It was a restless sleep. I couldn’t get the sight of the headless woman out of my mind. I tossed and turned so much that Eloise threatened to send me home if I didn’t stop. So, I got up and started some coffee. As I sat at the kitchen table looking out at the flashing lights from the all night Laundromat across the street, I tried to think of what would drive someone to commit such a heinous assault on another person.
The sun was barely up when Eloise’s phone rang. It rang about six times and stopped. I didn’t feel right answering it and Eloise slept right through it. A testimony to my bedroom stamina I guess.
It wasn’t long before the phone started to ring again. This time I couldn’t stand listening to it ring as it was causing my head to throb. I picked it up on the tenth ring.
“Yeah?” I answered, keeping any hint of friendliness out of my voice.
“Max?” It was Harry.
“Who were you expecting?”
“You don’t want to know.”
“Yeah, right.” I replied.
“I thought you might be interested in knowing we just caught another one. A headless woman on the Southside. Not far from where we found the last one. I am heading down there now. A patrolman who got the call said it is obvious that she had been dead for awhile from the stench coming out of her apartment. It’s at 2146 Howard Ave. Guess you owe me another steak dinner.”
This time he hung up on me.
“Who was that?” It was Eloise. She was standing behind me wearing my t-shirt and not much else. Her hair was tousled and her eyes puffy from sleep. She stretched her arms over her head, causing the t-shirt to rise revealing her robin’s egg blue panties. She sure looked beautiful in the morning. I was torn between going back to bed with her and going to the scene of this new headless woman. I have to be honest here, given the choice, I prefer my women to have heads.
I stood up and put my arms around her, drawing her close. I brought my lips down to hers. She lifted her head and parted her lips as we kissed in the kitchen. I took her hand and led her back into the bedroom. I reached down and grabbed the hem of my t-shirt and slowly lifted it over her head.
Cupping one of her breasts in my hand, I said, “I need my shirt. That was Harry. Something has happened and I have to go.”
“Go? It’s only six in the morning. Where do you have to go this early?”
“I’ll fill you in when I get back,” I replied as I sat on the bed pulling on my boots.
Eloise had grabbed her bathrobe from behind the door and was clutching it to her chest.
“You’re a shit Max.
Is there any coffee left?” She asked flatly walking into the kitchen.
I followed her like a beat puppy and said, “Yep should be a couple of cups left. I’ll be back as soon as I can and I’ll make this up to you. I’ll take you to Mader’s for a nice German dinner tonight, how’s that?”
“I’m all a flutter, Max. You sure know how to make a girl feel special. You might want to call first to make sure I’m here.”
She grabbed her cup of coffee and turned and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.
“Shit,” I said to myself. Eloise had a way to make me feel slimier than boiled okra.
I ran out of her apartment, pulling my arm through the sleeve of my corduroy jacket and praying once again my car would start.