Hotline to Murder

shower? I haven’t had one in a couple of days. And I need to wash off his touch. And my clothes are dirty.”
    “We should have gone by your place and picked up some clean clothes.”
    “And fight the reporters? No thanks. I’ll manage. But my leg started to hurt when we were at the police station.”
    Shahla pulled up her shorts and pointed to a bruise on her upper thigh. But when that didn’t uncover all of it, she impatiently pulled her shorts down. She was wearing a bikini bottom underneath. Tony forced himself to concentrate on the colors of the ugly blotch, ranging from red to black and blue, like a poorly executed abstract painting.
    “How did you get that?”
    “When I was trying to get away from him, I hit a parked car. That’s when I hurt my hands.”
    “I have some disinfectant for the cuts,” he said. “But I don’t know what we can do about the bruise. Do you want to put ice on it?”
    “No. It will be okay as long as nothing touches it. May I take a shower now? I’ll wash it off.”
    Tony gave Shahla towels and a washcloth and made up the spare bed while she was in the shower. He felt like a housewife. He was glad he had a cleaning lady who came on a regular basis so that the house wasn’t too dirty. He also found a first aid kit.
    He had an urge to open the bathroom door and ask her if she needed her back washed, but he was the parent here, and he couldn’t do that.
    He was in the spare bedroom when Shahla poked her head out of the bathroom door and yelled, “Do you have a T-shirt I can wear?”
    He had forgotten about nightclothes for her. He limped down to his bedroom, passing her on the way and came back with a T-shirt. She reached out a bare arm and took it from him, then closed the door. Tony retreated to his bedroom so she would have a clear path to her room when she came out.
    However, several minutes later she appeared in his doorway and said, “I borrowed your comb. Do you have an extra toothbrush?”
    The T-shirt was long enough on her so it served as a mini-dress. Tony said, “My dental technician always gives me a toothbrush when I get my teeth cleaned. I think I have a couple of extras.”
    He went into the bathroom and saw her clothes sitting on the toilet seat. He said, “I have a washer and dryer. I’ll wash your clothes for you.”
    “I see this is a full-service hotel,” Shahla said, really smiling for the first time since she had shown up at his doorstep.
    “Do you want the swimsuit washed?”
    “If you don’t mind. That’s my underwear until I go home.”
    Tony took her clothes downstairs and put them in his washing machine. The washer and dryer were located in a small utility room off the kitchen. When he came back five minutes later, Shahla had gone into her bedroom but left the door open. He waited until the wash cycle ended and placed the clothes in the dryer. Then he went to bed. It had been an exhausting day. And his knee hurt.
    He was trying to settle himself down to sleep when he felt, rather than heard or saw, something in his doorway. He turned his head and barely saw Shahla’s silhouette against the dark background of the hallway.
    “I don’t want to sleep in there alone,” she said. “It’s too dark with the light out. I’m afraid.”
    “Do you want a nightlight?” Tony asked.
    “No, I want to sleep in your bed.”
    “You mean, you want to trade beds?”
    “No.”
    “That’s not a good idea. I’m just down the hall from you. You can call if you need me.”
    “The stairs are between us. He might…come up the stairs.
    “The police are watching the house.” Tony was getting a little perturbed. He needed a good night’s sleep. He said, “I guess I could sleep on the couch downstairs.”
    “No, I want you nearby. Stay in the bed. I won’t take up much room.”
    Shahla lay down on the bed beside him and pulled the sheet and light blanket over her. She lay on her side, facing away from him. He normally slept in his briefs and a T-shirt. Sometimes he took the briefs off if they were too constricting. Fortunately, he hadn’t done that tonight. It was an old-fashioned double bed, not queen or king-size. There was no extra room. Tony turned his back to her and found himself on the edge of the bed.
    “After my father was killed, I sometimes slept with my mom, and we would cuddle together like spoons,” Shahla said.
    It was clear what she wanted him to do. He turned over and carefully arranged his body so that, although they were