.”

“I hope that’s not a word from your writing class.”

Nicole puts down her cuticle trimmer, a sign that she’s serious. “Stanley,” she says, “if you don’t phone Benjamin right now, I’m going to prevent all further relations between you, since you obviously don’t appreciate his true worth.”

She picks up the trimmer and resumes her work.

I say, “I thought you only cared about net worth.”

“You can use the phone in the office.”

“Like I need your permission, doll?”

I go and call Benjy.

“Penny!” he cries.

Doesn’t sound worried to me.

“All better from last night?”

“I’m fine, Benjy.”

“That’s good. When I left you this morning you weren’t in top form.”

“Or in bottom form either.”

“I’ll take you either way, Penny. Hey, I just heard about that cowboy who was killed. It sounds awful, stabbed in the back with sewing shears.”

“How’d you hear about it?”

“I have my sources,” he says.

Benjy does have an incredible knack for finding out confidential information. Back when he was burning hair, his clients used to accuse him of mind-reading. More recently, the owner of an local independent rag created a job specially for him, as Information Deity. From there, who knows?

Benjy says, “Did you ever meet the victim?”

“Kind of,” I say, trying to sound vague.

“What did you think?”

“About what?”

“About him?”

“He seemed like a nice guy,” I say. “I’m sorry he’s dead.”

“Then I’m sorry too, Penny. Will you be working on the murder now?”

“Can’t tell,” I say.

“But we’ll still have the cookout Monday?”

“We, Benjy?”

“Excuse me, Penny. You. Will you still have your cookout?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “We’ll have to play it by ear.”

“We?” says Benjy. “Or you?”

“Oh, all right. We! Okay?”

The office door opens and Nicole comes in. “I hope I’m interrupting something very private and important.”

“I’ll only be a minute, doll.”

“Take your time, darling.”

In unison, Benjy says, “Take your time,” but without the darling. That’s some relief.

Nicole says, “I’ll just sit here and listen.”

Benjy says something else.

“Sorry, Benjy, what did you say?”

“If that’s Nicole, tell her hi.

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