Dark City

12.

Tom refused to live with any regrets. Dropping out of college and moving back home had been his choice. The whispering shores of south Jersey had called him home. He still wanted to work in the arts, and he didn't think he was losing anything leaving New York City. Asbury Park was brimming with opportunities and it even had a certain element of danger. It was the city of heroin, a place known for its hypodermic needles in the sand.

Lacey was passed out in his bed, wearing nothing but a corner of the sheet coming up off the mattress. She slept like the dead. Sunlight, dishwashing, lawnmowers, none of it could stir her. In general, she never woke before the hour of two, and at that point she would preen and bathe until four. She had a full flask of fireball whiskey at all times. Part of her therapy, she told Tom. Twenty-seven years old, she did as she pleased, even if she woke up every day complaining about sore legs and a pounding headache.

Tom ripped a piece of tape off one of his boxes. He found his wooden shield inside, an old favorite from his brief stint teaching kids how to sword fight at the New York Renaissance Fair in Tuxedo. He pulled away the bubble wrap and leaned it against the wall.

"Tom," his father said from on the other side of the door.

Tom pulled the comforter up over Lacey's shoulders. "Come in, Carl."

"Carl? Really?" His dad poked his head in.

"I'll feel more like your equal in this house if I can call you by your name. Or do you prefer your title?"

Carl's brow furrowed apprehensively. "Do you want some lunch?"

"I'm okay."

"Okay." Carl stared at the stacks of boxes. "Need some help unpacking?"

Lacey moaned a little in her sleep. Tom lowered his voice so as not to wake her. "No, I'm good."

"She gonna get up soon?"

"No, Dad. She works late."

"Tell her to watch out. This town's not right these days."

"Any news on what happened to Hannah?"

"The M.E. ruled it an accidental death."

"Even though she was found naked?"

"There were no signs of abuse."

"Anything on her phone?" Tom was used to throwing out ideas when it came to his dad's cases. Living alone together had fostered the habit.

"Phone's missing."

"What about all the DNA you guys found?"

"On an overdose like this, with a girl who had a history of drug abuse, I'm sorry, Tom, but there's no case. We've got to move on."

"Yeah."

"She's not out of my thoughts, though. Even though we are officially closing the case, I'll keep looking for whoever did this."

"It's fine. With or without a case, she'll still be dead."

"Nobody your age should have to go through something like this."

"No. It's fine. I'm fine," Tom said. "I want to do whatever I can to help."

"You know, Tom. I've noticed your interest in what I do. I think it's time we had a conversation."

"What do you call this?"

Carl smirked. "You might consider the police academy."

"Oh my God, Carl. I didn't drop out of college to be a cop."

"You're still set on the whole theater thing?"

"Fencing, Dad. I got an offer from Alec Pistache to study fencing in Budapest this summer."

"Who?"

"World renowned fencing instructor. I told you all of this."

"Pistache?" his father chuckled. "The world has enough clowns."

Tom grabbed his duffel of fencing gear and slung it over his shoulder. His dad couldn't grasp his potential to go pro. Being long and lean, he had the perfect build for fencing. He was quick, agile and his blade work was slicker than speed chess. Without another word wasted on his father, he left the house, slamming every door on his way out.

"Asshole," he grunted, marching across the asphalt. He tried taking some of those relaxing deep breaths he learned in family therapy. Breathe in. Breathe out. Let the feelings float away. His anger subsided somewhat by the time he reached Nathan's porch across the street. He took a final moment to collect himself and then he rang the doorbell.

A disheveled Mrs. Stone greeted him. She smiled with the usual bizarre gleam in her eyes.

"Hey, Mrs. Stone. Can Nathan come out and play?" Tom said facetiously. Mrs. Stone cackled with joy and threw her arms around him. She kissed the side of his head and gave him a tight squeeze.

"My little knight!" she cried.

"Back for good, your grace."

"What do you mean? You still have another year and a half of school."

"The whole theatrical degree thing wasn't working for me."

"Oh, sweetheart. I'm sorry. Well, you're theatrical enough already," she chuckled. "Nathan!" she called upstairs.

Tom dropped his bag, took a seat on the couch and kicked up his feet. The house had that musty smell of hickory, that backdrop sound of the grandfather clock, the subtle haze of dust, the smell of herbal tea steeping in the kitchen and the beat-up couch that was comfier than anything in the world. Tom felt more at home here than he did with Carl.

He heard creaking and the striking of a cane against wood as his friend descended the stairs. It still surprised him to see Nathan looking so much older, so beastly with his mess of scars and his beard growing in all shaggy and unkempt. Tom had made a trip down to visit him a few times, back when Nathan first got back from his amputation. Nathan had stayed in bed each time, buried in shadows. He wouldn't talk much except to say that he was tired.

"Hey, Tom."

Nathan creaked over on his cane and sat next to him.

"You want to spar?" Tom asked.

"Are you serious?"

"Yep. I want to teach you fencing! And you, with your combat training, you can show me a thing or two, right?" Tom hopped up and started mimicking karate chops and swift dodges. On Nathan's face were the hints of a smile.

"You want to make yourself feel good beating on a man with one leg?"

"Whoa! You can beat off on your own time. Grab a jacket, something thick," Tom said, still hopping around like a kid full of pop rocks. Nathan grabbed a leather jacket hanging on a hook by the door and they headed outside. Tom led the way to the mouth of Ghost Woods, his duffel propped on his shoulder.

__________

Thanks for reading! It's nice to be able to share this story with people again. It has been years. Some chapters I'm not sure which Muse song to use. This is one such chapter. If anyone has a better recommendation of one that hasn't already been used, I'm all for it.

Music: "I Belong to You" Muse