Husk by J. Kent Messum

embraces me.
    I hold him tight. ‘Phinn, how are things?’
    ‘Not good at all, son. Some real bad shit has gone down in the last few days.’
    ‘I heard.Baxter just told me.’
    Phineas shakes his head. ‘Fuck, man, Clive was just a kid.’
    ‘Yeah, and Miller was old guard. Jesus, our company has the best rep in the biz. How the hell did we lose two Husks in the same week?’
    ‘There’s a first for everything,’ he grumbles. ‘How are you handling it?’
    I give him a dazed look. ‘Don’t think it’s even hit me yet.’
    Phineas’s green eyes lock with mine, searchingto see if my emotions match his. He’s royally pissed, that much I can tell, though it’s the first real anger of any kind I’ve ever seen on him. The ire looks incorrect on his face. Phineas has never been anything but calm and collected for all the years I’ve known him. The man bleeds cool. That smooth English accent is easy on the ears, melts the elastic in women’s underwear.
    ‘We’ve got to startbeing more careful,’ he says, drawing close and lowering his voice. ‘Before you or I end up a casualty.’
    ‘You’re preaching to the choir, man.’
    ‘Are you in town awhile?’
    ‘Just a couple days. Two twenty-four-hour clientsback-to-back in Manhattan, then I’m covering one of Clive’s regulars in London for forty-eight hours.’
    I examine the impressive tailor-made suit he’s wearing and estimate itcost close to five figures. I sneak a glance at the reptile footwear, thinking about how much I’d like to have this particular outfit, thinking about how much I’m still a slave to this kind of materialistic shit.
    ‘Nice threads man … you on your way to a gig?’
    ‘Coming back from one,’ he whispers, making sure no one is in earshot. ‘I lucked out with a new client. The lady who rented me said shewanted to see what life was like in a man’s shoes, bought a whole new wardrobe. She went easy on the goods, let me keep the suit as a bonus too.’
    ‘You lucky bastard. I had a new client too the other day, but the guy took me for a
ride
, man.’
    ‘Yeah? How bad?’
    ‘Got infected for starters …’ I murmur.
    ‘The clap?’
    ‘HIV.’
    Phineas chuckles and rolls his eyes. ‘You can tell me all about it in London.’

    ‘London?’
    ‘Yeah, I’m over there for a gig the same time you are. Let’s make sure we meet up for a pint or three when we’re wrapped.’
    Phineas smiles, pearly teeth shining, eyes squinting above high cheekbones. He raps my shoulder and starts past me in the direction of Baxter’s office. I put a hand on his chest to stop him.
    ‘Hey, while we got a minute, have you been having any problems at alllately?’
    ‘Problems?’
    Phineas looks at me cockeyed. With a grimace, I turn my head to the side and point behind my ear. Phineas’s eyes widen when he realizes.
    ‘With the Ouija?’ he whispers.
    ‘Yeah.’
    ‘No, nothing. Everything’s running like clockwork, mate.’
    Up ahead I can see the lights have been turned on in Tweek’s control room. I start heading that way and Phineas understands everythingat once. If our problems are internal, they’re worth the worry. His handsome features fold into a look of concern as we part ways.

6
    ‘What’s the problem?’
    ‘I think my Ouija is acting up,’ I say, and tap the thing under my skin.
    Tweek frowns. ‘Don’t do that.’
    ‘Do what?’
    ‘That,’ he says, mimicking my tapping. ‘They’re sensitive.’
    ‘They better not be. You have any idea what my clientshave been putting me through on a regular basis?’
    Tweek nods. He knows better than most. The customized gel layer he personally designed to coat the Ouija with cushions a lot of impact, but the man is forever nervous about the resiliency of the technology he helped create. I sit down across from him and lean forward, tilting my head so he can have a gander behind my ear. Tweek looks, but doesn’ttouch. His chubby fingers fiddle nervously with the cuffs of his