I'm a friend of Steve Mancini. We went to law school together. Steve is engaged to Gary's sister. He introduced me to Donna and Gary. I just happened to be on campus when Gary was arrested and I recognized him."
"Well, Gary here is damn lucky he has you as a friend." Gary hung his head. "I should throw the book at him, but I'm gonna let him go."
"That's awfully nice of you, Sergeant."
"Gary's folks are well respected. I don't know 'em that well, but I sure don't want to embarrass them."
Downes turned his attention to Gary. "And you shouldn't either. You hear me?"
"Yes, sit, Sergeant Downes, I'm real sorry." Gary's eyes watered. "I'll never, never do that again," he said, wagging his head back and forth for emphasis. "I promise I'll be good."
"Your promise doesn't mean anything to me, Gary.
It's what you do that counts. Think of what this would do to your folks if they found out."
Gary looked alarmed. "You won't tell em, will you?"
C, if I should, but I won't. How would your mother feel she learned you were creeping around the girls' dorm like some sex pervert?"
Gary started to cry.
"That baby stuff won't solve anything."
Gary wiped his forearm across his eyes and sniffled.
Downes turned to Peter.
"You better -have a talk with this boy. If this happens again, he'll be seeing the inside of a cell."
The front door of Gary's tiny cottage opened into a small living room. To the left was a narrow kitchen. A yellow, Formica-topped table was next to the stove and served as a dining area. A short hall led off the living room to the rear of the house. The bathroom was on the left side of the hall and the bedroom was across from it on the right. The beauty of the house was that it was small enough for Gary to take care of and it was within walking distance of the college.
Gary opened the front door and turned on the living room lights. The room was neat. He cleaned it every day, just like it said on the "To Do" list his mother had taped to the refrigerator door.
"You want a Coke?" Gary asked, the way his mother had taught him.
"Sure," Peter answered as he surveyed the room. On the walls were a seascape and a farm scene Donna had picked out. There was a sofa against the wall that faced the front window, two armchairs, an end table by the sofa, a standing lamp and a television.
Peter heard the refrigerator door open. He wandered down the hall to Gary's bedroom. Pictures of Stallion players and Stallion banners and posters covered the walls. Gary smiled when he saw Peter looking at pictures of the football team.
"We're going all the way this year," Gary said as he handed Peter the soft drink.
Peter sat on the bed. This room was also neat. Peter found the "To Do" list taped to the closet door.
"Your mom write that up?" Peter asked, pointing to the list.
"Yeah. Mama didn't want me to forget nothing important."
Gary suddenly thought of something.
"Are you gonna tell my mom what I done?"
Gary seemed pretty contrite. It looked as though Downes had done a good job of scaring the hell out of him. Sometimes, with a kid, that's all you needed to set him straight, and Gary acted more like a little kid than an adult.
"I should tell your folks, but I'm not going to."
"Thank you."
Peter took a sip of his drink. Gary did the same.
"You sure fucked up tonight. What were you doing looking in that girl's window?"
Gary hung his head and mumbled, "I don't know."
"How would you feel if you found some guy peeping in your sister's window?"
Gary did not answer.
"You wouldn't want that, would you?"
"No."
"You have to think about things like that."
"I will, honest. I ain't never gonna do that bad thing again."
"You better not."
They sat in silence for a moment while Peter drank his Coke.
"Do you date?"
Gary shook his head sadly. "I can't get no girls to like me that way."
"Hey, don't run yourself down. You're a good-looking guy."
"I'm dumb. When the girls find out they don't want to be with me."
Now it was Peter's turn to be embarrassed. He felt sorry for Gary.
"Any girl that doesn't want to be with you because you're not smart isn't worth being with. And you shouldn't be ashamed of your intelligence. Being smart is just luck. And being smart doesn't mean you're nice.
"Now, stop feeling sorry for yourself. You'll find the right girl some day.
Meanwhile, you can't go around doing what you did tonight. Do you understand that? If Sergeant Downes wasn't such an okay guy, you'd be in jail and your picture would be all over the front page of the newspaper. The next time you get the urge to do something bad, think of how your folks and your sister would feel if everyone in Whitaker found out about it."
Peter stood up and put his empty can on Gary's dresser.
"I'm going now. We both have work in the morning and we need our sleep. Do I have your word that this won't happen again?"
"Never. I swear."
After Peter drove away, Gary carried the soda cans into the kitchen and put them in the garbage. He checked the "To Do" list and was pleased to see he had done everything he was supposed to. Then, he locked the doors and turned out all the lights.
Gary changed into his pajamas, said his prayers and went to bed. He thought he would fall asleep right away because he was exhausted from the night's excitement, but as soon as he closed his eyes he saw the blond girl from the dorm in her bra and panties.
Gary opened his eyes quickly. He didn't want to see that girl. That was bad. But sure enough, when he closed his eyes again, there she was. To make matters worse, his penis was getting hard. Gary opened his eyes again.
He was scared. He didn't want to think about dirty things, but he did want to go to sleep. How could he sleep if he saw that girl every time he closed his eyes?
The magazines. No, he did not want to do that tonight. What would happen if Mom came into his room and found him with those magazines? But he did want to sleep. What should he do?
Gary tossed and turned. He felt sick. Finally, he got out of bed and opened the closet. The magazines were way in the back on a top shelf stuck under some sports magazines where Mom would never find them. He took out his favorite and opened it to the centerfold. That girl was blond, too. just like the girl at the dorm. Gary made believe that she was really in his room. He closed his eyes and took the magazine into bed with him. He imagined he was married to the girl in the magazine. When he touched her, she was as soft as a bunny and, best of all, she liked him to touch her and, when he did, she didn't laugh at him.
PART THREE THE SUPERNATURAL MIND
Chapter SEVEN.
Gary Harmon always felt important when he went to the Stallion because Steve Mancini was one of the owners. When he walked in the door, Steve's trophy case was the first thing he saw. The bartenders, the waiters and the waitresses knew Steve was his friend and they treated him well. If Steve came in when Gary was there, he would buy Gary a beer, even though his parents said he wasn't supposed to drink alcohol. Steve would wink and say it was their secret.
The table where Gary was sitting was on a raised area that overlooked the bar. Below Gary, couples danced frantically to the music of a raucous band. Tonight, Gary felt even more special than usual about being in the Stallion because Steve and Donna were getting married tomorrow and he was the best man. Arnie Block, one of the bartenders, had given him a free drink and so had several other people. In fact, Gary was drunk when he spotted Kevin Booth frantically scanning the faces at the crowded tables for Christopher Mammon, who had ordered Kevin to meet him at the Stallion at ten-thirty.