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Kim leaves the 118 and Buck doesn’t move. Stares at the place she just was and doesn’t move. Feels the weight of the brownies in his hand and doesn’t move.
Tries to process doppelganger and Shannon and Eddie and dead and ex-wife and Kim into something that makes sense.
He can’t because it’s … it’s just too wild. That’s not what’s happening here. Right?
There’s only a 1 in 135 chance of a complete doppelganger pair — he read about that recently because Tommy mentioned that he once ran into his own doppelganger. Buck didn’t believe him but then Tommy got really serious, like more serious than Buck has ever seen him, and said it’s the God’s honest truth, Evan, I swear. So naturally, Buck did a little digging to see if it was possible.
It is possible, but it’s more possible that someone just has similar features to you. A complete doppelganger is rare. He may have only met Shannon once but he’s seen plenty of pictures of her to be sure that Kim is a dead ringer for Shannon.
Which means he has a phone call to make.
Tommy picks up as soon as Buck gets into the Jeep.
“Hey,” Tommy says. “Are you on your way?”
“So I think I just met the doppelganger of Eddie’s dead ex-wife.”
There’s a pause. Then: “I told you doppelgangers existed!”
“And I told you that complete doppelgangers are really rare and that you are more likely to run into someone who just has, like one eerily similar feature to you.”
“Okay, okay,” Tommy relents, chuckling. “But I still stand by the fact that I definitely saw my doppelganger before.”
Buck laughs, and shakes his head. “Alright, I believe you.”
There’s another pause, but it’s a nice pause, one where they’re just on a phone, existing together across telephone lines. Buck remembers Bobby’s words from earlier: he’s good for you. He smiles, and settles back into his seat to get more comfortable.
“So,” Tommy begins again. “You saw … who again?”
“She said her name was Kim and that she was looking for Eddie.”
“Hmm. Did she say why she was looking for Eddie?”
“To give him brownies.” Buck looks over to the dessert pan in the passenger seat. “She also mentioned being on FaceTime with him before.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Do you remember the movie Vertigo?”
That was date number 7, right after the doppelganger discussion. While Buck looked into the facts, Tommy went straight to fiction. He eventually stumbled on a list of doppelganger films, of which there were 92. Movies aren’t really Buck’s thing but Tommy loves them. He’ll go deep into the meaning of colors, shots, and framing, the symbolism of this and that. Buck likes listening to him talk, so they watch one every other date night, now.
Tonight is Dead Ringer, although after tonight, maybe they should cool it on the genre-specific movie watches. Shit’s getting a little too real.
“Wait, are you saying …” Tommy trails off.
“No! God, no. I mean, we responded to Shannon’s accident. It’s not that. But I don’t know … it was weird. And Eddie clearly knows her, has talked to her.”
Tommy gives a quiet hum.
“There was just a general eerie vibe, is what I’m saying,” Buck continues.
“You’re worried,” Tommy says.
“I am!”
A beeper goes off on Tommy’s end. Buck hears movement, then an oven door opening.
“Oh fuck, dinner.”
“That’s okay,” Tommy says. “I’ll wrap a plate for you.”
“I’m just going to drop these brownies off, and see what he has to say.”
“I’ll see you in a bit,” Tommy says.
The understanding and assurance in Tommy’s voice calms him. Everything will be alright, weird doppelganger shit aside. Although —
“Hey, Tommy?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we pick a different sci-fi movie list to watch? I don’t think I can do the doppelganger ones anymore.”
Tommy chuckles. “Go talk to Eddie. I’ll find a different genre. Ooh, wait. What about time loops?”
Buck laughs, starts the Jeep, and listens to Tommy list off all the time loop films he can think of all the way to Eddie’s drive way.