Feathers

22. Revelations

Michael drove back to the flat as fast as he could without speeding. When they arrived, he took the stairs up to the door of the flat two at a time.

"Just tell me!" Kobie shouted up the stairwell after him.

"I want to tell everyone together." He shouted back over his shoulder.

He could hear Kobie grumbling behind him as he fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door. They walked quickly inside, down the hallway and into the kitchen.

As they stepped into the room, Spencer leapt up out of a seat that, upon a second glance, Michael realised was not empty. Gretchen was sitting on one of the cloth-backed kitchen chairs, her hair tousled and her cheeks flushed. She'd changed back into a thin cotton dressing gown and it was open wide at the neck revealing blotchy red skin in several places. Bruises. Hickies. Spencer was awkwardly bouncing on the soles of his feet, running his hands through his hair and turning a decidedly ripe pink colour.

Michael had been so focussed on his train of thought that it took him a moment to register what they'd just walked into. Why was Spencer sitting on Gretchen? Why was Gretchen blushing?

"Oh my god", said Kobie, "How could you guys do that in this room, with everything that's happened here?"

"Actually," Spencer chimed in, "there have been a number of studies into the relationship between stress, fear and sexual arousal. In one, an erotic film shown after an anxiety-inducing film, led to a greater arousal in test subjects than when it was shown after a neutral film. This increased physiological arousal is likely due to a boost of activity in the sympathetic nervous system activity which can enhance sexual arousal..."

"Oh god," Kobie said again.

"Look It's not like we were boning at the kitchen table or anything. And I wasn't thinking of... you know.." Gretchen gestured in the direction of the linoleum with a disgusted look on her face, "I'm trying not to. This is my kitchen. I'm trying to act how I normally would. Which includes making out with a cute boy when I feel like it."

When she said cute boy she shot Spencer a playful smile. Michael didn't think it was possible for someone to blush any harder than Spencer was already blushing, but somehow he managed it, turning a shade of almost purple.

"Anyway," Gretchen said, "who cares about us making out. What happened at the cop shop? Are they on to us?"

Michael pulled out a chair from the other side of the table and sat down. He'd try to process this new information about Spencer and Gretchen later, when they weren't trying to solve a potentially life-threatening mystery.

"Yeah, that was fine. Looks like a shark ate him. Most of him. They're just doing a routine enquiry"

Spencer exhaled, heaving an audible sigh of relief.

Michael hurried on, eager to talk about his idea. It seemed crazy but Dean was the least of his concern at that moment, "Guys, everyone sit down."

He shot Spencer a look, "In your own seat.

Kobie pulled up a chair at the head of the table and Spencer sat down next to Gretchen.

"I've got something to tell you. I think I've figured something out, about the Crow man," Michael said.

"Just for the record. The whole police station thing was not okay. It was bloody terrifying" Kobie muttered half under her breath.

Michael tried to give her an understanding smile, while at the same time ignoring the way Gretchen slipped her hand under the table into Spencer's lap.

"Okay, we're all together now, tell me the thing you're so excited about, you're driving me crazy" Kobie said.

Michael took a deep breath. Everyone fell silent. All eyes were on him.

"I think Spencer's right," Michael said.

Everyone looked at Spencer.