Elmore Leonard: Freaky Deaky

Skip watched him walk out through the sunroom and come back a few minutes later with a good-looking redhead, escorting her the way a cop will hold you by the arm.

As soon as she saw Woody, Greta said, "Oh, my Lord," and looked away.

What was going on here? People watching a naked man… She recognized Robin, dressed this time, wearing jeans and a light sweater, the woman staring at her; but didn't know the guy with the beard and ponytail, scruffy looking, grinning at her. Donnell seemed friendly, holding onto her arm, saying, "This is Mr.

Woody's friend Ginger."

The bearded guy said, "Hey, Ginger, how you doing?"

But not Robin, she didn't say a word or look very happy about this interruption.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this…"

Donnell said, "Well, you here now."

"I just wanted to talk to Woody a minute."

"He's right there go ahead."

Greta said, "Yeah, I noticed," raising her eyebrows in fun.

"I better come back some other time."

Donnell said, "No, it's all right. Talk loud, he hear you.

Watch." Donnell brought her around by the arm to face the pool.

"Mr. Woody, look who come to see you. Over this way, Mr. Woody.

Look, it's Ginger."

"I should've called, I'm sorry."

"Hey, he's waving to you." Donnell raised his voice.

"Better get out, Mr. Woody. You gonna be all wrinkled like a prune."

"I can come back tomorrow."

Donnell said it again, "You here now," turning her from the pool to the table.

"You sit down. Mr. Woody's about done with his swim. Make yourself at home, I'll get you something to drink." Sounding friendly, but he wasn't, his hand tightening around her arm as she made a move to pull it away.

"I really can't stay. I thought I might have just a minute, you know, to talk to him, but I'll come back some other time. I'm supposed to meet somebody anyway."

The next moment it became scary.

Robin said, "For God's sake, will you sit down."

The bearded guy came over and pulled a canvas chair out for her, saying, "You may as well enjoy yourself. What would you like, sweetheart, a drink?" He had spooky eyes, pale, pale blue.

Sitting down, at least she was able to free her arm of Donnell. She looked up at the bearded guy and shook her head.

"I don't care for anything, thanks."

He was looking at Robin with his pale eyes, just barely grinning as he said, "I bet I know what she'd like."

Greta saw Robin look up through her rose-tinted glasses and pause before she said, "Yeah…" dragging the word out in a thoughtful sound.

"I really don't care for anything." None of them paid any attention to her.

"Really."

Robin got up and left without saying a word. Donnell and the bearded guy went over toward the bar, behind where Greta was sitting. She turned her head to one side, alert, wanting to hear if they said anything, and all of a sudden rock music came blaring out, filling the whole room. What was going on? None of them acted drunk or stoned.

They sounded friendly, except for Robin. Then why was she scared? They couldn't hold her here if she didn't want to stay. They weren't going to tie her up. Greta felt herself getting mad. Damn right…

Turned her head and said, "Oh, my God!"

Woody was out of the swimming pool, coming toward her bare naked, shaking his head back and forth, saying, "No no no no no, that isn't what I want to hear. Donnell!"

They did seem friendlier. Even Robin was sort of smiling as she kept watching her. When the bearded guy handed her the vodka-and-tonic Greta said, All right, just one, then she was leaving. And the bearded guy said, "One's all you'll need, Ginger." She told him not to call her that. The bearded guy said, "You're a cute girl, you know it? How you feeling?" He kept asking her how she felt and Robin kept watching her. She felt fine. Woody sat next to her saying boy-oh-boy in a terrycloth robe. She felt a little funny, but generally fine, thinking maybe she could get Woody aside for a minute, and said, "About your offer. I think I'll take it." Woody said, something like, "Yeah?

Okay. What offer?" And she realized it was going to take longer than a minute. She could smell marijuana. Now the bearded guy and Woody were singing "On the Street Where You Live" along with the deep, syncopating voice on the stereo, trying to do it with the same timing and inflections as the voice. They were awful but thought they were good. Donnell handed her a joint, saying, "Here, girl, ease yourself off," and she thought, What the heck, and took it. Robin was saying, "Jesus Christ, will you play something else?" They kept playing it over and over. Now Donnell was saying, "Five o'clock, munchie-wunchie time," and she thought, It couldn't be, and tried to remember what time she got here. About three? Now Donnell and the bearded guy were putting take-out cartons and paper plates on the table, pouring wine, dishing out something that seemed alive. They were alive-little white worms crawling over each other on the plates and these people were eating them. Woody had worms all over his chin.

The funny part was, the worms didn't look too bad. They seemed pure.

Heck, everybody was digging in, so Greta said, "Here goes nothing," and took a big bite. Mmmmm.

But when she felt how slimy they were crawling around in her mouth and down her throat, she gagged and all of a sudden jumped up from the table, knocking over wineglasses, wanting so bad to clean out her insides, ran straight to the swimming pool and threw herself at the water.

The light above the door showed Donnell in his yellow outfit, his expression almost a grin, getting ready to or thinking if he should or not, the look becoming a relaxed pose. Maybe a little vague, stoned.

He was holding a brown plastic trash bag, folded flat.

"I've been standing here five minutes," Chris said, "ringing the bell."

"Couldn't hear it with the music. Having a jivey kind of evening out by the swimming pool. I happen to go in the kitchen for something..

.." He showed Chris the trash bag.

"Man, you might not believe it, but I'm glad to see you stop by. Get some things straightened out here."

"Where's Greta?"

"Mean Ginger? She's out there."

"What's going on?"

"Man's having a party, entertaining his guests, what he does. Come on in, it's fine."

Donnell started to turn, hand on the door, then waited as Chris looked out at the street, at his dad's Cadillac parked behind Greta's blue Escort.

"The other people," Donnell said, "their car's around the back."

"Friends of Woody's?"

"Old ones. They been doing a little business, now they having some fun. Man, this is the most could happen, you showing up here. I expect you looking for Ginger. She mention she suppose to meet somebody, I figured was you."

"I was coming anyway," Chris said.

Donnell squinted to show pain and moved his shoulders, looking out at the night.

"That business with Juicy, huh? That wasn't suppose to been like that." His gaze came back to Chris, calm now, serious.

"The Juice, what I meant for him was to talk to you was all. You understand? Ask you kindly would you mind stepping away from something wasn't any of your business."

Chris said, "Or get my other leg broken."

"No"-Donnell again showing pain-"nothing like that was to happen."

"You and the Juice may have to pay for a windshield and new seats,"

Chris said, "but that's something else.

What I want you to tell me right now's where I can find Robin. We'll see how you do with that and then we'll go on from there."

Donnell's face turned deadpan.

"Like to speak with Robin, huh? How 'bout the Skipper? Like to speak with him too?"

Chris took a moment, looking at Donnell trying hard not to show any expression, the man playing with him, putting him on. Chris said, "You gonna bring them out or what?"