Page 40 of Shelter for Martina

They spent the evening on the sofa, watching TV and cuddling. Bud couldn’t remember the last time he’d been that happy. It was late when Martina asked, “Oh! Where’s the dog? I noticed she was gone.”

“At the vet’s. I can pick her up tomorrow. She’s having a checkup, shots, grooming, all that.”

“So you’re keeping her?”

Bud smiled. “We’rekeeping her.”

She laughed. “Okay! We’re keeping her! We’ve got to come up with a name for her.”

“At least we know she’s a girl!”

“True. Guess we could’ve name her Terry,” she said with a chuckle.

“Androgynous Pat’s friend,” Bud said with a snicker.

Martina laughed out loud. “Oh, god! I’d forgotten about that!”

“We’ll just wait until she comes back from the vet and we’ll figure out a name.”

There was hesitation in her voice when she asked, “So, um, did the KDCI guys get here today?”

“Yep.”

“And they’re taking the other portion of the investigation?”

“Yep.”

“And keeping you guys out of it?”

Bud nodded. “Yep.”

“Good. You don’t need any more trouble than you’ve already got.”

Bud couldn’t help but think that truer words were never spoken.

* * *

God,it felt so good to relax! The evening’s play hadn’t been rough and tumble like the last time. Instead, they’d made love for a good hour and a half, and looking down into her eyes as he stroked slowly into her was a joy that Bud had forgotten over the years. Her hands on his biceps, fingers digging into his shoulders, heels resting on his ass, gave him a feeling of true bliss, the kind that he’d only heard about before. He and Becky had been good together, but he and Martina were magic.

They’d almost drifted off to sleep when her phone rang. “What the hell?” Bud mumbled.

“Oh, god, what if it’s Renita!” Martina was scrambling, trying to get to the phone, and answered it with a breathless, “Hello?” But the call deteriorated from there. “What? He’s what? Where? Are you serious? Call the cops, Angela. No, that’s fine, and I appreciate you calling, but just call the cops. I’m not there, so there’s nothing he can do to me. It’s okay, really. I have no idea, but whatever it is, he’s not going to get it. Yeah. And I’m sorry he’s doing that. I know, but I still feel responsible. Okay. Let me know. Thanks.” She poked the screen with her finger and dropped the phone on the bed like a hot potato before burying her face in her hands.

Bud couldn’t figure out what was going on. “What the hell was that about?”

Martina jumped up out of bed and started pacing. “That crazy fucking PhilAdams. He’s at my house, screaming at it! That was my next-door neighbor, Angela. She says he’s cussing and raving and ranting and telling me to get my ass outside. I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with him.”

“What’s he ranting about?”

“Wanting to know where Marty is. I don’t know where the hell Marty is.”

“No, but I’m betting your house was the last place anybody saw Marty. And just think—my car wasn’t there. Anybody who saw him there didn’t know I was there, Martina. They thought you were there by yourself.”

“So? What’s that got to do with anything?”

“It means Adams is getting nervous. It means he’s becoming more dangerous. It means you’ve got to be sure you’re nowhere near him. If you see him coming, you go the other way.”

“I haven’t done anything.”

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