I said, “Catchy.”
“Subversive. Here, this is her.”
#51: TRIPLEX STAR SKYLAR LAWLESS PAINTS NAKED!
Josh gets In Your Face with the pornstar taking the art world by storm!
Ryan clicked the title. A page opened, revealing a photo of Josh and Skylar Lawless at what appeared to be a crowded, upscale party. Skylar had traded the red lingerie for a black jacket over a black sequined dress, and looked better for the change.
I saw nothing sexual in the photo. They were standing together, but not as a couple. They weren’t touching, or hanging on to each other, or mugging the way people mug when they’re being silly or flirty. Skylar Lawless came across as a very attractive professional woman with a bright smile and intelligent eyes. Josh loomed beside her like a giant. He was the largest person in the room.
“Where was this?”
“An art gallery downtown. She was just a porn actress the first time we had her on the show, then she got into art, and Josh wanted her back. He loved the idea of her reinventing herself as a painter. Look at this stuff—”
He clicked again and photos of Skylar posing beside what appeared to be tall, rectangular posters lined with typed sentences appeared. Then I looked closer, and realized the upright rectangles were cell phones.
I said, “She paints phones?”
Ryan snorted.
“Text exchanges, like when people text each other. She says her paintings examine how men and women relate. It’s bullshit.”
Ryan glared at the image as if having Skylar Lawless as a guest had left a sour taste in his mouth.
“Anyway, you can listen to her interview, see more pictures, whatever. Maybe she knows where he is.”
“This was five months ago?”
“Uh-huh.”
A five-month-old interview was probably worthless, but her recent calls with Josh might lead to his whereabouts.
“Give me her number.”
Ryan scooped up his phone and sent her contact card. The card showed a San Fernando Valley area code and an address in Studio City.
I put away my phone and circled their studio. Folders, articles, printouts, and bent soda cans spotted the table and floor. Post-it Notes sprouted from the monitors and lamps like pink and blue leaves. A white marker board bearing names and more Post-its was propped against the wall, and wadded papers spilled from a basket beneath the table.
I said, “Don’t you guys ever clean?”
Ryan didn’t answer. He was staring at the poster of Skylar Lawless.
I said, “Ryan.”
He didn’t look at me. He stared at the poster.
Ryan said, “I had a bad feeling when he told me he wanted to go mainstream. It was like everything we’ve been doing didn’t matter. Then she called, and I got really scared.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I thought maybe he wanted to stop doing the show.”
Ryan finally looked at me. His eyes glimmered.
“I love our show. It matters.”
Ryan was frightened. Maybe of losing Josh. Maybe of losing himself.
I said, “We don’t know if Josh is with her. He could be anywhere doing anything.”
Ryan chewed his lip. He didn’t believe me.
I said, “Either way, we need to look through the things in here.”
I picked up a stack of articles about homeless encampments.
“We might find a note he left, or a name. A clue.”
I began stacking the articles and folders together.
Ryan pushed to his feet as if he’d been tasered and clutched at the pages.
“Dude! This is our research. If you mix it up, I’ll have to sort it out again. Please. I’ll go through it.”
“It’s a lot to look through, Ryan.”
“Please.”
His eyes seemed desperate.
“This is my work.”
I let go of the papers and watched Ryan put them in their proper places. When everything was as he wanted it, we left their studio and walked down the hall through the living room. A large flat-screen TV filled the wall opposite the couch. A reproduction of the In Your Face logo was pinned above the TV. Past the TV at the end of the wall where it opened to the dining room was a smaller sign. It looked homemade, like Josh or Ryan had printed it. The sign read: matter. I wanted to ask which of them had made it, but I didn’t.
Ryan followed me to the door. Outside, the concrete steps were blindingly bright. Across the courtyard, the curtains hung still on the mauve bungalow.
I dug out a card and gave it to Ryan.
“If you find anything, let me know. If you hear from Josh or Skylar, call.”