"She's bleeding," the woman on the left complained. "Why'd you have to go and cut her? She would have talked to you."
"Talk to me?" Leteisha Swann gave an ugly laugh. "Don't be stupid. I don't care what this old lady has to say. She can tell it to the fishes. If you can find any in there."
"Hey, you said you weren't going to hurt her," the blonde protested. "People saw us back there. If this gets in the papers as a killing, they'll remember. Maybe they didn't say anything at the time, but they saw us."
"Doesn't matter to me," Leteisha Swann said calmly. "After this, babe, I'm going to disappear." She snapped her fingers. "I disappear like that. It's much simpler than you think."
The other prostitute stared at them in the darkness, her doubt obvious in her uncertain, husky voice. "I don't know, Leteisha. We don't have to hurt this old lady. I know I'm not getting enough money for that. You probably aren't, either. Let's just see what she knows and let her go."
Leteisha Swann. Auntie Lil remembered. That was the woman's name. T.S. had been right all along—she was part of what was going on.
"I'm not doing it for the money," Leteisha explained to her friend. "I'm doing it for the fun." She smiled. Her teeth gleamed against the darkness of her face.
The blonde prostitute stepped back, horrified. "That's rank, Letty. You and me both got mothers, you know."
"Is this how you people live?" Auntie Lil demanded. "Discarding people like they were garbage, dumping them to the bottom of the river like trash?"
"People are garbage, grandma," Leteisha said calmly. "And taking out the trash happens to be my specialty."
Auntie Lil had heard enough. She kicked Leteisha in the shins and elicited a reaction. It was not what she had hoped. The woman cursed and pulled Auntie Lil closer to her chest, her elbow hooked around Auntie Lil's throat. Her arm was like a vise, cutting off any chance of escape or even any hope of being able to make noise. Auntie Lil knew she'd never be able to wiggle her way out.
"I'll hold her and you cut her throat," Leteisha ordered her companion.
The other woman stared back in disgust. "No way, Letty. I'm not cutting her throat. You needed help getting her here, I helped," the blonde insisted. "I've done my part. Now I'm out of here. I'm not cutting anyone's throat." The woman turned to go but a hiss from Leteisha stopped her.
"You help me now or you'll be next," Leteisha ordered. "So help me God, you won't be able to walk these streets without wondering when your turn will come."
Auntie Lil was furious, frightened and indignant. They were arguing over her as if she were the last piece of bait in some fisherman's pail. She tried to struggle but the grip of the arm only tightened. If she moved again, all air would be cut off.
"Screw you. I'm leaving," the blonde decided. She turned to go and Leteisha gave a low growl. There was no other way to describe the ugly sound that emanated from between her tightly clenched teeth. It was a growl and even Auntie Lil, who thought she was as frightened as a person could be, felt fresh terror at the unnatural sound.
"You're going to be—" Leteisha's threat was cut off by the sounds of distant yelling. Startled, she fell silent and pulled Auntie Lil further into the shadows. The blonde took a panicked step forward.
"Don't move," Leteisha ordered in a deadly voice. Auntie Lil could not have moved had she wanted to. But she listened carefully and realized that the sounds were coming closer. People were yelling, several people. What was it they were yelling? Was that her own name?
"Aunt Lil!" she heard a female voice bellow. Others shouted as well.
It was now or never, Auntie Lil thought to herself. Do something— anything—or you're going to die. She twisted with all her might and croaked, "The police!" before Leteisha's arm cut off any other hope of sound.
It had been enough. The skittish blonde panicked and ran south along the pier.
"Stop!" Leteisha ordered, but it was too late. The blonde reached the end of the shadows and fled across a pool of streetlight, heading for the huge battleship a few blocks farther south.
"Over there!" a female voice bellowed again. "There's someone." Auntie Lil felt faint, more from frustration than physical deprivation. She was acutely conscious that, with help