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Chapter 6
Bananas
Lila
It was definitely Glacius headed toward my sister at Bailey’s. The shock of platinum hair was a real tell, but even in the blur I could make out the tattoos and the eyebrow slash.
I started the car and pulled away from the curb in front of Darren’s house. It only took a few beats before I was parking again. I didn’t wait for Kris to be a gentleman either, and he kept pace with me. I hustled through the front door and waved the hostess away. I heard Kris apologizing to her quickly as I navigated my way to the back of the restaurant.
Glacius and Sonnet were sitting side by side. His arm was draped over her shoulders and their noses were almost touching.
I slid myself in the seat across from them and I felt Kris slide the chair under me before sitting next to me.
“Sonnet.” I held my hands palm up.
She turned her face to mine and smiled. When I caught a glimpse of her eyes, I noticed the normal jade green was rimmed in iridescent. I slid my gaze to Glacius.
“What did you do to her?”
My sister pissed me off sometimes. Okay, a lot of times. But hot damn if someone hurt her I would go full velociraptor on them. She was my baby sister.
Glacius nuzzled into Sonnet’s hair and she giggled.
I looked from him to her to the necklace that she was wearing. I didn’t like it. My sister was not a pushover. And she was acting like one having met this man not just a few minutes ago.
I reached out and wrapped my hands around the pendant and hooked my finger on the chain. I pulled on it, hard. It didn’t move. My sister sat back and tried to fend me off. This was the strongest necklace in the history of necklaces. Still, I held the pendant.
“Lila, let go!” Sonnet was getting angry. I could swear where Glacius’ skin was touching hers, I could see the etching of a snowflake starting.
My protection and love for my sister surged in my heart and I squeezed as hard as I could on the pendant. Under my grasp, I felt it go limp and then wet. The pendant melted.
I watched my sister come back to herself. I took my tone down to a more calm cadence. “Hey. You just met this guy, do you mind coming with me for a few minutes?”
I touched her hand with mine--still wet from the melting. Sonnet looked from my hands to Glacius and back to me.
“Yeah. Sure. Of course.” The way the table was situated, Glacius had to stand up to let Sonnet out. Kris stood next to the table, folding his arms over his massive chest.
Glacius pushed his chair back and made way for Sonnet with grand, frustrated gestures, but he did it.
I stood as well before leaning over the table to snatch her purse from the back of the chair. I took the time to turn my face to Glacius. He was waiting with a smirk.
“Leave her out of this, so help me I'll go bananas on your testicles. And not in a fun way.” Not my most effective threat, but Glacius lifted his chin like he understood my meaning.
We left the restaurant, the three of us together. I spotted quite a few fellow of the town's business people at various tables on our way out. When we got outside I caved and pulled Sonnet into a hard hug. She resisted for a second before returning my affection.
“Was it, like, smoky in there or something? I feel like I need to clear my head.” She rubbed my back. I was still keeping a lookout for Glacius. I wasn’t sure what he was capable of or how much Kris’ situation had to do with him, but my gut instinct was flaring up.
“Something like that." I pulled her away from me before looking at what was left of her necklace. I spun it around on her but couldn’t locate the clasp. All that was left was the dangling part of the pendant that would hold a stone--if it had still been there and not a puddle.
I looked at Kris. “Hey. Is this something we can get off of her?”
Seeing the necklace on her was making me angry. I didn’t want her to have no choice in taking it off. Kris came closer.
“Can I give it a try?” He addressed Sonnet.
I felt myself swoon as I recognized the importance he put on her consent. I was really feeling this guy. If it wasn’t the weirdest day in the world I might even ask him on a date.
She nodded. “Yeah. I don’t usually wear jewelry, so I know this will make me feel claustrophobic later.”
Kris wrapped his fingers around the chain and pulled.
He readjusted his grip. “I’m not sure how much strength I can put into this. I don’t want to hurt you with the recoil and all.”
With that, the chain exploded off Sonnet’s neck. The bits of chain transformed into silver-colored liquid and then to clear water. Soon enough all that was left was a sprinkle of tiny puddles at Sonnet’s feet.
“Thanks. I think.” Sonnet was definitely puzzled. She leaned down to touch the water and I grabbed her hands.
“Hey, let’s get to your car and get out of the cold.” I held her wrist and Kris walked on her other side. When we got to her car, she seemed to be getting sleepy. Which was weird because her college hours were like the third shift on an airbase. Late and long.
Kris held the door open to the backdoor and I ushered Sonnet in, buckling her when she started to cuddle up.
I closed her door and regarded Kris. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Watching for that troll.” He was indeed scanning the surroundings.
“Do you think you can watch her for a few minutes here? I saw someone in there that I have an idea might help us.” I pointed back and Bailey’s.
“If he’s still in there I don’t recommend it.” He leaned against Sonnet’s car.
Glacius was gone and I wasn’t sure how I knew, but I knew. “If I see him I’ll come back out. I promise this will just take a moment.” I touched his bicep.
I forced myself to let go of his arm and go back to the restaurant. Sure enough, as soon as I got past the front door, I saw that the table we had rescued Sonnet from was empty save for little piles of what looked like snow. I searched the restaurant and found the woman I was looking for. Amanda Snaderson was our local travel agent. I’d never used her before, but I knew that Mrs. Fargone and Mrs. Snaderson were tight. I've seen them walk by the office and wave at Darren, arms linked together.
After approaching her table I crouched down so what I had to say would be more private. “Mrs. Snaderson, I need your help.”
“Dear, you’re Darren’s receptionist. You can feel free to make an appointment for Monday. This is my private time.” Amanda Snaderson was about the same age as Mrs. Fargone, but she had a big red beehive and was dressed like she had just stepped off the soundstage of a movie from the Seventies.
I was getting to my last, frayed nerve. Roadblock after roadblock and sketchy weird magical things stacking up were making this a very long evening.
“I need to know what Mrs. Fargone’s plans for her celebration vacation are.” I wasn't sure how fast the rumor mill was churning tonight and if Amanda here knew that I had lost my job.
“Well, she’s not acting out unsavory proclivities on the floor of a real estate.” She looked over the rims of her glasses at me.
The mill was running at full capacity, clearly. I sighed.
I played the only card I could think of. “Man, my parents are such travelers. They just travel, travel, travel. Sometimes I wonder if I could even pick them out in a police lineup. The problem is they plan it all themselves. Just willy and nilly all over the world. If only I knew a really great travel agent for them and all their really active, really nomadic friends to use. Such a shame. I guess I’ll tell them to Google the Youtube.”
I let the silence sit between us for a second. The next thing I knew I had a small stack of business cards pressed into my hand. I glanced at them.
Amanda Snaderson.
Maybe you should get outta here already!
40 years of service to the community making sure everyone gets to get out of dodge.
It included her phone number and an email.
I nodded, understanding that I was now indebted to Amanda and her beehive.
She leaned close to me. “I don’t think it would be hard to deduce that Doris Fargone would have to depart from the Albany airport tonight to get to the next leg of her Alaska trip.”
“Bingo.” I was able to wrestle the airline brand out of her before she clammed back up.
I ran out of the restaurant and past the hostess that has clearly had enough of my crap from her elaborate eyeroll.
When I got back to Kris, his beard was longer and his cheeks almost looked like they had blush on them.
I peered around him and saw my sister curled up sleeping like a content kitten.
“She okay?”
Kris nodded. “She talks in her sleep, but other than that she seems good.”
“She’s always talked when she was sleeping. There was even a period where she did the night terror screaming. So terrifying.” I produced the green business card before telling Kris our next move.
“We have to make it to the airport before Fargone hightails it out of here. Our answers are waiting for us, Kris.” I felt a spark of hope and I liked it.
I needed a plan. This was the start of one.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
KRIS
I was driving to Albany while Lila did some searching on her phone. If she had figured out Mrs. Fargone’s plans properly, the woman would be at the airport late tonight to catch a red eye flight. She was leaving New York Harbor on an Alaska trip that included a nature hiking and survival portion and a cruise. Fargone wanted to be out of touch. And very, very hard to reach.
Hopefully we get there on time and in time.
The LED lights in Sonnet’s car were possibly giving me a headache. I had no idea how this girl got from point A to point B without strobing herself out of her mind.
“So, the hard part will be getting past security without a ticket, and we'll have to hustle to get to her before she gets on that plane. I have no idea how hard it will be to contact her once she’s boob deep in polar bears and aurora borealis.” She set her phone down in a cup holder.
“Do these lights not bother you at all?” I could see that my fairly long beard was dotted with all different colors.
“For sure. I bet they're illegal. But Sonnet has talked her way out of every ticket anyone has ever tried to give her.” Lila peered over her shoulder to look in the backseat. “This car is far more reliable than mine though. Sonnet knows how to fix cars and she has dialed this one in.”
She turned to face me again. There was pride in her eyes.
“You really love your sister.” I offered. It was obvious despite their salty back and forth previously.
“Oh yeah. I’m crazy about her even though she makes me crazy.”
Lila set up her phone GPS to lead us to the airport, but it was a quick ride. As we did the first pass, headed for the parking lot, Lila pointed.
“There she is! Vaping outside!” I hit the brakes like I had encountered a pop up stop sign. Lila was out the passenger side door before I even got to put the car in park.
Mrs. Fargone’s eyes went wide as she spied Lila sprinting toward her.
A whistle sounded near my ear and I startled. When I finally found the window power button, the officer on the other side was more than done with my ineptitude.
“Carry on!” She waved at me with no patience at all.
“Yes, of course.” I had to abandon Lila who --to her credit-- had reached Mrs. Fargone. In her haste, Lila had left her cell phone sitting in its holder on the dash. My best course of action was going to be circling this airport. I peeked at Sonnet who was happily asleep in the backseat-- not even the honking of frustrated drivers around me in the drop off area could wake her. I sent some silent good wishes in Lila’s direction and took off.
