Free In a Fix by Linda Grimes

place to borrow his old room. I guess he figures I’m less likely than Thomas to have overnight visitors he might disturb (sad but true). Well, other than Billy, but Mark doesn’t really care if he disturbs Billy. If they both show up at the same time, they flip a coin for the couch.
    He was waiting on deck for us when the taxi let us off at the marina. Billy and I stumbled our way over and boarded, with me narrowly avoiding an unintentional dip in the Potomac when Mark grabbed me by the waistband and hauled me back to safety. Which says a lot about his strength because, believe me, Benjamin was no lightweight. I was relieved to avoid the dunking, even though the cold water might have helped with my continuing, um, problem.
    “Steady there, Ciel,” he said quietly.
    “What makes you think I’m Ciel?” I whispered back, embarrassed by my clumsiness.
    “Because there’s no way Billy would take that aura for himself.”
    “How do you know Bo—uh, Benjamin?”
    “Who do you think gave him to me in the first place?” Billy answered for him.
    “And you felt compelled to pass him along to me why, precisely?”
    “You’ve heard of ‘pay it forward’?”
    I clutched my twitching crotch, drawing gleeful laughter from Billy and a look of restrained amusement from Mark. I stomped off toward the cabin. “I will see the two of you inside,” I said as imperiously as my cracking voice would allow.
    The windows were mostly covered by the mesh hammocks Mark had rigged in front of them to make extra storage space, so I assumed it was safe to resume my own identity, which I did with an explosive sigh of relief, holding my pants up with one hand so they wouldn’t fall off. I parked myself at one end of the table. Billy chose the opposite end, but I was still close enough to kick him, so I did, right on the shin, with a shoe that was now about ten sizes too big for me.
    “Ouch! What was that for?” He switched back to himself as he rubbed his injured limb.
    “You know very well what that was for, and you’re lucky I didn’t aim farther north.” I slipped out of the clown sneakers and tucked my feet up under me.
    “Hey, I got you here safely and without being followed. Those were Mark’s instructions.”
    “Oh, so ‘full caution’ means ‘use the horny drunk slob’ aura? Must be some secret spy code I’m not privy to.”
    “Children, children,” Mark said as he closed the cabin door behind him.
    I wasn’t quite through bitching yet. “How do you guys put up with that ? It’s like having a gerbil wake up in your pants when you’re least expecting it.”
    They both cracked up, though Mark recovered faster. “Not every guy’s gerbil is as jumpy as Benjamin’s,” he patiently explained.
    Billy was more than willing to elaborate. “Some of us have our gerbils well trained. Take mine, for instance—”
    “No! You can just keep comments about your gerbil to yourself.” I scooted around the banquette, making room for Mark to sit. “I want to hear what Mark knows. What did you find out from the Swede? And is it connected to my condo getting trashed?”
    He hesitated, obviously considering how much—or how little—he could get away with telling us.
    “Everything,” I said, knowing full well he’d say only what he pleased. Sometimes I like to pretend he listens to me. Just another one of my spook fantasies.
    Before he answered, he retrieved a bottle of Scotch and two glasses from the galley. He put one in front of Billy, the other at his own place, then turned to me. “I think I have some of those wine coolers you like somewhere in the back. Just a sec, I’ll see.”
    “You still drink those glorified juice boxes, cuz? We really need to work on your palate.”
    I lifted my chin. “Thanks anyway, Mark, but I’ll just have what you’re having.”
    Mark paused to give Billy a Look, but fetched another glass. He poured a generous amount for each of us, neat, careful not to skimp on mine. Crap. Now I had