Twenty
“Abe, please, you gotta listen to me first!”
Abe slammed his fist into
Lazarus' solar plexus, a vicious
blow that knocked the wind from him and, for half an agonizing minute,
convinced him that he’d never breath again. Standing in the center of the
living room, Lazarus didn’t even see the blow coming. He turned away and
tried to run, but Abe put his size twelve boot on his rear end and
shoved. Lazarus managed to keep his feet beneath him, but only until he
went head first into the opposite wall of the living room.
“Burned my truck?” Abe muttered, hauling Lazarus to
his feet by the scuff of his neck. “Well, how about if I shove a road
flare up your ass?”
Abe rammed his forehead against the wall again. “And
messing with your sister again to boot? Betcha had a real party last
night. Where the hell is she, Lazarus?”
“Abe, for God’s sake!”
Abe spun him about, swept his feet from beneath him
and sat him down hard on the wreckage of the coffee table.
“Where’s Noah?” Abe said.
“That’s what I’m trying to tell you! It wasn’t me!
Noah got a phone call, and he took Evie and your truck. They didn’t come
back, and then I saw the fire by the river and I went down and saw your
truck burning!”
“I’ve been told that Noah was seen with Frank Estevez
and Jake Boker at the saloon,” Abe said, “but I’m betting you put Noah up
to it, whatever the hell’s going on. Have you been talking with Noah,
Lazarus? You been working him up about the Trevors again?”
Lazarus shook his head frantically. Noah would back
him up, if only there was some way to get to him first so they could match
their stories. Or, if something had gone wrong, maybe Noah had gotten
himself killed. Maybe Billy Trevor would take Evie and leave, and never
return.
Only one scenario mattered, the nightmare in which
Abe found out that he had lied. Abe would kill him if he found out what
he and Noah had planned behind his back. He’d take him out into the hills
and beat him to death with his bare fists.
“You know what’ll happen if I catch you lying to me,”
Abe said, confirming the worst of his fears.
Lazarus nodded unhappily.
“So tell me. If you had nothing to do with the fire,
how did you get your legs all burned?”
“I saw the fire! I tried to push the truck away!
Abe, I saw something else!”
Abe growled. “What did you see, Lazarus?”
“I saw Evie’s demons again, Billy Trevor’s machines.
He was always good with them radio-controlled contraptions, but these
things shoot darts that sting like all get out. Honest, Abe, they shoot
some kind of poisoned needle. I told you I been stung.”
Abe contemplated the story, but shook his head.
“Only one thing don’t make any sense. I had an agreement with Trevor. I
was going to give him what he wanted. Why would he start trouble?”
Lazarus licked his lips nervously. He was going to
have to take a chance on Billy Trevor being dead. “I sure as hell can’t
speak for that bastard. You’ll just have to go up there and ask him
yourself.”
“I will, but none of this had better be your doing.
I hate fucking over family, but if Ma herself had put me in dutch with the
likes of King, I would have busted her neck.”
Abe seldom used obscenities, or spoke ill of their
dead parents, warning of how upset he was. If he had known how badly
things were going to turn out, he would have planned ahead with more
care. Even Evie was hardly worth the unexpected intensity of Abe’s wrath.
Abe stared at the floor and spaced out. “King had
better not get wind of any of this. Remember about those stories I heard
about King ripping a man’s throat out with his teeth?”
Lazarus jammed his eyes closed, not sure he wanted to
hear it.
“I saw it myself. You gonna keep that in mind? I
saw a man rip another man’s throat out with his teeth, and it wasn't even
funny.”
Lazarus swallowed hard, not entirely certain he could
believe such a thing. He couldn’t imagine anyone intimidating Abe.
“Yeah, I’ll keep it in mind.”
“You seen or heard anything from Ella May?”
He shook his head violently. “Nothing, Abe.
Honest.”
“Let me know if you do.”
“I’ll let you know.”
“Maybe Evie’s with Ella May.”
Lazarus gave the man a twisted smile. “That would be
nice. Maybe Evie is with Ella May.” He rolled over on hands and knees
and tried to crawl away.
“If you and Noah stirred up trouble, Lazarus, you put
nails in more than just your own coffin. I don’t think we could run fast
enough, or far enough. I think we’re all gonna die.”
