Page 84 of Little Last Words
No one answered at first, so I tried again.
A minute later, a groggy-looking Becker opened the door, blinking at me in disbelief.
“What time is it?” Becker asked.
“Six thirty,” I said. “You lied to me.”
He stood there a moment, rubbing his eyes as he processed what I’d just said.
“I … what now?” he asked.
“Youlied to me.”
He nodded and swung the door all the way open. “I’m guessing you want to come in.”
“I do.”
I breezed past him, stopping to admire a unique tea bowl sitting on top of a cabinet in the entryway. It was light red in color and had two cranes flying over a mountain on the front of it. The bowl was half full of women’s jewelry—a few pairs of hoop earrings in gold and silver, a handful of other earrings, some with mates, some without, one bracelet, and a couple of rings.
“Interesting collection you have here,” I said.
“I guess so. If you see something you like, you can have it.”
“Ahh, no thanks. Why would I want a piece of jewelry that isn’t mine? Who do all these pieces belong to, anyway?”
He shrugged. “Hell if I know. No one ever comes back to pick up what they’ve left here. Then again, some of the ladies I’ve had at the house have only been here once or twice. I keep it all just in case one of them shows up to claim what they left behind, but since they haven’t, I’m guessing most of this stuff isn’t worth a whole lot. Maybe it’s time I got rid of it, huh?”
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s quite the conversation piece, though I doubt the women you spend time with enjoy seeing other women’s jewelry when they’re here.”
“One of my sisters visits from time to time. They think it’s hers.”
“Theythinkit’s hers, or you tell them it’s hers?”
“I don’t tell them anything unless they ask.”
“And when they do ask?”
“What am I supposed to say? Some of it is hers, and as for what isn’t, the truth causes too many problems, you know?”
Hard to know what to say to such a class act after that comment. A plethora of sarcastic wit was right on the tip of my tongue, waiting to be unleashed. Maybe later when I got what I needed out of him.
I lifted the tea bowl up to admire it but also so I could move the jewelry around, looking for the ring Simone had described to me over the phone.
It wasn’t there.
“This bowl is gorgeous,” I said. “Where did it come from?”
“Japan. It was a gift. I’ve had it for years. Always wanted to display it, but my ex-wife thought it was ugly.”
“And you decided the best way to showcase it now is to fill it with women’s jewelry.”
He crossed his arms and sighed. “Are you here to judge my lifestyle, or are you here to talk about the lie you think you’ve caught me in?”
“I don’tthinkI’ve caught you in a lie. I know I have. How about you come right out and admit it, so I don’t have to do a song and dance to get it out of you?”
“A song and dance could be fun though.” He glanced down the hall. “I’m going to make a shake. How about you accompany me to the kitchen, and we can get to the song and dance you’re talking about.”
I took a seat on a barstool at the kitchen counter, watching Becker put various protein powders into the blender along with fresh fruit and a couple of eggs. The more I stared at the concoction he’d created, the queasier my stomach became.