‘Each of you stay right where you are. This is almost over, so don’t fuck it up on the homestretch.’
Billy goes into the kitchen and grabs a paring knife. When he comes back, none of them have moved. Billy tells Hank Flanagan to hold out his hands. Hank does, and Billy cuts the zip-tie holding him. ‘Mister?’ Hank says, sounding timid. ‘You lost your wig.’
He’s right. The blond wig is lying against the baseboard like a small dead animal. A rabbit, maybe. It must have come off when Donovan rushed him and Billy threw him against the door. Did he remember to glue it on before leaving the basement apartment? Billy can’t remember but guesses he didn’t. He doesn’t try putting it on because he has the mask to contend with, just holds it in the hand not holding the Ruger GP.
‘I have pictures of all of you, but because Mr Donovan is the only one with a hand mixer sticking out of his ass, he’s the star of the show. I don’t think you’re going to call the police, because then you’d have to explain why I broke in but left without taking any money or valuables, but if you should decide to whomp up some kind of story that doesn’t involve gang rape, this picture is going on the Internet. With an explanation. Any questions?’
There are no questions. It’s time for Billy to go. He can stow the mask and don the wig on the way to the third-floor lobby. But he wants to say something else before he goes. He feels he has to. The first thing that comes to mind is a question: don’t any of you have sisters? And surely they have mothers, even Billy had one of those, although she wasn’t very good at the job. But such a question would be rhetorical. Preaching, not teaching.
Billy says, ‘You should be ashamed of yourselves.’
He leaves, taking off the mask as he hurries down the hall and putting it in the unzipped computer bag. He’s thinking that he’s not much better than those guys, really, pot calling the kettle black, but thinking that way is no good. What he tells himself as he puts on the wig and trots down the stairs is that he’s stuck with himself and must make the best of it. It’s cold comfort, but cold is better than none.
CHAPTER 17
1
Alice must have been waiting just inside the door of her room, because when Billy knocks she opens up at once. And hugs him. He’s startled for a moment and starts to pull away, but when he sees the hurt look on her face he hugs her back. Other than meaningless bro-hugs from people like Nick and Giorgio, he hasn’t had a real hug in a long time. Then he realizes that’s not true, he got hugs from Shanice Ackerman. They were good and this one is, too.
They go inside. He told her he was okay when he called from the car after leaving Landview Estates, but she asks again now and he tells her again that he is.
‘And you … dealt with them?’
‘Yes.’
‘All three of them?’
‘Yes.’
‘Do I want to know how?’
‘None of them is going to need a hospital visit but all of them paid a price. Let’s leave it at that.’
‘Fine, but can I ask a question I asked before?’
Billy says she can.
‘Did you do it for me or your sister?’
He thinks it over and says, ‘I think both.’
She gives a case-closed nod. ‘That wig looks like a hurricane blew through it. Do you have a comb?’
He does, in his shaving bag. Alice tents the wig over her spread fingers and starts combing it out in brisk strokes. ‘Are we staying here tonight?’
Billy has thought about this on the short drive back. ‘I think we should. I don’t believe we have to worry about the Three Stooges calling the cops.’ He’s thinking of the pictures on his phone. ‘And it’s getting late.’
She stops combing and looks at him dead-on. ‘Take me with you when you go. Please.’ She mistakes his silence for reluctance. ‘There’s nothing for me here. I can’t go back to business school and serving cappuccinos. I can’t go home, either. I won’t. Not after all this. I need to get out of this town. I need to start over. Please, Dalton. Please.’
‘All right. But there’s going to be a point where we go our separate ways. You understand that, right?’
‘Yes.’ She holds out the wig. ‘Better?’
‘It is. And my friends call me Billy. Okay?’
She smiles. ‘Okay.’
2
There’s a Slim Chickens a quarter mile down the service road. Billy drives through and brings back food and shakes. The way she keeps her eyes on her chicken-and-bacon sandwich, planning the next bite even while she’s chewing the one in her mouth, pleases him. He has no idea why, but it does. They watch the local news. There’s just one item about the courthouse assassination. It’s nothing new, just a two-minute filler piece before the weather. The world is moving on.
‘Are you going to be okay tonight?’
‘Yes.’ She steals one of his fries, as if that proves it.
‘If you start getting short of breath—’
‘“Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” I know.’
‘And if that doesn’t work, knock on the wall. I’ll come.’
‘Okay.’
He gets up and tosses his trash. ‘Then I’ll say goodnight. There’s some stuff I have to do.’
‘Are you going to work on your story?’
Billy shakes his head. ‘Other stuff.’
Alice looks troubled. ‘Billy … you wouldn’t run out on me in the middle of the night, would you?’
This is such a perfect turnaround that he has to laugh. ‘No, I’m not going to do that.’
‘Promise.’
He crooks his little finger as he sometimes did with Shan and often did with Cathy. ‘Pinky-swear.’
She crooks her own, smiling, and they link up.
‘Go to bed early because we’re going to leave early. Long drive.’
All he has to do now is find out where they’re going.
3
In his room on the other side of the wall, he texts Bucky Hanson.
Can I come to where you are? Actually it’s we, I have someone with me. She’s safe but going to need new ID. Not staying long. When I get the balance of what’s owed to me, you’ll get what I promised.
He sends and waits. He and Bucky go back almost to the beginning. Billy trusts him completely and thinks Bucky trusts him. Also, a million dollars is a lot of cheese.
Five minutes later his phone bings.
SCOTS live show Skipper’s Smokehouse 2007 69 El Camino YT. Delete and DTA.
They haven’t communicated like this in several years, but Billy remembers what DTA means: Don’t text again. For Bucky to go to such lengths means he’s being very, very cautious. He may have heard something. If so, it was nothing good.
Billy also knows SCOTS. It stands for Southern Culture on the Skids, Bucky’s favorite band. ‘’69 El Camino’ is one of their songs. Billy goes to YouTube and types out SCOTS live at Skipper’s Smokehouse. Southern Culture on the Skids must have played that particular venue a lot over the years because there are over forty vids of various songs. Five of them are of ‘’69 El Camino,’ but there’s only one from 2007. Billy selects it but doesn’t hit play. It’s smeary cell phone video, the sound will suck, and it’s not music he came for.
It’s had a little over four thousand views and hundreds of people have left comments. Billy scrolls down to the last one, which is tagged Hanson 199. It was posted two minutes ago.
Great tune, the comment reads. Saw them play a kick-ass 10-minute version at Edgewood Saloon in Sidewinder.
Billy adds his own post, tagging himself Taco04. It’s brief. Hope to see them soon!