Suzie’s House 346: The Forgotten Man

Vin had steak in mind when he walked into the kitchen. That or maybe he’d grill up some ribs. He was pretty sure one or the other would the thawed because it was his turn to cook and everyone in the house knew he didn’t aspire to any French cooking.

So the complete disaster that confronted him wasn’t particularly welcome.

Suzie bent over the open oven door, taking a sheet of cookies out. Loaves of bread dough sat on the counter next to the oven. Normally she’d have them on the stove between burners where they’d stay nice and warm, but stockpots filled both back burners and it looked like some kind of sauce might be in the works on the front. But most telling, the dishes had piled up in the sink right next to where she had started then abandoned a salad.

“What’s wrong?” Vin pulled out a chair. When Suzie put this much into cooking, you knew she was upset. A pie followed the cookies; so it must be a doozy.

“Nothing.” She bit the word of with uncharacteristic venom.

“Come on. It’s me, Vin, you’re talking to. I know something’s wrong.”

Suzie shook her head adamantly. She bit her lower lip and looked like she might cry. Feeling a touch panicky, Vin thought maybe he should get Miranda to help.

“I just had a beast of a day.” She glanced at him, then turned to one of the stock pots and dipped in a spoon. “It’s not really anything that happened. Just what I think.” She slurped from the spoon, winced, and grabbed the salt.

“You’re not making much sense,” Vin grumbled.

“Yeah. Maybe it’s better that way.”

Definitely, he needed Miranda. He’d just stood up to get her when the door bell rang.

“I’ll get it.”

“Thanks,” Suzie muttered without even looking over her shoulder.

Whoever was on the front porch pounded on the door with policeman levels of authority.

“All right, all right. I’m coming,” Vin muttered.

He flung the door open to be confronted by a pair of bums with grim expressions.

“Yes?” Then he blinked, and recognized one of them. “Drew! Oh my God. Drew.”

He surged past the door to wrap the man in a back pounding hug.

“You’re finally back.” Vin was so happy to see his best friend again that tears sprang to his eyes. “Whewh! You reek.”

“Yeah.” Drew sounded as short tempered as Suzie. “She home?” Before Vin could answer, Drew sniffed, then shoved past to stomp up the hall.

“Something happened between them, didn’t it.”

“Well, now. I suppose it depends on how you look at it.” The old man left on the porch said. “You could say it’s what didn’t happen that’s the problem. Mind if I come in? I’m Trent. Been watching over your boy there for a while now.” He held out a hand.

“Vin. Best friend?” Vin wasn’t entirely sure how to identify himself anymore. Drew hadn’t bothered to stay in contact with him in quite some time.

Over the years the two of them had gone their own ways and come back together a number of times. But this was the first time Vin felt abandoned.

“Come in.” Vin waved the old man forward, and the two of them went up the hall to the kitchen.

Drew disappeared into the kitchen well ahead of them. There came a high, feminine shriek that put wings on Vin’s heels. When he and Trent arrived, Suzie had backed into a corner with a butchers knife waving uncertainly in her hands. Drew stood in front of her with his hands out in a placating gesture.

“Suzie! What’s wrong?” Drew asked.

“Who… who are you?” Suzie stared at him with wide, frightened eyes.

He froze, his eyes glazed and his mouth drawn back in a grimace. That was when Vin realized there was still something seriously wrong with Drew. And not just that he’d been gone for so long and let himself to so badly. Whatever that drug was the Drew had taken while acting as an FBI agent under cover must have made some permanent changes.

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