Page 9 of Fixer
Wade’s apartment was bigger than I expected, dimly illuminated by the streetlights beginning to brighten outside.He flicked on an overhead, even though our eyes did okay in low light, unlike regular humans’.The main room was full of equipment for his woodworking, plus racks of uncarved blocks and slabs.A small TV with rabbit ears stood on a cart against one wall.Wooden shelves mounted on the other wall held an array of carved pieces, from rabbits to aliens, kitschy welcome plaques to dollhouse furniture.
I wandered over to inspect them, hearing him flip the lock shut behind us, and touched one fingertip to a carved rabbit.“This was how I found you, by the way.Checking craft market after craft market.”I’d bribed a whole army of ladies who loved knickknacks to send me photos of their wooden finds, knowing I’d recognize Wade’s work.Success had taken years longer than I expected, though.
“Whittling was a portable moneymaking skill.”
“Talent.Artistry.Not skill.”
Wade huffed, although I thought he sounded pleased.
I turned.“So, that graffiti.What’s the plan?”
Keeping his eyes on me, Wade set the wrapped photos on his tiny kitchen table.“This is so odd.You being here.Me not trying to kill you.”
“Totally understandable.You didn’t have full information.”I flicked a finger at the photos.
“Because you didn’ttellme!”Wade rubbed his face.“Because you couldn’t find me.Yeah, I get that, but it’s hard to pivot from something that defined me for so long.I feel…” He trailed off.I wondered ifconfusedoradriftbelonged in there.Angry?Relieved?
For me, this moment was the opposite of adrift.I’d been focused on finding Wade and setting his mind at rest for so long, success energized me down to my soul.“You can work your feelings out on the drive to see Shawn.What do we need to do now?”
“We?”
“Well, yes.Someone defiled your territory.You’re going to take them down.That sounds…”Hot?I went with, “entertaining.Plus, I expect you won’t want me to hang around in your building without you.So I’ll come along.”
“Groovy,” he muttered.“Just what I need.”
“Hey, you can do your wolfing with my pair of human hands around to assist.Sounds like a win to me.”I leaned against the wall to make myself less imposing.“How do you dole out punishment?I noticed your building doesn’t have nearly the amount of graffiti in the rest of the neighborhood.”
“There’s a legend,” Wade noted.“Back almost a hundred years ago, a witch lived in this building with her wolf familiar.Maybe she was pagan, maybe vodou, maybe a Baba from Eastern Europe.Whoever she was, she and her wolf claimed this building as home.One moonless night, she was murdered while performing a ritual up on the roof, and her wolf vanished.Since then, she has protected this place.Make her angry, and retribution returns to you.”
“Sounds convenient.Did you happen to invent this legend?”
“Me?”Wade made big eyes.“Why it’s much older than I am.”He laughed, then looked startled as if joking with me shocked him.He cleared his throat.“I may have encouraged a few of the residents to spread that story about.”
“And you as wolf are her tool of retribution?”
“Yep.With a few added flourishes.Though the residents don’t know that, of course.”
“Like what?”
Wade went to a window, drew aside the curtain, and retrieved a small glowing glass jar from the sill.“Phosphorescent paint.Spread a little on a towel, rub my fur in it, and I make a very convincing ghost wolf.”
“Ooh, a twisty brain.I do like a man with imagination.”
“Also this.”He reached into a low cabinet, brought out a stained towel and a can of spray paint set in a metal contraption.“A squeeze trigger.I can manage this one with my teeth.The regular push button isn’t made for paws.”
The drips down the side of the canister were a bright pink.I pointed.“The color mean anything?”
“For Shawn.And because it annoys them.”
“Sounds good to me.”We eyed each other.I said, “I can bring the paint, if you bring the wolf.”
“Me and Dustin working together.This is not my life.”Wade rubbed a hand over his head, tousling his curls.“We need to wait till later for the ghost effect, and the lack of spectators.You can be useful and help scrub the wall.”
“Whatever you say.”I kept my tone mild, but I meant it.I’d wanted this reunion for a long time, and I’d let Wade be in the driver’s seat.In fact, I felt an odd satisfaction at having Wade tell me what to do.
He dug out a metal can with the sharp scent of turpentine, and some rags and brushes.“Come on.Before it sets.”
He made me go ahead of him on the stairs again, but the distance between us didn’t feel as tense.Once outside, he set the can and rags on the ground, and I screened him with my legs while he knelt and took a quick sniff along the ground.“Gotcha, you little rat,” he murmured.“Just wait till it gets dark.”Rag in hand, he uncapped the turpentine.
