return to episode 4
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I was taping the baseboards when I first heard the bell. Mrs. Gee didn’t get to the door quick enough, so the bell rang again, and the old bird let herself in. She looked to be about a hundred, but she was all business. She hung her keys on a hook by the door and handed Mrs. Gee a schedule for who knows
what chores.
I didn’t catch her name before she was out the door again, shaking her cane at a taxi idling in the driveway across the street. But when Mrs. Gee went back to polishing her cutlery, I drove over to the plaza to cut myself a copy of the keys.
I knew the electronics wouldn’t be worth a damn, but I figured there might be cash stashed away in mason jars some place (old people were like squirrels that way). If
nothing else, the deep freeze was bound to be good for a surprise or three.
I never slept, of course. I just put my feet up for a bit. I was getting things straight in my mind when in comes Finny from the kitchen wearing granny's tartan flannels and sipping from the glass of cooking sherry in his hand.
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By the way, he says, without the usual preliminaries, Mrs. Gee stopped by while you were sleeping. Figured to water the plants.
Oh? That was unexpected. She still here?
Yeah. Upstairs.
Upstairs.
Yeah.
What’s she doing upstairs?
Nothing.
I took a sip of the sherry. I’d never had sherry before. She was alone?
Finny nodded. Mr. Gee didn't show up till after the fact.
After the fact.
Finny shrugged.
You
let him in?
Finny shrugged again.
What did you let him in for?
He wanted to see his wife. I said she was upstairs. Finny brightened. Hey, you hungry?
Huh?
’Cause I ordered pizza while you were asleep. You like anchovies, right?
I like anchovies, I said. To feed my pet sardine.
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Finny got a kick out of that. Look who’s being a joker!
I was going to tell him who—but the doorbell rang. I tried to get up, but Finny pushed me back: Hey, it’s my treat, he insisted.
I could hear the chitchat from where I was sitting, and then a bit of commotion.
Finally, Finny comes strolling into the room, balancing a box of pizza with one hand and wiping his thigh with the other. Hot out of the oven!
I glanced at the ceiling. You remember to lock the door behind him?
Finny shrugged.
You remember to lock the door behind him? I repeated.
Finny acted like he didn’t hear me.
I got up to make certain. I didn’t want people getting into the house.
Turns out, the door wasn’t locked after all. It wasn’t even shut. The pizza guy’s leg was in the way. One of his shoes had fallen off.
I dragged him inside then went back to yell at Finny.
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I sure as hell never expected to see Junebug standing there, pale as a ghost. Where the hell did she come from? She had the phone up to her ear. It looked like she was calling the cops.
I said: Little Finnegan just killed the fucking delivery guy.
June turned her head away: No.
I said: It’s true.
She let the phone slip from her hand.
Finny wasn’t about to confess to anything, not from what I could tell. He was lying on his face in front of the television. Blood was coming out of his ears, but he wasn’t moving.
June just stood there, one of her hands low by her side, trying to keep the blade out of sight.
Jesus, June, I said. What the hell are you doing?
She wouldn’t speak.
Jesus, June. There’s blood everywhere.
She wouldn’t look me in the eyes. She seemed to be keeping her distance. I sat back in the Morris chair and tried to think. She was young and pretty. The cops would go easy on her, for sure.
It never occurred to me that any of the blood was hers, not until she collapsed. I waited for her to get up, but she never did. I prodded her with my foot, but she didn’t move.
Then I saw the gash: no way would I have had the grit to split my own throat like that.
Jesus, June, I said, shaking my head. The cops would’ve gone easy on you for sure.
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continue to episode 6