The Bear in the Cable-Knit Sweater by Robert T. Jeschonek Page B

Yuri loooves you." Reaching into the breast pocket of his wild shirt, he tugged out a bright red business card and held it toward me.
    Stan snatched the card away and shoved him back. Yuri stumbled one step before catching himself.
    Then, laughing, he swung around and stormed out, nearly knocking over Horst and Pete on his way past.
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    *****
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    Later that night, I lay in Stan's arms and gazed at his face in the moonlight streaming through our bedroom window. He just kept staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.
    "So who was Yuri?" I said. "An old boyfriend?"
    Stan sighed. "Don't worry about it."
    "But what did he mean?" I said. "Where did he want you to go?"
    "Forget about him," said Stan. "He's just a big mouth looking to cause trouble."
    "What did he mean when he said you could send me in your place?"
    Stan grunted and let go of me. He rolled over and got out of bed. "I don't want to talk about it, okay? Just go to sleep. "
    I sat up and listened as he started down the hall. "Where are you going, Sluggo?" I called after him.
    "I left something in the truck," said Stan. "I'll be right back."
    That was the last time I heard his voice in this world.
    Lying back, I listened as he put on his shoes and went downstairs and out the front door. I waited a little while for him to come back, and then I fell asleep.
    When I woke in the morning, he was still gone. But his pickup was still parked on the street in front of our townhouse.
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    *****
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    I was worried right away. It wasn't like Stan to disappear without warning. Where could he even go without the pickup?
    I started making phone calls. There was no answer at Boilermaker's at that hour, of course. Horst had no idea where he was, and neither did any of the other bears who answered their phones.
    It was a Saturday, but I tried Stan's workplace anyway. He worked for a company that installed conveyor equipment in factories, and sometimes they did weekend installs.
    But not this weekend.
    So I got in the pickup--cherry red, extended cab, extended everything--and drove around town. I drove everywhere I thought Stan might be and looked hard and asked questions.
    But Stan was nowhere. Just gone.
    So now I knew, without a doubt. Something had happened to him.
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    *****
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    Sitting in the pickup in the hardware store parking lot, I leaned my furry forehead against the steering wheel and closed my eyes. I thought about the first time we'd met, which had been at Boilermaker's.
    I'd seen a story online about the bears and had known instantly they were for me. Boilermaker's had been mentioned in the story as a bear meeting place, so I'd gone one Friday--still under wraps, of course, still covered head to toe in ball cap, trench coat, and gloves.
    Stan had come right up and shaken my hand. He'd slapped me on the back, called me "buddy," and bought me a beer. I'd fallen in love with him right then and there.
    We'd kissed for the first time two weeks later, in the cab of that very pickup.
    And now he was gone.
    Opening my eyes, I looked down...and I spotted something red on the floor, tucked under the edge of the mat. Leaning down, I snagged it, instantly realizing what it was.
    Yuri's red business card. The one Stan had snatched from Yuri's fingers.
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    *****
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    I drove to the address printed in gold letters on the satin finish card. The address led to a building on the edge of the Strip district, a deserted storefront far from the Strip's thriving markets and restaurants.
    The windows were waxed, so I couldn't see inside. The front door was closed, but unlocked. Heart pounding, I let myself in.
    Sweat ran down my sides and back as I entered the darkened place and looked around. I was totally unprepared, running on panic and adrenaline, not thinking very far ahead.
    Though I don't think anything could have prepared me for what was waiting inside that dump.
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    *****
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    The place smelled like mold and fry grease. The front room was empty except for a single