if trying desperately to take a nap. “I’m sorry about this, kid, really sorry, but, like I said, it’s nice to have you here.” He slowly placed the bottle on the dash next to the note and moved the pistol from his left hand to his right, caressing it softly and stroking the trigger with his index finger. Mark tried not to look. “I’m really sorry about this, kid. How old are you?”
“Eleven. You’ve asked me three times.”
“Shut up! I feel the gas now, don’t you? Quit
sniffing, dammit! It’s odorless, you little dumbass. YOU can’t smell it. I’d be dead now and you’d be off playing GI Joe if you hadn’t been so cute. You’re pretty stupid, you know.”
Not as stupid as you, thought Mark. “Who did your client kill?”
Romey grinned but did not open his eyes. “A United States senator. I’m telling. I’m telling. I’m spilling my guts. Do you read newspapers?”
“No.”
“I’m not surprised. Senator Boyette from New Orleans. That’s where I’m from.”
“Why did you come to Memphis?”
“Dammit, kid! Full of questions, aren’t you?”
“Yeah. Why’d your client kill Senator Boyette?”
“Why, why, why, who, who, who. You’re a real pain in the ass, Mark.”
“I know. Why don’t you just let me go?” Mark glanced at the mirror, then at the hose running into the backseat.
“I might just shoot you in the head if you don’t shut up.” His bearded chin dropped and almost touched his chest. “My client has killed a lot of people. That’s how he makes money, by killing people. He’s a member of the Mafia in New Orleans, and now he’s trying to kill me. Too bad, ain’t it, kid. We beat him to it. Joke’s on him.”
Romey took a long drink from the bottle and stared at Mark.
“just think about it, kid, right now, Barry, or Barry the Blade as he’s known, these Mafia guys all have cute nicknames, you know, is waiting for me in a dirty restaurant in New Orleans. He’s probably got a couple of his pals nearby, and after a quiet dinner he’ll
want me to get in the car and take a little drive, talk about his case and all, and then he’ll pull out a knife, that’s why they call him the Blade, and I’m history. They’ll dispose of my chubby little body somewhere, just like they did Senator Boyette, and, bam!, just like that, New Orleans has another unsolved murder. But we showed them, didn’t we, kid? We showed them.”
His speech was slower and his tongue thicker. He moved the pistol up and down on his thigh when he talked. The finger stayed on the trigger.
Keep him talking. “Why does this Barry guy want to kill you?”
“Another question. I’m floating. Are you float-ing?”
“Yeah. It feels good.”
“Buncha reasons. Close your eyes, kid. Say your prayers.” Mark watched the pistol and glanced at the door lock. He slowly touched each fingertip to each thumb, like counting in kindergarten, and the coordination was perfect.
“So where’s the body?”
Romey snorted and his head nodded. The voice was almost a whisper. “The body of Boyd Boyette. What a question. First U.S. senator murdered in office, did you know that? Murdered by my dear client Barry the Blade Muldanno, who shot him in the head four times, then hid the body. No body, no case. Do you understand, kid?”
“Not really.”
“Why aren’t you crying, kid? You were crying a few minutes ago. Aren’t you scared?”
“Yes, I’m scared. And I’d like to leave. I’m sorry you want to die and all, but I have to take care of my mother.”
“Touching, real touching. Now, shut up. You see, kid, the feds have to have a body to prove there was a murder. Barry is their suspect, their only suspect, because he really did it, you see, in fact they know he did it. But they need the body.”
“Where is it?”
A dark cloud moved in front of the sun and the clearing was suddenly darker. Romey moved the gun gently along his leg as if to warn Mark against any sudden moves. “The Blade is not the smartest thug I’ve ever met, you know. Thinks he’s a genius, but he’s really quite stupid.”
You’re the stupid one, Mark thought again. Sitting in a car with a hose running from the exhaust. He waited as still as could be.
“The body’s under my boat.”
“Your boat?”
“Yes, my boat. He was in a hurry. I was out of town, so my beloved client took the body to my house and buried it in fresh concrete under