each part of the room, illuminating couches with rips and holes, tiles ripped up from the floors to reveal stains and what looks like a pile of week old vomit in the corner. Bottles and cups lie everywhere, along with cigarette butts and rotting food. A television mindlessly blasts public television, flickering in and out every few seconds. A horrible smell, one of mildew and mixed human odors, reaches my nose and I nearly gag. But I breathe through my mouth lightly and say, “I know that you know what happened to Rosemary. It’s written all over your face. The cops might have not been able to get it out of you, but I will. And I’m not leaving till I get answers.”
“I told you, I don’t know anything. If that’s what you came here for, you’re wasting your time,” He sits himself down on a mouse-chewed lounge chair and burps, wiping off his snotty nose.
“We both know that’s not true.” I put my backpack on the table and unzip it, slowly pulling out five bottles of...
“Liquor,” I tell him, and immediately I’ve got his attention. “Made in the 1920’s. Unopened, unused. Still has the dust on it.”
“Where’d you get that?” Marcus asks in a whisper, acting like I’ve found the Holy Grail.
“Never mind how I got it. It’s all yours, if you can tell me where Rosemary is.” I turn the bottles towards him and wait, leaning on the table.
He licks his lips. He then looks away, saying, “You might as well leave that here. I don’t know what happened to her and I don’t care, and you’ll get in trouble if you take that back with you. You’re underage. I’ll call the cops.”
“I don’t give a damn what happens to me,” I say viciously. I take a bottle and throw it against the floor. It bursts open, splattering liquor and glass everywhere. Marcus screams, throwing his hands up in the air. “What did you do that for? That was one of the best makes!”
I lift up another bottle. “I’ll keep doing it until you tell me where Rosemary is!”
“You ain’t getting nothing outta me,” he hisses through his teeth. I smash another bottle and he lets out another scream.
Sweat starts forming on my neck. I’m running out of bottles. If this doesn’t work, I’m sunk. I break the neck of a bottle and take a drink right in front of Marcus. It burns my throat, makes my eyes water and tastes disgusting. I have no idea why he wants it so much. But then with Marcus maybe he’s drank so much that he needs something this powerful just to feel it go down, just to feel alive. “Good stuff,” I say, shoving down a cough. “Wouldn’t you like a drink? No? Guess not.”
I go to tip over the bottle, start spilling it all over the floor. But before I can let one drop fall, he bursts, “Alright! Alright, give me one drink! One drink! Then I’ll tell you!”
“You’re not getting anything until I know! Now tell me!”
“ALRIGHT!!!” he roars. He jumps off the chair and says, “Jack called me up last week one evening.”
“Jack? Your brother?” I say, and my heart starts pounding.
“Yes. He told me he was coming back to Lousdale, to get his daughter back,” Marcus growls, not taking his eyes off the booze.
“Do you know where he’s headed?” I ask.
“Not sure. But if I had to guess, it’d be back to Detroit.” He looks at me. “That’s all I know, no lie. Now are you gonna keep your word?”
I’m already starting to head out the door. “Thanks for the info. It’s all yours.”
“You’d better watch yourself, boy!” Marcus calls after me as I shut the door. “Jack doesn’t mean to hurt nobody, but he’s the craziest mother you’ll ever meet this side of Lake Michigan. You’d be better off running away from him than towards! Forget about your girl. There ain’t no woman that special.”
“I guess you wouldn’t know.” I slam the door and then start running down the steps back to my car. Rosemary was with Jack, which meant that she was still alive and that he
“I told you, I don’t know anything. If that’s what you came here for, you’re wasting your time,” He sits himself down on a mouse-chewed lounge chair and burps, wiping off his snotty nose.
“We both know that’s not true.” I put my backpack on the table and unzip it, slowly pulling out five bottles of...
“Liquor,” I tell him, and immediately I’ve got his attention. “Made in the 1920’s. Unopened, unused. Still has the dust on it.”
“Where’d you get that?” Marcus asks in a whisper, acting like I’ve found the Holy Grail.
“Never mind how I got it. It’s all yours, if you can tell me where Rosemary is.” I turn the bottles towards him and wait, leaning on the table.
He licks his lips. He then looks away, saying, “You might as well leave that here. I don’t know what happened to her and I don’t care, and you’ll get in trouble if you take that back with you. You’re underage. I’ll call the cops.”
“I don’t give a damn what happens to me,” I say viciously. I take a bottle and throw it against the floor. It bursts open, splattering liquor and glass everywhere. Marcus screams, throwing his hands up in the air. “What did you do that for? That was one of the best makes!”
I lift up another bottle. “I’ll keep doing it until you tell me where Rosemary is!”
“You ain’t getting nothing outta me,” he hisses through his teeth. I smash another bottle and he lets out another scream.
Sweat starts forming on my neck. I’m running out of bottles. If this doesn’t work, I’m sunk. I break the neck of a bottle and take a drink right in front of Marcus. It burns my throat, makes my eyes water and tastes disgusting. I have no idea why he wants it so much. But then with Marcus maybe he’s drank so much that he needs something this powerful just to feel it go down, just to feel alive. “Good stuff,” I say, shoving down a cough. “Wouldn’t you like a drink? No? Guess not.”
I go to tip over the bottle, start spilling it all over the floor. But before I can let one drop fall, he bursts, “Alright! Alright, give me one drink! One drink! Then I’ll tell you!”
“You’re not getting anything until I know! Now tell me!”
“ALRIGHT!!!” he roars. He jumps off the chair and says, “Jack called me up last week one evening.”
“Jack? Your brother?” I say, and my heart starts pounding.
“Yes. He told me he was coming back to Lousdale, to get his daughter back,” Marcus growls, not taking his eyes off the booze.
“Do you know where he’s headed?” I ask.
“Not sure. But if I had to guess, it’d be back to Detroit.” He looks at me. “That’s all I know, no lie. Now are you gonna keep your word?”
I’m already starting to head out the door. “Thanks for the info. It’s all yours.”
“You’d better watch yourself, boy!” Marcus calls after me as I shut the door. “Jack doesn’t mean to hurt nobody, but he’s the craziest mother you’ll ever meet this side of Lake Michigan. You’d be better off running away from him than towards! Forget about your girl. There ain’t no woman that special.”
“I guess you wouldn’t know.” I slam the door and then start running down the steps back to my car. Rosemary was with Jack, which meant that she was still alive and that he
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