Pillow Talk

That night I mulled it all over, pacing around my apartment and chewing my fingernails (a habit I thought I had kicked in college). There was a part of me that was determined to stay on the story. I wanted to keep going with my investigation now more than ever. At the same time, these were powerful people involved – relatively speaking – but influential or dangerous enough to keep a newspaper editor and a police Detective from wanting to get involved. I knew I was getting in over my head. In hindsight, that’s exactly why I had to continue. Pursuing the story wasn’t just about the story anymore; it was about me proving to myself that I was somebody, that I had made the right decision to leave Elle and Boston and everything else behind.

Later that night, I went back and forth on whether or not I should reach out to Misty again, but in the end, I really just didn’t want to be alone that night. I had a beer by myself and made a bowl of instant noodles before I gave in and called her.

I tried to clean up my place a little and shoved my stacks of books and papers into one corner of the room and she arrived about an hour or so later. I offered her a beer and we sat on my couch, though there wasn’t much to look at in the living room, it didn’t matter. I think we both knew this was a booty call. But so not to feel cheap, we made a valiant effort at small talk before we ended up in my bed again.

Misty was fun to have sex with. She was rough and a little wild. Sex was like a game to her, something she could win.She was so different from Elle whose touch was always soft and cautious even during our most intense lovemaking.

For just a little while, Misty had succeeded in making me forget about what I had learned today. We lay together in bed for a while after, sharing a couple more beers but not really saying much. Naturally, my mind drifted back to Nicole and Lilly’s disappearance.

“I found out a little more about the McClinton disappearances.” I knew it wasn’t the best topic for pillow talk, but with Misty nice and relaxed, I didn’t want to squander an opportunity to see what more I could find out. “The cops found the Senator’s car abandoned at Lake Carmi.”

To my surprise, Misty didn’t react the way I thought she would. She seemed like someone who liked to gossip. I quickly realized I didn’t know her as well as I thought I did. She took a long sip of beer before speaking.

“Huh, that’s...weird.”

I sat up onto my elbow and placed an arm around her waist. “Yeah, I met this detective today and he kind of implied that the Senator might be involved. I mean, I’m just guessing, but based on the car thing, and my boss not wanting to run the story, I feel like McClinton just has to have something to do with it. I think I’m going to head down to the lake tomorrow just to take a look around.”

“Lake Carmi’s got bad energy,” Misty said.

I cracked a smile, trying to lighten the mood a little. “Oooh, really? I didn’t take you for the superstitious type. Then again, this whole town is apparently a supernatural magnet.”

“Sivene and I broke up at Lake Carmi,” she explained.

I felt bad then. Whoever this Sivene woman was, she had really done a number on Misty.

“Shit. I’m sorry, Misty,” I shouldn’t have brought it up.

She took another sip from her beer and stared at the ceiling as if she was silently saying something I couldn’t hear to someone I couldn’t see. Her fingernails picked at the peeling label on her bottle, and I wondered if I should push to get her to explain, but Misty decided for me.

“I was supposed to hang out with Rachel that night and go to the party at Lilly’s, but Sivene wanted us to spend some alone time together. We had both been busy and I hadn’t seen her in a few days. We were in the backseat of my car. We liked to get it on at the lakefront because we couldn’t get a lot of privacy at my apartment with my roommate. Things were heating up and, right in the middle of it she just...left.”

I frowned. “Left?”

“Yeah, she didn’t grab her clothes or anything. She just groaned, like she felt a sudden migraine coming on or something, and left. I have no idea why. No idea what happened. It wasn’t the first time she’d done something like that either. She just fucking disappears sometimes. We’ll be eating dinner or having drinks or whatever and she’ll seem a bit distracted for a second, then just up and leaves.”

I felt for Misty. I could see Sivene meant a lot to her, and that her erratic behavior had made Misty feel like she was doing something wrong, like she was unlovable. I wanted to comfort her, but what seemed like pensive sadness turned into a sudden outburst of anger.

“I had enough of it. These fucking disappearing acts. I’ve tried to talk to her about it, but she acts like it’s all a joke or, worse, she acts like she doesn’t know what I’m talking about at all.” Misty finished her beer and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand.

“So, you’re not really broken up then?” I asked.

“What?” Misty said, obviously stalling after realizing she’d shown her cards.

I just didn’t know when to stop and pressed her for more details. “I mean, what you’re saying is that you didn’t officially break up. Sivene just ran off and you haven’t seen her since. That’s what you’re saying, right?”

“I guess,” she said, seeming annoyed. “Jesus, ever the journalist, huh? Now you’re dissecting my breakup? What’re you getting at?”

“So, the next time you see Sivene she’s going to think you’re still together.” I was more than a little disturbed by the idea of Misty technically cheating on Sivene with me. From everything I had heard about her, she seemed like an unstable person who might not react well to finding out she was being cheated on. Beyond that, I simply had no interest in getting involved in anyone else’s romantic drama, especially while living in such a small place. But it was too late. I didn’t have a choice in the matter.

Misty shrugged, seemingly unconcerned by the whole situation in a somewhat obvious effort to divert me away from any more questions about her fidelity. “Whatever. She can think whatever she wants. I’m done with her.”

We sat quietly for a moment, but the longer I lay there, the more questions came into my head until I couldn’t hold back. “Where do you think she went? When she left? I mean, Lake Carmi is huge, isn’t it? And it’s so far from the interstate. You couldn’t really just... walk home, could you?” Suddenly, my mind connected two seemingly unrelated things. “Wait, this happened the night of Lilly’s party?”

Misty sat up very suddenly onto her elbows and threw me a glare. “What, are you saying Sivene had something to do with Lilly and Nicole going missing?”

“No, no. Well, not exactly. I just––”

“You don’t even know her!”

I stumbled to correct myself, but it was too late. “No, I don’t, I just––I’m only asking because the Senator’s car and––”

“Damn, Kelly. That’s so fucked up!” She threw her legs over the side of the bed and started getting dressed.

I knew I had overstepped, but I just couldn’t stop myself. “I’m just making sure I understand this correctly. Lilly and Nicole went missing from a party at the Senator’s house, the Senator’s car is found at Lake Carmi, and Sivene ran away from you the same night at the same place. You have to admit––”

“I don’t have to admit anything, Kelly, because I didn’t do anything wrong.” Misty pulled up her jeans, scowling. “You know, you might get yourself in trouble going around accusing people of murder.”

“Whoa, I’m not...” I trailed away, realizing we had crossed a point of no return. It also seemed I had touched a nerve.

Misty left without another word. I had pushed her too hard, but there was no point in chasing after her. Instead, I lay back down in my bed and stared up at the ceiling, secretly hoping she’d turn-around and give me the chance to smoothing things over, but she didn’t. The sound of the front door slamming signaled to me that my little fling with Misty was over, but that a new chapter in the unfolding saga of Cold Hollow was just beginning.