could learn anything else about the incident, but all he found online was a copy of the newspaper article. On the way home he stopped at the grocery store and picked up a few items. The SUV was parked on the street when he turned into his parking lot.
He parked in his usual spot next to the dumpster and quickly entered the building. He noticed the tape detached from the door before he took the key out of his pocket. He cautiously turned the knob and the door swung open.
“Bobby, ‘bout time. What’d you bring us for dinner?”
Kate’s son smiled as he sat in the chair he had pulled away from the window. The chair was angled in such a way that he could keep an eye on the street without really being seen. He watched as Bobby closed the door, then glanced back out onto the street.
“How’d you get in here?”
“What? Didn’t you miss me?”
“I haven’t seen you around the last couple of days, ever since that excitement the other night.”
“What excitement?” he asked, then stared back out the window. Bobby noticed the bulge against his back and assumed he was carrying a gun of some sort.
“Yeah right. Who was it?” Bobby asked.
“Why would you think I know anything about that?”
“The act is getting pretty old. Either you’re a bad liar or you’re too dumb to know. I don’t happen to think you’re too dumb.”
“Arundel.” He answered nonchalantly, like he was listing off which day of the week it was or what he’d eaten for breakfast. He returned to staring out the window.
“Is he going to be okay?”
He turned slowly and looked in Bobby’s direction, but he wasn’t focused, at least not on Bobby. The cockiness left him for a brief moment and he shook his head ever so slightly. “He’s dead.”
“Dead?”
“I think that’s what I just said. The man’s dead. Someone took him out, killed him.”
“Who? I mean, why was he…”
“You think I’d be sitting on my ass in this dump if I knew the answer to any of that shit?”
“What was he doing here? In this building?”
“He wasn’t in your building, Bobby.”
“But he was here, in the middle of the night. Right?”
He nodded and went back to looking out the window.
“So what was he doing here? Does he know someone here? Have a girlfriend? What?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“That’s what I just said.”
“What did I do? I’ve been gone for four-plus years. Except for my ex-wife, who would probably still like to kill me, I’m off everyone’s radar.”
“’Cept those two fucks that murdered my mom.”
“Kate?” Bobby nodded toward the urn on his kitchen counter. “This doesn’t make any sense. I can’t identify anyone. I don’t know who killed her. No one knows for sure if it was even the same two guys who chased us. I never talked to the police, never told anyone about any of that.”
“Well, they came here looking for you,” he said almost in a whisper.
“The killers? But, how would they even know who I was? How would they know anything about me, let alone where to find me? Like I said, I’m not on anyone’s radar.”
“We might have put the word out, sort of, maybe.”
“You what?”
“Well, yeah. See we knew who it was soon as you described them, one’s got reddish hair, the other’s is dark and curly with that pig nose.”
“Pug,” Bobby corrected.
“Whatever. We let the word out, Arundel and me. Figured they might come looking for you. Guessed they wouldn’t expect to find us, well except they did. They caught Arundel out back in the parking lot. Spotted him standing by that piece of shit you’re driving. Just sort of came outta nowhere, like.”
“But the cops, they knocked on my door the other morning. I told them I didn’t hear anything, no shots, nothing.”
“They slit his throat, then left him by the back door. Make it look like he was maybe trying to get in here. ‘Course it don’t really make no difference now, does it?”
“Did you tell the police? I got a
He parked in his usual spot next to the dumpster and quickly entered the building. He noticed the tape detached from the door before he took the key out of his pocket. He cautiously turned the knob and the door swung open.
“Bobby, ‘bout time. What’d you bring us for dinner?”
Kate’s son smiled as he sat in the chair he had pulled away from the window. The chair was angled in such a way that he could keep an eye on the street without really being seen. He watched as Bobby closed the door, then glanced back out onto the street.
“How’d you get in here?”
“What? Didn’t you miss me?”
“I haven’t seen you around the last couple of days, ever since that excitement the other night.”
“What excitement?” he asked, then stared back out the window. Bobby noticed the bulge against his back and assumed he was carrying a gun of some sort.
“Yeah right. Who was it?” Bobby asked.
“Why would you think I know anything about that?”
“The act is getting pretty old. Either you’re a bad liar or you’re too dumb to know. I don’t happen to think you’re too dumb.”
“Arundel.” He answered nonchalantly, like he was listing off which day of the week it was or what he’d eaten for breakfast. He returned to staring out the window.
“Is he going to be okay?”
He turned slowly and looked in Bobby’s direction, but he wasn’t focused, at least not on Bobby. The cockiness left him for a brief moment and he shook his head ever so slightly. “He’s dead.”
“Dead?”
“I think that’s what I just said. The man’s dead. Someone took him out, killed him.”
“Who? I mean, why was he…”
“You think I’d be sitting on my ass in this dump if I knew the answer to any of that shit?”
“What was he doing here? In this building?”
“He wasn’t in your building, Bobby.”
“But he was here, in the middle of the night. Right?”
He nodded and went back to looking out the window.
“So what was he doing here? Does he know someone here? Have a girlfriend? What?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“That’s what I just said.”
“What did I do? I’ve been gone for four-plus years. Except for my ex-wife, who would probably still like to kill me, I’m off everyone’s radar.”
“’Cept those two fucks that murdered my mom.”
“Kate?” Bobby nodded toward the urn on his kitchen counter. “This doesn’t make any sense. I can’t identify anyone. I don’t know who killed her. No one knows for sure if it was even the same two guys who chased us. I never talked to the police, never told anyone about any of that.”
“Well, they came here looking for you,” he said almost in a whisper.
“The killers? But, how would they even know who I was? How would they know anything about me, let alone where to find me? Like I said, I’m not on anyone’s radar.”
“We might have put the word out, sort of, maybe.”
“You what?”
“Well, yeah. See we knew who it was soon as you described them, one’s got reddish hair, the other’s is dark and curly with that pig nose.”
“Pug,” Bobby corrected.
“Whatever. We let the word out, Arundel and me. Figured they might come looking for you. Guessed they wouldn’t expect to find us, well except they did. They caught Arundel out back in the parking lot. Spotted him standing by that piece of shit you’re driving. Just sort of came outta nowhere, like.”
“But the cops, they knocked on my door the other morning. I told them I didn’t hear anything, no shots, nothing.”
“They slit his throat, then left him by the back door. Make it look like he was maybe trying to get in here. ‘Course it don’t really make no difference now, does it?”
“Did you tell the police? I got a
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