Wolf of the Tesseract

Chapter 2

"Ugh, why don't you cheer for a real sport," Vivian rolled her eyes in disgust as she plowed her way into Claire's apartment in the early morning hours. Vivian shoved a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and the morning paper into Claire's hands and walked in like she owned the place.

Wiping the crust away from her eyes, Claire untangled the strands of hair kinked into the fine chain around her neck. The strange, locket-like pendant had been given to her by her father and she never took it off.

Claire had just barely gotten out of bed; she shook off the comment about her tattered Minnesota Vikings pajama pants, the last gift she'd ever received from her mother before she passed away several years ago. Claire wasn't always late to rise, but she'd dreamed so vividly last night, and rising before the doorbell had proven difficult.

She scowled and tossed the box onto her countertop. Another one of her subtle plans to sabotage my wedding... making me too fat for my dress. Claire only barely tried to hide her displeasure that Vivian was the first bridesmaid to arrive for the wedding planning party. She was only a bridesmaid because her brother was the groom. Sometimes you have to take one for the family, her father had told her via telephone a week ago. If she'd been less diplomatic and had her own way, only Jackie would have been a wedding attendant.

Claire flipped through the newspaper absentmindedly, stopping when she recognized a photo. "Hey, I know that guy!" She turned to Vivian as she spoke, but Vivian didn't pay her any attention as she organized the wedding periodicals scattered haphazardly on Claire's coffee table. Claire prattled on anyway, partly to spite Vivian.

"It says he was murdered last night in the museum." She scanned further. "It happened just down from my Dad's office! That's where I've seen him before."

"Good thing Daddy's away on that archeological dig, hmm?" She didn't even look at Claire as she spoke.

Something that Claire had learned about her soon-to-be sister in law was that she always payed attention. Claire was pretty sure, though, that she couldn't see her scowling at her back. A few years older than her, they'd attended the same high school. Now, Vivian worked for some obscure government agency that Claire knew nothing about. She was pretty sure Vivian preferred it that way.

"He worked in the same wing near Dad's office," she continued. "The coroner ruled it a homicide; a handprint on his throat makes it look like he was choked and he died of asphyxiation, but..." she trailed off.

"But?"

The doorbell buzzed. Claire turned to answer.

"But there was no crushing damage to his neck. Just the handprint. No other trauma. That's weird, right?"

"Not as weird as your morbid obsession with forensic analysis. Maybe back off on the CSI marathons?"

Claire rolled her eyes at what might have been a friendly ribbing, as if Vivian had ever acted friendly. She opened the door.

"Yay!" Jackie leaned in for a hug, practically falling through the door to squeeze Claire into her bubbly embrace. Jackie caught a glimpse of her disheveled, yawning friend. "Oh my God. You haven't had any coffee yet, have you?"

Claire only grimaced in reply at her ever-peppy friend.

Jackie held up a single digit to indicate she should wait a moment. Jackie spun around and bent to get a drink tray she'd set on the floor outside the apartment door. She happily turned back with a smile that betrayed the early morning hour.

"I got you an extra shot to help you deal with—Oh hi, Vivian!" she exclaimed. Jackie squeezed past Claire and into the apartment.

Claire smiled as she took one of only two cups from the cardboard cup holder. Her best friend since high school knew the rules well: true friendship meant an unspoken alliance against anyone who didn't properly appreciate your best friend.