William Lashner - Past Due

“Not a penny,” said the justice.

“Don’t be a stupid sot.”

“Too late for that.”

“It won’t work, Colfax,” I said. “It’s over. The FBI’s already on the way.”

“You’re lying.”

“No, I’m not. Beth has already been rescued off that boat and the FBI is on the way, probably crawling all over the dock as we speak.”

“It’s good you don’t play poker for a living, Victor.”

“It’s not a bluff.”

“Look, I’m not kidding around ’ere.” He turned his gun away from the justice, toward Alura Straczynski. “You, the prune, you’re coming with me.”

He grabbed her by the arm, pulled her close.

“Let go of me,” she said. “ Jackson, stop him.”

He placed the gun against her cheek. “ ’E ain’t doing squat. I got the gun and I’m getting off this damn bucket. If Victor’s on the up, you’ll keep the coppers off and at the same time convince your loving ’usband to bring the money.”

“Leave her be,” said Straczynski.

“Sure I will,” he said, “soon as I get my money.”

There was a moment when Jackson glanced at Tommy and he glanced back, a moment when they were back to a pair of undergraduates, still young and full of possibilities, young men with swords in their hands.

Two quick lunges. SWAK, SWAK.

Colfax recoiled, lines of blood appeared on his face. “Are you insane?” he said as held Alura tighter to himself and pointed the gun at the two men.

SWAK, SWAK, and as quick as that the gun spun out of his hand, spun right to Kimberly, who gazed at it with curiosity for a moment and then picked it up as casually as if picking up a seashell at the shore.

“There you go, Kimberly,” said Colfax, reaching out his hand, his hostage still in front of him. “Be a nice little quail and hand over the gun.”

With a quick flick, she pointed the gun at him. It didn’t quiver in her hand. Colfax saw something in her face and stepped back.

“You might want to go now, Mr. D,” said Kimberly.

“Are they really coming?” said Tommy.

“For sure,” she said. “It’s my fault, I’m afraid. I wish now I had waited. They’re probably already at the door. But you know the ship, you probably know another way off. You can always jump.”

“Kimberly,” I said. “What are you doing?”

She glanced at me, and as she did Colfax tossed Alura aside and lunged for the gun. Tommy slashed him in the leg, sending him sprawling. Jackson Straczynski put the button of his sword on Colfax’s neck and pressed down.

“You better hurry,” said Kimberly, the gun now pointing at Colfax’s face.

“Kimberly?” I said.

“I know what I’m doing, V,” she said and I could see in the squint of her eyes, the set of her mouth, that she did know what she was doing, exactly what she was doing.

“I thought you’d come with me,” said Tommy.

“I can’t, Mr. D. I already quit, remember?”

“Kimberly, there’s something I need to tell you.” He glanced at Alura. “There’s something we need to tell you.”

“No there isn’t.”

“You don’t understand.”

“Yes, she does,” I said. “She understands everything.”

He turned to me. “I was blaming you for all that went wrong, but I guess I should be thanking you instead.”

“Don’t.”

“Okay. So I should just go.”

“That’s the best thing for everyone, Mr. D.”

“Hey, Tommy,” I said. “How about this Christmas, instead of sending another bottle to your mother, why don’t you send roses?”

Just then we heard it, the jangle of sheet metal, something slamming to the ground, a bellow, a curse.

“Go,” she said.

“What will I do? Where will I go?” he said.

“Figure it out,” said Kimberly. “And this time, maybe, forgive a little.”

He looked at her, his immobile face filled, for the first time I ever saw, with something close to emotion.

The sound of footsteps came clear, echoing, more than one set, more then two sets.

“Go,” she said.

“Okay,” he said. “Yes. But I’ll be back,” he said, and then, just like that, with surprising quickness, he was gone, sword and all, out the door, down the hall, into some other passage, away.

“Kimberly,” I said.

“Shut up,” she said. “Just shut up for once, all right, V?”

And I did, we all did, with Colfax on the ground and Kimberly holding the gun and Justice Jackson Straczynski now standing, with a sword in one hand and the other around his wife. We stayed there, quiet, as the footsteps thundered, as the thunder closed in, we stayed there, wordlessly, waiting for them to come.

IT WAS MCDEISSwho had tripped on the wire, who had banged his shin on the step, who had bellowed like a walrus and cursed like a sailor. And it was McDeiss who first limped into the room, his revolver drawn, followed by another detective, three uniforms, and an Assistant District Attorney, who seemed, for some reason I couldn’t quite fathom, quite peeved at me.

“Where’s Beth?” I said as soon as McDeiss entered the room.

“She’s fine, she’s being looked after outside.”

“I’ll be right back,” I said, but before I could leave a uniform stood in the doorway, blocking my exit.

“No one, and I mean no one, leaves this room,” said McDeiss in a voice loud enough to shake the hull of that old boat. “No one leaves until we figure out exactly what happened here. And that means you.”

“Me,” I said.

“Oh, yes,” said Slocum.

So I stayed, and I gave my statement, and I answered questions, and all the while Slocum was staring at me with a visible malice in his eye.

“What’s your beef?” I said to him, finally.

“You said you wouldn’t do anything stupid,” said Slocum.

“I can’t help it, it’s in my nature.”

“I won’t disagree. You could be the poster child for adult stupidity. Do you know how much danger you were in?”

“I didn’t know you cared so deeply.”

“Something happened to you, Carl, it wouldn’t exactly ruin my day. But then you go dragging a Supreme Court justice into it and suddenly my day is looking decidedly worse.”

“He dragged himself, Larry.”

“Is that what he did?”

“After you told him where to find me.”

“I knew I made a mistake as soon as I hung up the phone.”

“But I have to admit, he did pretty well for himself,” I said, nodding to the justice, who was standing in the corner with his wife, giving his statement to a detective. With every word his future was disintegrating – even if he had done nothing wrong his nomination to the highest court would be too controversial now – but he didn’t seem to care. In fact, he seemed supremely happy, almost giddy, having come through an adventure with a sword in his hand, still in his incomprehensible marriage, but now, seemingly, relieved of the burdens of his ambition. He lifted his gaze and spotted me, gave me a smile, and I smiled back. I didn’t envy him, his life, that wife, but it was his and it seemed to be exactly what he wanted.

McDeiss, with his notebook out, limped over to Slocum and me.

“Can I go now?” I said.

“Not yet,” said McDeiss.

“I’d like to see my partner.”

“I told you she’s fine. But first we need to get some things clear.” He pointed over to Colfax, on the ground, scowling, his hands cuffed behind him. “So what exactly are the charges to be filed against this Colfax?” said McDeiss. “I want to make sure we don’t miss anything.”

“The murder of Bradley Babbage,” I said. “The murder of Lonnie Chambers. The kidnapping of Beth Derringer, along with various charges of arson and firearms violations.”