Chapter 20
Chapter 20
"I don't know if I'd dignify that by calling it 'lovemaking.'"
Colin closed the kitchen door behind him and strolled up to Danny’s lifted white Jeep. “I believe that was as much fun as I’ve ‘ad since I got sober,” he said to Heath, who was sitting in the front seat, scrolling through the pimp’s phone. “Borders on relaxin’, when they deserve it.”
Heath raised his eyebrows. “I feel good about it,” he said. He cleared his throat. “XYZ, PDQ.”
Colin looked down, then hastened to zip up his fly. “Oops,” he said, smiling innocently. “I asked the midget if it’d interfere with ‘is removal of our forensic if I took a piss on Danny boy before we left. ‘E said go ahead.”
Heath beckoned Colin closer. He put his face up to The Greyhound’s ear and spoke quietly. “We have a problem.” His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror. Colin glanced back at Puddles, who was sitting quietly in the back seat. She had a dreamy expression on her face. Every now and again, electrical sparks flickered across her eyes.
Colin’s smile disappeared. “I see,” he said, just as quietly. “We keep ‘er a bit ‘ungrier than she prefers as a rule these days, don’t we?”
“Daryl’s suggestion, which I’ve been religious about sticking to, was that we make sure she didn’t go above forty percent of her maximum,” Heath said. “She was skin-to-skin with Danny for too long; she’s at full power. The last time we let her run around loose with a full charge…” his voice trailed off, and he shook his head.
Colin nodded minutely. “Shall I give Fodil a ring?” he said softly. “I mean, ‘e can’t speak to answer, but I could tell ‘im to get up ‘ere. ‘Eaven knows the Basenji moves quickly enough to give us the kind of assist we might need if—”
The door of the house slammed, and Clorox hurried out, suitcases in hand. “All set,” he said, opening the back seat of the Jeep and setting them on the floor before hoisting himself in and sitting down as far as he could from Puddles. “That was nice work,” he said to her, his tone respectful. “What’d you show him?”
Puddles smiled at him. “I’m never sure exactly what they see. I usually don’t get a chance to ask them.” She turned and batted her eyes at Heath. “What did you see when we made love, maithili?”
“I don’t know if I’d dignify that by calling it ‘lovemaking,’” Heath said levelly, looking at Puddles in the mirror. “I spent three weeks psychotic and suicidal afterwards. Daryl had to manhandle me into restraints and a bite gag after I put my eyes out with my thumbs the second time. I did get off the tranquilizers eventually.” He put his arm on the passenger headrest and turned to face the Dancer. “How’s your neck, speaking of old times? I think it was six months you spent in traction?”
Puddles’s smile disappeared for a moment, and she arrested her hand midway to her throat before returning it to her lap. “Much better, thank you, maithili,” she said politely, the smile returning to her face. “It was only a hairline cervical fracture. The medical rehabilitation Daryl provided me was first-rate; it’s not nearly as stiff as it was just last year.”
“Do your ribs give you any trouble?” Heath asked, just as politely. “I think I splintered two or three with the first punch, once I unwrapped your thighs from my windpipe. I don’t recall whether you broke anything else when I threw you off the fire escape.”
“It was three, and they knit splendidly,” Puddles said, in a tone that graciously acknowledged the match was Heath’s. “I must congratulate you on your stealth; I didn’t see you slip on the brass knuckles. But no, no pain at all now from them, or from my leg, which did indeed fracture quite badly in the fall.”
Heath nodded. “Good, good,” he said. He turned to Clorox. “What’s the word?”
“It’s gonna look like an electrical fire initiated by a short in an incorrectly wired light fixture,” the dwarf said with professional certainty. “It’s smoldering now; we got fifteen minutes before the place starts to burn in earnest. I rigged the accelerants so that if the fire department gets here no more than five minutes after that, your boy’ll definitely live. Longer than ten, probably not.”
Heath started the Jeep. “Good work,” he said, looking over his shoulder. To Colin, he said “I don’t know where Lisa Carver is, but I think I found someone who’s gonna have an idea, and I’m not thrilled about it.”
“Oh?” Colin said, putting on his seat belt.
“Danny has two phone numbers in here that I recognize,” Heath said. “Carroll Carver’s one. Dominic’s the other.”
Colin stared at him. “Do you think Dominic knew?” he said incredulously.
Heath shook his head and put the Jeep in gear. “I dunno,” he said, pulling out of the driveway. “He prefers black girls, and he’s appropriately terrified of Daryl. But he’s a whorehopper and Danny’s a pimp. It’s hard to say.” He flicked on his blinker and turned onto the highway; it was the same exit he’d used the last time.
They drove in silence toward the center of the city. Every few minutes, Heath glanced back at Puddles, who was staring out the window, a small smile playing about her lips. Once, she looked back at him and winked. An electrical nimbus rose around her briefly, and was gone. Heath sighed and returned his eyes to the road.
After ten minutes, he turned to Colin. “You want to call 911? I smell smoke.”
Colin smiled and got out his phone. “Oh, of course. Wouldn’t want any undue loss of life.”
One of the things I'm enjoying here, which I think is unique, is that it feels like a magical realist novel, but set in an edgy comic book world. The strong mental imagery seems to arise from the energy of the characters, rather than events. It really is quite remarkably enjoyable.
I hope you do consider getting it to Tarantino.
Curious about the metaphysics of the world - mostly it's looking like supernatural characters have 'their thing', but Puddles is a bit more varied?
Currently counting teleportation and multiple approaches to screwing with people's minds for her, which still seems just narrow enough to fit the pattern. End of last chapter it seemed like she was up to three distinct powers, which started me thinking about this, but I gather the bugs were actually a mental attack rather than being physically summoned?