“All I wanted was to get back what I lost.”
“What was that?” said Straczynski.
“Everything you took away from me.”
Tommy lunged, but meekly now, the lunge of a man too tired to really try. Straczynski parried with a flick of his wrist.
“You were going to jail,” said the justice.
“I was going to freedom, but you took it all from me. My love, my life, my money. So that’s what I was trying to get back, just that, yes. But I’m not a killer.”
“No, you’re not,” I said. “And you know what convinced me? Something as small as a dime. The loop on the sabers. If you were out to kill your enemies, why would you leave the loop on your saber. Why wouldn’t you file it off, sharpen the point, dip it in poison, stick it in your enemy’s eye?”
“It wouldn’t be sporting,” said Tommy.
“No, it wouldn’t. I thought it was you following the path of your betrayal, but it was someone else, following that same path for reasons of his own. Colfax,” I said, “you’ve been a very bad boy.”
“It was business, just that, you understand,” said Colfax. “Nothing personal. But terms is terms and I need to be paid. I was just making a proposal to our friend Babbage, a little gentle persuasion, and next thing I know ’e’s flopping around like a tuna on the deck. And that Lonnie, I was passed word ’e knew who ’ad taken the suitcase. I came in with questions, he came after me with a wrench. I didn’t ’ave no choice. It was self-defense.”
“You stupid son of a bitch,” said Tommy.
“You owed me the payments. What did you expect me to do? Take you to court? I’m just satisfying the terms of my engagement. And don’t you be all ’igh and mighty yourself, Victor. Nothing more bracing than a lecture on morals from a lawyer. It’s like an hyena teaching the lion to tuck in his napkin. And even with all I done, I’m still owed my money and no one’s going nowhere until we figure ’ow to take care of that.”
A sound pierced his speech, a soft high-pitched sob, and then another, and another, each louder than the sob before it. It was Kimberly, on her stool, her face covered by one of her hands, crying.
“What’s the matter with you?” said Colfax.
“This is the worst, just the biggest poodle,” she said between her sobs. “This is so humiliating. I knew there was something wrong. I’m, like, the vice president, remember, the vice president of external relations, and still nobody tells me anything. I mean, I’m supposed to know things. I’m an officer, dammit, and a shareholder too. I have rights. But you’re running out of money and does anyone tell me? You’re Eddie Dean and you’re Tommy Greeley both and did you tell me? Colfax is running around killing half the world and do you tell me? No. Don’t tell Kimberly anything. She’s only good for making coffee, and I don’t even make good coffee. And then you go kidnapping our lawyer, like that’s okay too. It’s a poodle, totally. This whole thing skinks.”
“Skinks?” I said.
She looked at me and I saw it, right there, yes, in the knowing glint in her eye.
“Stinks,” she said. “Whatever. You know what I’m going to do. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and you know what I’m going to do?”
“Who the ’ell cares?” said Colfax. “We got-”
“Shut up, Colfax,” said Kimberly, with steel in her voice, and Colfax shut up. “Mr. D, or G, or whatever. I’m, like, grateful and all for the opportunity, but I think I’m going to quit. This is all too much for me. I’m just a little girl from Bellmawr, New Jersey. I didn’t know this was the way business was done. Really.”
“Kimberly, dear,” said Tommy. “I want to explain.”
“I don’t want an explanation. Thanks for everything, really, but I just want to quit. It’s a matter of ethics or something like that.”
“Kimberly.”
“Besides, your last check bounced.”
“Enough already,” said Colfax. “I don’t want to ’ear about who loves who, who’s leaving who, I’ve had enough of your bleeding duel. What I want is my money.”
“You heard Victor,” said Tommy. “There is no money, I’m afraid. None. I was heavily invested. Playing the margins. You know how that goes. Poof. No money.”
“Oh, there’s always money, isn’t there?” He pointed his gun at the justice. “ ’E’s got some, I know that. ’E took it from you, didn’t ’e? But ’e didn’t give it all away, no ’e did not. Probably put it in the bank for some rainy day. And right now it’s pouring. So you’re going to get it for me.”
“Not a penny,” said the justice.
“Don’t be a stupid sot.”
“Too late for that.”
“It won’t work, Colfax,” I said. “It’s over. The FBI’s already on the way.”
“You’re lying.”
“No, I’m not. Beth has already been rescued off that boat and the FBI is on the way, probably crawling all over the dock as we speak.”
“It’s good you don’t play poker for a living, Victor.”
“It’s not a bluff.”
“Look, I’m not kidding around ’ere.” He turned his gun away from the justice, toward Alura Straczynski. “You, the prune, you’re coming with me.”
He grabbed her by the arm, pulled her close.
“Let go of me,” she said. “ Jackson, stop him.”
He placed the gun against her cheek. “ ’E ain’t doing squat. I got the gun and I’m getting off this damn bucket. If Victor’s on the up, you’ll keep the coppers off and at the same time convince your loving ’usband to bring the money.”
“Leave her be,” said Straczynski.
“Sure I will,” he said, “soon as I get my money.”
There was a moment when Jackson glanced at Tommy and he glanced back, a moment when they were back to a pair of undergraduates, still young and full of possibilities, young men with swords in their hands.
Two quick lunges. SWAK, SWAK.
Colfax recoiled, lines of blood appeared on his face. “Are you insane?” he said as held Alura tighter to himself and pointed the gun at the two men.
SWAK, SWAK, and as quick as that the gun spun out of his hand, spun right to Kimberly, who gazed at it with curiosity for a moment and then picked it up as casually as if picking up a seashell at the shore.
“There you go, Kimberly,” said Colfax, reaching out his hand, his hostage still in front of him. “Be a nice little quail and hand over the gun.”
With a quick flick, she pointed the gun at him. It didn’t quiver in her hand. Colfax saw something in her face and stepped back.
“You might want to go now, Mr. D,” said Kimberly.
“Are they really coming?” said Tommy.
“For sure,” she said. “It’s my fault, I’m afraid. I wish now I had waited. They’re probably already at the door. But you know the ship, you probably know another way off. You can always jump.”
“Kimberly,” I said. “What are you doing?”
She glanced at me, and as she did Colfax tossed Alura aside and lunged for the gun. Tommy slashed him in the leg, sending him sprawling. Jackson Straczynski put the button of his sword on Colfax’s neck and pressed down.
“You better hurry,” said Kimberly, the gun now pointing at Colfax’s face.
“Kimberly?” I said.
“I know what I’m doing, V,” she said and I could see in the squint of her eyes, the set of her mouth, that she did know what she was doing, exactly what she was doing.
“I thought you’d come with me,” said Tommy.
“I can’t, Mr. D. I already quit, remember?”
“Kimberly, there’s something I need to tell you.” He glanced at Alura. “There’s something we need to tell you.”
“No there isn’t.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Yes, she does,” I said. “She understands everything.”
He turned to me. “I was blaming you for all that went wrong, but I guess I should be thanking you instead.”
“Don’t.”