by A. R. Case
The music was loud, as usual. A new girl was on stage. I watched for a minute from my spot off the stage, but still in the back. She was good, but my heart wasn’t in it anymore. All I saw was the tired wallpaper, the predictability of moves, the lack. Maybe it was Vegas coloring my perception. I shrugged it off. Not my circus anymore.
A few handshakes at the bar, and I positioned myself to be seen, and to see. Eddie was in the back, but I knew exactly when he clocked me, the colors I was wearing, and the group of men I was standing with. He downed his drink and left. That didn’t surprise me. It was an uneven battle field. His only course of action was retreat. That was a bit unfair of me, but I was done fighting fair.
I got a text a few minutes later. Eddie’s moves were being sent in real time to my phone.
Fin and Walt came in. Fin looked happy. Walt saw me and scowled.
He gave me a fist bump anyways. “You don’t take advice well.”
“Never have.”
“How’s Edie doing?”
I smiled. “She was sewing and drawing this morning. I think she’ll be just fine.”
Fin perked up. “She was drawing?”
I nodded.
“That’s a relief. She wouldn’t touch her sketchbooks Sunday.” He said.
I got another text. Eddie was heading west, out of town. Good.
“How’d it go at the cop shop?” I asked Fin.
“Good. They got a warrant out for Eddie’s arrest.”
“Really?” I knew exactly where he was, wouldn’t that be convenient.
“Numbnuts got his face on camera after he broke in and took some turpentine from the house.” Walt volunteered.
“And the truck?”
Fin chimed in. “Enough details they got his construction company logo off the footage.”
“I’d say he did us a favor then.”
“Don’t count your chickens too fast.” Walt ordered a drink. “You staying this time?”
“Unless Edie wants to move, yes.”
Wow. That blindsided even me. Yes, I said it, and yes, I meant it.
“Looking to get back in here again?” Walt didn’t sound enthused. I don’t blame him. This place made bank. He had to be getting used to the extra income.
I looked around. It still looked tired to me. “I’m good.”
“What you going to do?” Fin asked.
There was a lot I could do. Most people didn’t know about the nest eggs I had stashed everywhere. It wasn’t just rings in belts, and the less people knew about it, the better. “I think I’ll make armor or some shit like that.”
“Hey, that’s my business. Go fuck yourself.” Fin turned red.
My phone buzzed. Eddie had stopped. The tail I’d put on him texted me an address, it was the cabin. My gut went cold. “Fin, did you get any of the cameras up and running on the cabin again?”
“Naw, just a bunch of trees and ash right now. Looking to sell it if I can.”
I stared at the phone, my heart was racing. I tried Edie’s phone. “Baby, it’s me, pick up.”
I hung up and counted to twenty then tried again. “Edie, call me. ASAP. Gotta know where you are.”
“Trouble?”
I wasn’t sure. “Gotta go.”
“Where?” Walt called at my back.
“The cabin. I think Eddie’s fucking with Edie.” The speck that was supposed to be watching her walked in the door. I took one look at him, glared back at Walt, then decked the little mother fucker.
Chapter 16: Boxes
Edie
The trees hadn’t sustained too much damage. But the house was burned to its foundation. There was no basement, just a crawl space that I was always afraid of because of bugs and spiders and snakes and stuff like that. I let Fin deal with anything down there. Now, picking along the collapsed floor, and the rubble, I felt bad for all the critters who perished. Hopefully some of the bigger and fluffier ones made it out.
As much as I loved the fluffy things, they were wild animals. I’d taken the gun along, just because there may be a stray animal displaced and a bit ornery.
The shoe lasts had landed amongst some of the rubble of the wall and ceiling. I had gloves on, and was digging with a crowbar to uncover what I could. The water damage done to the ones I’d found so far was discouraging. I’d taken time to cast a few of my shoe items in iron. I found those. The wood bases would need to be remade, but they were intact.
I stopped to stretch my back out and noticed movement near the driveway. I took off one glove, and picked my way to the flat of the sidewalk.
Eddie parked his truck in the driveway, blocking my truck in. I tucked both gloves in my back pocket, went to the side of the rubble, and dug into the box I’d locked my gun in. All that practice with the lock with my eyes closed? It paid off. I had it in my hand when he walked up.
“Nice day isn’t it?”
I looked around just enough to make him think I was clueless. “No rain, that’s good.”
“What’s in the box?”
“Stuff so I can clean up after digging in the rubble.”
“Oh.”
“Who told you where I live?”
“Your mother.”
“When did she tell you, and don’t forget, I can call her at any time and catch you lying.”
“Edie, why are you always so suspicious? I’m not your enemy.”
I pointedly looked at the charcoal and ash covering my clothes. “As not my enemy, you torched my house?”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because I finally got someone else in my life.”
“Oh silly, why would I worry about that? We both know I’m the best thing you ever had. We were meant to be together. Eddie and Edie, Ed and Ed-Ed.” He had said that before. I hated it then, and I still hated it. The difference was as simple as pouring and fixing my coffee first to understand what the best thing was really like.
But apparently, he needed to talk. “So, this,” I motioned at the cabin, “Was to get me to realize what a waste my life was, and come running back to you?” I was being facetious. Deluded asshole he was, he took part of it and twisted it in his head.
“No, you burned it down. Or your boyfriend did. For the insurance money. I bet they find turpentine in the accelerant. Just like you use for your little hobby.”
“Why not Xylene? Or Benzine? Or maybe Isopropyl Alcohol? I use all of them.”
“Yeah, you’re a regular little firebug, aren’t you? I never would have guessed it. Sadly, I think you fooled me for a long time.” He shook his head.
“Oh goodie, you going to leave me alone now?”
He’d already twisted things in his head to blame me for this. I wanted to see what he wanted out of this. “No, I think you need help. You’ve been hanging with the wrong sort of people. I’m sure you are innocent. Or, at least, I can put in a good word for you. Maybe I can be a character witness when you go on trial.”
My legs were beginning to hurt crouched down like I was. I sighed and carefully pushed up with the hand that wasn’t holding the gun, and kept the other one tucked as far behind my leg as I could and still try to look natural doing it. “I don’t want to go to trial, but also, you don’t know this, but, I was at a party the night this place burned down.”
“A party? You? What did you do, hold up a wall?”
He laughed at his own joke.
“No, I arrived around 7 p.m., drank, got really drunk, had fun, then was still there when the alarm went off here. The alarm, that also has cameras which activate on motion.”
He looked at me, really looked at me then. I’d just become more than a fascination, and had crossed over into dangerous to him territory. For that, I had a solution.
I pulled the gun out from behind my leg. “You can leave now.”
“Ed-Ed, you’re not serious. Put that gun down.”
“Eddie, I’m not Ed-Ed. My name is Edie. It is a mush of Eileen Darina. It has nothing to do with you or fate or any of that. I
never thought that nickname was cute. Now it is just irritating. And I am perfectly serious. You are trespassing. Leave.”
His hands went up in reflexive action. “Edie you don’t have it in you to shoot me.”
“She doesn’t, but I do.” Indy was behind him. He didn’t have a gun, but he was here.
“How’d you know?” I asked.
“Had him tailed.”
Oh. Eddie made a move toward Indy, so I fired at the dirt. The bullet tore up a patch and skittered off, narrowly missing Eddie. It stopped everyone in their tracks. Eddie dropped to the ground in a cower.
“Think I wouldn’t shoot you?” I said. I had over sixteen years of reasons to.
Indy
“Edie, you don’t want to do this.”
The gun she held on Eddie didn’t bobble. She held it steady. The biggest issue was her finger was on the trigger. If that was one of the club’s set-ups, there was very little pressure needed to go bang again.
“Want? Oh, I think I very much want this.”
“You know I won’t visit you, right?” I was dead serious in tone, but lying my ass off. I’d visit every damn day if I had to, or could. Hell, I’d take her and run. We’d be gone. Joe and Angie Pulaski or something like that, growing beets in Idaho. Maybe Montana, near the Canada border. Just in case. It would take exactly one hour to move every LLC to a Caymans account. Then we’d run.
The tip of the gun dipped. “Indy, he burned down Fin’s house.”
“Cabin, baby. Arson will get him fifteen.”
She glared at me for a second, then snapped her attention back to Eddie. “Fifteen isn’t enough, Indy. He burned my cabin.”
“Yup. Okay, how about I kill him then? That way the blood splatter doesn’t get on you. I know a way that it should stay on the cement. High pressure hose and bam, evidence down the storm drain.”
“Seriously?” Eddie squeaked.
“Dead fucking serious asshole.” I added my knife to the mix.
“Indy! Put that away.”
I stared pointedly at the gun in her hand.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” She lowered the gun, and shifted the safety on. I put the knife away and took the gun from her.
Eddie shifted to stand up.
“Stay down, asshole.” I shifted the gun onto him. Unlike Edie, I had my finger in guard position.
Also, unlike Edie, I wouldn’t have nightmares.
“I won’t visit you.” She said to me.
“Yes, you will. And I love you, too.”
“You’re a strange man, Indy.” She muttered.
“Say it.”
“Liar.” Cute woman, using terms of endearment like that on me.
“Say it Edie.” I leaned toward her, but kept Eddie in my sights.
“For Fuck’s sake man, stop with the foreplay, I get it. I won’t bother you or Edie. Just put the gun away. Okay?” Little bitch Eddie was practically wetting his pants.
I just had to yank his chain. “Foreplay with blood is the best kind.”
“You’re a sick fuck.” Eddie was shaking.
“I love you, okay?” Edie huffed.
I smiled. “Your lucky day, Eddie, you walk free.”
“What?”
“Get the fuck up.”
“I don’t get it.” Eddie didn’t move, but he was getting a little less green.
“Indy, can we please kill him?”
“Not today, baby.”
“Tomorrow?” She turned to me rather than watching Eddie.
“You’ve got that thing with Mary tomorrow.”
“Oh. Thursday?”
“Sure. Thursday is good. I’ll pencil it in between golf and the club.”
Eddie was on his feet. “You’re fucking sick. Both of you.” He glared at Edie longer than at me. “Your mother and father are going to hear about this.”
“I hope they do. They need a good laugh.” I said to Eddie.
Edie didn’t look as certain.
It was right about then that Walt and Fin showed up, which caused Eddie to hightail away faster.
“You okay?” Walt put a hand on Edie’s shoulder. I wasn’t okay with that so moved in and knocked it off, replacing it with my arm wrapped over both shoulders so Walt couldn’t poach.
Fin noticed the gun in my other hand. “Best put that thing back.”
Sure enough sirens echoed. I handed the gun off to Edie, habit making me wipe it first. She locked it in the box, she had buried under some Clorox wipes and a few other supplies.
The police pulled in, Walt, Fin and I put our hands up. Edie copied us, but looked much more uncomfortable doing this.
“Problem?” Fin said to the deputy who was exiting his car. And yes, his gun was out of the holster.
“Who are you?”
“Name’s Finnigan Curty. I own this property. Can I put my hands down now?”
“We had a call about shots fired, and another call about some bikers shooting at a guy.”
Walt glanced at my vest. I glanced back at his. Fin had been retired for a bit, so his was just those silly patches with sayings on them.
“I fired.” Edie piped up.
“Sweetheart,” I warned.
“There was this opossum under the pile over there, and he scared the shit out of me. I missed and hit the ground.” She pointed to the gouge she’d dug in the topsoil. Her hand went back up into the air.
“Where’s the weapon now?”
“I locked it back in the box. I think I scared him. Heck, it scared me too, what about you?”
She had looped me into the lie. Cute. “Honey, you with a gun is the damn scariest thing I’ve ever seen. Don’t do that again. Please?”
Fin snorted.
“What about you two?”
“Us?” Walt said. “We just got here. Missed all the shooting.” He laughed and dropped his hands. Fin joined in, but his hands went down slower. Edie was last to drop hers, but I was the last one to stop watching the cop.
Old habits.
The deputy put his gun away. “The other call, about someone being threatened?
Edie looked to me, unfortunately, her face could not hold up under the lie. “Well,” my drawl got deep. “Her ex looks like a possum, but he wasn’t what she was shooting at.”
“Her ex?”
“Weaselly guy, shits his pants when it thunders out.” Walt added.
“Fucktard was revisiting the scene of the crime.” Fin spit on the ground.
The deputy got that look that gets darker and more suspicious. “From the beginning. You.” He pointed at Edie. I stepped in.
“She told me earlier that she was going to go looking here to see if anything survived the fire. I followed, and these two came after me. Her ex was here and then the possum got freaked out. She shot at it, scared the piss out of him, and I may have threatened him a bit, verbally, because he’s a piece of shit. Then these two finally showed up, and he skedaddled. That must have been when you got that second call, because he’s a lyin’ snake. Now, I don’t know about you, but if the ex shows up to the same place that he burned down less than a week ago, I’d be damn glad my woman’s got a gun to scare the critters off with, wouldn’t you?”
His hand was resting on the gun in its holster, but hadn’t moved. He asked Edie again. “Is that what happened?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t have been as colorful.” She spoke the last half at me.
His focus went on me. “Your name?”
Aw Hell. “Am I being detained?”
The hand shifted. “I need to run your name, and yours, ma’am.” He only glanced at Edie. His eyes were back on me, and a laser beam stare focused on the tattooed web on my elbow.
“Last I checked, Maryland wasn’t a stop and identify state.” Walt thought he was being helpful.
“I was called to investigate weapons discharge. That, and your story, proves it happened.” he pointed at the gouge is pretty close to the road. “I’m afraid I have a case here. Ma’am? You fired a gun?”
He moved to the box where her little gun safe was sticking out.
“Yes.”
He sighed. “You have the right to remain silent …”
“Honey?” My voice was a bit higher than normal.
“Indy, it’s ...” She switched what she was going to say. “Walt? Can you?”
Walt stepped in close to me and put a hand on my shoulder, grounding me.
“Hey Walt?” I whispered, as the cop moved the box and Edie to the car.
“Yeah Indy?”
“Best call TomTom.”
“TomTom?”
“He’s got a couple of guys tracking Eddie.”
He glanced at Edie being tucked into the cruiser. Instead of tucking in himself, the cop came back to us.
“On it.” He whispered.
Miranda finished and Edie secured, the cop turned on me. “Your turn.” He glanced at my tattoo again. “Not your first rodeo, right?”
I nodded and gave him my back with my hands conveniently placed for the cuffs.
Edie
It was a long time before they took me to the station.
First, back up was called, then the cop arrested Indy. He was handcuffed and forced to sit on the ground. When the second and third police vehicles arrived, they stuffed him in the larger of the two. It looked like a horrible, lumpy black cage of a van. My heart was screaming, and I was shaking. I never wanted this.
I prayed and wished and bargained as I waited.
There was a lot more talk. A whole lot of pointing and gesturing. Fin showed them his ID at one point. Walt stood with his arms crossed much of the time. A measuring tape was used to determine how far the mark was from the road. The van that Indy was in drove away. Along with it went my heart. I spent much of the rest of the wait with my head tilted down so they couldn’t see me cry.
Finally, my driver took me in. It was nothing like I’ve seen on police shows. I waited in the room where they do the photographs, which had a workstation to one side. Filing cabinets, tables, equipment shelves, and a locked work cabinet lined two walls. There was a low counter instead of a third wall, separating it from another section. All of the walls were beige. Not really an interesting beige either, more akin to the color of dust in the sunlight. There were posters about Employee Rights, and job safety. Over the desk was a used ballistics target. It was the simple black circle with rings, not the body target Mary preferred. Just off to the side was a smaller room where I was fingerprinted. They offered me a cold metal chair.