see the nightmares that lived in Max’s brain. “Are you okay?”
Aaarrr… youuuuu… ohhhhh… kaaaaay???
Crane looked away, didn’t want to see the evil that lived behind Max’s eyes. He saw that the shades were drawn, and that beyond, it was dark. He turned back to Max, but his lap was empty. There was a glass in his hand. He blinked and he was in bed, Max curled against him. Projected on the wall were two men in a car, driving in the rain. It took Crane a second to recognize Brad Pitt and David Duchovney—the latter was clarifying to the former that bisecting a human being meant the body was cut in half, not simply hacked apart.
“God, I love how Brad is such an evil super-hick in this,” Max said, snuggling closer and chuckling. They were naked under the covers, and Max’s hand was around Crane’s limp cock, just holding him softly.
Crane frowned at the projection, disoriented, but he recognized the movie: Kalifornia. It was one of his favourites. He scratched his cheek and was startled when he touched stubble that was nearly a beard.
Max must have felt him tense in surprise because he pulled away, his expression worried. “What’s wrong, baby?”
Crane noticed the bruises had faded on Max’s neck. “What… day is it?”
“It’s Thursday, why?” Max’s smile was fond and a little amused.
“What Thursday? What’s the date?” Crane asked, feeling unhinged.
“Um… the twenty-second?”
Panic was setting in. What was the last thing he remembered? When had he last gone outside? What was happening to him? Was Max drugging him or had his brain simply… disconnected from the stress?
“Why are you staring at me like that?” asked Max, his eyebrows high.
Crane’s appointment with Dr. Durant had been on the sixteenth—he was missing a whole six days. Had he gone into a fugue state?
Max’s grin went wider, and he cocked his head at Crane, mischief plain on his handsome face.
In a daze, Crane reached out and cupped his hand around the back of Max’s neck, an action that felt like pure muscle memory. He stroked the side of Max’s face with his thumb. “Have you been slipping me something in my drink?”
“Noooo.”
“Are you lying?”
“What do you think?”
“I think you’re a lying little shit,” snarled Crane.
Max’s expression went dark, and he tried to shrug Crane’s hand away, but Crane tightened his grip.
“Why don’t I remember anything?” he said slowly, teeth clenched.
“You’re the psychologist, not me.”
Crane let go of Max’s neck and slapped him hard across the mouth, causing Max to fall back, his hand jerking up in front of his face to ward off another strike. A memory of Mary in the same pose came to him, and he gasped, holding the sides of his head.
Wide-eyed, Max stared at him and wiped his lip with the heel of his hand. There was a streak of bright blood. “Jesus, Doc. What did I ever do to you?” However, it was said with a smirk, adding to Crane’s agitation.
Crane moaned softly and crushed his eyes closed.
A moment later, Max touched his shoulder gently. “Hey… Hey, don’t do that,” he murmured. “Hey… Look at me? Doc?”
Another hand stroked his hair lightly, and when Crane opened his eyes, Max was looking at him with a sober expression.
“Hey, there you are,” said Max with a small smile. His bottom lip looked puffy. “I thought you were playing around. What is it you can’t remember?”
“Anything. I haven’t had a clear thought in days.”
“Well, you have been drinking a lot. Guess that lady’s death really did a number on you, eh?”
Crane’s heart took a tumble, and he had to remember to take a breath. “Lady?”
“Yeah, that psychologist lady. The one you saw? Dr. Durant?” When Crane just stared, Max shook his head slowly. “Huh. You really don’t remember that? Geez, the mysteries of the human mind are both multitudinous and rather fascinating, n’est-ce pas, mon cher?” He reached out and took Crane’s hand, caressing his knuckles with this thumb. “Doc… Last Friday, Durant was found floating face down in the swimming pool on the roof of her building.”
“Oh God…” Crane whispered, and Max squeezed his hand in the semblance of sympathy. “What happened?”
“They don’t know, but they don’t suspect any foul play.” Max’s eyes narrowed subtly and he smiled. “The hallway security camera shows her leaving her condo at around midnight, and the roof camera has her at the pool about five minutes later. But seems the camera overlooking the pool developed a ground-loop problem in the last month or so