The Unborn

Chapter 20

Marla’s murder was still foremost on Mike’s mind as he twisted the taps off and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed for a towel and dried himself off before wrapping it tightly around his hips. Maybe it was the fact that he knew her that allowed her death to keep intruding upon his thoughts. She wasn’t his first homicide case and she probably wouldn’t be his last. It felt rather odd to Mike that he had been at the scene of a crime all afternoon and now, here he was preparing for a date. In what warped existence does a person live with morbidity day in and day out and then simply switch from the macabre to the everyday run of life?

 "No, not tonight! Tonight is not about murder and death. It’s my night," he ordered himself to let go of his job for one night.

Mike stooped down and buried his hand deep into the furthest recesses of his bathroom cupboard. He was sure he had some cologne stashed in there. Leaning in further still, his arm now almost devoured by the cabinet, he felt the old familiar shape of his bottle of 'Drive, For Men‛ after shave. With a vice-like grip, he grabbed the bottle and reefed it from the shelf, then untangled himself from the midst of other personal hygiene products he’d tossed about during the search. His feet kicked and shoved the discarded items out from under him and he stood proudly in front of the mirror, the spoils of his quest in hand.

The lid popped off the bottle with a little gentle persuasion and Mike immersed himself with the contents, ensuring he covered every square inch from his cheeks and ears all the way down to his navel. He threw the cologne onto the vanity top and ran his hands across his face, his fingers inspecting the closeness of his shave. Tonight was the big night and he was going impress, he wanted Danni and he wanted her to want him just as much. He wasn’t sure of what would happen during their date, but the one thing he was certain of. Tonight there would be no sex, no going home with her, he wanted this night to be different, special, and he was deter-mined it would be.

A pair of blue denim jeans dangled from a hanger on his robe door, he pulled them on and tucked in his steely blue, dress shirt. He threaded a black, woven leather belt through the holders in his jeans and fastened it with his favourite oversized cowboy buckle. The damn thing was nearly three inches squared and

weighed as much as Bill Gate’s bank balance, but Mike liked it and wore it proudly. His trusty Redwings sat on the floor before him, he eyed them momentarily and at the last minute opted for his black lace up shoes instead. He pulled them on and began to tie the laces into perfectly neat bows.

"Shit!" he cried. His concentration had been such that he had somehow managed to overlook one very important item of clothing… His socks! Mike reprimanded himself for acting so foolishly; he was only going on a date for crying out loud. It wasn’t the first date he’d ever been on, however it was the first date in a long time that he was excited enough about to forget to dress himself properly. He walked slowly to the bathroom mirror and studied his appearance carefully, confident that all was as it should be, he brushed his hair and sprayed his mouth with breath freshener.

The neatly handwritten printing on the coaster Danni had given him, read 14 Cloverdale Street. Mike stared at it briefly admiring the structure of her letters and the way she inserted a small circle over the top of the letter I in her name, it was sweet. A little childish perhaps, but that may be just what he needs, a fresh burst of enthusiasm to kick-start his often morbid existence. All of a sudden it occurred to Mike that he knew absolutely nothing about her, he didn’t even know how old she was. She would have to be at least eighteen he reasoned, other-wise she couldn’t legally be working in a bar. Tonight he would find out all about her. Mike pulled his phone from the charger and began to stuff it in his pocket when it started ringing.

"Yeah, Lynch."

"Mike. It’s, Paula."

"Paula, glad to hear from ya. What did ya manage to dig up for me?"