by Jason Pinter
“Hey, you, Mr. Ticket-Taker person. My girlfriend’s sick and she’s gonna puke all over your crappy blue leather seats if you don’t do something right quick.”
“Henry,” Amanda breathed. “What are you…”
“Start retching,” I said from the corner of my mouth. No sooner had I said it than a low guttural moan came from her lips, followed by a thick hacking cough. I felt warm spittle hit my cheek. The girl was good.
The conductor apologized to the passengers as he wedged his way down the aisle. Amanda-who I was now convinced should have studied at Juilliard-threw her arm over my shoulder and feigned collapsing. I held her up, with visible difficulty.
“What’s going on?” the conductor asked, his face a mixture of disgust and concern. Disgust, I imagined, with our appearance. Concern, because Amanda genuinely looked like she was ready to vomit all over the old lady in the next seat.
“Girlfriend’s gonna puke, stupid. You want it to get all over your nice train?”
“Goddamn it,” he said, wiping his brow with a fleshy hand. “Can’t you just take her to the restroom?”
“Toilet’s clogged. There’s shit all over the seat.”
“There’s another bathroom two cars down.”
On cue, Amanda covered her mouth and burped.
“Don’t think she’s gonna make it, my man.”
The conductor took off his cap, ran a hand through his thinning hair. A woman seated a few rows down yelled, “Hey, let’s get a move on.”
“What do you suggest I do?” the conductor asked, his patience wearing thin.
I replied, “Just give us a minute for some fresh air, to let her clear out the mucous and phlegm and bile, you know. We’ll be back in no time, I promise. And Mrs. Crabapple here won’t have to worry about her getting her hair mussed.”
“I’m not supposed to let passengers off unless we’re stopped at a station.” Again, like the world’s finest clairvoyant, Amanda leaned over and let a thin string of saliva drip from her mouth to the floor. The conductor watched in horror.
“That’s just revolting,” said the old woman in the next row. “Please get this creature away from my seat.” The conductor cursed under his breath.
“Come on.”
He gestured for us to follow him. Amanda limped like she’d been shot in both kneecaps. He led us to the entryway. The conductor, perhaps having one final doubt, looked back at us. Fortunately Amanda’s trail of saliva was now several feet long. That was all the convincing he needed.
He grabbed a small black handle and pulled it down. There was a loud fizz, like a freshly popped soda can, and the doors retracted.
Amanda sighed. “Air, sweet air.”
“You have five minutes,” the conductor said. “After that I’m not making any promises.”
“Gotcha, chief. Let’s go, honey. I knew you shouldn’t have eaten all that bacon before going to the rave.”
We stumbled down the steps, and I led Amanda to a patch of dry grass twenty yards from the train. As she leaned over, I caught the conductor going back inside. I waited until he was out of sight, and said, “Now.”
We bolted toward the cover of the tree line and the expansive stretch of gray highway behind it. A bolt of pain shot down my leg with each step, but there was no time to look back, no time to make sure we hadn’t been seen.
Then we were in the trees, ripping past branches, hiding behind a pair of large oaks. A soft wind poured down on us as we caught our breath. I peeked out from behind the tree, saw the blue brim of a conductor’s hat scanning the area. Then the conductor retreated inside and the door closed behind him.
As we began walking toward the highway, I heard the screeching of metal behind us, then an air-shattering horn. When I turned back, the train was pulling away.
I looked at Amanda, sweat dotting her forehead.
“You did real good, kid.” I brushed a strand of brown hair from her face, feeling her soft skin beneath my finger. She smiled, and I knew she felt it, too. “You did real good.”
“Thanks.” She was flushed a deep red from the exertion and, maybe, because she was blushing. “So how far are we from the city?”
“My guess? Nine or ten hours by foot, three or less by car.” Amanda furrowed her brow.
“I’ve never hitchhiked before.”
“Well, I’d never been shot before, but I guess there are some things you don’t have much say in.”
She took my hand as we approached the highway, the sun beating down on us, relentless. New York lay somewhere beyond the horizon. We were so close to the lion’s den, and somewhere within lay the truth. Somehow, I had to pry it loose before the jaws collapsed on me. Heading toward the highway, I wondered if I was walking toward absolution, or some terrible destiny.
30
The cell phone woke Mauser up. He’d been dreaming. Barbecues and beer. Base ball and bratwurst. Summers with John and Linda, their beautiful kids. Joel just learning to throw a football. Nancy playing in a new sundress.
And then the dream shattered just as quickly as their lives had been.
Denton was speeding down the highway. Lambert International was close. The plane was on standby, waiting for instructions on where to fly the two agents. The sky was growing dark, just a hint of red as the sun dipped below the horizon.
He clicked the answer button.
“This is Mauser.”
“Agent Mauser, Bill Lundquist over at the Chicago Transit Authority.”
“Mr. Lundquist.”
“Agent Mauser, I’ve been alerted by Amtrak security that on a commuter train that left Union Station this morning, a conductor reported a couple leaving the train during one of the security checks you advised.”
“What do you mean they left the train?”
“Well, sir, he said the couple didn’t fit the description given, he said they looked like they were coming from a rock concert or something, that they didn’t look threatening. The train stopped right outside of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.”
“Go on.” He could feel his blood steaming.
“The girl feigned illness, and they persuaded the conductor to let them off the train for air. When he went to check on them, they were gone. He assumed they came back inside while he wasn’t looking.”
“Jesus Christ, that was Parker and Amanda Davies.”
“Yes, sir, we’re pretty sure it was. I’m so sorry for this.”
“Stop with that. It’s over. But fire that fucking conductor.”
“He’s already been removed from duty.”
“Good. And Mr. Lundquist, what was that train’s final destination point?”
“Penn Station, sir. New York City. Also, they found the couple’s ticket stubs at their abandoned seats. They were paid in the full amount.”
“God damn it, ” Mauser spat. He closed the phone, dialed the supervisor at the Manhattan Transit Authority’s security division. “I want officers choking Penn Station to death, as well as all bus terminals. They’re headed right for you, be on guard, we’ll be there in a few hours.”
“We can make it,” Denton said. “We’ll be at Lambert in less than ten minutes, I’ve already cleared a hangar at LaGuardia’s Marine Terminal.”
“If we’re not there in under ten minutes, I’m opening this door and kicking you onto the highway.” Denton nodded.
“Fair deal.”
NewYork. Why would Parker go back to NewYork? There was barely a soul in the city who wouldn’t recognize him, and they were all out for blood. Hundreds of cops with itchy trigger fingers. He needed them to wait. Joe needed to find Henry first.
And then his phone rang again.
“Jesus Christ, what?”
“Joe? It’s me.”
Mauser went cold. His eyes closed.
“Linda.” Silence while he gathered up the strength to speak. “I’m sorry, it’s just…things are stressful right now. How’re you holding up?”
“Fuck the pleasantries, Joe. Have you found him
yet?” Mauser sank into his seat, felt that dull ache again.
“Lin, I really can’t talk right now. I’ll call you when we know more.” The lump in his throat rose and he blinked back hot tears.
“Just tell me, Joe. Have you found the man who killed John? Who killed your brother-in-law? The father of my fucking children?”
Mauser could barely choke out a whisper.
“No.”
“I didn’t hear you, Joe.”
“No. We haven’t caught him yet. But I swear to you we’re close.”
The line went dead. Linda had hung up. Joe’s fingers shook as he snapped the phone shut. He took a breath and regained his balance.
31
The Ringer’s shoulder throbbed as if rubber pellets were being bounced at 100 miles an hour. His only anesthetic had been damaged beyond recognition. He was just about to enter Ken’s Coffee Den on Interstate 55 when his cell phone rang.
“Yes?”
“This is Blanket. From Mr. DiForio’s.”
“I know who you are.”
“Right. Anyway, Mr. DiForio just received word from our contact at the Manhattan Transit Authority. Apparently they’re very interested in a certain train that left from Union Station in Chicago yesterday, heading to Penn Station.”
Chicago. Not far from here…
Blanket continued. “Mr. DiForio would like to remind you how important it is that we find whatever carry-on luggage these commuters had on them. He wants to remind you not to get overzealous in finding these commuters, and that you’re not to damage whatever carry-on luggage you find.”
The Ringer remained silent. He clenched the phone until he felt the plastic bend beneath his fingers.
Anne. I’m so close. I can see your face, your beautiful face. And I see his face crushed in my hands as he begs for his life. I want you to see it, too, baby. I want you to see what I will do for you. I’ll be with you soon. But I have one more mission to accomplish.
“Do you understand what Mr. DiForio wishes of you?”
Shelton Barnes hung up. He was no longer the Ringer. The facade had been lifted. The man underneath the mask revealed. Once again, he was nobody’s servant but Anne’s, and Shelton Barnes was the name she’d always known him by. The name he’d discarded years ago when his life exploded in a fiery ball. The name he was finally ready to reclaim.
Barnes took Anne’s photo from the flap in his breast pocket. A gasp escaped his lips. The pain would never die. Her delicate features obliterated. Now, the only true memory of her was in his mind.
A tear streaked down Barnes’s face as he gently placed the photo back in his pocket. The sky was darkening, a harsh wind blowing through the air, chilling him to the bone. A dark storm of vengeance was coming for Henry Parker, and the chase was drawing to an end.
Anne. I miss you so much. Soon the day will come when I can join you. I wait for that day with open arms, open lips. To feel your kiss, your touch. We’ll be together soon.
But not yet.
Not yet.
Barnes started his car and pulled onto the Interstate, following the signs toward I-90 East. Toward New York. Toward Henry Parker. Toward the man he had to kill.
32
I woke up as we were passing through a tolbooth, following a sign to the Harlem River Drive. I blinked the sleep from my eyes.
“Jesus, talk about the worst company in the world.” The driver shot me a glare, then returned his eyes to the road. “I mean you didn’t both have to fall asleep, did you?”
Mitchell Lemansky. He’d picked us up on the side of the road. Amanda spent half an hour showing off some leg on the highway, despite my protests. Mitchell wasn’t too happy when I climbed into the front seat, Amanda in the back. And we both feel asleep in approximately four milliseconds.
I turned around to see Amanda sprawled across the back seat, legs curled up beneath her, arms folded under her head like a makeshift pillow. She looked like she was catching up on a month’s worth of sleep. I only wished I could join her.
The sun had slipped beneath the clouds, a blue-black dusk settling over the city. I’d wanted so badly to be accepted by this town, to become a part of it, and now I was returning as an unwanted guest to a city that would love to dispatch me with extreme prejudice. I gently rubbed Amanda’s exposed ankle. She stirred, her eyes fluttering open.
“Wha…where are we?”
“We’re almost there,” I said. She nodded, yawned.
“I was dreaming,” Amanda said softly. “I was dreaming that something terrible happened to you and there was nothing I could do about it.”
“It was just a dream,” I said. “Nothing’s happened.”
My heart wasn’t in it. We both knew something terrible had already happened, and that rectifying it would be just as difficult.
“Are you two done? Christ, I’ve had better conversation from rocks. Now where you headed? 105th and Broadway, right?”
“That’s right,” I said. “Listen, sorry about all this. We’re just totally burnt out and…”
“Save it,” he said. “We’re almost there.”
We went crosstown on 114th Street, then made a right onto Broadway. I checked my watch. We’d apparently made good time, but I took no solace in that.
It had to end. There had to be a resolution. I knew Grady Larkin held some answers. The only problem was, I didn’t want him to know the questions.
Dread filled me as the apartment building came into view, memories of that night flashing in my head. Acid running through my veins like a psychosomatic warning sign. Mitch parked across the street, turning to me with a slightly annoyed look on his face.
“Well, 105th and Broadway, just like you asked. Now, would it be too much trouble to ask for some cash? Or would you rather just fall asleep again?”
I fished in my wallet and pulled out a crinkled ten. Amanda added a five.
“I’m sorry,” I said, the emotion genuine. “Really, you’re a lifesaver. It’s been a hell of a week.” Mitch nodded, picked at a hangnail.
“Right, sure. Well, listen, take care, guys. It was nice to meet you both in the eight seconds before you started drooling.” He extended his hand. I shook it. So did Amanda.
“Take care, Mitch.”
“Will do,” he said. “Be careful up here. I don’t like this neighborhood much. Always feels like something bad is about to happen.”
“I know what you mean.”
We waved as he drove off, flashing his blinker and disappearing into the night. Then we were alone.
The building stood in front of us like some vast gothic tenement. The last time I was here, nearly three days ago, I was almost killed. My life changed forever. What was once a run-of-the-mill apartment complex had taken over my nightmares.
Welcome home, Henry.
There didn’t seem to be any police activity, just a homeless man staggering around by the building’s entrance. He looked drunk, uninterested in us. I hoped looks weren’t deceiving, and he wasn’t an undercover cop. Paranoia came pretty easy when you’d been shot and hunted.
Moonlight bathed the street, and a chilled wind blew through the city.
“So what now?” Amanda asked.
“Now,” I said, “we see what Grady Larkin knows. It’s a good thing you’re in the market for a new apartment.” I explained what I had in mind.
I squeezed Amanda’s hand as we approached the front door, then pressed the buzzer for Grady Larkin’s apartment. A scratchy voice answered.
“Yeah?”
Amanda said, “Hello? I’m trying to reach the super? I need to lease an apartment and, well, I hope it’s not too late, but I’m getting desperate and I heard from a friend that you have some vacancies.”
“Are you shittin’ me, lady? You know what time it is? Office closed like four hours ago.”
“No, I’m not shitting anyone. Please?” She ad-libbed, “My boyfriend just dumped me and I have nowhere to stay.”
There was an exasperated sigh o
n the other end, then the buzzer rang and the door unlocked.
The lobby was cold, quiet. Not the quiet of mourning, the quiet of fear. Our steps echoed through the hallway. We were trespassing on dangerous ground, and the building seemed anxious to protest.
We took the stairs down to the basement. The tiling looked bright, fresh-scrubbed. Larkin must have cleaned up after the police had left the crime scene. A complete one-eighty from the grimy textures last time I was here.
We arrived at apartment B1. I looked at Amanda, mouthed the words thank you.
You’re welcome, she returned.
I took the thick black marker out of my pocket, purchased at Union Station for ninety-nine cents, and placed it on the floor by the doorjamb.
I stepped around the corner, out of view of Larkin’s apartment. I felt steam on the back of my neck from the nearby boiler room. Wiping sweat from my eyes, I heard Amanda knock on the door.
I heard the creak of hinges that hadn’t seen WD-40 in many moons, then a throaty voice said, “So you need an apartment?”
“Yeah, um, my friend said he heard about a few vacancies here, and I was hoping I could look at whatever’s available. I’m in the market to lease, like, ASAP.” Her voice was girlish and naive, like a child asking for a cookie and expecting a slap on the wrist. Grady Larkin cleared what sounded like a pint of phlegm from his throat.
“You say your boyfriend dumped you?” I could almost picture Larkin leaning against the doorframe trying to sound seductive, arms folded as he pushed out his biceps. Amanda must have been trying pretty hard not to laugh.
“Yeah. Can you believe it?”
“No, I definitely can’t. Stupid prick.” I could almost sense his eyes feeling her up, and it made my skin crawl.
“I got a few openings, maybe a few more’ll open up soon. Had a few, how you say, incidents here recently.”
“Oh, yeah?” Amanda said. “What kind of incidents?”
“S’not important,” Larkin replied. “But I think I can fix you up.”