People Live Here

by George F. Walker

MARCIE: He’s calling again.

  JO: That’s mine.

  AMIE: Don’t …

  JO: Be quiet … (answering the phone) Hi, Ruben. You look pretty good for a dead guy … at least from this far away. What’s that all about anyway? … You’re dead, you’re not dead. I mean, come on. Make up your mind.

  AMIE: (still looking out) Doesn’t look like he’s laughing.

  JO: (covering the speaker) No. He must think it’s pretty serious stuff. (on the phone) Does your wife know? … That you’re alive, what else … (covering the speaker) It’s “none of my fucking business.”

  AMIE: Maybe he’s right. Maybe you should just wish him well and end the conversation. I’m hungry. (heading into the kitchen) Anyone else want a sandwich or something?

  MARCIE: (to JO) Ask him if he needs the money because he’s starting a new life. (off JO’s look) Just a thought.

  JO: (on the phone) Does anyone else know you’re actually alive, Ruben? … Okay. (to MARCIE) He’s not here to talk about that. He’s here to get that cheque back “one way or another.”

  MARCIE: Ask him whose body it was they found.

  JO: I don’t want to know that.

  MARCIE: Why not?

  JO: Well, suppose it was a friend of mine.

  MARCIE: You had friends in that club?

  JO: Yeah. The bouncers. Some of my customers.

  MARCIE: Okay, and you don’t want to know if they killed one of those people to cover up … what they’re doing?

  JO: Which is allowing him to start a whole new life?

  MARCIE: Well, it makes sense if you think about it. The cheque is made out to cash, so he wouldn’t need to show … identification.

  JO: What are you talking about?

  MARCIE: Hey, get with the plot here. It’s the only explanation.

  JO: Ham and cheese okay?

  MARCIE: And tell him there’s no way we’re returning that cheque. And that we – (grabbing JO’s phone) We have a lot less to lose by calling the cops, you know. So knock it off with the threats … Now calm down and get it together. I’ve got a suggestion.

  AMIE: Mustard?

  MARCIE: A deal … We make a deal … (to JO) No deals. Just the cheque.

  JO: Ask him if that was actually Rick on the phone before pretending to be Dean Olsen.

  MARCIE: He heard that. And that’s also “none of our fucking business.”

  AMIE: (from the kitchen) Dean Olsen. Yeah. I just remembered who he is. He’s that –

  JO: Right. He’s that guy who was putting pressure on the Rileys to sell him the club. (on the phone) Is Dean Olsen dead, Ruben?

  AMIE: What? Don’t go there?

  JO: Is his body the one you put in there after you set that fire?

  AMIE: Whoa. Whoa! Don’t ask him that? Take that back. Tell him we don’t give a shit about that.

  MARCIE: I do. We need to keep pushing … get them back on their heels.

  AMIE: No, that’ll just make them more dangerous. I think we should just hand over the cheque. We’re in over our heads here.

  MARCIE: No, we were in over our heads. Now I think we might be able to make it to the surface. (to JO) It’s time to end the call. We need a strategy. (to AMIE) Yeah, I’d like that.

  AMIE: What?

  MARCIE: Mustard. (off her look) Okay? Can you do that now? Make those sandwiches?

  AMIE: Sure.

  AMIE heads into the kitchen.

  MARCIE: I think better on a full stomach. You know that. Now hang up.

  JO: (on the phone) Gotta go.

  She disconnects. MARCIE heads over to the couch.

  MARCIE: Okay, so how to proceed …

  JO’s phone goes off.

  MARCIE: Don’t answer it.

  JO: Okay.

  A phone goes off in the kitchen. AMIE comes in with her phone in her hand.

  AMIE: They’re calling me now. Why are they calling me? How do they even know I’m here?

  JO: You told Rick.

  AMIE: Yeah, but … Okay, but … that doesn’t mean I’m involved. I could just be visiting. They think I’m in this with you.

  JO: You are.

  AMIE: Am I? Really? I mean, I was up for it in some way but –

  MARCIE: You wanted the money.

  AMIE: Yes. I did. But now …

  Her phone stops ringing.

  MARCIE: Stay strong, Amie. Keep thinking about a better future. We just need to –

  AMIE: Stay alive. We need to stay alive. That’s the number one thing on my list.

  MARCIE: Yeah, but not just that. We need better than just staying alive. Trust me.

  JO’s phone goes off.

  AMIE: Answer it.

  JO: Now you want me to talk to them?

  AMIE: Just to ask if I can leave.

  MARCIE: Bad move. They’ll just grab you.

  AMIE: I can go out the back.

  JO is looking out the window again.

  JO: It’s just Ruben now?

  AMIE: Where’d Rick go?

  MARCIE: Guess.

  AMIE: Maybe he just went away.

  JO: Or maybe he went to cover the back.

  JO’s phone stops ringing.

  AMIE: Yeah. Maybe. But that’s okay. I mean, he likes me, so he’ll probably just let me leave. (off their looks) Okay, let’s call the cops.

  MARCIE: We’re not there yet.

  MARCIE’s phone goes off.

  MARCIE: My turn. (to JO) How did they get my number anyway?

  JO: Not sure. You were my contact at work. You know, for emergencies.

  MARCIE: Like what? If you fell off the stage?

  JO: Yeah or –

  AMIE: A girl was attacked last year.

  MARCIE: In the club?

  JO: No …

  AMIE: When she was leaving. It was some guy she got turfed out when he started to get a little too personal.

  MARCIE: Was it bad?

  JO: Not really.

  AMIE: He almost killed her, Jo.

  JO: (off MARCIE) Did she need to know that?

  AMIE: Sorry.

  MARCIE: Almost killed her. Right. But we should just keep on with our lives, though. I should stay in crippling debt. You should keep working in jobs that put you in danger from your “customers.” We should just give up, turn that $300,000 over to those guys out there, and let them be on their way. Hmm. On their way …

  JO: What?

  MARCIE answers her phone.

  MARCIE: (on the phone) Okay, first off, one more threat from you, we call the police, and there goes your escape money … Well, what else could it be? Did you fake your death just for fun? … (to JO) That got him. (on the phone) I’m suggesting a deal … A four-way split.

  AMIE: What?

  MARCIE: (to AMIE) I thought you wanted out.

  AMIE: Only if it was going to get violent.

  MARCIE: (on the phone) Make that a five-way split.

  AMIE: Thanks …

  MARCIE: (to AMIE) Yeah. How about those sandwiches?

  AMIE nods and goes into the kitchen.

  MARCIE: (on the phone) … Well, you’ll just have to make do. Find somewhere closer to hide out … We’ll have to pull back on our plans too … You’re okay with that? Really? (to JO) That’s a surprise. (on the phone) Who are you running from, anyway? … What’s that mean?

  JO: Who is it?

  MARCIE: (to JO) Himself.

  JO: What the fuck does that mean?

  MARCIE: Good question. (on the phone) You’re gonna have to get back to me.

  She disconnects.

  JO: What is it?

  MARCIE: No. Who is it? Who is that guy down there?

  JO: Really?

  MARCIE: No. Practically.

  AMIE comes in with a tray of sandwiches and pickles.

  AMIE: (putting the tray down) Here you go.

  JO: Thanks …

  MARCIE: (to AMIE) Nice presentation.

  JO: Mum?

  MARCIE: Yeah. Just let me get some of this into my stomach. />
  MARCIE takes a bite. Chews. Swallows.

  MARCIE: Everyone thinks Ruben is dead, right? But actually it’s Dean Olsen who’s dead. So if Ruben plans to live as Dean, he needs … he needs …

  AMIE: What? He needs what?

  MARCIE: He needs his … signature. He doesn’t want to cash the cheque. Well, he probably would, but mostly he needs the cheque to get Dean’s signature …

  JO: So he can get used to forging it.

  MARCIE: And then get access to everything else Dean has.

  JO: Which is probably a lot. Or it wouldn’t be worth it.

  MARCIE: Makes sense.

  JO: So … what does that mean to us if it’s true?

  MARCIE: Sheila loved dill pickles. She had cravings for them all the time. (to JO) Remember?

  JO: Yeah …

  MARCIE: I miss her so much.

  JO: Yeah. I know.

  AMIE: I didn’t know her that well, but she was always kind to me.

  MARCIE: She felt sorry for you.

  AMIE: Why?

  MARCIE: For the same reason I do. You were weaned too early.

  AMIE: (to JO) What’s she talking about?

  JO: You weren’t breastfed long enough?

  MARCIE: Not just that. She wasn’t given enough … guidance. Not that it always matters. (to AMIE) Jo was given lots of guidance and look at her. (to JO) All that trouble you had with drugs. And you were warned about that a lot. Even your father had enough on the ball to talk to you about it.

  JO: (to AMIE) When I was ten. Just before he fucked off for good. That was his parting advice to me: “Try to stay clean for as long as possible, okay?”

  MARCIE: (to AMIE) Maybe it’s just that you seem so … sad. More than sad. Unconnected … Anyway, she felt sorry for you and she would have like to hear that you had something in mind for yourself. (off her look) You know, your little bakeshop. (to JO) So maybe if we just give him a peek at the cheque so he can take a picture of the signature … But …

  JO: But what?

  MARCIE: That still doesn’t explain why Ruben had to appear to die or why Dean Olsen gave him that cheque …

  MARCIE starts to search for something in the kitchen drawers.

  JO: What is it, Mum?

  MARCIE: He has associates.

  JO: Who does?

  MARCIE: There was a list of them on the flyer. Made the whole thing look more legitimate.

  MARCIE finds the flyer.

  MARCIE: Which one of you thought Rocco was a friend of Ruben’s?

  AMIE: Me. But I was just –

  MARCIE gives the flyer to JO.

  MARCIE: He was a friend of Dean Olsen’s. Well actually, Dean was one of Rocco’s associates.

  JO: So the cheque to Ruben was …?

  MARCIE: A loan. A loan he couldn’t repay. And Rocco was about to – Give that to me.

  MARCIE looks at the flyer. Punches in a number she sees on it into her phone.

  JO: Be careful, Mum.

  MARCIE: No time for that now, honey. We’re too close. (on the phone) Yeah. Can I talk to Rocco? … No, that’s okay. Just tell him that Ruben Joseph is standing across the street from 96 Willowbank … No, he’s not dead. That was Dean’s body in the club. Tell Rocco he’s getting fucked … Yeah. Willowbank. Ninety-six. (disconnecting) Okay then …

  AMIE: What now?

  MARCIE: Now we wait.

  MARCIE’s phone goes off. She answers it.

  MARCIE: (on the phone) Hold your horses, Ruben. We’re still thinking about how to give you what you need … We both know what it is.

  MARCIE disconnects.

  MARCIE: If this all works out … Have you been thinking about how to get Suzy away from Jimmy?

  JO: Yeah.

  MARCIE: I figured.

  AMIE: You told me he never leaves you alone with her.

  JO: He doesn’t. But I know how to distract him long enough for one of you to take her.

  MARCIE: Just don’t do anything you’ll have to go to a doctor for later.

  MARCIE picks up a canvas bag from the floor beside the couch, and takes out her knitting.

  JO: What are you doing?

  MARCIE: I’ve been trying to finish these socks for Suzy for quite a while now.

  JO: And now is as good a time as any, eh? (to AMIE) Are you seeing this?

  AMIE: (chewing on a pickle) Everyone has their own way of dealing with stress. I eat. A lot.

  MARCIE: Well, youse never know it.

  AMIE: You burn a lot of calories working that pole.

  MARCIE: Which reminds me … (to JO) Have you had any thoughts yet about a new profession?

  JO: No.

  MARCIE: Why not?

  JO: It might be because I’ve been kinda worried about someone bursting through our door and blowing all our heads off.

  MARCIE: That was never going to happen.

  JO: You’re sure of that, are you?

  MARCIE: Well, I’ve never felt threatened like that.

  AMIE: I have.

  MARCIE: Well, maybe I’m just used to people trying to get things from me. (off JO) Her father wanted to be waited on hand and foot. In all my retail jobs, I was expected to take immense amounts of shit from the customers. And now I’ve got these credit card companies asking me to pay 30 percent on my overdue account. So these guys are just –

  JO: Different. These guys are different. I thought you would have figured that out by now.

  AMIE: Yeah, me too.

  MARCIE: Well, I’ve never worked in an “exotic” club, so I’ve never experienced the charms of men like this before. (holding up a knitted sock) Do you think she’ll like them?

  JO: Yeah …

  AMIE: They’re pretty. (to MARCIE) Do you think you can teach me how to knit sometime?

  JO: Of course she can. She’ll just start hanging in your bakery and when you have a few extra minutes –

  Suddenly from outside: the sound of a car screeching to a halt and male voices yelling. JO goes to the window.

  MARCIE: What’s happening, honey?

  JO: Some guys are grabbing Ruben … and throwing him into their car and …

  The sound of a car speeding away.

  JO: … taking the fuck off. Oh. And here comes Rick from around the back of the building. He looks at the car speeding away. Pauses to let what’s happened sink into his stupid head … and … runs like hell in the opposite direction.

  MARCIE: Like I said, very efficient.

  JO: Who?

  MARCIE: Haven’t you been paying attention? Rocco.

  JO: Jesus …

  AMIE: Poor Rick. He was in way over his head with this stuff.

  JO: This stuff being …?

  AMIE: Well, obviously, him and Ruben killed Dean Olsen, then burned the club down around him.

  MARCIE: Good girl. And they killed the owners too. Those brothers.

  JO: Wow, okay … I was screwing a fucking murderer. I think I need a moment to – The Rileys? Why them too?

  MARCIE: Well, it would look suspicious if they found just one body. And it wasn’t one of the owners. I mean –

  AMIE: Why would Dean be there alone? Right.

  MARCIE: Well, yeah …

  JO: (in a bit of a daze) Yeah … couldn’t be alone … Had to kill all three. Kill all … Jesus … (to AMIE) So when Rick was inside you it probably didn’t feel any different than some other guy, right? Same as me with Ruben. Just another dick. Except now I’m wondering … because it was actually a killer’s dick, was there actually something I should have …

  MARCIE’s phone goes off.

  MARCIE: (on the phone) Hey there … Yeah, it was pretty smooth … So where does that leave us? … Are you serious? … Well, that’s very generous …

  JO: Rocco?

  MARCIE nods.

  MARCIE: (on the phone) And you’re really okay with that? … Wow. That’s great … Yeah these last few years have been pretty rough, alright … No worries. We’re on our way out of this place. You’ll never hear
from us again, promise … Yeah, to you too.

  MARCIE disconnects, goes into the kitchen.

  AMIE: What’s she doing?

  JO: Beats me.

  MARCIE brings out three cans of beer.

  MARCIE: (handing one to each of them) I’ve been saving these for a special occasion … (to JO) Right?

  JO: Yeah …

  AMIE: Beer? Beer for a special occasion?

  MARCIE: They’re imported. Crack ’em open, girls. We’ve been given a green light.

  JO: To do what?

  MARCIE: Anything we want. Anything we can do with $300,000. Rocco has set us free, bless him. The only man who has ever treated me with any degree of understanding is a hardcore criminal. Yes, he had me beaten a little, but when the story got told he –

  JO: Mum.

  MARCIE: We can cash the cheque. The money is actually his because Dean Olsen was working for him when he gave Ruben that loan. But he doesn’t need it back.

  JO: Because?

  MARCIE: Rocco had taken out huge life insurance policies on all his “associates,” probably because the nature of their work carried with it a certain amount of risk. Dean’s was worth five million, so –

  JO: Jesus …

  MARCIE: Yes. So now, because of me, they can prove he’s dead. At least, once they convince Ruben to –

  AMIE: Confess …

  MARCIE: Right. And because Rocco knows how desperate I must have been to go to him in the first place –

  JO: He’s opened up his gangster’s heart to you and given you all that money.

  MARCIE: As long as we keep it to ourselves. I mean, he has a rep to think about. (to JO) I told you it was meant to be.

  JO: You told me it was from God. Not a vicious loan shark.

  MARCIE: Well, I’m no expert on God, but apparently He works in myst–

  JO: Please.

  MARCIE: Okay, think what you want. But in the meantime, drink up. Then we’ve got some serious planning to do. (downing her whole can) This time I’m going to make it all the way.

  AMIE: To the bank.

  MARCIE: Right. I won’t be long.

  MARCIE leaves.

  AMIE: I’m a little numb.

  JO: Yeah. She does her best work when she gets other people a little numb.