neck. ‘That little move of yours, it’s gonna
prove costly to him.’
Old cigar smoke had settled into the furnishings, sweet and comforting.
‘I . . . Listen, please, tell him I’m sorry,’ Ted said. ‘I understand, now, the gravity—’
William held up a finger. ‘What did Boss Man tell you?’
‘I can get it all back first thing tomorrow. I swear to you.’
‘What. Did. Boss. Man. Tell. You?’
Ted’s chest jerked beneath his bathrobe. ‘If I did anything to betray his trust, he’d kill me.’
William moved his hand in a circle, prompting, cigarette smoke swirling like a ribbon. ‘
How
would he kill you?’
Ted leaned forward, gagged a bit, wiped his mouth. His voice came out unnaturally high. ‘Painfully.’ His hand rose, chubby
fingers splayed, a man used to resolving conflict, to meeting halfway, to finding sensible solutions. ‘Look’ – his rolling
eyes found William again – ‘you can take
anything
. Whatever this has cost him, I can set right. I mean, he can’t possibly
prefer
to . . . to . . .’ He sputtered to a stop, an engine winding down.
William and Dodge just stared down at him.
Ted’s tongue poked at the inside of his lip, making that well-trimmed beard undulate. ‘I was in some trouble and made a stupid
decision. But I can undo it. I will pay for whatever the costs of the fallout will be. I can take a third mortgage on the
house. I have equity in . . . in—’
Beside him his wife keeled over, her bruised face pushed into the cushion. Ted began to weep. ‘Look at her. Let me get her
to a hospital. Let me call 911. We won’t say what happened. There’s still time. We can still get everything straightened out.’
William turned the cigarette inward, studying the cherry. Then he ground it out against his front tooth. He placed the butt
carefully into a Ziploc bag, which he returned to his pocket, then continued as if there had been no interruption. ‘My uncle
used to tell me: All we have is our word. All we have is what we promise we will do. Our employer is a man of his word. And
I’m a man of mine. Ethics, see? So we’re in a predicament here. We don’t like hurtin’ folks, but we have to do what we say.
Following orders, like in the armed services, or the whole damn thing falls apart. It’s a sad business all around, but that’s
how it’s gotta be.’His close-set eyes never faltered. Strands of facial hair, strawberry blond and wiry, fringed the sallow skin of his jawline.
The smell coming off him was medicinal and sour. ‘In our business you gotta make sure a man’s promise to you is upheld. If
it’s
not
, you gotta set precedent. You, Ted, are that precedent.’
Ted thumbed back Ellen’s eyelid. The pupil, dark and dilated. ‘Can you, please,
please
’ – his hand tightened into a fist – ‘take her to the hospital? She had nothing to do with this. She knew nothing about—’
The gunshot, even muffled, brought him upright on the couch. Ellen’s head bobbed, and then, through the fresh tear in the
drop cloth, a single feather floated up from the cushion, flecked crimson. Shock at the sight overtook Ted instantly – glazed
eyes, spread mouth, ice-water tremble of his muscles, like a horse flank shuddering off flies. A small, shapeless noise escaped
him, a vowel sound drawn out and out.
Dodge leaned over, reached into the unzipped duffel, and rummaged inside. Objects clanked.
‘We need to take pictures,’ William explained. ‘At various stages. So we can show them to the next guy, see, who thinks he
can get one over on Boss Man.’
When Dodge’s gloved hand emerged from the duffel, it was gripping a ball-peen hammer.
Ted moaned softly.
William said, ‘I need you to sit over here. So we have room. The angle, you see. No, here. There you go. Thank you.’ Stunned,
Ted complied. William stepped back, admired his positioning. ‘Dodge here, he gets impatient. So we’re gonna get going. Dodge,
where you
prove costly to him.’
Old cigar smoke had settled into the furnishings, sweet and comforting.
‘I . . . Listen, please, tell him I’m sorry,’ Ted said. ‘I understand, now, the gravity—’
William held up a finger. ‘What did Boss Man tell you?’
‘I can get it all back first thing tomorrow. I swear to you.’
‘What. Did. Boss. Man. Tell. You?’
Ted’s chest jerked beneath his bathrobe. ‘If I did anything to betray his trust, he’d kill me.’
William moved his hand in a circle, prompting, cigarette smoke swirling like a ribbon. ‘
How
would he kill you?’
Ted leaned forward, gagged a bit, wiped his mouth. His voice came out unnaturally high. ‘Painfully.’ His hand rose, chubby
fingers splayed, a man used to resolving conflict, to meeting halfway, to finding sensible solutions. ‘Look’ – his rolling
eyes found William again – ‘you can take
anything
. Whatever this has cost him, I can set right. I mean, he can’t possibly
prefer
to . . . to . . .’ He sputtered to a stop, an engine winding down.
William and Dodge just stared down at him.
Ted’s tongue poked at the inside of his lip, making that well-trimmed beard undulate. ‘I was in some trouble and made a stupid
decision. But I can undo it. I will pay for whatever the costs of the fallout will be. I can take a third mortgage on the
house. I have equity in . . . in—’
Beside him his wife keeled over, her bruised face pushed into the cushion. Ted began to weep. ‘Look at her. Let me get her
to a hospital. Let me call 911. We won’t say what happened. There’s still time. We can still get everything straightened out.’
William turned the cigarette inward, studying the cherry. Then he ground it out against his front tooth. He placed the butt
carefully into a Ziploc bag, which he returned to his pocket, then continued as if there had been no interruption. ‘My uncle
used to tell me: All we have is our word. All we have is what we promise we will do. Our employer is a man of his word. And
I’m a man of mine. Ethics, see? So we’re in a predicament here. We don’t like hurtin’ folks, but we have to do what we say.
Following orders, like in the armed services, or the whole damn thing falls apart. It’s a sad business all around, but that’s
how it’s gotta be.’His close-set eyes never faltered. Strands of facial hair, strawberry blond and wiry, fringed the sallow skin of his jawline.
The smell coming off him was medicinal and sour. ‘In our business you gotta make sure a man’s promise to you is upheld. If
it’s
not
, you gotta set precedent. You, Ted, are that precedent.’
Ted thumbed back Ellen’s eyelid. The pupil, dark and dilated. ‘Can you, please,
please
’ – his hand tightened into a fist – ‘take her to the hospital? She had nothing to do with this. She knew nothing about—’
The gunshot, even muffled, brought him upright on the couch. Ellen’s head bobbed, and then, through the fresh tear in the
drop cloth, a single feather floated up from the cushion, flecked crimson. Shock at the sight overtook Ted instantly – glazed
eyes, spread mouth, ice-water tremble of his muscles, like a horse flank shuddering off flies. A small, shapeless noise escaped
him, a vowel sound drawn out and out.
Dodge leaned over, reached into the unzipped duffel, and rummaged inside. Objects clanked.
‘We need to take pictures,’ William explained. ‘At various stages. So we can show them to the next guy, see, who thinks he
can get one over on Boss Man.’
When Dodge’s gloved hand emerged from the duffel, it was gripping a ball-peen hammer.
Ted moaned softly.
William said, ‘I need you to sit over here. So we have room. The angle, you see. No, here. There you go. Thank you.’ Stunned,
Ted complied. William stepped back, admired his positioning. ‘Dodge here, he gets impatient. So we’re gonna get going. Dodge,
where you
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