Ayanna smiled that unnerving smile at Teresa again, who returned it in an equally cautious manner, both of which went seemingly unnoticed by Aiden. The two women faced him while drawing conclusions about each other.
“So, sweetheart,” Ayanna said. “Tell us about yourself. What brings you down to these parts?”
Teresa shifted a bit in her seat, hoping that she could draw less attention to the stacks and stacks of paper she was carrying with her.
“Just wandering, you know. I do a little writing and needed to clear my head. Get a little inspiration. Scenery, you know. It’s important.”
Teresa was always surprised with the ease with which she was able to lie while she worked. It was not a talent that extended to her personal life. She usually stuttered and turned a bright shade of red when she told even the smallest white lie. But when she was working, she had no problem coming up with elaborately believable stories. Usually, they were based on the life of someone she had investigated, and often she felt that she knew suspects a lot better than she knew herself.
“Ah, well isn’t that just the greatest thing you’ve ever heard, Aiden?” Ayanna smiled the syrupy smile again, and Teresa couldn’t help but wonder if her brother thought it was a real smile. He didn’t seem to notice, and if he did he certainly wasn’t saying anything. This time, Teresa noticed a Southern accent in Ayanna.
“Yani, I think we’ve taken up enough of Teresa’s time.”
“No!” Both women responded simultaneously.
“I’ve been alone for a week now,” Teresa said not entirely telling a lie this time. “It’s nice to have someone to talk to, especially someone from the U.S. Your accent, Ayanna. Are you from the South?”
“Texas.” Aiden answered. “We’re both from Texas. Yani moved to Los Angeles about five years ago, and I moved out two years ago. So, now we work together. On the wrestling.”
He added the last line after a short pause.
“Oh, right. Well, that’s really interesting. Brother-sister combo in the world of Mexican wrestling. Do you fight, too?”
Ayanna shook her head. Teresa could tell that she was no longer happy with the conversation. She wasn’t sure if it was the mention of her accent, or of Texas or of the wrestling. She wanted to push on, but she wasn’t sure that she should.
“When do you fight?” She turned back to Aiden.
“Well, we do shows on both sides of the border. We’ve just been down South a lot lately because it’s championship season. Yani arranges the fights for me, and I just fight. I have one coming up. Two, actually. Friday and Saturday.”
“You should come.” The sweet Texas accent had returned along with the false warmth in Ayanna’s face. Her eyes remained cold but the corners of her lips did their best to turn up slightly.
“Oh! I’d love to. Where do you fight?”
“Not far from here. You came down on PCH, right? Well, just find the Mexican equivalent. It’s about twenty-five miles south of here. Like the touristy areas. There’s a hotel we stay at…”
Aiden’s voice trailed off, and Teresa felt the table shake slightly. She guessed
Ayanna had kicked him or otherwise nudged him under the table.
“I’ll write it down for you.” Ayanna glared at him or at Teresa. She couldn’t really tell. But she continued, “Aiden’s girlfriend just loves this place. It’s not really luxurious, but it’s close enough to the ocean and close enough to the highway.”
Teresa thought that Aiden might have cringed a bit at the mention of his girlfriend, but she thought it could also be her imagination. She smiled a little, thinking how cute it was that his sister was protective of him and his girlfriend.
Coral Island Hotel & Spa.
Ayanna had that pretty girl script that young girls prided themselves on. Teresa noted the impeccable way that she wrote out each letter. It was a harsh contrast to her own writing that relied heavily on block letters, half connected scripts and a lot of what appeared to be scribbling.
“I know it well. I had this boyfriend, and we spent a nice week there.” And again, she marveled at her own ability to lie. “In fact, I might just make my way down there now and catch up with you guys on fight night.”
And with that Teresa stood. She gathered her belongings, said her goodbyes and left the restaurant slowly, hoping to hear any conversation that might have immediately followed her departure.
“She’s nice…”
Teresa Jordan Crimes 