Overdue - Chapter 7

Outside of town Kil took a right turn down a dirt road. He was silent and I was scared. He took another right and turned into an old farm. He stopped the car outside the main house.

"This is our stop Craig." Again he was so calm and polite, like he was dropping me of home, like he was a friend. "We're getting out now." That was a command, it had a sharp edge to it. The kind of edge that was used to having a weapon behind it.

I got out. Kil leant on the hood of the car, he looked at me waiting. No not waiting,
knowing that I would crack. Then I realised something.

"You'd never send thugs to kill someone, would you?" It was a question in hope. A hope that could mean that I wasn't in as bad a place that I thought I was.

"No I wouldn't." Answered Kil. The relief it brought was undescribable. But my relief was wiped by what followed from Kil's mouth. "Now answer my question."

I told him how I found the drugs. I told him about using the security cameras to get a photo of Cameron, and hunting him down with Rat. I was so wrapped up in the telling of the story that I even told him about my non-event with Rat.

"Craig, that was way too much information." Kil chuckled. He then got serious. "And now you need to go to the cops and tell them everything you told me."

"Wha.. really. Why?" I was a bit perplexed.

"Cause you are in trouble and thats what people like you should do." He said it like an older brother does, when they know your too young to be playing with them. I thought about protesting. Kil saw it run across my face.

"Your in more trouble than you think. I can't tell you what you've fallen into. Mainly because if I do they'll have me kill you. If you go to the cops now it will be harder for them to touch you." He was making perfect sense, it was clear that he was right. Then he went and ruined it."And your not worth the trouble to them. Your just a librarian."

Just a librarian. It was all I ever wanted to be. Yet at that moment it seemed worse than any other profession in the world. I never truely understood the term emasculated till then. And inside me something wild flashed. For a breif moment I thought... No it wasn't a thought it was a feeling. It died as quickly as it flared.

"Craig, don't do anything you'll regret." Kil was looking at me. He was still emotionless. He was everything I wasn't.

"If thats all you've got to say take me back to work. I'll go to the cops." I got into the car. Kil got back in a started up the car, he turned to me. He was about to say something but I cut him off.

"Don't tell me I've made the right decision. I know I have. Just don't say anything, please." It was a warning. I thought I was at the end of myself but as found out I had a lot more to go.

Kil dropped me off at work, it was just on 1pm. Karl was so angry at me. I let him yell at me.
"I don't expect this kind of treatment from you Craig. What is happening to you." After that he decided to tell me who he thought was the reason why all this had happened. "Its that punky brewsters fault. Your all down from missing out on Mindy and now you've got involved with that minx."

"Rat." I could take Karl chewing me out but accusing Rat when he didn't know anything."Your blaming Rat for all of this." I felt a little bit of that feeling. It was rage. "All she's been is a friend to me in all of this. I've never done anything like this before and you haul me in here like some school kid." I raised my voice louder. "This is crap. I'm going out there and I don't want to hear anymore about this Karl. You hear me."

Karl didn't respond. I turned and went to the Philosphy/Religion shelves and began the loudest shelf tidy ever. It was around the health and fitness books that I came across the books about sexual disfunction. Something nagged at me. Something I had forgotten.

"Oh CRAP!" I'd forgotten Rat.

Overdue - Chapter 6

"Dude. How long have you been standing there." It was Mephisto. I don't know when he came into the lounge, but it was 4am when I looked at the clock. He'd obviously been with Kate.

"I don't know. How long have you been watching me standing here?" I asked back.

"For at least a minute or so. You scared the shit out of me, what happened?" he seemed genuine. So I told him about the Coffee Shop, Cameron and Ms Lola.

"Well that explains some of it, but why did Rat leave you here like this?" I didn't want to tell him, but what the hell why not some more humiliation.

So I told him.

"Ouch! Does Rat know that you didn't ummm." Mephisto paused to find the perfect descriptive term."Rise to the occasion."

"Does that matter?" I was honestly nieve about this.

"Craig this is really important. Think of it from her point of view. She wanted to.... help and you didn't respond at all. Either she thinks you don't find her sexy, or you think she's a slut." Mephisto was serious and that surprised me. But I was tired and I still had to go to work. Today.

"I'll tell her ok. But I gotta go to sleep, NOW!." I tried to end the interigation there. But Mephisto was adamant that I tell Rat it wasn't her fault. I didn't know wether he was trying to help me or his sister. I agreed to tell her as soon as I woke up. Mephisto accepted that and let me go to bed. I fell on the bed and into a restless sleep.

I awoke to the telephone ringing. I ignored it and let the machine take it.

"Craig, its 10:30 where are you?" Karls voice pierced my dozing mind and I woke up. "I've gotten Mrs. Hester in. Your lucky she's always able to fill in for you." The way Karl said that sounded like this happened regularly. "Are you comming in for the afternoon shift?". He hung up.

I got up. I went looking for coffee. When I had woken up sufficently I rang Karl.

"Hi sorry, I had a difficult time last night." I went to continue but Karl cut me off.

"Is this an excuse Craig. I don't accept excuses." He was concerned. With Karl that meant he tried to find what happened to you. And then make sure you never do it again.

"Its not an excuse, look I'll tell you what happened when I get in. Ok." Karl accepted that and I hung up. I'd gotten some time to work out how to explian this not only to Karl but to myself. I still didn't understand what had happened.

On the walk to the library I tried to piece the night together. Rat sitting me down to talk about my life, then Cameron the druggie being killed by thugs, lying to Ms Lola and then the failure to launch. Despite all of this, all I could think of was the fact that Cameron had been killed by thugs.

"Craig, earth to Craig." I stopped and looked to where the voice was calling from. It was Kil. He was in his shiny nice black car.

"Hop in I'll give you a ride to the Libarary." he asked politley. As if there was nothing going on between us. I thought about running. I thought about dying. I got in the car. To this day I don't know why I got in Kils car but I'm happy I did. It was a nice car, a very nice car. But thats not why I'm happy about getting in the car.

"Why were you and Rat at Cameron Shalky's flat last night?" That line hit me, hard. I thought about opening the door and jumping out but the car but I remembered I wasn't an action hero. Kil passed the turn off to the library and took the road out of town.

Overdue Chapter 5

Rat took me in her car. It was the old courtesty car for Rats dads tyre franchise. It worked, just.

Java Hutt at night was a busy place. It catered to all lifestyles, poor, rich, straight, queer, clean and stoned out of your gourd. The guy we were trying to find did work there, but he wasn't working that night. In fact he hadn't been there for a week. This we were told was normal for Cameron. They gave us his address and I wanted to go straight away but Rat wanted an espresso and a slice of orange cake. She even got us a table and sat me down. She ordered me a long black and a couple of doughnuts. We sat in silence waiting for the coffee and cakes. When her espresso came she started talking.

"Your weird Craig. And you want to know why?" Well she didn't wait for a response and gave me her answer straight away.
"Because you love your job but are frustrated with every other aspect of your life." She looked at me like she was revealing the secret of eternal life. I didn't know if I was supposed to be astounded or shocked.

"Why is that weird Rat?" I asked but I really didn't want to know why. I just wanted to go find this Cameron guy.

"Most people hate their job it frustrates them, pisses them off. And what that does is give them the need to make life

outside the job better. You don't have that, so your life sucks and it frustrates you. You want better but your job is great and you pour yourself into that. And what does that get you. No life outside work."

This was third rate psychobabble. Why was she saying this now, here. I wasn't sure why she said all that but it sounded as if she'd practised it. I just didn't know what to say so I said nothing. I silence we finished the coffee's and I bagged the rest of my doughnuts for later.

Cameron lived a few blocks down from Java Hutt. It was short and awkward walk. All I could think was why Rat said all of

that. She'd told me so many times my life sucked it shouldn't have meant much. But I couldn't get over the fact that it sounded prepared. Was this a punishment for snapping at her in the library earlier. Before I could get my head around all

that we were at the block of flats. Cameron was in number 6 which was on the third floor. The flats were a small rectangluar block divided in the middle by a centre staircase. The first signs were good, the staircase didn't smell of urine, it was well lit. And then we came to the third floor.

"This is bad isn't it?" I didn't want the answer to be yes.

"Yeah Craig its bad." replied Rat. The doorway, I say doorway because the door wasn't there at all. Well the hinges were there and in the place of a door was police tape. We stood there for a while. Then the door to flat number 5 opened. I jumped in front of Rat.

"Who are you?" I tried to be tough and mean but my voice was high and sqweeky.

"I'm Ms Lola. Answers Ms. Lola. "You after Cam?" Ms. Lola asked. She was possibly mid-fifties and wore a pink flanelette night gown with matching pink slippers. Rat pushed in front of me gave me a look that said ' If I needed protection I'd bring a gun, idiot'

"Yes we are, do you know where he is?" asked Rat politely.

"He's dead. Some guys came for him two days ago. They let themselves in and waited for him to get home. I thought they were friends, he always had friends coming over. I heard the screams and before I could phone the cops they were gone. He was dead."

"Why's the door broken down then?" I asked.

"Oh that was Lucas from number 4. He heard the comotion when those thugs ran out and locked the door behind them. Lucas is a plumber he got his crowbar and broke the door open. But it was too late Cameron was dead." Ms. Lola looked at me and Rat. "Your a strange couple." Ms. Lola pointed to Rat. "Now I'd believe you'd be here for Cameron's shit. But him, no your too straight for that. What are you here for?" It was an accusation not a question. I decided to lie my arse off.

"Camerons parents have been looking for him. He never told them where he lived. I'm part of their church group and they asked me to find him. Storm's an old friend from school I asked her to help me." I smiled all the way through it. Ms. Lola bought it completley. We walked out of the block of flats and back to Rats car.

"That was some quick thinking back there." She said to me when we hoped in the car. "Church group. I would never have thought of thet one."

"Thanks" I was breif but that was because all I could think of was thugs comming round to my place. Was I next.

We got home and it wasn't that late for Rat so she came in as well. I was still thinking about Cameron being dead. I didn't even know him, yet here I was shocked that he was dead. I sat on the lounge. Rat flopped down besdie me.

"Oh well the trail goes cold now doesn't it. He couldn't have told them anything. They haven't come here have they.... Craig." She smiled, waved her hand in front of my face. "Thats it. Its all over." She exhaled. "Craig you need to relax."

She got up and straddled my lap, facing me her knees on the lounge. She took my face in her hands gently and kissed me. Softly at first then with a bit more urgency. I stood up and she wrapped her legs around my waist. Then she stopped kissing me.

"Whats wrong." Rat asked."We've done this before." This was true after high school we got together. It was nice but it wasn't a realtionship. She smiled wickedly. "You can call me Faith." she whispered then started kissing my neck. This time it didn't work. She stopped kissing me and I let her down.

"I'll.... I'll go now ok." Rat tried to deal with the awkwardness but she couldn't. She left quickly. I just stood there. I heard her start the car. It stalled, she started it again and drove away. All I did was stand there.