Soul Tides

FIVE || you & tequila.

Warm afternoon sun poured through the picture window, waking Mara from her sleep. She rolled over, but the bed was empty; Dylan was gone. A strange loneliness filled her, one that hadn't bothered her lately. While she'd been alone the last couple weeks, she hadn't felt especially lonely, but it's easy to forget how alone you actually are until someone comes along to remind you.

On the bedside table, a note sat propped against the whiskey bottle.

Hey Ripgirl,

Went for breakfast with my mom.

Left some groceries in the fridge, check back on you soon.

Thanks for making my first night home super weird :)

Doc

With a smile, Mara grabbed a mustard yellow cardigan from a pile of clean, but unfolded laundry, and slipped on a pair of jogging pants to investigate the kitchen. Inside the fridge, milk, eggs, butter, and orange juice filled the bare shelves. As she closed the door, the smell of fresh bread wafted through the air and she spotted a loaf on the counter next to a brown box from the best bakery in town.

It's like she knows me already.

Lifting the lid, Mara melted seeing three gourmet doughnuts, topped with valrhona white chocolate and fleur de sel. Anytime she had a little extra cash to blow on calories, she went to this bakery and it'd been years since she'd done so. Sinking her teeth into the sweet fried dough, she grabbed a mug from the drying rack, almost missing a new bottle of Patrón tucked away next to the coffee pot with a bowl full of limes.

Tequila, huh?

A dumb grin slipped across her face and reflected in the microwave. Shoving another bite of doughnut into her mouth, she tried to hide her smile, distracting herself instead with the blinking clock on the door: a quarter to eleven, which actually meant it was closer to one in the afternoon.

Grabbing another doughnut from the box, she made a cup of coffee and topped it off with a splash of Irish cream. On the dining table, her case file sat open with Laurel's photo on top, but she decided to head to the garage to take a look at Eunice again before Dylan came back.

Coffee in one hand, she stuffed the doughnut in her mouth, letting it hang between her teeth to open the garage freezer—where a new bag of ice had been placed on top of Eunice's body.

Fuck.

Maybe Dylan didn't even notice.

"So, what exactly are you planning on doing with my mom's mutilated dog?" Dylan's voice suddenly surrounded her.

Slamming the door shut, Mara spun around, spilling her coffee everywhere. Her doughnut broke off from her mouth, falling white-chocolate side down onto the dirty floor of the garage. With a groan, she mourned the tarnished sweet, looking back up to Dylan whose eyes hid behind dark sunglasses. Her arms crossed over a white buttoned blouse she wore tucked into high-waisted rose colored trousers.

Chewing the doughnut remnant in her mouth, Mara tried to savor every bit of it. "Why don't you come inside," she coaxed with a mouthful, "and lemme explain."

"Do you have any idea how awkward it was to sit with my mother this morning while she went on and on about Eunice, and how nice the 'service' was that you provided, all while knowing the damn dog's corpse was bagged up in your freezer?"

Mara swallowed hard. "Would you believe me if I told you I was looking to study taxidermy?"

"I'm calling the police."