Herbert Burkholz - Brain Damage

"People like me," said Mrs. Costigan, beaming.

"People like you," Mrs. Amsell agreed. "We're hoping that your friends and neighbors will see this handsome reproduction perched on your mantelpiece, and will admire it so much that they will want one for their very own."

Julio said, "That's a lucky break for you, Mrs. C."

"I was picked by the computer. It picked me out of all the other names."

"You and several others," said Mrs. Amsell. "I still have some other stops to make." There were four more clocks in the sample case at her feet.

Snake , Julio called, get down here.

I can't , she answered . I've got my hands full of nurse. She wants to call the cops.

Get your ass down here now. I think I've got Gemstone.

Julio went into the woman's head. He did a deep and careful tap, as comprehensive as the one he had done on the nurse upstairs, and when he was finished he knew as much as he wanted to know about Stella Amsell, aka Gemstone, aka Louise Abruzzi, onetime army nurse.

Snake came into the room, still with her half-eaten sandwich. Mrs. Costigan introduced her to Mrs. Amsell, and showed her the clock.

Snake made the appropriate sounds of admiration, as she said to Julio, Have you tapped her yet?

She's Gemstone, all right. Take a look for yourself.

Snake went in and out of the woman's head. What a sweetheart. The device is in the clock. Did you catch how it works?

It's a sophisticated job. The clock itself is the timer, and it ignites a tube of compressed thermite that throws a jet of flame under high pressure. Should be as hot as a welding torch, burn down anything from a barn to a battleship.

Only if it's undetected.

She has it set for one in the morning.

What next? You going to jump this one, too?

I think we can do better than that. He told her what he had in mind.

You running this job now?

Not at all. You asked me to help, and I'm trying to. What do you think?

I like it, but how do you know she'll react?

She used to be a nurse.

So was Mrs. Costigan. And speaking of nurses…

Not now.

I think you can get to that one upstairs. She was doing a lot of complaining, but I think she enjoyed that roll on the floor.

Not interested.

Really? As I recall, you were doing some complaining, yourself.

Listen, my onetime lover, once this job is over you and I are going to find ourselves a quiet place and we won't come up for air for days.

Well see about that, but right now it's time to get to work.

Make it good.

The other two women were debating where in the parlor to put the clock. Mrs. Amsell was partial to the mantelpiece, while Mrs. Costigan thought that it would look better on the sideboard. She put it there, and both women stepped back to take a better look. As they did, Snake took a bite of her sandwich, and began to chew. Then she stopped chewing. She made a strangled sound deep in her throat, and a look of panic came over her face. She gasped for breath, but no breath came. She made another strangled sound, and the other women turned to stare at her. She put one hand to her throat, and her other hand stretched out in appeal.

Julio shouted, "She's choking."

"The sandwich," said Mrs. Costigan.

"Somebody do something."

"Help her."

"Heimlich maneuver."

"I'll do it, I'm a nurse," said Mrs. Costigan, but Mrs. Amsell was ahead of her. Moving quickly, she got behind Snake, and wrapped her arms under the rib cage. She went through the motions of the Heimlich maneuver once, again, and a third time. A gummy wad of food shot out of Snake's mouth, and fell to the floor. In the scene that followed, Snake sat slumped in a chair, breathing shallowly. Mrs. Amsell received congratulations modestly. Mrs. Costigan cleaned up the mess on the floor. Julio hovered around the edges.

Sipping a glass of water, Snake asked, How was I?

Too good. You had me scared.

Did you make the switch?

Nothing to it. All the eyes were on the star.

"Are you feeling all right?" asked Mrs. Amsell. She and Mrs. Costigan had finally settled on the mantelpiece for the clock.

"Thanks to you. I can't thank you enough."

"Not at all, I was happy to help."

"I could have done it," muttered Mrs. Costigan.

"I'm sure you could have," Mrs. Amsell assured her. "Now, will you look at the time? I'll have to run."

"This must be heavy." Julio picked up the sample case. "I'll give you a hand with it."

"That's kind of you. Good-bye, Mrs. Costigan, and I hope you enjoy your lovely clock."

Julio took the case out to the car, and when he came back, Mrs. Costigan was still in front of the mantelpiece, admiring. "You know, this is the first time in my life that I ever got something for nothing. Never won a lottery, not even a door prize."

"Your lucky day," said Julio. "You want a beer to celebrate?"

"Don't be silly. When did you ever see me drink beer?"

Julio went to the kitchen and came back with two beers. He gave one to Snake, and they raised their bottles in a silent salute. Snake asked, Where did you put the case?

In the trunk, with the hot one facing the gas tank.

What if she gives the others away?

Never happen. Those spares were just window dressing.

She might dump them.

She might, but I doubt it. She's a torch, and there's only one thing on her mind right now. She has to see it burn.

We'll see.

That we will.

They saw it in the middle of the night, sitting on the front porch. There was only the sliver of a moon, but there was enough light to see the street, and the street was empty. They sat side by side on the glider, waiting. They had been waiting for almost an hour.

"What time is it?" asked Snake.

"Almost one."

"What if she doesn't show?"

"She'll be here. She has to see it. That's the biggest part of it for a torch."

"That nurse…"

"Which one? There were three of them here today."

"Come on, the one you jumped. I really think you got to her. She asked me about you before she left."

"Like what?"

"All sorts of things. I could see that she was interested."

"What did you tell her?"

"Well, I said that you were Cuban, and a man of passion, and…" She stopped as a car turned the corner, and rolled to a stop down the street. "Do you think…?"

Julio was silent for a moment, and then he nodded. "It's Gemstone. I just tapped."

Snake shivered. "Not me. I wouldn't want to be inside that head right now. What time is it?"

"Just one o'clock. It might take a while."

"How long?"

"Long enough for the flame to eat through the metal. Might be a few minutes."

As he spoke, the car exploded into flames. The explosion rocked the street and rattled windows. A figure was flung from the wreck. It looked like a flaming doll. It was also a screaming doll. The doll rolled over and over in the street, burning and screaming.

"Gemstone's last fire," said Julio. "I hope she got a kick out of it."

"It's the least we can wish her."

The screaming stopped. Julio tapped. "She's gone."

"Feel like calling the cops?"

"Let someone else do it." Lights had begun to show in windows. "Now that the job is over, would you like to tell me what it was all about? Why did she want to burn down this place?"

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't know?"

"No."

"I'm sorry, Julio, but I really can't say anything."

"I didn't think you would." He stood up. "Your room or mine?"