Melissa eyed him. “
Rictor nodded. “Remind me to show you a photo sometime; we had to call in a special veterinarian surgeon to aid in the autopsy. Now that I think of it, it was that experience that drove me out of the morgue and made me want to work in the field with CSI.”
Melissa shuddered at the mention of Kane’s butchery and redirected her attention to the slim paperback in her gloved hand. A moment later she glanced at the remaining piles of books on the floor.
Frank’s seemed to be the only one not based on the supernatural.
Yet the main subject sounded just as scary.
CHAPTER 18
Mallory met with Becky outside of Nordstrom’s.
“Back here at six,” her dad said when he dropped her off, then she hurried away with Becky.
Inside, they flowed with the crowds, updating each other on the current events of their lives. They hit all their favorite shops, spending sporadically, talking, checking out guys. Becky teased her with some new info about Derrick but then confessed that she didn’t really have anything to report.
At three, they saw
“I think that was for you,” Becky said after they ordered their food, “but if you don’t want it, I’m happy to take the credit.”
Mallory shrugged and paid the cashier.
They sat at a table overlooking the huge central atrium that housed the paths, trees, fountains, game areas, and amusement park rides in the middle of the building.
“Why so spacey?” Becky asked while they ate.
“What do you mean?”
Becky made a casual gesture to the left. “That dude over there just flashed you his dong, and you totally missed it.”
Mallory gaped at her. “What?”
Becky laughed. “That’s what I mean. You’re in orbit. What’s the deal?”
She sighed and put down her fork. “Well, it’s just that—”
She stopped herself and looked around, making sure they were alone. She leaned forward. “If I tell you something kind of strange, do you promise not to freak?”
“Look who you’re talking to,” Becky replied.
Mallory took another swallow of her drink, biding an extra second. “I’ve been having these really messed up dreams lately,” she confessed. “Nightmares. I can’t even explain how awful they’ve been. But last night… last night I dreamed about being with a girl.”
Becky talked around her straw as she sipped her own drink. “What, like hanging out or getting nasty?”
“Nasty,” Mallory whispered.
Becky’s mouth dropped open. “For real? It wasn’t about
Mallory didn’t laugh. “No. It was this older girl with purple hair, Penelope. Penelope Styles.”
“Who’s that?”
“I don’t know. She in each of the dreams, though.”
“So what happened?”
Mallory looked at her food rather than meet Becky’s inquisitor-like stare. “Well, we were in this strange room. It was like someplace underground, with stone walls and fires burning around the room. There was this raised area in the middle with animal furs on it that I guess was supposed to be a bed. Anyway, we were kissing. Really kissing. I’m talking tongue knots. And we were…” She cleared her throat and continued at a lower volume. “We were naked, and after a while Penelope, you know, went down on me.”
Becky gawked at her.
Mallory shifted in her seat. “The sensation was so intense that when I woke up I think I had an orgasm.”
“You slut!”
Mallory glanced around, expecting to find the whole restaurant staring at her. “Would you keep your voice down. Shit, I knew I shouldn’t have said anything.”
“No, no,” Becky apologized. “I’m sorry. Did anything else happen?”
Mallory nodded, staring at her friend across the table, shivering at the memory of what came next. “I killed her,” she said.
Becky’s smile slid away. “Why?”
“I don’t know. I just grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into the stone corner of the bedpost until there was nothing left to hold onto.”
Becky sat speechless.
“But it wasn’t really me,” Mallory rushed to explain. “It was like I was watching myself through someone else’s eyes, seeing me how they
Becky put down the sandwich half she’d been working on, rolled the remains of the food back into its wrapper. She pushed it aside. “You’re right. That is messed up.”
“I know it is,” Mallory replied. “That’s why I’m so out of it. I’ve been trying to imagine how I’d come up with something so twisted.”
“Hey, it was a dream. A wacko dream, but that’s it. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Mallory shook her head. “I can still recall every detail. It was more like reliving a memory than having a dream.”
“So we’ll get your mind off it. Will your dad let you come over tonight?”
Mallory shook her head again. “I can’t. I sort of have plans.”
Becky raised an eyebrow.
“I’m going out with someone.”
“Who?”
“A boy from the neighborhood.”
“You’ve got a date! This whole time and you haven’t said anything!”
“It’s not a big deal.”
Becky picked up her drink. “I swear I’ll douse you with this.”
Mallory laughed. She recounted BJ’s episode in the pool the other day and how Tim had come to his rescue. Becky listened wide-eyed.
“Holy shit, Mallory, why didn’t you tell me this earlier? And what about this Tim guy; is he hot?”
Mallory smiled. “I didn’t tell you because I knew this is how you’d react. I also didn’t want to make a big deal about it because I feel like I’m being a tease or something.”
“Why?”
“Because I think Tim likes me,” Mallory confessed. “He’s such a nice guy I couldn’t say no to him, especially not after what he did for BJ. But I’m still thinking about Derrick. I don’t know. I guess I feel like I’m leading him on. What should I do?”
Becky laughed. “You just met the dude. You don’t have to marry him.”
Mallory groaned. “I’m talking about not hurting his feelings.”
“The best advice I’ve got for you is to go with whichever one’s cuter.”
“Thanks a lot,” Mallory replied. She glanced to her watch. “It’s almost six,” she said. “We better get moving.”
