Chapter 18
June 2004
It had been an exhausting past couple of hours, and Ellis decided to spend the rest of the evening alone. He had swung by Percy’s pub to grab a sandwich and was in the process of parking at Annie’s Lodge when someone caught his eye. Why would Phil be waiting by his motel door? He exited the car cautiously and was surprised when Phil suddenly rushed him.
“I tol’ you!” Phil shouted in a drunken slur.
A fist was sloppily thrown but managed to connect with Ellis’ ear. Recovering his wits, Ellis managed to block the next swing and pushed Phil away, who stumbled mightily but managed to stay upright.
“I warned you ‘bout her,” Phil said, “Tol’ you ta’ be careful. I tried bein’ nice, but yer not listenin’.”
Phil charged Ellis again and, despite his drunkenness, managed to pin Ellis against the car, landing a good punch to the stomach and another against his cheek. Then Ellis pushed Phil backwards until he tripped over a curb and hit the sidewalk hard. Ellis was quick to leap on the drunkard with his own fists flailing until Phil slumped, having had enough.
Ellis straightened himself and rubbed his cheek with a groan. “What are you doing, Phil?”
Phil reached for his flask, but Ellis kicked it beyond his reach. This led to a series of curses before Phil changed tactics and politely asked Ellis if he’d pick it up for him. This request bore no fruit—obviously.
“Why’d you attack me?” Ellis asked after another series of curses had subsided.
Phil gave him a mean look and spit at his shoes. “I saw you. You an’ her together. Kissin’ by the wall with the books. I saw it. I tol’ you she’s jus’ gonna break your heart but no—you ain’t listenin’ to me.” Phil struggled to his feet but stumbled again. Ellis sighed and offered a hand, which Phil reluctantly took. Once standing, Phil propped himself against the doorframe of Ellis’ room and rubbed his jaw. “She’s my girl.”
Ellis sighed. So Phil had seen Sara kiss him just prior to their going to see Jake. He picked up the bag of food and located his dropped car keys, which had been kicked behind his back tire.
“Come on, Phil. Let’s talk about it. I’ll share my food.”
He squeezed past Phil and unlocked the door, leading to Phil falling backwards into the room. Ellis set the food down and helped him up onto the bed.
“Got any cheeseburgers?”
Ellis threw him a ham sandwich, and Phil began shoving it into his mouth. Then he set the mashed potatoes and chips that had come with the sandwich on the table and went to grab a glass from a small cupboard. He filled it with water and turned to find Phil opening the motel door.
“Leave it, Phil. You don’t need your drink.”
“Who—who are you to tell me what I need? You ain’t my dad!”
“No, your dad ran off, leaving you nothing but a spiteful letter. I’m the guy who gave you my own dinner because I suspect you haven’t had anything to eat in a while, and I’ll take back what’s left if you don’t shut that door right now.”
“You think you can take me?”
“I just did, outside, before we came in.”
Phil looked out, cursed, and then closed the door. Ellis set the glass of water on the table, and Phil sat beside it. He took a drink, complained, but then drank some more.
“God, I hate you.”
Ellis simply watched as Phil finished eating, but then the drunk began eying Ellis’ potatoes and chips. Ellis offered them as well, and they were gone in seconds. Then Ellis threw Phil a towel and some of his own clothes.
“Get showered. We’ll talk when you’re done. Take your time.”
Phil grumbled as he closed the bathroom door and turned on the shower. Once he heard the water running, Ellis jogged to his car and headed out to pick up another sandwich. He updated Percy, who thanked him and offered a second sandwich for Phil.
“Tell him he’s welcome home whenever he wants to come back,” Percy said with an eye of concern.
“I’ll let him know.”
He gobbled his own sandwich as he raced back to the motel. The shower was still running when he got back, so he sat and kicked off his shoes, realizing how tired he was. It had been quite a day. The water shut off five minutes later and Phil stepped out in Ellis’ clothes.
“Kept my own underwear. Ain’t right wherein’ someone else’s.”
“I’m okay with that,” Ellis said, tossing him the extra sandwich. “Percy says it’s on the house and that you can come home when you’re ready. He’s concerned.”
Phil snickered but didn’t comment as he began shoving the sandwich into his mouth. Once finished, he held his head and grunted. Ellis grabbed a bottle of Tylenol from his suitcase and offered it. Phil took several pills with a gulp of water and sat quietly for a few minutes.
“Sober yet?”
“Takes longer than that,” Phil said without looking at him.
“Ready to talk now?”
“Almost.”
Ellis flipped off the television after twenty minutes and stared at Phil.
The rugged, though freshly showered man sighed and stretched. “Kinda hard to tell you how it is after you fed me, gave me pills, and let me shower.”
“I also gave you the clothes off my back and a shiny black eye.”
Phil laughed a little and pointed toward Ellis’ own reddened cheek.
“You hit like a girl,” Ellis said with a sly smile.
“Just malnourished is all.”
“Sober yet?”
“Sober enough. Could use a good sleep, though.”
Ellis looked at the clothing that Phil had bunched in the corner of the bathroom. They were covered in mud and leaves, and twigs stuck out of the folds of his jeans.
“You’ve been living in the woods, haven’t you? You’re dragging this out because it’s nicer here than out there.”
Phil shrugged. “Can you blame me?”
“You saw me kiss Sara?”
The sour expression returned. Ellis didn’t say anything, nor did he look away. He simply waited for Phil’s reply.
“You don’t get Sara,” Phil finally said with a bite. “She’s my girl.”
“She’s Jake’s girl, Phil. Not yours.”
This quieted Phil. Then, after a few seconds, he nodded and stood, stretching the stiffness out of his legs and back. “Yeah, she’s Jake’s girl, but Jake can’t take care of her now.”
“So you want to take Jake’s place?”
“I did take Jake’s place.”
“Until she dumped you and went back to him.”
Phil deflated and lowered himself onto the bed again. “Jake was a good guy. He was good to Sara back then, but she needs someone now. Jake can’t be that guy no more.”
“If Sara wants to be with Jake then that’s her decision, not yours.”
“Then why’s she kissin’ you?”
“It wasn’t a romantic kiss.” Ellis answered firmly. “I loved a girl who died after three weeks of being in a coma. Sara kissed me because she thought she’d found someone who could understand what she’s been going through. She took me to see Jake. When I saw her with him, it became abundantly clear that she’s chosen him over the both of us.”
“You saw Jake?”
“I did.”
Phil was silent for a moment.
“How is he?” he finally asked.
“I don’t think there’s been any change. Sara did tell me that he nearly died while you two were together.”
“Yeah,” Phil said, rubbing his eyes again and slowly lying back, his voice grumbled as tiredness kicked in. “I liked Jake an’ all, but sometimes I wonder if it woulda been better if he died.”
“Horrible thing to say there, Phil,” Ellis said, despite having thought something similar earlier in the day.
“Is it?” Phil asked. “What kinda life’s he got? That ain’t no life.”
“So you think Office Clem should have just killed him seven years ago?”
Phil made a sound similar to a grunt, nearly asleep already, and yawned. He finally said something beneath his breath, slurring the words together while sighing and drifting off to sleep. His words took a moment to register in Ellis’ mind, and then he startled. He lurched forward and grabbed Phil by the arm, shaking him awake.
“What did you just say?”
Phil startled and cursed groggily. “I didn’t say nothin’. Jus’ tired is all.”
Ellis took Phil by the shoulders and shook him violently until he sat up, wide-eyed.
“I don’t care how tired you are, Phil. Did you just say what I thought you said?”
“I didn’t say nothin’!” Phil shouted, attempting to tower over Ellis before stumbling in his exhaustion. “I’m just tired is all, an’ hung over. That a crime?”
“Phil…”
Ellis was cut off as Phil pushed past him, knocking him against the wall in the process.
“I’m just tired. Leave me alone. You didn’t hear nothin’.”
Phil stumbled out of the motel room, picked up his flask, and unsteadily disappeared into the trees behind the building. Ellis didn’t follow. His mind raced with what he had just heard, questioning the possibility of it being true. Things hidden can come out unexpectedly when a person is drunk or overly tired, and Phil Guthrie was both.
He reached for the phone but hesitated. Sara wouldn’t know anything about this or she’d have told him. This was obviously a secret that Phil intended to keep. He looked at his watch and noted the late hour. He might as well try to sleep. It had been a long day, and a few hours of sleep could help clear his mind—help him figure out what to do.
“‘Clem woulda done it right?’” Ellis quoted to himself while lying in bed.
Phil believed that someone other than Office Clem had shot Jake Ramsey, but if not Office Clem… then who?”
Cicada Song Page 19