rain, rippling the surface. There
was the dim yellow lamp at the side of the jetty. A few seconds later, there
was the air I craved.
Seconds after that,
a click. I turned as quickly as I could. The bouncer ejected his empty clip,
swearing as he did so. I raised my pistol and shot him twice before he loaded
the second. He crashed heavily onto the jetty.
I struggled to the
edge of the dock. Didn’t have the strength to pull myself out. I slid the gun
onto the flat concrete where I wouldn’t lose it, and hooked my arm through a
rusted metal hoop set into the dock wall.
SIX
| CONDOLENCES
It was getting cold. I guessed it
was only about two, but the temperature was dropping already. The rain was
warmer than the air. If I lay completely still on the concrete, I felt a little
warm. I’d eventually pulled myself out of the water, before my skin could turn
to tissue paper. I felt like I’d been treading water for hours. Really, it was
about ten minutes.
After a while, the
rain slapping my face got annoying. I climbed to my feet. My toes were numb but
the water in my shoes was warm now. My sodden trousers rubbed against the
water-softened skin of my inner thighs as I approached the inert bulk of the
bouncer.
His suit was shiny
with the rain. His blood joined the excess water and dribbled off the edge of
the jetty into the lake. I’d hit him once in the centre of his chest. The second
bullet must have missed.
I compared the gun
I’d taken from Little Dick to the one lying beside the bouncer. They were
identical. I emptied the chamber of mine and put the bullet back into the clip.
Then I swapped the guns. They were waterproof, but I didn’t want to risk it.
I’d stick to the driest weapon. The bouncer’s gun had an empty chamber and only
four in the clip he’d been about to reload with. He must have had a busy
morning. That filled my weapon to capacity. Sixteen plus one. I cocked the gun
and flicked the safety on. Quicker that way. Who knew when I might run into
Webster’s men again? I couldn’t be bothered taking off and then readjusting the
bouncer’s shoulder holster. I just stuck the gun into the back of my waistband.
The cops had taken my belt.
Next, I checked the
bouncer’s pockets. A vial of some pale blue drug. A comm device with a barely-clothed
woman for wallpaper. His ID as a bouncer of club Web. Lastly, half a pack of
unbranded cigarettes. I stuck one in my mouth and lit it with the bouncer’s ring,
which doubled as a novelty lighter. I put the crumpled pack into my pocket.
Now what? The cops
wanted me. They’d think I’d broken out of custody. Who’d believe that Webster
had broken me out in order to beat me up and kill me? Webster wanted me too. He
wanted something from me. Something I didn’t have. I
didn’t even know what it was, except that the girl must have had it for Webster
to think I stole it. Then there was whoever carved up the girl. Would he be
looking for me too? He might have meant to get both of us. He might want to use
my breakout as an opportunity to silence me. Make sure I couldn’t convince the
cops there was someone else to look for.
I looked at the
lake. Maybe Little Dick hadn’t been the one. I couldn’t make sense of it. If
he’d cut up the girl, why would he be trying to get me to talk? Maybe he was
moving against his own father and whatever the girl had was a part of it. So he
had to make a show of my interrogation. Or maybe he had nothing to do with it.
Maybe he was standing outside the club because he was waiting for the signal to
break me out.
I didn’t have
enough information. But I did know that I didn’t even get it as bad as the
bouncer. If Little Dick had really wanted me to talk, he’d have done a better
job than that. Maybe they just hadn’t finished. Too many maybes.
The bouncer’s comm
rang. The tone was that of an ancient telephone. Like twenty small bells going
off in sequence. I froze. It would be Webster. I knew it. He’d be calling to
find
was the dim yellow lamp at the side of the jetty. A few seconds later, there
was the air I craved.
Seconds after that,
a click. I turned as quickly as I could. The bouncer ejected his empty clip,
swearing as he did so. I raised my pistol and shot him twice before he loaded
the second. He crashed heavily onto the jetty.
I struggled to the
edge of the dock. Didn’t have the strength to pull myself out. I slid the gun
onto the flat concrete where I wouldn’t lose it, and hooked my arm through a
rusted metal hoop set into the dock wall.
SIX
| CONDOLENCES
It was getting cold. I guessed it
was only about two, but the temperature was dropping already. The rain was
warmer than the air. If I lay completely still on the concrete, I felt a little
warm. I’d eventually pulled myself out of the water, before my skin could turn
to tissue paper. I felt like I’d been treading water for hours. Really, it was
about ten minutes.
After a while, the
rain slapping my face got annoying. I climbed to my feet. My toes were numb but
the water in my shoes was warm now. My sodden trousers rubbed against the
water-softened skin of my inner thighs as I approached the inert bulk of the
bouncer.
His suit was shiny
with the rain. His blood joined the excess water and dribbled off the edge of
the jetty into the lake. I’d hit him once in the centre of his chest. The second
bullet must have missed.
I compared the gun
I’d taken from Little Dick to the one lying beside the bouncer. They were
identical. I emptied the chamber of mine and put the bullet back into the clip.
Then I swapped the guns. They were waterproof, but I didn’t want to risk it.
I’d stick to the driest weapon. The bouncer’s gun had an empty chamber and only
four in the clip he’d been about to reload with. He must have had a busy
morning. That filled my weapon to capacity. Sixteen plus one. I cocked the gun
and flicked the safety on. Quicker that way. Who knew when I might run into
Webster’s men again? I couldn’t be bothered taking off and then readjusting the
bouncer’s shoulder holster. I just stuck the gun into the back of my waistband.
The cops had taken my belt.
Next, I checked the
bouncer’s pockets. A vial of some pale blue drug. A comm device with a barely-clothed
woman for wallpaper. His ID as a bouncer of club Web. Lastly, half a pack of
unbranded cigarettes. I stuck one in my mouth and lit it with the bouncer’s ring,
which doubled as a novelty lighter. I put the crumpled pack into my pocket.
Now what? The cops
wanted me. They’d think I’d broken out of custody. Who’d believe that Webster
had broken me out in order to beat me up and kill me? Webster wanted me too. He
wanted something from me. Something I didn’t have. I
didn’t even know what it was, except that the girl must have had it for Webster
to think I stole it. Then there was whoever carved up the girl. Would he be
looking for me too? He might have meant to get both of us. He might want to use
my breakout as an opportunity to silence me. Make sure I couldn’t convince the
cops there was someone else to look for.
I looked at the
lake. Maybe Little Dick hadn’t been the one. I couldn’t make sense of it. If
he’d cut up the girl, why would he be trying to get me to talk? Maybe he was
moving against his own father and whatever the girl had was a part of it. So he
had to make a show of my interrogation. Or maybe he had nothing to do with it.
Maybe he was standing outside the club because he was waiting for the signal to
break me out.
I didn’t have
enough information. But I did know that I didn’t even get it as bad as the
bouncer. If Little Dick had really wanted me to talk, he’d have done a better
job than that. Maybe they just hadn’t finished. Too many maybes.
The bouncer’s comm
rang. The tone was that of an ancient telephone. Like twenty small bells going
off in sequence. I froze. It would be Webster. I knew it. He’d be calling to
find
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