Andrew Vachss - Sacrifice

I showed Mama the puppy. She patted its body, clucking at the plumpness. Opened its mouth, raised its tail.

"Good puppy, Burke. Strong."

"Yeah. It's for Luke. A gift."

"Okay. Puppy hungry?"

"Probably. Let's let the kid feed her, okay?"

"In basement. With the woman."

"We'll wait."

123

No lunchtime customers yet— one of Mama's thugs in place at the door, across from the register. Mama was scratching behind the puppy's ears with one hand, the other waving in front of the dog's nose. The pup's eyes were locked on Mama's waving hand.

"Train dog this way," she said. "Rub hand in liver, dog follow everywhere."

Something to that. Something Blossom told me about pheromones, the copper-estrogen smell still sharp in my nostrils whenever I thought of her.

"Hi, Burke!" Luke bounded into the front room, Teresa trailing in his wake.

"Hello, Luke. How's it going?"

But the kid wasn't looking at me anymore, his face rapt with the wonder of the puppy.

"What a puppy! He's yours, Burke?"

"No. The puppy is yours. A gift from your friend Terry. And it's a girl, not a boy."

"Can I…?"

Mama handed him the pup. Luke sat on the floor, cuddling the dog, pushing his face into the animal's snout, giggling when the pup licked his face.

"She likes me. What's her name?"

"She's your pup, kid. So you name her, okay?"

"Okay," the child said, his face all concentration, patting his dog. "Prince," he said. "Prince. Prince the Puppy. My good old puppy."

He was rocking back and forth on the floor, holding the puppy, face wet with tears. "Don't take Prince!" he screamed, rolling over, trying to shield the pup with his body. Teresa started toward him. The front door opened, three men in business suits. Mama barked something at the waiter standing across from the register. He leaped up, his body between the customers and us, chesting them out the door into the street, door closing behind him. Two more of her men ran from the kitchen, the first one pulling an automatic from under his white coat. Teresa had the boy in her arms. The kid was sweat-drenched, mouth open, no sound, veins popping on his neck.

Luke went rigid. Teresa crooned, stroking him like he had the puppy. The boy's eyes closed. A shudder shook him. The puppy stood next to him on its stubby legs, guarding.

Luke's eyes opened. His fine hair was matted to his scalp, blood in one palm from his nails.

"It's okay, Luke," Teresa said to him. "A bad dream, that's all. You're safe. The puppy's safe."

"My puppy…"

"Ssssh, child. It's all over now."

"They killed his puppy." Toby's little wiseguy voice coming out of Luke's body. "They hung it upside down. They cut it open. The man with the hood, he cut out the heart and he ate it. He said he'd cut out Luke's heart too. If he ever told. Luke swore he never would. Luke's a little fucking pussy."

I dropped to my knees, my hand on the back of Luke's head, the way you support a baby who can't hold his head up yet. "Tell what, Toby?"

"Baby baby baby," the child babbled. A murderer's mantra. I watched his eyes. The shift came. "Baby," the voice hissed. "Bad baby. Killed my puppy. Baby wouldn't play like they wanted. I am…"

He launched himself off the floor, scrambling for one of the table settings. Where they had knives. I took him down, smothering his rage with my body, smelling his blood.

He went rigid again. Then I felt him soften beneath me, let him loose. He shook himself, sweat droplets flying. Teresa was talking to him. One of Mama's waiters swept the restaurant with the barrel of his pistol, looking for the evil with a blind eye.

124

Luke sat on Mama's lap, sipping from a glass of ice water. One of the waiters put a Closed for Repairs sign in the window— no customers today. The puppy plodded around on the tabletop, investigating all the smells.

"Luke, listen to Mama," the dragon lady said, soft-voiced. "Nobody hurt puppy. Nobody , understand? You take puppy with you. Everyplace you go, people watch you. Safe, okay?"

"Sure, Mama," the kid said, watching the puppy lick up a mixture of tuna flakes and rice from a saucer.

I stepped away from the table, spoke to Teresa in a corner.

"Dissociation. Trauma-memories. He was reliving, reexperiencing."

"Did he have a puppy…before?"

"I don't know. Now's not the time to ask him. He comes back more quickly now…we're getting closer."

"Is it safe to leave the puppy with him?"

"You saw for yourself. It's babies he thinks are the enemy…a part of him, but he doesn't see that yet."

"Remember what we talked about…? I want to bring that woman tomorrow. To talk to you. Not here, but a place close by. One of Mama's people will take you there, okay?"

She nodded.

I went to the pay phone in the back.

"This is SAFE. How can I help you?"

"You buy my clothes yet?" I asked Noelle.

"Oh, Burke! Not clothes, just a jacket. You didn't give me enough money for…"

"Never mind. Is your mother around?"

"No. She went somewhere with Storm."

"Okay. You know Wolfe's number?"

"Sure. She's so stylish. She's going to take me to the…"

"Noelle, listen to me. Give her a call. Tell her to go to a good phone and call me. Understand?"

"Sure. Want me to do it now?"

"Yes."

"Okay. When you come over I …"

"Now, Noelle."

Well, fine! "

She hung up.

125

"Where's Luke?" I asked Mama after Teresa left.

"Nap," she said, nodding her head toward the kitchen.

The phone rang. I walked back to answer it. Caught a glimpse of Luke, curled up on a dark green futon just outside the kitchen door, the puppy asleep against his chest. Baby's breath soft between them.

"Hello," I answered the ring.

"What's up?" Lily's voice.

"I'm trying to arrange a meet. Let her see what's really going down."

"What if…?"

"There's no 'what if' here anymore. It's what we have to do, now. It's time."

"When is it? I'm coming too."

"No, you're not. Let me do this, get it done."

"I…"

"I'll call you."

126

Luke was up from his nap, playing with the puppy on the floor, Mama watching over the rim of her newspaper.

"I love her," the kid said, looking at me.

"Seems like she loves you too."

"Yes. She does. I can tell. Burke, will you help me with something?"

"Sure."

"I need a name for her. A good name, just for her."

"I don't know, Luke…I mean…a name, that's a special thing."

"Yes, I know. And it has to be a real name, Burke, you understand?"

"Sure. But…"

"Remember our names? Luke and Burke?"

"Yes. Lurk."

"That's right. Together we're more than just the two of us. Friends. That's what I want…" His forehead furrowed, thinking so hard his body trembled. I lit a smoke, wary of his eyes, but he was okay, still Luke.

"Do you know his father's name?"

"Sure," I said. Thinking how I'd never know mine. "His dad's name is Simba."

"I know Simba— I met him. What's his mother's?"

"Elsa."

"Simba and Elsa…Elsa and Simba…I know, Burke! Her name is Simsa! Do you like it?"

"Yeah. It's perfect."

"Simsa," the boy called. The puppy wagged its tail happily.

127

Wolfe called just past three.

"Can we do it tomorrow?" I asked her.

"What time?"

"I'll pick you up around ten…?"

"Okay. At the diner."

"I'll have a black Dodge. Gypsy cab. I'll be at the curb at ten."

"See you."

"Yeah. By the way, congratulations. Autopsy done yet?"

"See you tomorrow," she said. And hung up.

128