Page 38 of Diamonds

Defense mechanism, I guess.

I’ll be unpacking what we found last night for the next several years once it finally settles into my psyche.

For now, I guess I’ll enjoy the nothingness.

I close my eyes.Think back on that first date.Back when Aces was just a club, not the den of carnage it turned out to be.

Alissa and I discussed our favorite music.

I told her how much I enjoyed the rockers of the sixties and seventies, and she told me all about her favorite composer.

What was his name?

Shosta… Shosta… Shosta-something.

I grab my phone again and search it.It autofills in the rest of the composer’s name.Dmitri Shostakovich.A Soviet-era Russian composer.

And… That’s right!The Chicago Symphony Orchestra is performing one of his symphonies this week.I pull up their website and go to the calendar.

It’s Thursday night.Alissa will be free.I sure as hell can clear my schedule.

Of course, with my luck, that’ll be the day Bill calls with results for May.

But fuck it.Worst case we have to wait a few hours.

Before I can overthink it, I’ve purchased two tickets.About halfway down the main floor.It’s a couple hundred bucks.Not exactly cheap, but a night out with Alissa is worth it.

She’ll love it.

And if she somehow is no longer available Thursday, I can see if Harrison wants to come with me.I don’t know if he knows the first thing about classical music, but he might enjoy it.I know he goes to the theater sometimes.

I shoot her a quick text.

Hey.I know we said we’d hang Thursday—turns out that’s the date of the Shostakovich symphony at CSO.Got us tickets.We can meet there or grab dinner before.Whatever works.Have a great day at work.

I send it.

She probably won’t get it until later.I’m not sure when her shift ends, but I think she keeps her phone in her locker while she’s on duty.

They’ll keep her busy today, I’m sure.People come in on Mondays after fucking themselves up over the weekend.She’ll have plenty of patients to distract her.

Keep her mind off May.

Wish I had something to distract me.

That poor girl.

And her friend, the one who disappeared first.The one who made her reach out to Alissa and ask for help.

Svetlana.The Nine of Diamonds.

I remember her.I last saw her a few weeks before I met Alissa.

* * *

Fuck.It’s cold tonight.

Normally I don’t bother with an overcoat since it’s a quick walk from the parking garage to the club entrance, but tonight I made an exception.Long dark overcoat, gloves, a scarf, and earmuffs.