My voice cracked on me and Wheely gave me a couple more sips. I cleared my throat and tried again.
'He was hiding in the bushes,' I continued, my voice now a hoarse whisper. 'He must've been lying in wait for Junior. I could tell from the way he smelled that he'd been drinking, but I guess he was sober enough to blow Jamie's head off and cut Duane in half. He tried shooting me a few days ago through my parents' bedroom window.'
'Who shot Ferguson?'
'Duane did.'
'And you worked Junior over?'
I nodded. 'How badly did I hurt him?'
'Not bad enough. He checked into Bradley Memorial, but he'll probably be released by morning. I'll tell you, Joe, that's a nasty cut you got on your cheek.'
'I'll live.'
'Maybe. We'll see.'
He was laughing to himself over that. As he turned to leave, I asked whether he could at least cuff my hands in front of me.
'Sorry, Joe, I can't do that.'
'How about giving me some more water?'
'Not now. We'll see in the morning. Joe, some advice. We're fifty miles away from anyone. Don't bother yelling for help.'
Both of them got a chuckle over that and then they left.
I had a long night after that. The physical pain was bad enough, but then I start thinking about everything I had done to end up where I was and it made me sick inside. I kept playing it over and over in my mind and feeling sicker as I did. Then I started thinking of my daughters. I kept seeing them the way they were in those pictures, and I kept hearing Courtney's voice as it sounded over the phone the other day. I was overcome with such a sense of loss that I started crying. I didn't want to – Jesus, the last thing I wanted was for Dan or any of his boys to walk in on me like that – but I couldn't help myself. It seemed a long time before I was able to stop. Then I started praying. Praying that I could somehow have another chance with my girls. I kept it up until daylight. At some point I went numb, unable to think or feel anything.
It must've been daylight for hours before Dan came back. He was alone and was carrying a small paper bag. He showed me a little smile as he stared at me.
'You haven't been crying, now, have you, Joe?'
'Why don't you just get it over with.'
'Get what over with?' He was smiling his pleasant smile. 'I've got good news. Manny died this morning of respiratory failure. You're going to be walking out of here alive.'
I almost burst out crying then. I had to bite my lip to hold it back.
'Don't you have anything to say, Joe?’
‘Get these cuffs off me,' I said.
'I can't do that. It's not over yet. But I'll cuff you in front. Just don't try anything stupid.'
He placed the paper bag next to me, and then got on his knees so he could uncuff me. I couldn't have tried anything even if I wanted to, my arms were too stiff. It took some effort but I moved my hands in front of me so he could cuff me.
'Goddam it, you smell ripe, Joe. There's a sandwich in that bag. Also a bottle of water. It's all you're going to get today so you might want to save some for later.'
'Awfully considerate of you.'
He chuckled and gave me a thoughtful look. 'Not really. After everything I've been through, I don't want you dying on me now.'
'Why isn't it over yet?’
‘Be patient.'
I reached into the bag and got out the water. I fumbled a bit before I was able to get the top off. After taking a long drink, I put the water down. Dan watched with amusement sparkling in his eyes.
'Anyone looking for me over what happened at Junior's?'
He shook his head. 'Junior didn't mention you.'
'How about Earl? Did he file a complaint against me?'
He shook his head again. 'No. I wouldn't worry about that either. From what I understand he'd be sending himself to prison if he did.'
I picked up the water again and drank almost half of it. When I put the bottle down, I forced myself to meet Dan's eyes. 'You forced Charlotte to kill Manny,' I said. He just smiled at me.
'Damn it, why isn't it over?’
‘Bye, Joe.' He left then.
The day dragged on. My mind kept racing over what must've happened. Dan must've approached Charlotte, showed her the picture he took, and gave her a choice – have me die and her exposed, or get rid of Manny. It must've been something like that. But why wasn't it over? I racked my brains trying to think of why, but I couldn't come up with anything.
It had been dark for hours when I heard a car drive up. It seemed to take forever for the footsteps to approach the door and for Dan to walk in. He was carrying some clothes and he gave me a grim look as he nodded towards me.
'It's over now, Joe.'
I didn't say anything. I just sat still as he took the cuffs off me. I sat for a while trying to rub the aching out of my joints.
'Why don't you put those clothes on, Joe,' he said.
'I need some help standing up.' He gave me his hand. It took some effort but I got to my feet. I had to move like an old cripple as I got out of my shirt and pants and put on the clothes Dan had brought me.
'How is it over now?' I asked.
'You're going to hear about it anyway,' Dan said, shrugging. 'Somehow Junior figured out that your nurse friend was responsible for Manny's death. Early this afternoon he abducted her. My office got a tip on it. I got a search warrant and me and my boys raided his playroom. He was there with a couple of his boys. We ended up shooting it out. It was really something, Joe. Bottom line, Junior's dead.'
'What about Charlotte?'
He shrugged uneasily. 'She was half chopped up when we got there. There was no way of saving her.’
‘You killed her.'
'Be careful, Joe. This is over now.'
'You tipped Junior off to her,' I said, my words sounding distant and hollow. 'You followed her and watched Junior take her. You waited until you knew she'd be dead before you raided that room.'
'Look, it's over, okay? And don't start playing all high and mighty with me!' A hot anger flushed his face. He clenched his fist and took a step towards me. With his other hand he grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me forward so my face was inches from his. 'You could have done what you kept promising, but shit, no, you left it up to me.'
He let go of me and took a step away. The anger had drained from him, leaving his face sickly pale. 'What was I going to do? That woman was a loon. You could see it in her eyes. I wasn't going to let her hang around and hope she'd keep her mouth shut. And I needed Junior dead. But Christ, Joe, you've got no one to blame but yourself for any of this.'
'You killed her.'
'Shut up, Joe. It's over now. Just shut up. Anyway, what's the big deal? You told me she murdered four people. It was only justice catching up to her.'
It wasn't justice. Not to die like that. I tried to think what it must've been like for Charlotte, but I was too numb to think. Too numb to really feel anything.
'I talked to Simpson this afternoon,' Dan said. 'Your relocation to Albany is all set. Call him next week and he'll give you a name and number of a parole officer there to contact. I had your car towed to Bradley. I'll drive you over and that will be it. You'll get in your car, drive to Albany, be with your daughters, and I'll never see or hear from you again, right?'
I nodded. I followed him to his car. During the ride back he tried some small talk, but after a while it was like listening to the wind.
Chapter 22
After Dan dropped me off at my car, I got out the bottle of aspirin that I kept in my glove compartment and chewed on a handful of them. I then found a twenty-four-hour convenience store, bought some food, a six-pack of beer, bandages, and antiseptic ointment. I headed off to Eastfield after that and stopped off at the first motel I came across. The desk clerk didn't look like he wanted to give me a room. I couldn't blame him, but I paid him cash and he handed me a key.