Then Charlie remembered that Minty Fresh said he had coined the term, so maybe only the Death Merchants in San Francisco knew it. "I collect soul vessels. "
"No, you don't. You can't see me. You can't see me. Sleep. Sleep. " The little man was waving his hands up and down in the air like he was drawing a curtain of deception before him, or possibly clearing spiderwebs out of the room.
"These are not the droids you seek," Charlie said, grinning.
"What?"
"You don't have Jedi powers, you git. Just take the necklace. "
"I don't understand. "
"Come with me," Charlie said. "It's time for my sister to watch her anyway. " He led the little guy out of his mother's room into the living room. They stood by the front window, looking at the sun coming up and casting shadows of the broken teeth of the red rock mountains around them. "What's your name?"
"Vern. Vern Glover. "
"I'm Charlie. Nice to meet you. How long does she have, Vern?"
"What do you mean?"
"How long on your calendar. How many days were left?"
"How do you know about that?"
"I told you. I do what you do. I can see you. I can see that necklace glowing red. I know what you are. "
"But you can't. The Great Big Book says that horrible Forces of Darkness will rise if I talk to you. "
"See this cut over my ear, Vern?"
Vern nodded.
"Forces of Darkness. Fuck 'em. Fuck the Forces of Darkness, Vern. How long does my mother have?"
"It's your mother? I'm sorry, Charlie. She has two more days. "
"Okay," Charlie said, nodding. "Then we'd better go get a doughnut. "
"Pardon?"
"Doughnut! Doughnut! You like doughnuts, don't you?"
"Yes, but why?"
"Because the continuance of human existence as we know it depends on us having doughnuts together. "
"Really?" Vern's eyes went wide.
"No, not really. I'm just fucking with you. " Charlie put his arm around Vern's shoulder. "But let's go get one anyway. I'll wake my sister for her watch. "
Charlie called home from his mobile phone to check on Sophie. Then, satisfied she was safe, he returned to the booth at Dunkin' Donuts, where Vern and a cruller were waiting for him. Vern had taken off his stocking cap and had a wild mop of silver gray hair over large, aviator-frame glasses that made him look like a tan and wiry mad scientist.
"So like she was really hot?"
"Vern, you wouldn't believe. I'm telling you, body of a goddess. Covered with really fine feathers, soft as down. " Charlie innately recognized another Beta Male like he recognized another Death Merchant, so he nearly stumbled over himself to tell the story of his adventure with the sexy sewer harpy, knowing he had a sympathetic audience.
"But she was going to put her claw through your brain, right?"
"Yeah, she said she was, but you know something, I think there was some chemistry there. "