that you were out on the street holding a pool cue?”
“Hey, you’re right. Why didn’t he say anything?” Neal laughed again. “That Rennie.”
“Barrel of laughs.”
“So we turn around to go back and that’s when the guy steps out of the parking lot.”
“The victim?”
“He’s no victim.”
“Neal, look around. This thing here is called a jail cell. As of right now, you are called a perp.”
“Not gonna last. Rennie saw the whole thing.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot about good ol’ Rennie being right there. So what happened?”
“This mud comes at me with a chain.”
“Just like that?”
“Yeah, can you believe it?”
Steve stifled his response.
Neal continued, “It’s a good thing I had that cue in my hand.”
“Lucky.”
“You got that right.”
“Any reason why this guy should come at you with a chain?”
“None! That’s the whole thing, Steve. Except that he probably wanted to rob me.”
“You and Rennie.”
“Yeah.”
“Rennie’s a pretty big guy.”
“Yeah.”
“This guy with the chain, he was alone?”
“Yeah.”
“How big was this guy?”
“I don’t know, about my size maybe.”
“You’re not that big, Neal.”
“It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the—”
“I know, I know. I’m just saying it seems odd, doesn’t it, that a guy your size would come after you and Rennie both? Alone?”
“I can only tell you what happened, Steve. You wouldn’t want me to start making stuff up, would you?”
The snort that issued from Steve’s nose was completely involuntary. “Go on then.”
“So I jump to the side and he comes down with the chain on the ground. Sparks and everything. And as quick as a cat, I swing the pool cue at him and get him on the back of the head. He tries to get up and by this time I’m sure he wants me dead, so I make sure he stays down.”
“How bad is he?”
“I didn’t stick around to find out.”
“You left the scene?”
“I walked away at a good pace.”
“And then where?”
“To The Pipe.”
“Just went to the bar as if nothing happened? Didn’t call the sheriff?”
“Why should I bother the sheriff? I took care of my own business.”
“How did you get arrested?”
“Oh yeah. Darn pool cue. It broke up. I guess they figured somebody from Vic’s did this, and went and asked about me. But that’s the whole story, Steve. When can I get out?”
“When somebody posts your bail.”
“When will that be?”
“Monday. You get to spend the weekend in this little home away from home.”
“Oh man! I was hoping to watch the game today.”
“What game?”
“Any game!” And Neal laughed again, like a jolly circus clown.
52
He’d had too many lying clients to take any of what Neal said at face value. And that’s what he needed now, face time. With the “witness” to the whole thing.
In truth, Steve did not want to be within twenty yards of Rennie at any given moment. Menace came off him like onion fumes. Get too close and your eyes would water.
Especially when he had an acetylene torch in his hand as he did now, in the open garage of the house where Steve had first set eyes on him. Steve wondered if Ezekiel the monster dog was chained up in the back yard. He didn’t care to find out.
Johnny had his face stuck under the hood of a Lincoln. Rennie saw Steve first and didn’t bother to ease the flame. He held it at his side like a gun.
“Your brother’s here,” Rennie said.
Johnny pulled out from the engine, looking none too pleased. Then he smiled. “Hey, bro. How’s Neal doing?”
Steve didn’t enter the garage, as if going inside would take him into a dimension he’d rather avoid. “He’s cooling for the weekend. I need to talk to Rennie here.”
Rennie didn’t move, the hot flame still gushing.
Johnny said, “We’re doing a thing right now, trying to fix this—”
“I’m doing a thing too,” Steve said. “Like I said, I need to talk to Rennie. I’ll wait at the end of the driveway.” Without waiting for an answer, Steve turned and walked to the road. He leaned against his car and looked at the mountainside. A touch of flame from Rennie’s torch, and the whole thing could go up.
A few minutes later Rennie joined him. “Make it fast.” At least he’d left the torch in the garage.
“You had quite a night last night,” Steve said.
“Neal tell you about it?”
“Yeah.”
“What did he tell you?”
“I’d rather hear it from you.”
“Why?”
“Humor me.”
“I don’t have time for this.”
“Make time,” Steve said. “Because if you ever get on the witness stand and lie, it will be bad.”
“Who said anything about lying?”
“What happened