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Authors: Lawrence Kelter
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always deserted. Lightning
crackled as he dragged Vincent’s body out of the trunk. The spade
handle broke when the grave was just a foot deep, and he had to dig
the rest on his knees with his hands choked up around the spade.
Six feet never felt so deep.
He shot dope shortly after getting there to
take away the nausea. He put his head back against the sandy mound
that was growing next to the grave and passed out. He woke up when
his cell phone rang. It began to pour.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Hey, World Cup, how’s it going?” Cooper
asked.
“That’s not funny. You know how much that
hurts me.”
“Sorry. Uh, how’s it going?”
“I’m living the dream, man, how do you think
it’s going? I’m out here in the pitch black, digging a grave in the
pouring rain. Life’s a bowl of cherries.”
“You have to make sure that body is never
found. Don’t do a half-ass job and bury him where someone’s dog
will find the body.”
“Don’t you worry about the body being
found—you just take care of your end.”
“I’ve already scored your junk. I’ll meet you
in the morning.”
“Early!”
“What’s the rush? I gave you enough for a
week.”
Shawn laughed. “It was a short week, man , what can I tell you?”
“All right, I’ll meet you in the parking lot
outside Best Buy at 9:00 a.m.”
“Best Buy, which one?”
“Bayshore, off Sunrise Highway; you know
where it is. You take care of the other thing?”
Shawn paused. His brain was still dull from
the recent heroin spike, and he needed time to string his thoughts
together. “No good.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I couldn’t follow her.”
“What happened? Did you lose her in a
high-speed chase?” Cooper said sarcastically. “I mean how hard is
it to follow a pretty little girl in a BMW?”
“Look, I waited for her outside the Legal Aid
office just like you said. I was there almost two hours when she
finally came out and went straight into the bathroom.”
“So she had to take a leak; so what?”
“Listen, ballbuster, she never came out. I
waited almost fifteen minutes and nothing. I finally knocked on the
door and went in. You should’ve seen some of the looks the women
gave me in there. You would’ve thought I was some kind of child
molester.”
“And?”
“And nothing, she wasn’t in there.”
“C’mon, man, that doesn’t make sense. Were
you wasted or something? You didn’t pass out waiting for her, did
you? You sure she didn’t slip out while you were in Never Never
Land?”
“No, I didn’t pass out. If it wasn’t for the
fact that we were on the third floor, I would’ve checked to make
sure she didn’t go out the bathroom window.”
“So where did she go?”
“I’m telling you, asshole, the girl went in
and she never came out. I don’t know what else to tell you. You
want to give it a rest? Maybe you want to get your lazy ass down
here and help me dig this hole in the pouring rain—how about
that?”
“Just dig that grave deep enough so that the
body’s never found, or tomorrow I’ll be a no-show and you can find
someone else to score your dope.”
“Hey, don’t you pull that shit with me,
Cooper.”
“Just dig the grave, asshole.”
“Eat me.”
“Just dig the goddamn grave!”
Eleven: This is a Surprise
Ax had cleared out of the house before
I woke up. As usual, he did not leave a note. He was probably at
the dojo training or instructing. He lived and breathed the martial
arts. He never filled me in on his schedule, so I rarely knew where
he was. All I knew was that he was always there for me when I
needed him; the rest of the time was a mystery. He never
volunteered and I never questioned him. Our arrangement had always
worked out well.
Nine hours of sleep did not do the trick. My
left and right eyes were still strangers: the right eye, the one I
knew and loved, and the left eye, Allie’s eye, the hazel one, the
one I didn’t want. I stared at the mirror and focused on
crackled as he dragged Vincent’s body out of the trunk. The spade
handle broke when the grave was just a foot deep, and he had to dig
the rest on his knees with his hands choked up around the spade.
Six feet never felt so deep.
He shot dope shortly after getting there to
take away the nausea. He put his head back against the sandy mound
that was growing next to the grave and passed out. He woke up when
his cell phone rang. It began to pour.
“Yeah?” he answered.
“Hey, World Cup, how’s it going?” Cooper
asked.
“That’s not funny. You know how much that
hurts me.”
“Sorry. Uh, how’s it going?”
“I’m living the dream, man, how do you think
it’s going? I’m out here in the pitch black, digging a grave in the
pouring rain. Life’s a bowl of cherries.”
“You have to make sure that body is never
found. Don’t do a half-ass job and bury him where someone’s dog
will find the body.”
“Don’t you worry about the body being
found—you just take care of your end.”
“I’ve already scored your junk. I’ll meet you
in the morning.”
“Early!”
“What’s the rush? I gave you enough for a
week.”
Shawn laughed. “It was a short week, man , what can I tell you?”
“All right, I’ll meet you in the parking lot
outside Best Buy at 9:00 a.m.”
“Best Buy, which one?”
“Bayshore, off Sunrise Highway; you know
where it is. You take care of the other thing?”
Shawn paused. His brain was still dull from
the recent heroin spike, and he needed time to string his thoughts
together. “No good.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I couldn’t follow her.”
“What happened? Did you lose her in a
high-speed chase?” Cooper said sarcastically. “I mean how hard is
it to follow a pretty little girl in a BMW?”
“Look, I waited for her outside the Legal Aid
office just like you said. I was there almost two hours when she
finally came out and went straight into the bathroom.”
“So she had to take a leak; so what?”
“Listen, ballbuster, she never came out. I
waited almost fifteen minutes and nothing. I finally knocked on the
door and went in. You should’ve seen some of the looks the women
gave me in there. You would’ve thought I was some kind of child
molester.”
“And?”
“And nothing, she wasn’t in there.”
“C’mon, man, that doesn’t make sense. Were
you wasted or something? You didn’t pass out waiting for her, did
you? You sure she didn’t slip out while you were in Never Never
Land?”
“No, I didn’t pass out. If it wasn’t for the
fact that we were on the third floor, I would’ve checked to make
sure she didn’t go out the bathroom window.”
“So where did she go?”
“I’m telling you, asshole, the girl went in
and she never came out. I don’t know what else to tell you. You
want to give it a rest? Maybe you want to get your lazy ass down
here and help me dig this hole in the pouring rain—how about
that?”
“Just dig that grave deep enough so that the
body’s never found, or tomorrow I’ll be a no-show and you can find
someone else to score your dope.”
“Hey, don’t you pull that shit with me,
Cooper.”
“Just dig the grave, asshole.”
“Eat me.”
“Just dig the goddamn grave!”
Eleven: This is a Surprise
Ax had cleared out of the house before
I woke up. As usual, he did not leave a note. He was probably at
the dojo training or instructing. He lived and breathed the martial
arts. He never filled me in on his schedule, so I rarely knew where
he was. All I knew was that he was always there for me when I
needed him; the rest of the time was a mystery. He never
volunteered and I never questioned him. Our arrangement had always
worked out well.
Nine hours of sleep did not do the trick. My
left and right eyes were still strangers: the right eye, the one I
knew and loved, and the left eye, Allie’s eye, the hazel one, the
one I didn’t want. I stared at the mirror and focused on
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