Malachi, Ruse Master

by Pamela Schloesser Canepa

  The first fireman opened a First aid kit. He sat beside me on the grass and handed me a gauze cloth to stop the bleeding from my nose and mouth. “There’s no fire present. Son, can you tell me about all the smoke?”

  Just then, Macie came up to collaborate my story. “Sir, I didn’t know he was cooking. I went in the bathroom and started a shower, and I came out to see all the smoke. I was very scared. I didn’t even know he was down there—”

  “In the basement?”

  “Yeah,” I said groggily, seeing stars. “I fell asleep in the basement. I’m Henry Perrot’s roommate. I stay in the basement. I was up real late last night, and I got woke up at 6 a.m. by Don, yelling at his wife, Sofie, again.”

  “Again?”

  “Yes. Anyway, I was starting to cook some food for breakfast, and I went back to my couch downstairs, and just, fell asleep. Macie, she’s Henry’s niece. She stays here sometimes. Henry’s out of town; um, he’s due back soon. I woke up when the smoke started getting thick, and—”

  “Okay, let me get the first responders to check you over. We’ll get a sworn statement from Sofie. Have you seen him hit her before?”

  “I didn’t see it, but I have seen the aftermath of their fights before. One thing, though, those cops who show up today, they’re probably his buddies.”

  “Well, I saw him slap her. I saw him punch you. It would help, too, if you pressed charges. Can you tell me why he was mad at you?”

  I shook my head. “No. He seems to have concocted a scenario where I’m concerned about her well-being because I’m having an affair with her. But I’m not, honestly.” I sighed. “Okay. Tell her I will press charges. I really have to think about it, though.”

  “It would be a help to her, too, if you did.”

  “I just want her to get away from him.” I turned and saw Don glaring at me through the window by his door. Yeah, I wouldn’t be living here much longer.

  Sure enough, when the cops arrived, they took a few minutes to hear Don’s side and tried to downplay it. But the fireman who spoke with me had seen him slap her. “I’d bet there are medical records that would back up his abuse as well,” he stated to the policemen.

  “I guarantee you there are,” I added, glad that Don was over near the police car, though noticeably, he was not cuffed. “Mr. Stephen, the neighbor three doors down, took her to an ER about a year ago for a deep gash in her leg. Don had been throwing dishes around the kitchen with no regard for his wife who was standing there trying to get him to calm down. He wouldn’t let me help, accused her of having an affair with me. I’ve heard commotion over there several times. A couple of times I knocked and no one answered.” I lowered my voice. “She’s afraid to make a move.”

  “We’re going to take Sofie to a shelter. This could be her turning point. But you’d better be careful. This guy probably isn’t going to jail tonight.”

  My heart sank. Still, it was worth it to bring out his true self in front of the firemen. I knew they could connect Sofie to some help. But, nervous about my false identity, I decided I wouldn’t press charges, so he’d still be around. Right now it was 1 p.m., and he didn’t work until 6 p.m.

  One of the officers walked up. “We’re gonna take Don with us. He needs to cool down. And you, just don’t provoke him.”

  I shook my head. He was making it sound like it was all my fault. “Is that what you’re planning to say to Sofie, too? Because, we have witnesses here.”

  “Just watch out is all I’m saying. His job is at stake, and you two have gotta live near each other.”

  He clapped the firemen on the back. “Thanks for the good work.” Then he spat on the ground and walked over to get in the squad car with Don, started the engine, and left.

  I went up to the truck to speak to Sofie. “Don’t let him off easy. There were a lot of witnesses here today. You have options. Please tell me you have someplace to go.”

  A tear slid down her cheek. “Yes. I have a place. I’m leaving him. I’m not coming back. This has been over for a long time.”

  “I’m glad to hear that. Just start over! You never know what good things might be in store for you.”

  “I have to leave. I can’t let him use you as a punching bag, or me, for that matter.”

  “Well, I’d do it all again. He can’t treat you like that.”

  “I know you would. But you won’t have to. Thank you.” A tear slid down her cheek, adding to the streaks that were already there. She briefly grasped my hand and then whispered goodbye.

  The driver started the engine and took her away, most likely to a treatment center or the shelter that was mentioned before. Either way, I never saw her again.

  I avoided Don at all costs. Henry had come home later that day and was unhappy with the state of his kitchen windows. I promised to clean them off right away.

  “And what’s that about me having a niece that is staying here?” Henry looked pretty annoyed.

  Evidently, one of the neighbors had gotten to him with the story of today’s events.

  “Sorry, Henry. It was the fastest thing I could come up with.”

  “Why didn’t you just try telling the truth?” he asked.

  His question hit me hard; I’d been hearing similar things all my life. I couldn’t answer it; the answer would be unacceptable to him and was starting to become unacceptable to me. Though, I had to admit, my job did require some fast thinking and plenty of half-truths. Still, my first answer would be that it would look less like an orchestrated event to flush out Don, but I wasn’t sure if Henry would accept that. I didn’t think I could explain my reasoning and the plan I had created. The second, deeper answer, was that it was in my nature to fabricate my answers and my reality. It just came more naturally than telling the truth. Heck, Henry didn’t even know my new name yet, nor did he even know the full extent of lies I’d told today for what I considered a good reason. I realized I’d be in big trouble, maybe even jail time, if anyone knew what I’d pulled to get the fire department out here.

  “You have thirty days to find a new place to live.” Henry dropped that on me and retreated to his bedroom.

  After scrubbing the windows in the kitchen, I put up my feet on the basement couch, fatigued and sore. I picked up the phone.

  “Yes,” Jack answered.

  “Do you have any leads on an apartment or a rental for me?”

  “Well,” he replied. “I think you better get to work on your next assignment first.”

  “Yes. Tomorrow. I had a lot going on today.”

  “Umhm. I heard.”

  For someone who was supposed to be good at subterfuge, word was sure getting around about my doings that day. I didn’t like it.

  “Well, alright. I need to get out of here as soon as possible then, for my own safety and my anonymity.”

  “Yeah, we’ll talk about it tomorrow.”

  “One more thing. Are you keeping tabs on me?” I asked.

  Jack was silent for a moment, then answered, “Malachi, I stand to lose if you mess up.” As if I should have already known the answer.

  I left it at that. I really had no one else to rely on to help me get a new place.

  G.D. called right after that. “I need a favor; I think you could do this. I’ll even pay you. You just have to come with me for one night. If you’re willing.”

  “It’s like you read my mind, but you have to come with me,” I replied.

  “Oh, no problem, but…I have been hired, and I need more bodies with me. I will pay you out of the check I will be receiving, and all you have to do is show up, pretend you’re some guy’s friend, and enjoy the party.”

  “Sounds easy enough.” I was tired. “Okay. I’ll do it. When is it?”

  “Um, well; it’s tonight. This guy is a total nerd. Nice enough; he actually found a girl to marry him. Well, the girl’s brother is throwing the bachelor party, and the groom has no one to invite. I mean NO ONE. We make up a back story about how we know the groom, act like we’re his f
riends, let go and have fun, then get a paycheck the next day. With you, I’ve added three people to the party. He said three or four, so should be good.”

  Come up with a back story? Pretend to be some guy’s friend? G.D. and I were more alike than I realized. I was in. I just had to keep it from interfering with my pursuit of Clinton and his double life. I’d have to be sure to get home and get some sleep. My missing tooth was not too evident. I looked at it, resting in a water cup, and laughed.

  Hanging up the phone, I stared at the wall, realizing today was probably the first time I had used my unique talents for the benefit of another. It was a good feeling.

  ***

  G.D. picked me up at 8 o’clock sharp, dressed like his usual self. So was I, except for the bleached blond hair. I’d prepared myself for the night by clumsily downing a bowl of soup and eating a smoothie with a spoon, vowing not to smile too much.

  “So, the story will go like this, we met this guy in high school. We were all in band together.”

  “Yeah, we don’t exactly look like sports jocks.”

  “We kept in touch, because, you know, we wanna make movies and we may need his business help.”

  “Sounds good to me.”

  “By the way, I hope you didn’t bleach your hair just for this!” He chuckled. “Okay, lemme call him.” He opened his phone to call Bruce. “Yeah, Bruce. Here’s the story. We met in high school band and—” He paused, listening. “Can you speak up?”

  “What’s up?” I whispered.

  He held up his hand to silence me. “Okay, Bruce. So tell me one thing. Name one concert you may have gone to at any point in the last ten years.” He grimaced. “Jazz? Umhm. Okay. That’s how we met. Got it.”

  I was in such utter suspense, I was about to explode.

  He ended the cell phone call. “Malachi. We apparently, are into Jazz. We met him at a Jazz festival where Kenny G was playing. He says his father got him into Jazz, so let’s say we all share the love of Jazz from our fathers. We are Jazz lovers. And Slash/Gore film-makers.”

  I roared, doubling over in laughter. “Yes! My dad brought me up on Miles Davis records!”

  “Really?”

  “No, I’m just embellishing.”

  He smiled back at me. “I don’t think I could tell you the name of a single Kenny G song.”

  “It may not even matter. This brother-in-law to be could be into heavy metal for all we know.”

  He shook his head. “I don’t know. Who knew Bruce actually went to high school with his future brother-in-law? It sounds like they really hated each other, too. Maybe that’s why Bruce is so nervous; he doesn’t want us to think he’s a loser, you know.”

  “Yeah, so you never called me back when I left that message on 9-11. I assume everything is alright with you and yours?” I asked.

  “Oh, sorry. I got a little busy these last few weeks. Everything is okay with us. Just a little shaken.” He offered no more information.

  “Good, glad to hear it. It’s pretty much the same with me.” In case you were wondering, I almost added, knowing that would make me sound totally soft. He already acted a little surprised that I asked, and that I had called in the first place. After all, he was just some dude I had hired. But here I was, helping him.

  “Anyway, let’s just forget all that tonight. Try to have fun. Forget that your face hurts!” He chuckled.

  I gave an unenthusiastic laugh. “Glad to be here, though.”

  “I’ll ask no more questions.”

  I clapped him on the shoulder in brotherly gratitude.

  We got to the address of the party and were greeted by four young men. One was really tall, Tom, and he introduced himself as Bruce’s future brother-in-law. Another was short and grungier looking than G.D. He introduced himself as G.D.’s brother, Lou, saying he’d met Bruce one time when they all went out to the Ale House. Evidently that was his only story, so no error so far. The other was Bruce, thin and almost as tall as Tom. Last was Tom’s friend, Chuck, who just really liked bachelor parties.

  Tom poured us each a glass of bourbon and made some speech about when he first met Bruce, blah, blah, blah. I sipped ever so slowly on one side of my mouth to avoid the missing tooth and realized I still had a bruise under my eye.

  “What happened to you?” Tom asked.

  “I took a sparring lesson in a gym. Not for me.” I smiled through my swollen lip.

  “No kidding,” he replied, laughing.

  “Yeah, I may be needing to leave early. Not because I’m hurting, but I’ve gotta go to work in the morning.”

  “Nonsense! This is Bruce’s last night as a single man.”

  There was a knock at the door. Bruce answered it, and a woman in a pin-striped man’s business suit was there, her hair tucked into a hat. So this was the show? She came in, did her little dance, revealed a skimpy outfit under the suit, and made everyone feel attractive.

  As she sashayed around the room, she gave a squeeze of the shoulder here, a touch to the nose, a kiss on the cheek. Her dance was exquisite, and she began a tango with Bruce, who really didn’t know what he was doing. At one point, she kissed him on the mouth seductively. He opened his eyes wide. She ended with the rose in her mouth and tucked it into a button hole on his shirt. Then, she went around handing out business cards and gave everyone a kiss on the check. I just then noticed the big, burly guy who waited at the door doing nothing but watching the scene. Safety, I guessed.

  I went over and talked to Bruce for a bit while Tom sought information from the gal and her security guard. Bruce was an insurance salesman, and he had met his wife-to-be, Gloria, at his first job. He was now at a much bigger insurance company, and Gloria was managing a temp agency in the hopes of one day owning her own.

  “Sounds like a solid plan. “May I see a picture of her?” I asked.

  “Oh, yeah. Keep it down. Tom thinks you and I get together with our girls a lot.” He took a photo out of his wallet. “Here she is. She’s got naturally curly hair. Isn’t she pretty?”

  I smiled. “Yeah. She’s a pretty girl.” She was cute enough. I probably wouldn’t look twice at her, but if she made me laugh, I could imagine finding myself wanting to hang out with her.

  The dancer and her guard left. Bruce clapped his hands together. “Gentlemen! We are going to head to the Prism Lounge for a burlesque show. We could all fit into one car, if we squeeze in. Or do you want to take two cars?”

  “Two cars!” I requested without thinking.

  “That, coming from the guy who hasn’t even finished his first drink.”

  I cringed, wishing I could speak my mind. “Thanks, Tom, whiskey just isn’t for me.”

  “It’s okay. Leaves more for the rest of us!” He poured another for the others.

  “Aren’t we leaving?” I asked.

  Tom downed another glass. “Sure, I’m ready.” He tried to corral his friend and Bruce.

  I moved closer to G.D. “G.D., can you drive?”

  “Yes. I know what you’re up to. Lucky I didn’t expect a designated driver.”

  “Thanks.” I lowered my voice. “Just look at my face, you know why I need to leave.”

  “Take some Advil.”

  “I have.”

  He lowered his voice. “Okay, we’ll keep it on the down low. You want me to drop you off at home, right?”

  “It’s not like I’m actually friends with any of these people I’m letting down.”

  He looked at me strangely, as if it never occurred that such a thing could bother me. I hadn’t realized it would, either.

  “Alright,” he announced. “We’re gonna go now. I can take one or two more. Bruce? Lou?”

  Lou came along with us. The others would meet them there. I did not announce my departure.

  Outside, I whispered to G.D., “Am I letting you down?”

  “What? He still has to pay me. He could pay less now, I don’t know. But don’t worry about it.”

  “You don’t have to pay me, conside
ring we still have to go back to that place and find my sister’s boyfriend.”

  “Oh, yeah. I almost conveniently forgot.”

  Lou remained silent.

  “Is that really your brother?” I asked.

  “Nah. I’m not his brother,” Lou replied. “I’m kind of his business partner.”

  “Ah, you wish.” To me, he said, “Lou’s just along for the ride. He gets his own little piece of the money pie.”

  “Yeah, but I think you guys act like you’re really brothers,” I commented.

  “Okay, you’re right. We are.”

  “See, I just have a way of getting people to tell me the truth.” I held my hand against my face, hoping to sooth my aching mouth as G.D. drove me home.

  “Huh,” G.D. said. That was all.

  I quickly regretted it, thinking I may have said too much. We never had really discussed that about me. “Thanks for inviting me along, G.D. I really am having an issue with my mouth though. That and, I think Tom is kind of a jerk.” I got out of his car.

  “You’re probably right on that one,” G.D. said through the open window. Still, free whiskey? He might be paying at the bar, too! You could really be missing out.”

  “Yeah, and that’s okay with me.” I opened my mouth wide to reveal the missing tooth and shrugged. He just shook his head.

  I thanked him and turned to walk gratefully to my cool, dim basement room that would not be my home for very much longer.

  Chapter 14

  Getting at the Truth

  My job of finding out the truth about Clinton Rusche proved to be in stark contrast to the ruse I pulled off to help Sofie get free of Don. The first order of business the next morning was to visit the high school on a fact-finding mission about Clinton and his friend. An easy computer hack revealed that Clinton’s first class was Art History. I committed the rest of the schedule to memory, in case I needed to hang around a little bit longer. I slipped in the door just like I belonged, backpack slung over my shoulder. It was so easy, it was almost scary.