I'm back - for the time being. Hope you enjoy this next installment! Disclaimers in the first chapter!
- - - -
Henderson was sitting at his desk, reading some police reports, when there was a knock on his door. “Yes?” he asked.
The door opened, and a woman in a sharp business outfit poked her head in. “Mr. Kent and Miss Lane are here to see you, sir,” she said.
“Send them in,” Henderson replied.
“They brought a visitor,” the woman added.
Henderson furrowed his eyebrows, but he waved his hand. The woman nodded and opened the door. Henderson looked up as Clark, Lois, and Linda walked into the office. He nodded to the woman, and she shut the door behind them.
“Thanks for seeing us on such short notice, Henderson,” Clark said.
“Well, it’s not like I was given much choice,” Henderson looked at Lois, his voice edgy. He glanced at Linda. “This your visitor?”
“This is my cousin, Linda Lee,” Clark explained. “She works at the Planet with us, and she’s assisting us on this particular matter.”
“Nice to meet you, Inspector,” Linda held out her hand. “I’ve heard a lot of good things about you.”
Henderson stood up and leaned over, shaking the offered hand before sitting back down. “Nice to meet you too,” he replied. He looked at Lois and Clark. “I don’t have a lot of free time, so let’s cut to the chase. A deal’s a deal: you scratched my back once, so it’s time to return the favor. What do you need?”
“Inspector, I’m sure you’re aware of Lex Luthor II’s arrival in Metropolis,” Lois said.
“It’s the topic of discussion around the watercoolers,” Henderson replied wryly. “Why?”
“Considering the past track record of people claiming to be Luthor’s heir,” Clark said, “we’ve been assigned to see if he is who he says he is.”
“So, you’ve exhausted all your resources, and you’re coming to me for help?” Henderson asked. “Why does that not surprise me?”
“Okay, what is with you today, Henderson?” Lois asked. “You’re being snarkier than usual.”
“Right now I’m in the middle of helping one of the divisions with a problem concerning one of their cases,” Henderson replied. “We’re in the middle of a few dead ends, so pardon me if I’m not in the best mood right now.”
“Would that be the SCU case involving the Guardian?” Linda asked.
Henderson peered at the young woman. “How did you know about that?”
“We’re friends with Superman and Supergirl,” Linda replied. “They told us what was going on and asked us to help them out if we could.”
Henderson snorted. “As long as you keep everything hush hush with the public, I won’t make an issue of it.”
“Nice to know some things haven’t changed,” Lois muttered. She sighed. “Henderson, we’ll get right to the point about why we’re here. We need you to pull some strings and talk to the Medical Examiner.”
“And what does this have to do with finding out who Lex Luthor II is?” Henderson asked.
“Because we want to get DNA samples from Lex Luthor Senior and the supposed mother and compare them to a sample from Lex Luthor II to see if they match,” Lois replied.
“Out of the question,” Henderson said.
“Henderson, we have no other options,” Lois replied. “The only way to get this settled is to get DNA samples, and we can’t do that unless we have samples to compare. You owe us!”
“Lois, do you know how much heat I’ll be taking for this if the public were to find out I ordered Lex Luthor’s body to be exhumed for DNA samples to be taken to see if he spawned another child?” Henderson asked. “I don’t trust anything with the name Luthor on it, but I can’t just go get a court order because you two have exhausted all your resources.”
“What if we were to give you something in exchange?” Linda asked. Clark and Lois looked at her, surprised that she spoke up, but keeping their mouths shut to see what she was doing.
“Miss Lee, this is not a place to barter,” Henderson answered.
“What if we offered you information?” Linda pressed. “Information that my partner and I found out concerning the Guardian.”
“Such as?” Henderson asked.
“Such as everything we know,” Linda replied. “Which is basically everything there is concerning the Guardian, those five kids, and a whole array of stuff that would make your head spin if I were to tell you.”
Henderson paused, staring at the young woman. Clark and Lois watched him and, along with Linda, waited for him to make the next move. “I’m listening,” Henderson said.
“Not so fast,” Linda replied. “I’m not saying anything until we get the DNA samples we need.”
“I don’t think so, Miss Lee,” Henderson said. “You give me something that convinces me I’m not getting scammed.”
“Do you think I’m stupid, Inspector?” Linda asked. “Look, I may not be an experienced reporter or anything like that, but I’m old enough to know that when you bargain for something, you don’t give anything away without a guarantee that you’ll get something in return. You want the information, we want authorization to dig up bodies in a cemetery. You deliver the authorization, we’ll deliver the information. Fair deal?”
“Why should I believe what you have is worth my time?” Henderson asked.
“Because it is,” Linda replied.
Henderson leaned forward in his chair and locked eyes with the young woman. “Prove it,” he challenged.
Linda looked back at him, her smile tight. “Go check out the Red Horse Garage in Suicide Slum.”
“Any particular reason?” Henderson asked.
Linda smiled. “Let’s just say it was a turning point in our investigation,” she replied before turning to leave. She suddenly stopped and turned back, looking right at Henderson. “And make sure you do a thorough search of the place.” She turned and left the office. Henderson watched her leave, then he looked up and saw Lois and Clark sharing a look and a smile.
“Do you two have anything you care to share?” Henderson asked.
“Call us when you’ve checked it out, Inspector,” Clark answered. He and Lois turned and left the office, leaving Henderson with a less than pleased look on his face. Outside, Linda was waiting for them; they joined her.
“Nice job,” Lois said to Linda.
“Thank you,” Linda replied.
“So, what do you expect Henderson to find?” Clark asked.
“I don’t know,” Linda replied. “But Cadmus and the Guardian had to have known Jimmy and I were there somehow; perhaps a security system of some sort. Henderson is more than capable of finding something out of place there to give us the authorization we need to dig up the bodies.”
“So, you’re going to tell him everything?” Clark asked.
“No, Supergirl will,” Linda replied. “It’ll put her on good terms with the SCU if she comes to them. Do you think Superman would join her?”
Clark smiled. “I think that can be arranged.” Linda grinned. “And speaking of the investigation, why don’t we go back to the Planet, and you can fill us in on everything you haven’t told us while we’re waiting?”
“Actually, why don’t you two go back?” Linda suggested. “I want to go check on Jimmy and make sure he’s okay.”
“What about the investigation?” Lois asked.
“All the notes are on Jimmy’s and my desks,” Linda replied. Her eyes sparkled. “And even though we wrote in shorthand, you two should be able to follow.” Clark grinned and smacked her gently on the back of the head. “Hey, I’m just being honest.”
“Go,” Lois replied, trying not to acknowledge Linda’s humor.
“Fine,” Linda said. They turned to leave, but Linda stopped and glanced from side to side. She lowered her glasses a bit and stared at the wall on the other side of Henderson’s office. The wall seemed to dissolve, and Linda was able to see through. She smiled when she saw Henderson on his phone talking, and she listened in.
“Yes, you heard me right, Captain,” he said. “I want you to assemble a team of ten officers and go check out the Red Horse Garage in Suicide Slum.” Linda nodded and raised her glasses.
“What were you doing?” Lois asked.
“Just seeing if we piqued Henderson’s curiosity,” Linda replied. “And we did. See you two later.” She started down the corridor. Lois and Clark glanced at each other, smiled, and shook their heads as they followed behind her.
- - - -
The door to Jimmy’s apartment opened, and the young photographer slowly wandered in. He shut the door and put the locks on, then made his way over to the couch, where he carefully lowered himself onto it. He leaned back, his head throbbing, as he replayed the events that got him back to his place.
After his (embarrassing) examination, Dr. Blank concluded that Jimmy was just suffering from a mild concussion. He recommended that Jimmy stay overnight for observation, but he couldn’t force him, so Jimmy checked himself out and headed back to the Daily Planet to start working on his story again. He managed to get to his desk and start gathering his thoughts when Perry caught him and told him - ordered him - to go to his place and rest. Reluctantly, and because Jimmy knew he’d be fired if he didn’t listen to his boss, he left, catching a cab, and going back to his place.
There was a small knock on the door, but Jimmy grimaced as if it had been a sonic boom next to his ears. Sighing, he slowly got to his feet and walked over to the door. “Who is it?” he mumbled, too tired to look through the peephole.
“Your very strong and very worried girlfriend,” Linda said from the other side of the door. “So, unless you want to buy a new door along with your new window, open up.”
Sighing, Jimmy unlocked and opened the door, expecting to see Linda looking angrily at him, but he was surprised to see she looked genuinely concerned. When their eyes met, he could see relief wash over them.
“Aren’t you supposed to be working?” he asked.
“Aren’t you supposed to be at the hospital?” she countered.
Jimmy snorted, then glanced down and saw she was holding two, red ceramic boots in her hands. Both of them were filled with brightly-colored chrysanthemums. He looked back up at her questioningly.
“When someone’s in the hospital, they’re supposed to get flowers, right?” Linda asked.
Jimmy managed a small smile. “Come on in,” he said softly. He stood aside and let her in, closing and locking the door behind her. He nodded at the matching vases. “You remembered.”
“Well, you said you liked my boots,” Linda smiled, “but I don’t think it’d look good if I gave you a pair of mine.” Jimmy smiled. “So, where can I put these?”
Jimmy walked over and took the vases from her, their fingers brushing. He padded into the kitchen and set them on the counter, then he slowly came back into the living room. The two looked a little uncomfortable as they just stood near each other, not saying anything.
“Are you mad at me?” Jimmy asked suddenly.
“I was mad that you lied to me about being fine,” Linda replied honestly. “But I didn’t mean to jump down your throat at the hospital. I’m sorry about that.” She looked hesitant. “Speaking of which, how was the examination?” Jimmy gave her a look. “Okay, I won’t ask. However, I would like to know how you managed to get out of the hospital.”
“Simple,” Jimmy replied. “I checked myself out. How did you know I was here?”
“I didn’t,” Linda said. “I got the flowers and vases, grabbed a cab to gather my thoughts, and went to the hospital. They told me you checked out, so I called Clark, thinking you might have gone back to work, being as stubborn as you are.”
“I’m not the only one,” Jimmy gently pointed out.
“I never said I wasn’t,” Linda smiled. “Anyway, I called Clark, but guess who answered the phone instead?”
“Perry,” Jimmy replied.
“Yeah,” Linda said. “And he gave quite an earful. In a nutshell, he told me you made it all the way to your desk to get back to work, and he came and told you to leave, which you reluctantly did.” Jimmy shrugged. “Jimmy, you need to rest, okay? I’m worried about you. And I’m really hurt that you didn’t tell me, regardless of whatever your thinking was at the time.” She took a deep breath. “You know where I went before I came to see you?”
“You mind talking while I go change?” Jimmy asked.
Linda shook her head. Jimmy started for his bedroom. “I went to see Jonathan and Martha,” she replied. “Martha was gone, but I got to talk with Jonathan.”
“That’s nice,” Jimmy replied as he reached his bedroom door.
Linda hesitated, knowing that Jimmy was going to be upset with her with what she was about to tell him, but she knew she had to. “I told him you knew I was Supergirl,” she blurted out before she had a chance to change her mind.
Jimmy had been moving slowly and unsteadily to his room while she was speaking, but he froze at his doorframe. His right hand was on frame, and after a few seconds, he leaned and rested his forehead on the frame.
“Are you mad at me?” she asked quietly.
Jimmy took a deep breath. “No, I’m not mad at you,” he said in a very tired voice. “A little put out, maybe, but not mad.” He turned around. “Do you mind telling me how it came about?”
“We were talking,” Linda explained, “and I was so confused by everything that was going on, especially with you in the hospital, and I needed to find out if what I was feeling was right or wrong, or whatever, and then Jonathan asked what happened, and I told him . . . and it slipped out that you were conscious when I flew us away from Cadmus. He put the rest together easily.” She looked at him. “I’m sorry.”
Jimmy sighed and slowly walked over to her. His head was killing him, but he cupped Linda’s chin in his hand, and tilted it up. “Don’t apologize,” he said softly. “You needed to talk to someone, I understand that.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “So, I guess CK and Lois are going to know I know soon, huh?”
“No,” Linda replied. “Jonathan promised not to tell them. He did say he was going to tell Martha; he said he wasn’t going to lie to her.”
Jimmy looked surprised. “Wow,” he replied. “He said that?”
“We made a deal,” Linda replied. “I asked him not to tell Clark and Lois.”
“But I thought you wanted them to know,” Jimmy said, looking confused.
“I do,” Linda replied. “But I don’t want to betray your confidence either. You asked that we keep it a secret; we’ll keep it a secret.” She smiled. “It’s kind of nice, actually.”
“What?”
“Just being your secret,” Linda replied.
Jimmy raised an eyebrow and tilted his head a bit. “Really?” Linda nodded. “Why?”
“Because it makes me feel special,” Linda replied.
“Wow,” Jimmy said in awe. “I would have thought you’d be upset we’re holding back from CK and Lois.”
“Well, to be honest,” Linda replied, “it’s taken me awhile to understand the difference between lying and withholding information. I’m still not comfortable with holding out on them, but it’s only fair to give you a little time before showing our hand, as Jonathan says. And besides, if he’s okay with keeping something from his own son temporarily, then I guess I can be okay with it, too.” She smiled and kissed Jimmy’s nose. “Now, go get changed, and we’ll get you settled in before I go back to work.”
Jimmy smiled and left for his bedroom. He walked in and shut the door behind him. Linda sighed and waited, slightly rocking on her feet. She glanced over at the tarp-covered window, and then she walked over. She checked out every inch of the tarp to make sure it was secured. She frowned when she felt a sliver of cold air coming in from near the bottom right corner; that wouldn’t do at all.
“Jimmy, when’s your window going to be fixed?” Linda asked over her shoulder.
“Uh, two days from now,” Jimmy’s muffled reply came. “Why?”
“Oh, nothing,” Linda replied, a smile slowly spreading across her face. She removed her glasses and spun in a tight circle. In a few seconds, she had changed into Supergirl. She walked over to the window and removed the tarp from the window, then she jumped out the window and flew off.
Jimmy heard the wooshing sound and opened the door, poking his head out. “Linda?” he asked. He came out, dressed in a pair of gray sweat pants and thick, gray fuzzy socks. His white undershirt was in his right hand. He looked around, but Linda wasn’t there. He smiled as he came out and put his shirt on as he padded into the kitchen.
“Out saving the world,” he mused out loud to himself as he opened up some of his cabinets, looking for something to eat. He was surprised at how easy it was to accept that he was going to have to share part of her with the rest of the world, but he accepted it. He just wondered what it was she was doing. “Prolly stopping a mugging or a bank robbery . . . or a fire, flood, or some other mayhem.” He chuckled. “Or the catastrophic destruction of someone’s comic book collection, which would, of course, lead to the eventual end of the world as we know it.”
“Actually, none of the above.” Jimmy turned around and saw Supergirl standing near the open window with a new window in her hands and an amused smile on her face. “The correct answer, Mr. Olsen, is saving a great photographer from catching pneumonia in his own apartment.”
Jimmy tried to look upset, but he couldn’t, so he watched as his girlfriend went to work at superspeed, putting the window in place using no tools, only her own abilities. In less than ten seconds, the window was secured as if it had never been damaged. Supergirl smiled, then quickly spun in a circle, changing back into Linda.
“There you go,” she said as she put her glasses back on.
Jimmy chuckled. “You know, if the superhero business gets slow, you could always go into construction.”
Linda laughed as she joined Jimmy in the kitchen. “You hungry? I could whip you up something really quick before I leave.” She opened Jimmy’s refrigerator door and poked her head in; she immediately wished she hadn’t as she wrinkled her face. She pulled back and shut the door. “Or maybe not.”
“Are you insulting my food?” Jimmy asked, grinning as he put his hands on his hips.
“That is *not* food,” Linda replied sweetly. “That is not even a refrigerator; that is a toxic waste dump, and believe me, I know what one is.”
“How about I order a pizza?” Jimmy suggested.
“How about not?” Linda countered. “You need healthy food, not junk food.”
“Look who’s talking, Miss ‘I Eat Twenty Twinkies For Breakfast,’” Jimmy retorted.
“But I can,” Linda replied. “I’m a super chick, remember? Whatever I eat might go to your hips but not mine.” She brushed past him to go rummage around in the pantry, but Jimmy grabbed her, turned her around, pulled her close, and leaned in to kiss her, but he stopped and swayed a bit. Linda grabbed his arms gently and supported him. “Come on, let’s get you off your feet.”
“I’m fine,” Jimmy mumbled.
“No, you’re not,” Linda replied. “Now, you have a choice: you can rest in your bedroom, or you can rest on the couch.” She smiled. “Now go get settled; I gotta make a phone call.”
Jimmy looked like he was weighing the option of being defiant, but he decided against it after his hospital stay. He sighed and went over to the couch as Linda reached for the cordless and dialed a number. She waited as it rang . . . and rang . . .
“Mr. White?” Linda said after her boss answered. “It’s Linda.”
“Linda, where are you?” Perry asked. “Is Jimmy at his apartment?”
“Jimmy’s fine,” Linda said as she turned and walked behind the couch, her back to Jimmy. “I’m at his apartment and so is he.” She listened as her boss talked. Jimmy eyed her for a few moments before he walked over to his desk and grabbed his laptop, taking it over to the couch and sitting down, switching it on. A slender hand reached down from above his right shoulder, and switched it off, giving Jimmy a look as she shut the laptop and took it from him.
“He’s resting right now,” she continued, in a calm tone, but with a clear look that said to Jimmy ‘Don’t push me.’ She turned and walked back to the kitchen, setting the laptop on the counter. Jimmy gave her back a brief glare as she continued talking with Perry; he reached for the remote and switched the television on. He sighed and flipped through the limited number of channels he had; he was regretting not having cable, as he had to choose between ‘Price Is Right,’ ‘Young and the Restless,’ and a PBS special on disproving UFO sightings. He grunted and flipped off the television and tossed the remote aside as Linda finished her call and hung up.
“So, what did Perry say?” he asked.
“He said he wants you to rest,” Linda replied as she put the phone in its place and settled into the living room chair. “And if you go near the Planet within three days, you’re fired.” Jimmy shrugged. “And I’m going to be here to make sure you do both.”
“What?” Jimmy looked over at her. “What about you working?”
“Clark and Lois can handle it,” Linda replied. “They’re just waiting to get approval to dig up some bodies anyway.”
“Yeah, sure," Jimmy rolled his eyes. “Like they do that every day.”
“I’ll tell you the whole story later,” Linda said, smiling a bit. “The point is, you’re going to rest, and I’m in charge of taking care of you.”
“Do I have a say in the matter?” Jimmy asked wryly.
“Not really,” Linda said.
Jimmy sighed. “You’re going to get bored here very quickly,” he said after a few moments of silence. Linda grinned and got to her feet. Jimmy knew that wasn’t a good look - for him, anyway. “What are you going to do?”
“Are you hungry?” Linda asked.
“Uh, not really,” Jimmy answered slowly.
“Good, then I can get started on your bedroom,” she replied as she headed to her boyfriend’s room.
“Excuse me?” Jimmy asked as he slowly got to his feet. “What are you going to do to my bedroom?”
Linda turned around. “Jimmy, sit down,” she replied calmly. Jimmy frowned, but he sat. “In short, your bedroom is a mess. I’ve seen tornado ravaged neighborhoods in better condition that your room.”
“It’s not a mess,” Jimmy looked indignant. “It has character.”
“Uh huh,” Linda folded her arms, unconvinced.
“And how do you know my room’s a mess?” Jimmy continued. “You haven’t been in it, so that means you used your X-ray vision, right?”
“Only just a few minutes ago,“ Linda answered, “and only because I want you to rest in a good environment.” Jimmy opened his mouth, but Linda held up a hand. “Jimmy, you’re resting, and I’m cleaning. Okay?”
Jimmy didn’t say anything, but he blushed a crimson red that would have made Linda’s boots pale in comparison as Linda disappeared into his bedroom. She came out a few moments later with one pillow and his comforter. She came over to the couch.
“Lay back,” she instructed gently. Jimmy could help but smile a little bit as he lay back. Linda tucked the pillow behind his head and covered him with the comforter. She leaned over and kissed his lips softly. “Get some rest. I’ll be in your room if you need anything.”
“Just don’t laugh, okay?” Jimmy asked quietly.
Linda just smiled and kissed him again before heading back to his room. She stopped just inside the room, taking stock of the situation. She wasn’t sure where to start; she had never really dealt with anything messy before . . . she almost started panicking, but she took a deep breath and decided to do something she was already familiar with doing: make the bed. She walked over and quickly tucked in the sheets and straightened the pillows. When she was finished, she stood back and admired her work, then she glanced down and saw stuff poking out from under Jimmy’s bed.
Linda knelt down and looked under; she was shocked to see it was nearly stuffed with . . . well, stuff. Sighing, she began pulling out items, taking a mental inventory as she stacked them neatly on the bed; a few minutes later, she retrieved five old technology and motorcycle magazines, two issues of ‘Popular Mechanics,’ a dirty sock that smelled a bit musty, five CD covers (Chicago, Metallica, Simon and Garfunkel, and two mix CDs he’d burned himself), some seven empty little film containers, and a non-photo blue pencil.
The young woman couldn’t help but smile, confused and amused at Jimmy’s under the bed stash, but she wasn’t sure what to do with any of it. She glanced around the room and saw Jimmy’s closet door halfway open. She walked over and opened the door all the way; she couldn’t believe the amount of junk that was shoved in on the floor and shelves, and she could see shoes mingled in with the junk on the floor, plus the clothes on the hangers were unorganized. She saw some moving boxes leaning against the wall on the floor; she reached through the junk and pulled the boxes out. She unfolded them and made five boxes, then put the stuff on the bed into the box and put the box on the bed.
Linda looked around, feeling antsy. She saw the dirty clothes on the floor and the pile of clothes on the dresser. She looked around for a hamper, but there didn’t seem to be one. She made a mental note to get one for him as she took the clothes and put them in one of the other boxes, then put the makeshift hamper on the bed. Sighing she went to rearrange the closet, taking out the stuff on the floor and shelves, putting it into more boxes, organizing the shoes, and categorizing the clothes on the hangers by size, color, and type; the boxes went on the bed.
Working around the rest of the room, starting with the dresser, she stacked the papers and magazines, straightening the radio, making a mental note to dust later. She moved to the nightstand and straightened the objects. She smiled as she picked up the frame, noticing that it was the only thing on the nightstand that wasn’t dusty. She fingered the glass near their faces, then she put the frame back; a quick glance around the room showed that the only thing she had left to do was a light dusting. She took the boxes from the bed and pushed them against the wall where the dirty clothes pile used to be. She glanced at the curtains hanging over Jimmy’s bedroom window. They were made of the same material as the sheets from his bed, and in the same color; they had been hand cut from an extra sheet and attached to rings on a rod on the wall above the window. She fingered them briefly, admiring the handiwork, before she turned and glanced around the room. Satisfied that the room was now fit for human habitation, Linda ventured into the bathroom and flipped the light switch on; as she looked around her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates.
The bathroom was . .. well, it was cleaner than the bedroom had been. A small pedestal sink stood near the door; a new toothbrush, a neatly-rolled tube of toothpaste, a small, plastic Superman drinking cup, and a black disposable shaving razor were sitting around the faucet handles. A mirrored medicine cabinet hung on the wall above the sink. A small towel hung on a towel holder below the light switch.
Her curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the cabinet door. There were two shelves filled with a small variety of aspirin, some vitamins, prescription bottles, a small can of shaving cream, a small bottle of mint Listerine, and a container of floss. She closed the cabinet door and looked around the rest of the tiny bathroom.
A toilet stood next to the sink, and Linda could see that it was scrubbed and clean. A few books and magazines were on top of the toilet: a ‘Brain Teasers’ magazine, a battered ‘Nintendo’ magazine, a paperback edition of The Art of Bev Doolittle, and a book entitled Chicken Soup For the Photographer’s Soul; Linda smiled and considered reading all of them after she was done with her cleaning. A small trashcan, with some trash in it, sat on the floor between the toilet and the sink. A small, two-door cabinet hung on the wall above the toilet. Linda opened the cabinet and looked in; there were five towels. They were mismatched hand-me-downs, but still in good condition and folded neatly on the bottom shelf. Ten double rolls of toilet paper were arranged on the top shelf. She saw a few objects behind the toilet paper rolls, and she floated up to see them better; she suddenly felt upset to see an elbow brace, a tube of Ben-Gay, and a Thermapad, shoved into the back. She sighed as she floated down to the floor, reminding herself to talk to Jimmy about them later - after she was finished with the bathroom. The young woman closed the cabinet doors and turned toward the shower/bath.
A pastel cloud shower curtain separated it from the rest of the bathroom. Linda studied the curtain, seeing the familiar clouds painted on, and smiled as she saw the message scrawled in the center: ‘One doesn’t need wings to soar above the clouds; one only needs a light heart.’ Grinning, she pulled it back and saw a chrome shower caddy suspended from the shower head. She was not too surprised to see lavender shampoo and conditioner bottles in the caddy; she had picked up the scent whenever she was around Jimmy; it was one of the many things about him she found incredibly charming. There was a bar of Irish Spring in the soap container part of the caddy, and an orange washcloth drying on one of the hooks. A cartoon rocket bath mat was centered on the tub floor. Linda smiled, glad her boyfriend had *some* common sense, in addition to an odd sense of style. She closed the curtain, and looked down. She stood on a solid midnight blue rug; it was thick and soft under Linda’s feet, and it was clean . . . along with the floor.
The young woman furrowed her eyebrows. Every other room in Jimmy’s apartment was a federal disaster area, but the bathroom was spick and span; it felt like being in the Twiglight Zone. She quickly left before she got too weirded out. She decided to distract herself by finding out what was with the elbow brace in the bathroom cabinet.
“Jimmy,” she said as she walked from the bedroom back into the living room, “do you mind telling me -” She stopped short when she saw Jimmy sound asleep on the couch, wrapped up in the comforter. A slow smile spread across her face. She took a deep breath as she headed into the kitchen. Interrogations could wait; she had a pantry and refrigerator to tackle.
(End of Chapter 20)
