Chapter Thirty-Three: She's My Best Friend

I was in deep shit.
I had come to Calla Wiley’s apartment in order to get some answers after her incomprehensible behaviour of the past week. I had found her roommate Bianca instead, and within moments she had changed from a friendly acquaintance to a pissed-off adversary. Her smiling face had transmuted into a disgusted snarl. Bianca truly believed I was crazy.

I wasn’t so sure I disagreed with her.

“Hold on, hold on…” I said quietly as she pointed at the door, demanding my departure.

“GET OUT!” She yelled.

“HOLD ON!” I shouted back. It startled her momentarily, and I filled the void with soft speech. “I understand why you might think I’m crazy. You don’t know me, and I come out of nowhere to disturb your little universe. But I saw Calla last Thursday evening, and she called me over the weekend. I still have the messages. You can come listen to them, and judge for yourself which one of us is crazy. I think she needs our help. If you’re really the protective friend you claim to be, you’ll keep an open mind and come listen. Just in case Calla needs your help.”

Bianca’s brow was furrowed, her mouth straight and grim. But her scrunched face softened a little over the course of my little speech, and her mouth opened with a small “O” of surprise. She put her hand down.

“That’s more reasonable than I would have expected from a crazy man,” she said after a moment. “But I’m not going anywhere with you alone. Just in case you’re crazy.”

Bianca smiled winningly on that last line, with a little shrug. It was a shrug that said that maybe she believed me. A little. I breathed out, not realizing until I did it that I’d been holding my breath.

“We’re alone right now,” I pointed out.

“Yeah, but that was before I thought you were crazy,” Bianca said, smiling wider.

“You’re nuts,” I laughed. “So where does that leave us?”

“I don’t know, you’re the smart one who found a way out of the last impasse.” Bianca sat back down on the arm of the couch, folding her arms. “Figure it out.”

I thought about it. And then I slapped my hand to my forehead in disgust.

“It’s on my answering machine at work! There are people there. If I seem crazy, you’ll have witnesses, you can just hand me over to them.”

She nodded. “Sounds fair enough.”

“Why are you being fair to a crazy person?” I asked.

“Because, as stupid as it seems, Calla seems to like you. I’ll kill you if you hurt her, but she could use some friends.”

“So, if I’m not crazy and I don’t hurt her, we’re good? Sounds like a fair proposition from where I’m standing, since I know I’m not crazy and I have no intention of ever hurting Calla.”

“Yeah, well, from where I’m standing, you still need to prove it. But, at least I’m willing to give you that chance, right?” Bianca smiled and stuck out her hand. We shook on it.

“I think you’re crazier than either Calla or me,” I smiled.

“Probably. But I’m an artist, comes with the deal.” She shrugged. “Shall we?”

I nodded and we headed for the door. We walked down the stairs.

“So, how long have you known Calla?” I asked.

“A long time.”

“So you know her really well?” I inquired.

“Better than anyone.”

“So she’s going to be a PhD, huh? I bet her parents must be really proud.”

Bianca turned to me with a smile when we reached the main floor..

“Is that a lawyer thing?”

“What?”

“Asking all these probing questions, to try to pump me for information.”

I blinked. “I was just curious.”

“Yeah, well, you can ask Calla that stuff yourself.”

We got a cab and rode the rest of the way in silence.