Chapter Three — Carson

After yesterday night I got back into my normal sad, indifferent self and the alarming speed with which it happened made me wonder if I'd imagined my whole encounter. That my mind was so in need of some respite that it'd conjured up some mysterious woman.

But I knew she was real. I could still smell her lavender shampoo, could still fell the soft skin of her thigh and the spark of mischievousness in her eyes.

Her eyes. 

I found those globes even more odd than her mask. They were obviously contact lenses-they were the colors of the rainbow. Seriously what's with her and rainbows?-but she wore them like they were her real eyes. They could've easily been her eyes.

I thought that a night's sleep and a good dose of reality would remove her from my mind but by three o'clock I'd replayed my conversation with her about a million times, give or take. It could've been more. I always ended up with the same question. Why'd she suddenly disappear?

I sat feeling like Prince Charming when Cinderella ran except this Cinderella left with both shoes on. 

Alex had to snap her fingers repeatedly in front of my face before I focused.

The only thing different with her was that today she managed to wear some lip-gloss. She still had the I-couldn't-give-two-fucks-if-I-tried look and another shapeless grey dress that distorted her figure.

"I'm sorry I'm so out of it today," I rubbed my face. "You were saying?"

"I said I'm leaving for a couple of hours. I'll be reachable by email or text if you need me, I'd rather you didn't call," she shifted uncomfortably as she picked a spot on her drab dress.

Of course. Today's Tuesday.

Every Tuesday Alex took off to God knew where for half the day. I didn't question it because she never took out of her vacation time and worked really hard unlike the rest of the morons on my payroll.

"Sure. I'll text if I need you."

She nodded but didn't leave immediately. "I know this is the last thing you wanna hear but you probably should get in touch with your mom. She called about three times just this hour asking of you. You could continue ignoring her but I'll tell you now that the next time Cynthia Miller calls I'm putting her through. You can fire me if you want."

With those last words she turned on her heel and pivoted herself out.

If it were anyone else they'd have been out of a job the minute they said those words but of course I wouldn't fire Alex. I don't know how I survived without her. 

I shook her words out of my head and resolving to continue ignoring my mother I unzipped the casing protecting my grey MacBook Air.

As I set it up in front of me the full ludicrousness of what I was about to do hit me with full force. 

I prided myself on being an above average stalker-let's face it we've all stalked someone at some point in our lives-but I didn't know anything about her and short of typing 'how to find the strange masked woman with rainbow hair and lovely lavender shampoo I met at a random bar last night' into G****e, there was no way I could find her.

I intertwined my fingers behind my head and leaned into my chair.

Think Carson.

Even though I'd replayed last night a million and one times, there was something nagging at me about it.

Suddenly it clicked. The bartender!

They seemed really familiar with each other and if anyone would know her it'd be him.

Praying I remembered the place Casper took me and what the bartender looked like, I grabbed the keys to my inconspicuous Honda, shrugged on my favorite leather jacket over my work clothes and was out the door in two minutes.

"I'll try to make it back early but if I'm not back in time close up shop for me, will ya, Willow?" I said to my secretary as I passed her desk. 

She had irritation written in her gray eyes as she ran a hand through her slate grey hair. Willow was the only other person I fully trusted with pretty much everything.

"Why can't you do it? Where are you going?"

"Thanks Will," I managed to get out before stepping into the elevator and punching the button for the garage.

Soon and with the help of G****e Maps I parked outside the bar.

I got out and entered.

Without the swarm of people, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes and the loud music it became apparent how small the place really was. It took me ten steps to get to the bar.

I was in luck because it was the same bartender from last night that turned to attend to me. I recognized his curly blond hair and the scar over his left eyebrow.

"What can I get you?" His voice was gruff.

"A whiskey. Thank you." I settled into a wooden stool and surveyed the handful of people drinking.

"Thanks," I said as the amber liquid was placed before me. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." he started cleaning a glass cup.

"I'm ..." I started, unsure. "Looking for someone and I think you might know her."

His eyebrow perked up but otherwise his face was neutral.

"I know I might sound crazy but she was here last night. She had this rainbow hair and she wore this pink mask." I sighed heavily. "Do you think I'm crazy?"

"Oh, Butterfly, yeah I know her." He turned and dropped the cup. Picking up another one he turned back.

"What?" I was genuinely confused.

"Her name's Butterfly, at least that's what she calls herself. You're looking for the girl with the mask, right?" I nodded. "Good luck finding her but she's the best DJ in entire state of Florida."

"What do you mean good luck finding her?"

"No one knows what she does during the day or what she looks like, she only appears at night with a mask. And she's super private."

Feeling dejected I uttered a low "thanks".

"But," I stopped at that. "I hear she's playing a gig at a pool party tonight, if you wanna try your luck."

"Sure, thanks man."

He wrote the address on a paper napkin and handed it to me. "But it's invite only," he shrugged.

"I'll work something out. Thanks a lot man."

And with that I was out of the bar, drink untouched.

I sat in my car a while twirling the piece of flimsy paper in my hands.

Invite only.

There was only one person I knew who would help me with a plan to crash this party. Casper.

I turned on the engine and made my way to Casper's office.

"I need your help," I said bursting into his office.

"Finally!" he jumped up from his chair and came around his desk. "What is it?"

"We gotta crash this party." I gave him the address and started pacing. "It's invite only so I don't think ..."

"Oh William's party. It's cool I have an invite."

I stopped my pacing and stared into his face. He noticed my staring and asked "what?"

"Is there anybody that you don't know in this city?"

He shrugged but was smiling. "Is there anybody important that I don't know in this city is what you should be asking. I used to do business with William's father, after the old man retired he transferred everything to his son. Big mistake if you ask me, boy never does anything with the money other than party nonstop."

"Well I didn't ask. Now let's go," I grabbed his arm and attempted to push him out of the door but he dug his heels in and resisted movement.

"Relax man. The party isn't for another three hours," he carefully peeled my fingers from his arm and rubbed where they'd been. "What's wrong with you? Why are you so in a rush anyway? Yesterday I had to drag you kicking and screaming just to have a drink and today you're as hyper as a dog in heat, what gives?"

I sighed. "Sorry, Cas." I plopped into an overstuffed black leather chair, closed my eyes and ran a hand through my hair.

"That's all I get? Sorry?" Casper's indignant voice sliced through the haze of black I was slipping into. "I'm your best friend man!"

That made me snap my eyes open and frown. "No, Eddie Howard is my best friend."

Something that looked suspiciously like hurt and disbelieve crossed Casper's hazel eyes. I could understand his disbelieve but the hurt struck me as odd. Did Casper really entertain thoughts that he was my best friend? Ha!

Eddie Howard was once interviewed by Bus Daily. He was the CEO of Howard Enterprises and arguably the richest man in the world. Where he was serious and prone to planning everything to a T, I was more in-the-moment and carefree which was why people didn't believe he was my best friend. That and he lived all the way in New York.

What people didn't know, however, was that I was born in New York and lived there a great deal of my childhood and some of my adolescence before my family moved our HQ to Florida. Eddie and I used to be neighbors, we went to the same schools but only bonded through our love for violent video games. When we weren't in school we'd be at my house shooting zombies or assassinating other players-nobody knew how to think like other people like Eddie-and making fun of my twin brother, Carter.

Another thing people didn't know about me. I was a twin. Carter and I didn't really talk much because he was so awkward and quiet and didn't do well with words. But he was a damned good photographer according to what I heard in the rumor mills. We had this unspoken agreement to never be in the same city at the same time, because we were so identical it saves him the cameras and microphones they'd have shoved into his face thinking it was me.

Anyway, Eddie and I started playing video games when we were six, now at twenty-eight we still played, just infrequently. These days he seemed to be more busy than usual with his company and his wife, Amethyst who was pregnant with their first child.

"Wow!" was all Casper said before resuming his seat.

"Look man ... it isn't anything personal." I told him.

"No, it's cool bro, really."

He still had the hurt look on his face and I internally rolled my eyes. Grow up will ya?

Since I couldn't go back to my office and I was in no frame of mind to focus on anything, I stayed put and for the next two hours I watched Casper work, paced about and even fell in and out of a fitful sleep. I wasn't really a patient man so having to wait three hours was synonymous to torture for me.

I was on my fifth round of pacing and swearing when I spotted Casper's smug smile.

"What?" I snapped at him. I was about ready to explode from impatience and my nerves and one wrong word from Casper and I would've eaten him raw.

"This is new. It's a woman isn't it?" his fingers formed a steeple and he assumed the wise sage look.

"Go to hell," I checked my watch and almost jumped with joy when I saw that I'd successfully wasted two and a half hours. "Can we go now?"

"We've still got thirty minutes" he saw my glare and sighed resignedly, "fine, fine. Let's go," he grabbed his jacket that was hanging at the back of the chair and we both piled into my car.

As I drove through the roads lit by street lamps I was hit by the full foolishness of what I was about to do. I had no idea if she'd even want to talk to me and most importantly I had no idea what I'd do if it turned out she didn't want to see me.

"Ready?" asked Casper when I stopped in the driveway.

Only one way to find out.