Chapter 10
ZEKE
I woke slowly next morning, the sun between my curtains casting a bright stripe across my face. I was going to roll over and hide in my pillows when I remembered Callum was sleeping downstairs. Or perhaps not sleeping, since that much sunlight on a March day meant I’d slept late.
My attic suite had a modest bathroom, so I staggered in there, took care of business, and splashed some water on my face. I still hadn’t cut my hair, but I couldn’t do anything about that now. I pulled on a fairly new pair of sweats, shaved with more care than usual, and brushed my teeth.
Heading downstairs, I paused at the second-floor landing to peer down the hall. Jos’s door stood shut, but Callum’s was ajar, and sounds came from the bathroom. I hadn’t beaten him by much.
The sunlight brightened the kitchen, warming the tiles under my bare feet.
I started the coffeemaker, then opened the refrigerator and peered in, contemplating breakfast. Callum was an athlete, which presumably meant he burned lots of calories and needed plenty of protein.
Bacon and eggs would do, or I could go fancy with French toast, which would please Jos, if and when he graced us with his presence.
A knock on the front door caught me by surprise and I padded that way, pausing to pull the front curtain open and look out.
Olivia and her wife Nicole stood on the step, Olivia carrying a grocery bag, and Nicole holding a pastry box.
I hurried to turn off the alarm and open the door. “Hey, problems?”
“Good morning to you, too.” Olivia grinned at me. “We come bearing gifts.”
I hesitated, then pulled the door wide. “Come on in. I’m surprised you’re up already.”
“Cleaning out Nicole’s dad’s place before he moves. That man has thirty years of stuff accumulated that is not going to fit into a one-bedroom assisted-living suite.” She raised the shopping bag. “But that makes you, or hopefully Jos, the winner.”
“How so?”
“Comic books.” She followed me as I led them back to the kitchen. “He wasn’t a serious collector, but he had a shit-ton in bins in his basement. We have the bins in the car. You can lug them in yourself. But this is a preview.” She set the bag on the kitchen table.
“Do you want to stay for breakfast?” I’d shopped the day before, so we had lots.
“We’ll take coffee,” Nicole said. “And we brought donuts.” She flipped open the lid of the box.
“You’re goddesses among women.” That solved my French toast question. “Give them here.”
“I’ll trade for that coffee. Not a morning person and we were up way too early.”
I set the box on the table, poured three mugs and was turning to hand the women theirs when Callum jogged in through the doorway. “Hey, Zeke, I used the last of the shampoo—” He put the brakes on, seeing Olivia and Nicole. “Uh, hi.”
Olivia gave him an up-and-down scan, taking in the dress pants, the slightly creased shirt with four buttons open, and his long bare feet, then raised her eyebrows at me.
Nicole, always the one to smooth things over, said, “Hi, I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Nicole, Olivia’s wife.”
“And I’m Olivia. I work with Zeke.”
“I’m Callum. Zeke’s next-door neighbour. I babysit Jos sometimes and Zeke let me crash in the spare room last night.” He threw me a fast look. “Speaking of which, I should probably head home.”
I shook my head subtly. “I’m just about to make breakfast.” Callum running away would only make Olivia certain something questionable was going on. “Have a seat. Hey, do you know anything about comic books?”
Callum hovered. “Not much. Why?”
“Olivia brought over a bunch from her father-in-law’s place. I don’t know if they’re worth anything.”
“You know who would? My old roommate Sully. He likes that kind of thing.”
I quickly dug into the bag, pulled out the top four, and spread them on the table. “Maybe you can send him pictures and ask him.”
“I guess.” Callum glanced between us all.
Steamrollering along, I asked Olivia, “You guys want anything other than coffee and donuts?”
“Nah, but go ahead.” She pulled out a chair and sat next to where Callum stood. “So, you’re Zeke’s neighbour, huh?”
“Yeah. West side.” He gestured west with the phone he’d pulled from his pocket. “Let’s see what Sully thinks.” He grinned at me. “Bonus, I maybe get to wake him up. He used to do that to me, going out running at ungodly-o’clock.”
Olivia watched him as he took pictures of the four covers and texted them to his teammate.
I threw a bunch of bacon in a pan and got out the eggs.
“Hey?” Jos said from the doorway. “I heard voices.” He eyed us, his head cocked, clad again in those too-small sweats. I wondered if they had some kind of meaning for him.
“Yeah, come on in. This is Olivia, who works the same shifts as I do at the department, and her wife Nicole.”
“Wife?” Jos asked.
Olivia leaned back, fingers laced behind her head. “Yeah, lucky me, eh? Your brother and I help hold up the queer end of the Vancouver PD.”
“Oh.” His eye was caught by the comics laid out. “What are those?”
“Come and see,” Callum offered.
Jos wandered to the table and eyed the four covers, then peeked into the bag.
“I texted a friend—” Callum was interrupted by his phone ringing. “A voice call from Sully. The world is ending. Putting him on speaker.” He answered and set the phone down.
“What the actual fuck?” a disembodied male voice exclaimed.
“Watch your fucking language, Sully,” Callum chided. “There’s a teenager in the room.”
Sully barked a laugh. “Around you? He’s doomed. But I meant the comics. Are those real?”
“Yeah. Like I told you, some friends found them.”
“Well, three of them are just old, worth a few bucks each, but that Wolverine, if it’s in good shape, is worth close to a hundred dollars.”
“Seriously?”
“Hell, yeah.”
Olivia leaned toward the phone and said, “We have two giant Tupperware tubs of these things.”
“Holy fuck,” Sully said. “I mean, um, crap. Wow.”
Jos whispered, “Can you ask him about this one?” He lifted the next one out of the paper bag and held it up.
Callum scooped up the phone, aimed his camera and sent a picture.
“Don’t know,” Sully replied. “I don’t recognize it, which could mean it’s rare and valuable or unknown and worthless.” There was a whispered conversation on the other end of the call, then Sully said, “Hey, I could come over and take a look. Anytime. We’re just cleaning house today anyhow.”
I heard a woman laugh, then she said, “He’s ready to run out the door in his boxers, Callum. Not eager or anything.”
I spoke up. “This is Zeke, Callum’s neighbour. Come on over. The more the merrier. We’re having breakfast and exploring the stash.”
“I’ll text you Zeke’s address,” Callum told him, and did so.
“Over the bridge, huh? Give me an hour.”
“I don’t promise to save you donuts.”
“Fuck you. Forty-five minutes and you’ll keep me two.”
“It’s a deal.” Callum tapped out of the call, but he was smiling in a way I hadn’t often seen.
“Good friend, eh?” I asked. I knew this was the roommate who’d ditched Callum for his girlfriend, but that smile made my stomach flinch. Does Callum have a crush?
“Sully’s the best. Hannah’s great too. Hopefully, he’ll bring her along.”
Well, that was something anyway.
Jos was picking through the comics in the bag, stacking them in two piles.
I peered over his shoulder. “Why do some go in one pile and some in the other?”
“Hm? Oh.” He dragged his attention up to me. “These are the ones I’ve heard of, and these are the ones I haven’t.” The haven’t pile was much smaller.
The smell of bacon getting a bit too crispy called me back to the stove. Good thing I’d started it on low heat. I flipped the mess of ambrosia-strips over and asked, “Who wants eggs?”
Olivia drained her coffee mug and pushed to her feet. “Come out and get those tubs first. Nicole and I have places to be.” She grabbed a donut from the box and gestured to me with her chin while taking a big bite.
“Yeah,” Nicole sighed. “A daughter’s work is never done. We have a bunch of other stuff to go to the thrift store.” She set her mug on the counter, then eyed Callum. “We need your hockey muscles, although not in bare feet.”
“I have slides in the hall closet you can wear,” I told him. I was worried that if he went back upstairs, he might hide out till his friend arrived. “Come on.” I led the way, tossing him the slides, then slipping my bare feet into sneakers.
On the front walk, Callum paused and threw a look at his grandfather’s house, but he didn’t resist when I nudged him toward Olivia’s SUV.
The tubs were heavy, for sure. Callum and I each took an end and lugged them indoors and onto the living room floor.
Jos walked alongside, practically vibrating with his eagerness to see inside.
Leaving him there with Callum, I went back out to say goodbye.
Olivia wasn’t usually a hugger, but she didn’t resist when I reached for her. “Thanks so much,” I said. “I haven’t seen Jos that excited since the funeral. It sounds like this stuff could be worth real money, though. Are you sure your father-in-law wants to give all those comics away?”
Nicole looked sad. “He didn’t even remember he had them. I asked him and he just got confused. They should go to someone who’ll value them.”
“If you sell any, you can pay us a commission,” Olivia said. “But if Jos wants to keep them, he should.”
“You guys are the best.” My throat felt tight. “Really.”
“Don’t be a stranger. Bring Callum and Jos to dinner with us sometime.”
“Uh, Callum’s not… He’s my neighbour.” I didn’t want to say he was straight, but I also didn’t want to out him. “He’s a pro hockey player. They’re busy.”
“A pro? With the Dragons? I didn’t recognize him.”
“With the Foxes. So far.”
Nicole asked, “Who are the Foxes?”
“Our PHL team, hon. Minor leagues,” Olivia told her. “Is he any good?”