the futon in the living room rather than crawl into bed with Jody. He'd fallen asleep reading Bram Stoker's Dracula to get some perspective on the love of his life.
She's the devil, he thought, staring at the steam creeping out from under the bathroom door. "Jody, is that you?" he asked the steam. The steam just crept.
"I'm in the shower," Jody said from the shower. "Come on in."
Tommy went to the bathroom and opened the door. "Jody, we need to talk." The bathroom was thick with steam - he could barely make out the shower doors.
"Close the door; it smells in there."
Tommy moved closer to the shower. "I'm worried about the way things are going," he said.
"Did you get the freezer?"
"Yes, that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about."
"You got the biggest one they had, right?"
"Yes, and a ten-year extended-service agreement."
"And it's a chest model, not an upright?"
"Yes, dammit, but Jody, you didn't even tell me why I was buying it and I just did it. Since I met you, it's like I have no will of my own. I've been sleeping all day. I'm not doing any writing. I hardly even see daylight anymore."
"Tommy, you work midnight to eight. When do you think you would sleep?"
"Don't twist my words. I will not eat bugs for you." She's the devil, he thought.
"Will you do my back?" She slid the shower door open and Tommy was transfixed by the water cascading between her breasts. "Well?" she said, cocking a hip.
Tommy slipped out of his briefs, pulled off his sock, and stepped into the shower. "Okay, but I'm not eating any bugs."
After a mad naked dash through the bedroom they sat on the futon toweling off and looking at the new freezer.
"It certainly is large," Jody said.
"I bought a dozen TV dinners so it wouldn't look so empty."
Jody said, "You'll have to take them out; put them in the regular fridge."
"Why? I don't think they'll fit."
"I know, but I have something to put in there and I don't think you'll want your TV dinners in there with it."
"What?"
"Well, you know that bad smell in the bedroom?"
"I was going to mention that. What is it?"
"It's a body."
"You killed someone?" Tommy slid away from her on the futon.
"No, I didn't kill anyone. Let me explain."
She told him about the bum, about creeping up on him thinking he was the vampire, and of the battle that ensued.
Tommy said, "Do you think he was trying to kill you?"
"I don't think so. It's as if he wants to show me how superior he is or something. Like he's testing me."
"So you bit off his fingers?"
"I didn't know what else to do."
"What was it like?"
"Honestly?"
"Of course?"
"It was a rush. It was an incredible rush."
"Better than drinking my blood?"
"Different."
Tommy turned his back on her and began to pout. Jody moved to him and kissed his ear.
"It was a fight, Tommy. I didn't come or anything, but I swear, I felt stronger after I... after I swallowed."
"So that's why you were all crusty with blood when I got home?"
"Yes, it was almost dawn when I got the body upstairs."
"That's another thing," Tommy said. "Why did you bring that stinky thing up here?"
"The police already found one body at the motel, and they have my name. Now they find another that was killed in the same way right next to where we live. I don't think they'd understand."
"So we're going to keep it in the freezer?"
"Just until I figure out what to do with him."
"I'm not comfortable with you calling it 'him. »
"Just until I figure out what to do with it, then."
"There's a big bay out there."
"And how would you suggest that we get it down there without being seen?"
"I'll think about it."
Jody stood, wrapped a towel around herself, and walked back to the bedroom. "I'm going to put it in now; you might want to transfer your TV dinners." She paused at the door. "And I'm out of clean clothes. You're going to need to go to the Laundromat."
"Why don't you go?"
Jody regarded him gravely. "Tommy, you know I can't go out during the day."
"Oh no," Tommy said. "Don't pull that. I don't know of a single Laundromat that's not open all night. Besides, I can't be your slave full-time. I have to have some time to get some writing done. And I might be taking on a student."
"What kind of student?"
"A guy at work - Simon - he can't