“No,” Carlucci said. “We caught him. He would have killed again if we hadn’t, who knows how many more?”
“He still could if he escapes again.”
“That’s pretty unlikely,” Carlucci said. “They can’t afford that happening, so they’ll pretty much make it impossible. If it ever happened again, they know the shit would fly. All agreements would be void, and we’d blow them out of the fucking water over it.”
Tanner just shook his head. “You may be right, but it’s still shit.” He looked at Carlucci. “You know, this is one fucked-up world we live in.”
Carlucci gave him a short, hard laugh. “Big surprise, Tanner. Look, I won’t argue that. But there’s something you ought to keep in mind.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
“This is the only world we’ve got.”
Tanner did not reply. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both of them gazing out over the slough, the junkyard, the other ramshackle buildings and overgrown lots lining the water. The waitress came by for reorders, but Carlucci shook his head, saying, “I need to go soon.” Tanner ordered another mineral water. He wanted to stay awhile and think some more.
After the waitress came back with the mineral water, Carlucci got up from the table.
“I’m on vacation,” he said. “I’m going to spend it with my family. I don’t know, maybe we’ll take a trip somewhere. Where it doesn’t rain so damn much.”
He put out his hand, and Tanner gripped it with his own. “Thanks for talking to me,” Tanner said.
Carlucci nodded, then said, “Sure thing.” He released Tanner’s hand and stepped back.
“Enjoy the vacation,” Tanner said.
“I will. You might want to take one yourself.”
“I may do that.”
“I’ll see you, Tanner.”
“Yeah.”
Carlucci turned and walked inside, made his way through the tables, then headed down the stairs and out of sight.
O O O O
Tanner remained on the balcony a long time, thinking and watching the shadows lengthen across the surface of the water. People’s faces shifted around in his thoughts, making appearances, then shifting away to reappear again later: Sookie, Carla, Valerie and Connie. Carlucci. Albert Cromwell. Destroying Angel. Sookie and Carla were dead, but they were still there with him. Maybe Carla too much so. Was that what Hannah had tried to tell him? Maybe Hannah was right. Could it be that he still had not let her go? And what about Valerie? Was Hannah right about her, too? He had not known what else to do.
And there was Albert Cromwell, Destroying Angel. Back with the military, who knew what was happening with him. Gone, missing again. But Carlucci’s words came back to him: ‘This is the only world we’ve got.’ It seemed to Tanner now, sitting here thinking and gazing out over the slough, that Carlucci was absolutely right.
O O O O
It was late afternoon when Tanner finally left the Carousel Club. He had to walk three blocks before he could find a working telephone. He picked up the receiver, then put it back down and walked off. Two blocks farther on he stopped at another phone booth and again picked up the receiver. This time he ran his card through and punched up Valerie’s home number.
As he listened to the ringing, he thought about Connie and hoped she wouldn’t answer. He still wasn’t sure what to say to her; he still had not worked all that out. He wasn’t sure he even wanted Valerie to answer, so when the phone kept ringing, he felt relieved. Finally, he hung up.
He hesitated before trying the hospital, almost walked away from the phone, then finally punched up the number. When his call was answered, and he asked for Valerie, he was switched up to ICU, and the nurse who answered said Valerie was busy. Tanner left the phone booth number and hung up.
He was unsure about this, wondering if it was a mistake, wondering if it was worth trying. But it seemed like something he had to do. Something he needed.
The phone rang.
Tanner stared at it, again nearly turned and walked away. His heart was beating hard. The phone kept ringing. Then, something inside him released, and he let out a breath he had not realized he’d been holding in. He knew what he wanted to do. He knew. Tanner breathed in deeply once again, put out his hand, and picked up the phone.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank the Centrum Foundation and the Cannon Beach Arts Association for their support during the writing of this book.
I’d also like to thank the following people for their comments and suggestions on different parts of the novel: Frank Milan, Alison Pride, Kelly Jurgensen, and Ursula LeGuin.
My thanks, also, to Sally Wies, who read the nearly final draft and made several invaluable suggestions.
Finally, special thanks to John Buckley for his encouragement and advice, and for his friendship.
copyright
ACE BOOKS, NEW YORK
This book is an Ace original edition,
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DESTROYING ANGEL
An Ace Book / published by arrangement with
the author
PRINTING HISTORY
Ace edition / July 1992
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Copyright © 1992 by Richard Paul Russo.
Cover art by Peter Gudynas.
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