5: Dead Cowboy (2)
809 Words
Simon made his coffee, picked up his briefcase, and drove to work. He always took the longest route, the route that went through the busiest streets, the streets lined with buildings. He avoided the street along the river, even though he could get to work at least five minutes sooner. The view just spooked him.
Irene, the dispatcher, and Joe and Tom, the town's two police officers, grinned at Simon when he walked through the front door.
"What's so funny?" Simon asked.
"Jewel's waiting to see you," Irene, Joe, and Tom said in unison.
Simon blinked. "Jewel?”
"Oh, you'll love her," Tom said.
Simon blinked again.
"Don't worry, she's harmless." Joe chuckled. "She just had one of her spells.”
"Spells?" Simon asked.
"She was wandering around barefoot in the snow, dressed only in a nightgown," Tom said. "Muttering something about a dead cowboy.”
"Happens every now and again," Joe shrugged his shoulders. "She wanders around predicting things.”
"Normally, we'd just give her some coffee and take her back home," Tom said.
"But there's this new town ordinance, so you need to see her first," Irene said.
Simon stared at them. "She predicts things?”
Joe and Tom grinned and nodded. Irene giggled.
Simon looked at Irene. "What's on my calendar?”
Irene smiled sweetly. "Just Jewel.”
Simon shook his head and walked into his office to the sound of laughter.
Simon had to go through the police station to reach his office, which was wedged between the police station and hospital. His office was more of a glorified closet with windows, really. It was so small nobody but Simon felt comfortable in it.
Simon sat down in front of Jewel. "Hello, Jewel. I'm Dr. Goldfield.”
Jewel crossed her legs. She wished she was Lauren Bacall, sultry and smoking a cigarette, instead of inhabiting an alien body that was grey and sagging around the edges.
Jewel wished the man looking at her was Humphrey Bogart instead of a skinny man with shiny hair and eyes that bugged out. "Hello, Mr. Goldfish.”
"That's Goldfield.”
"You look like a fish. Actually, more like The Incredible Mr. Limpet.”
Simon blinked, unsure of whether this was a compliment. "Well, shall we proceed?”
Jewel nodded.
Simon opened a desk drawer and pulled out a Rorschach test card. "What do you see, Jewel?”
Jewel c****d her head and looked at the card. Then she looked at Simon. She pointed to one side of the inkblot. "I see a corral.”
"Are there horses in the corral?”
"There were." She closed her eyes. "But they're gone now. The gate's busted out.”
Simon could barely keep the disappointment out of his voice. "It's empty?”
"Oh no." She opened her eyes and took a sip of coffee from the cup in her hands. "This is cold. Can I have a fresh cup?”
The office door opened. Tom walked through with a steaming cup of coffee. "Here you go, Jewel. Having a good time?”
Jewel rolled her eyes.
Tom smirked.
"Thank you, Tom. You know that this is a privileged and private conversation?”
Tom grinned. "Of course I know that. Everybody in town knows that." He winked at Jewel and walked out of the office with Jewel's cup of cold coffee, closing the door behind him.
"So, Jewel, what's in the corral?”
She took a sip of coffee and smiled. "Much better." She looked at Simon for a moment. "A dead cowboy.”
"That's what you see?" His voice squeaked.
"Why not?”
Simon couldn't think of a good response. He pointed to the other side of the inkblot. "And what do you see here?”
Jewel took another sip of coffee. "A cloud of dust.”
Simon turned the card around and looked at it. This was a new one for the psychiatric journals. He'd have to remember to write this up. Turning the card back to Jewel, he asked, "What's making the cloud of dust?”
"Maybe it's those horses you've been wanting." She turned around and looked at everything hanging on the wall behind her. There wasn't an inch of wall showing anywhere. "But really, Dr. Goldfish, I don't know how you expect to be a cowboy if you can't stand open spaces.”
Simon's mouth fell open. He had to put his hand under his jaw to close it.
Jewel ignored him. She closed her eyes again. "Maybe it's that dead cowboy's ex-wife. Driving an old white pickup truck, a sawed-off shotgun on the passenger seat.”
She opened her eyes and put the coffee cup on Simon's desk. "I'm done now. I'm going home.”
"But, we should make another appointment.”
"No, I'm not coming back. I told you I'm done." She walked out the door.
- Writer
