“What did I do wrong?”
“Not a thing.”
“You work with Cruz, I met you in Key Largo.”
“Now see, that right there is the entire issue. You met me, you saw me, and you recognized me. That, Tina, is the reason we’re out here right now.”
She couldn’t speak for a moment, swallowing. Looked X-88 in the face, then stumbled backward, bumped the car fender, nowhere to run.
Again he got a whiff of the bear. Crushed grass in its coat, its teeth moldy and rotten. An old fellow, not long left either.
“Tell me what you want. Money?”
X was looking off at the woods. Enduring this out of respect for the victim. If she wanted to prolong her last moment, try to bargain her way out of this, who was he to deprive her of a little extra time?
“I’m not motivated by money.”
Her wild eyes roved his face.
“Christ almighty. She double-crossed me.”
X-88 sighed.
“What’s your name? Tell me your name.”
“Not relevant.”
This was a woman used to talking her way out of things.
“Look, I did what she asked me to. Everything, exactly the way she said. I dropped that postcard in Sugarman’s mailbox, it got them going like she wanted, and there at the gas station she pulls out her badge, and I make a run, steal that car, that green car, and she said that would be the end of it. I drive to Key Largo, leave the car in a lot somewhere, walk home. She never mentioned you forcing me off the road, grabbing me, holding me hostage.”
“Plans change.”
“I did what I was supposed to. Now I’m supposed to go home and wait. This isn’t how it goes. She and I worked it out. The step-by-step process. I cooperated. I was a hundred percent certain Sugar would go along with Thorn, and before he left the island he’d call me and tell me he was leaving, and I had my story ready. It was all planned out. It went off without a hitch. Until now.”
“You talk a lot.”
“Did you hear what I said? Cruz is a federal agent. She’s tracking terrorists. She’s after Thorn’s son. I was just helping out her investigation.”
“Sure you were.”
“I was being a good citizen.”
X-88 said nothing.
“You’re not going to let me go. You’re going to murder me.”
“Don’t take it personally.”
“Does Cruz know you’re doing this? Does she?”
“This is you and me, Tina. Is Cruz here? Do you see her? We’re off the reservation, you and me. This is my play.”
A tear broke loose from one of Tina’s eyes. Then a second tear.
“Did you hear what I said? This isn’t the plan. I did what Cruz asked, every single thing. She’s your boss, right?”
“Nobody’s my boss.”
“You got to let me go. I won’t tell anybody about all this.”
“Let me ask you something,” X said. “I were to let you go right now, what would you do? Give it to me, the play-by-play. What would you do?”
“Find some way to get home, ride a bus, whatever. And I’d never say a word to anybody. Never a word.”
“This guy, your boyfriend, Sugarman. He cuddles up to you later on, it’s late at night, you’ve made some sweet love, and he whispers in your ear, asks you real nice, what’s the deal, Tina? You’re not going to tell him anything?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I’d never say a word.”
“Yeah, yeah, you say that. But, Tina, you’re a talker. I’m around you two minutes I can see that. You like to gab. Am I wrong?”
She licked her lips.
“No,” Tina said. “I’d never speak to a soul about any of this.”
“But see, I can’t trust your word. And I’m in an awkward position. This woman, Cruz, she’s got one thing on her mind and one thing only, like Ahab and his great white shark. And she’s in such a goddamn hurry to accomplish that one thing, she forgets about loose ends. She never thinks what might come back to bite her. And that’s fine for her, maybe nothing will ever bite her. But I’m not that way. I don’t like loose ends, see. Because sooner or later one of them is going to come
“Not a thing.”
“You work with Cruz, I met you in Key Largo.”
“Now see, that right there is the entire issue. You met me, you saw me, and you recognized me. That, Tina, is the reason we’re out here right now.”
She couldn’t speak for a moment, swallowing. Looked X-88 in the face, then stumbled backward, bumped the car fender, nowhere to run.
Again he got a whiff of the bear. Crushed grass in its coat, its teeth moldy and rotten. An old fellow, not long left either.
“Tell me what you want. Money?”
X was looking off at the woods. Enduring this out of respect for the victim. If she wanted to prolong her last moment, try to bargain her way out of this, who was he to deprive her of a little extra time?
“I’m not motivated by money.”
Her wild eyes roved his face.
“Christ almighty. She double-crossed me.”
X-88 sighed.
“What’s your name? Tell me your name.”
“Not relevant.”
This was a woman used to talking her way out of things.
“Look, I did what she asked me to. Everything, exactly the way she said. I dropped that postcard in Sugarman’s mailbox, it got them going like she wanted, and there at the gas station she pulls out her badge, and I make a run, steal that car, that green car, and she said that would be the end of it. I drive to Key Largo, leave the car in a lot somewhere, walk home. She never mentioned you forcing me off the road, grabbing me, holding me hostage.”
“Plans change.”
“I did what I was supposed to. Now I’m supposed to go home and wait. This isn’t how it goes. She and I worked it out. The step-by-step process. I cooperated. I was a hundred percent certain Sugar would go along with Thorn, and before he left the island he’d call me and tell me he was leaving, and I had my story ready. It was all planned out. It went off without a hitch. Until now.”
“You talk a lot.”
“Did you hear what I said? Cruz is a federal agent. She’s tracking terrorists. She’s after Thorn’s son. I was just helping out her investigation.”
“Sure you were.”
“I was being a good citizen.”
X-88 said nothing.
“You’re not going to let me go. You’re going to murder me.”
“Don’t take it personally.”
“Does Cruz know you’re doing this? Does she?”
“This is you and me, Tina. Is Cruz here? Do you see her? We’re off the reservation, you and me. This is my play.”
A tear broke loose from one of Tina’s eyes. Then a second tear.
“Did you hear what I said? This isn’t the plan. I did what Cruz asked, every single thing. She’s your boss, right?”
“Nobody’s my boss.”
“You got to let me go. I won’t tell anybody about all this.”
“Let me ask you something,” X said. “I were to let you go right now, what would you do? Give it to me, the play-by-play. What would you do?”
“Find some way to get home, ride a bus, whatever. And I’d never say a word to anybody. Never a word.”
“This guy, your boyfriend, Sugarman. He cuddles up to you later on, it’s late at night, you’ve made some sweet love, and he whispers in your ear, asks you real nice, what’s the deal, Tina? You’re not going to tell him anything?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I’d never say a word.”
“Yeah, yeah, you say that. But, Tina, you’re a talker. I’m around you two minutes I can see that. You like to gab. Am I wrong?”
She licked her lips.
“No,” Tina said. “I’d never speak to a soul about any of this.”
“But see, I can’t trust your word. And I’m in an awkward position. This woman, Cruz, she’s got one thing on her mind and one thing only, like Ahab and his great white shark. And she’s in such a goddamn hurry to accomplish that one thing, she forgets about loose ends. She never thinks what might come back to bite her. And that’s fine for her, maybe nothing will ever bite her. But I’m not that way. I don’t like loose ends, see. Because sooner or later one of them is going to come
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