Page 16 of Toy

4

Mason

I pressed the doorbell,then rapped twice on the door a few seconds later.

After a couple of minutes, there was still no answer.

Jolie sighed and looked at me. “She must be out. I know it’s Saturday and all, but I don’t know what she does. She could be working, or she could be shopping or seeing someone.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see,” I said, leaning against the hallway wall. “She has to show up eventually.”

Beck had found Martha’s current address for us a couple of hours ago. She lived in an apartment block in downtown Mobile, Alabama. It only took a couple of hours to drive there, so Jolie and I left right away, not wanting to waste any time. I still had my doctor’s appointment this afternoon back in New Orleans, but if we spent too much time here in Mobile, I could easily reschedule it for tomorrow morning.

Jolie let out a theatrical sigh. “I need a coffee. Maybe we can go grab one and come back lat—”

Just before she could finish her sentence, the door swung open. A giant of a man peered down at us. He was probably around six foot six with an undercut hairstyle, a silver barbell through one eyebrow, and tattoos covering almost every inch of visible skin, including his neck. There was even a small tattoo on his left cheek.

“Hi, sorry about that. I was getting some cookies out of the oven and accidentally dropped the tray. Had to deal with that before I got the door,” he said, offering us an amiable smile. “What can I do for you folks?”

I raised an eyebrow. The man’s demeanor didn’t match his rough appearance at all. I guess that would teach me for judging a book by its cover.

“We’re looking for Martha Chase,” Jolie said. “I guess we have the wrong address.”

“No, you’re in the right place,” the man said, extending a hand to her and then me. “I’m Travis. Her boyfriend.”

“I’m Mason,” I said with a nod, shaking his hand. “And this is…”

“Holy shit.” The man’s piercing shot up as his eyebrows did. “Sorry to cut you off, but are you Jolie? From that old New Eden video?”

Jolie pressed her lips into a thin smile and nodded. “Yeah. That’s me.”

“Wow.” Travis turned his head and called over his shoulder. “Babe, you’ll never guess who’s come to see you!” He faced us again. “Sorry, she’s just been having a nap. She has a big night tonight.”

“That’s fine. We’ll wait for her to get up.”

Martha appeared in the arched doorway of a hall directly behind Travis a moment later. She still had the same bright red hair I remembered from eight years ago, but the wild curls had been straightened and cut into a bob. Her eyes were lined with smudged black makeup.

She yawned and padded closer. “What’s up, babe?” she said. “Did you say someone’s here to…” She trailed off, face turning pale as she caught sight of Jolie and me standing behind Travis. “Holy shit. Jolie Chastain?”

Travis stepped aside to let us in. Jolie tentatively stepped forward, and I followed her, one hand resting protectively on her lower back.

“Hi, Martha,” Jolie said with a faint smile.

“Um… hi,” Martha said, slowly stepping closer. “I actually go by Marty now, but you can call me Martha if it’s easier.”

“No, Marty is fine, if that’s what you prefer.”

Martha turned to me. “Wow. Mason Ashwood. I haven’t seen you in forever,” she said, eyes wide with shock. She looked back at Jolie. “What are you guys doing here?”

“I haven’t seen most of the girls from New Eden in a long time, so I decided to track everyone down and visit them,” Jolie said.

Martha bit her lip and nodded. “Oh, okay. That’s a nice idea. I haven’t seen anyone else for a long time either,” she said. “How did you find me?”

“Um. Phone book.”

“Oh. Well, come and sit down!” Martha said, beckoning us into a spacious lounge room. “I’m sorry about all the mess. I wasn’t expecting any visitors.”

“I’ll go make some coffee,” Travis said before disappearing into the kitchen.

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