Read Online Brother Termite by Patricia Anthony - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patricia Anthony
Ads: Link
light. “Laid my hog down in 1972 doing eighty-five on Highway 20. So I don’t have no stake in no live people shit.”
Confused, Reen took a seat close to Womack. “Bernard Martinez was found strangled.”
“Oh, bummer,” Lizard groaned. “Me and Bernie were tight.” He shoved an entwined fore- and middle finger into Reen’s face. “Like fucking brothers. I mean, even though Bernard was shitting corporeal and all.”
“Why don’t you call Bernard and see who killed him?” Womack suggested.
Lizard’s eyes rolled back into his head. Reen sat selfconsciously, watching the bloodshot whites. Finally the medium’s irises returned to their normal position and he gave Reen a lupine smile. “Bernie ain’t talking, man. He’s ascended, you know. An important fucker in the spirit world.”
Reen glanced down at Lizard’s torn jeans. Little of the two million, apparently, had been spent on clothes. A tab of blue protruded from a begrimed pocket. Lizard must have bought his karma tickets the same place Bernard had.
“How well did you know Jonis?” Reen asked the medium.
Lizard darted a glance at him, then looked away. “Man, everybody knew Jonis. Jonis got around.” After a pause he said softly, “Some shit happening in the basement of the West Wing. Heavy shit. While Jeremy was sleeping it off by the pool, he heard something.”
“Who’s Jeremy?” Reen asked.
With a wave of a gnarled hand Womack motioned him silent. “Jeremy’s the medium. Lizard’s the spirit guide. Let him talk. Go on, Lizard.”
Lizard’s eyes were the still, muddy color of algae in a shallow pond. “He heard something he wished he hadn’t, man. And then he drank and hoped he’d forget it. Hoped God would forgive him for getting shit-faced, and prayed nobody’d seen him there.”
“What’d he overhear?” Womack asked.
“Heavy, heavy shit.”
Weary of this, Reen turned to Womack. “Thural tells me Jonis arranged to buy karma for you, Jeff. Who else was he involved with other than the karma sellers?”
Instead of Womack, Lizard answered. “Wasn’t no karma sellers who offed Jonis. And they didn’t mean to ice him.”
“Why do you think Jonis is dead?”
Lizard turned those hazel eyes on Reen. The pools were muddier and deeper than he at first imagined. If he fell into Lizard’s eyes, those dank waters would close over him. “His ghost comes to me, man. That’s how I know. He says they was real surprised how easy you guys die.”
A thrill of fear ran down Reen’s back like a rivulet of rain.
“You want to talk to him?”
“No,” Reen said sharply.
“Funny. Jonis wants to talk to you,” Lizard said. “He keeps trying to get your attention. Wants to apologize, he says. Wants to warn you. But he says you only listen to those old farts. The big shadows.”
Startled, Reen blundered up from his chair. He was sure he had never described the Old Ones to Womack.
Womack caught Reen’s wrist. “Remember what I found in the West Wing, termite? The thing that had no business being there?”
Reen pulled out of Womack’s grip.
Lizard said, “They killed Bernie but not before he found out what they was doing. And they kidnapped Jonis because Jonis knew it all.”
Womack leaned over the table. “It’s coming to a head. I can feel it. Teddy Roosevelt tells me so. Cut your losses, termite. Get people close to you that you can trust. Fire Cole and Hopkins before it’s too late.”
Reen jumped to his feet and ran for the elevator, Womack following in his fast old-man shamble. “Reen! Reen!”
Reen plunged into the safety of the car, but before the door could close, Womack slapped a hand on the jamb. “Get rid of them, termite.”
Reen pounded the row of buttons frantically, by accident setting off the alarm. Womack stepped into the elevator, and the car started its descent. “You’ll have the Secret Service crawling all over us.”
Reen turned his back.
“I know you don’t want to hear it,”
Confused, Reen took a seat close to Womack. “Bernard Martinez was found strangled.”
“Oh, bummer,” Lizard groaned. “Me and Bernie were tight.” He shoved an entwined fore- and middle finger into Reen’s face. “Like fucking brothers. I mean, even though Bernard was shitting corporeal and all.”
“Why don’t you call Bernard and see who killed him?” Womack suggested.
Lizard’s eyes rolled back into his head. Reen sat selfconsciously, watching the bloodshot whites. Finally the medium’s irises returned to their normal position and he gave Reen a lupine smile. “Bernie ain’t talking, man. He’s ascended, you know. An important fucker in the spirit world.”
Reen glanced down at Lizard’s torn jeans. Little of the two million, apparently, had been spent on clothes. A tab of blue protruded from a begrimed pocket. Lizard must have bought his karma tickets the same place Bernard had.
“How well did you know Jonis?” Reen asked the medium.
Lizard darted a glance at him, then looked away. “Man, everybody knew Jonis. Jonis got around.” After a pause he said softly, “Some shit happening in the basement of the West Wing. Heavy shit. While Jeremy was sleeping it off by the pool, he heard something.”
“Who’s Jeremy?” Reen asked.
With a wave of a gnarled hand Womack motioned him silent. “Jeremy’s the medium. Lizard’s the spirit guide. Let him talk. Go on, Lizard.”
Lizard’s eyes were the still, muddy color of algae in a shallow pond. “He heard something he wished he hadn’t, man. And then he drank and hoped he’d forget it. Hoped God would forgive him for getting shit-faced, and prayed nobody’d seen him there.”
“What’d he overhear?” Womack asked.
“Heavy, heavy shit.”
Weary of this, Reen turned to Womack. “Thural tells me Jonis arranged to buy karma for you, Jeff. Who else was he involved with other than the karma sellers?”
Instead of Womack, Lizard answered. “Wasn’t no karma sellers who offed Jonis. And they didn’t mean to ice him.”
“Why do you think Jonis is dead?”
Lizard turned those hazel eyes on Reen. The pools were muddier and deeper than he at first imagined. If he fell into Lizard’s eyes, those dank waters would close over him. “His ghost comes to me, man. That’s how I know. He says they was real surprised how easy you guys die.”
A thrill of fear ran down Reen’s back like a rivulet of rain.
“You want to talk to him?”
“No,” Reen said sharply.
“Funny. Jonis wants to talk to you,” Lizard said. “He keeps trying to get your attention. Wants to apologize, he says. Wants to warn you. But he says you only listen to those old farts. The big shadows.”
Startled, Reen blundered up from his chair. He was sure he had never described the Old Ones to Womack.
Womack caught Reen’s wrist. “Remember what I found in the West Wing, termite? The thing that had no business being there?”
Reen pulled out of Womack’s grip.
Lizard said, “They killed Bernie but not before he found out what they was doing. And they kidnapped Jonis because Jonis knew it all.”
Womack leaned over the table. “It’s coming to a head. I can feel it. Teddy Roosevelt tells me so. Cut your losses, termite. Get people close to you that you can trust. Fire Cole and Hopkins before it’s too late.”
Reen jumped to his feet and ran for the elevator, Womack following in his fast old-man shamble. “Reen! Reen!”
Reen plunged into the safety of the car, but before the door could close, Womack slapped a hand on the jamb. “Get rid of them, termite.”
Reen pounded the row of buttons frantically, by accident setting off the alarm. Womack stepped into the elevator, and the car started its descent. “You’ll have the Secret Service crawling all over us.”
Reen turned his back.
“I know you don’t want to hear it,”
Similar Books
