Vintage, Page 4

  She laughed.

 

  “You think I care about that thing ? Now listen. Everyone has had enough of your game - ” The she stopped and our eyes locked.

 

  Lowering the gun, she burst into laughter again, a friendly one this time.

 

  “I scared you to death!” She smiled.

 

  “Hell yes! I was scared. Don’t do that again.”

 

  “Well I would like to be an actress..”

 

  She went on to tell me about her passion for acting an lots more. However, something told me a lot of things were not in order.

 

  The tragedy happened on a Sunday evening as I was strolling on the street I lived on. I saw a lot of people gathered in the mouth of an alley. That was strange. Interesting things rarely ever happened in this town. Four patrol vehicles were parked on the street, just ahead of me. I looked around, I saw a patrol officer standing by a motorcycle, questioning a gum-chewing bum. The officer took down some notes then left. After the officer left, I went to the bum and asked him what had happened.

 

  “A whore got herself knocked off. Was a clean job. No prints, no nothing, you know.” He winked and left. He was probably a sissy.

 

  Pushing through the crowd, I got to the front into the alley amid curses from the people around me. That was when I saw her. She had been stabbed clean through the heart with a knife. The handle out of her body, the rest of the knife buried deep inside. The baby lay beside her, It’s head bashed against the ground. Unable to keep looking I turned and pushed through the crowd out to the street again.

 

  My head felt very light. Two of the people I had known for two years were gone. I badly needed a drink. My apartment was just across the street. Hurrying up the stairs, I got my room and grabbed a drink from the cupboard. The spirit helped calm me. I went over to my window and surveyed the crowd outside. It was increasing.

 

  Then I saw a man in red cardigan walking away from the crowd. Now many people were walking away from the crowd but this man stood out. I’ve been underground before. I know criminals by mere look and this man was up to no good, if he had not been up to no good. Just ahead of him a flashy Cadillac stood. As he approached the car, the chauffeur got out and opened the back door. A man got out, leaning heavily on a walking stick. He looked thin and had a pale skin with a completely bald head. He smiled wickedly at the approaching man. The fellow in red cardigan got to him and they spoke for a while, then he continued going up the street, away from the crowd.

 

  I quickly left my room and descended the stairs, going out to the street again. I saw the gum-chewing bum had come back. I walked up to him.

 

  “Hey. You know who that man is?” I gestured at the man who stood by the Cadillac.

 

  “Hmm... That’s the whore’s father. He’s raising hell.”

 

  “Her father?” I was surprised.

 

  “You think all them hookers got no parents? He is part of the mafia. He owns...“

 

  I left him rambling. I began feeling dizzy all of a sudden. I had heard enough. I looked carefully at the man again. He was probably the man with the small voice over the line. Sheila... How did she get into all this ?

 

  Then I remembered the pistol incident. She had probably been sent to kill me that afternoon and failed so she got killed instead. Her father... That was laughable. The mafia was still after me and they had known where I was all that while. Why then didn’t they kill me. They probably wanted me to do something for them, which I was never going to do.

 

  There’s a club in New York where most rich people go to. In fact it was rumoured to be a mafia lair. If my memory served right I had once seen a girl that looked like Sheila serving there.

 

  It was simple. There was never any pregnancy, thought there was a baby. She had probably faked the pregnancy, and then used someone else child.

 

  I looked at the man again. This time, he was eyeing my window. I knew I had to leave town.

  HOW HE DIED

  The guy that wanted to shoot a gun

 

  The night was hot and quiet. Sitting in a lone patrol car parked on a street corner, Police Corporal Floyd shifted uneasily on his seat. The heat was unbearable and he had to stay till morning. Cursing, he looked beside him. Sited, and reading a book under the dim yellow light of the vehicle was sergeant Lewis. He read, quietly mouthing the words as he chewed a gum. Floyd sighed, pushing his right hand under his hat and scratching his head. The hat fell off to the back of the car. He cursed again.

  “You know there is no real thing going on in this town, right ?” He said out loud to the man beside him.

  “Hmm.” Lewis replied, still looking at the book he was reading.

 

  “You didn’t hear what I said ?” Floyd asked.

 

  “He can’t even hear me.” He thought.

 

  “Hmm. What was that again?” Lewis replied, letting the book drop from his hands unto the floor of the car.

 

  “I said this goddamn town is as cold as a morgue.” Floyd said, running his hands on the steering wheel.

 

  “Oh sure it is. I could do with the cold in morgue, you know.” Lewis replied.

 

  “So we are going to sit here like a couple all night doing nothing? Well, if we were a couple we could make love all night.”

 

  “Not sitting doing nothing. We are supposed to be driving round town all night. And about the couple thing, don’t get any ideas about that.“ Lewis said.

 

  “Driving round town doing what? You mean patrolling empty streets save ones filled with ghosts and creepy creatures? “

 

  “Not really.” Lewis replied,then added, “You’re right. It has been a while. A while since we last saw some action in this town. But I’m satisfied.”

 

  “Of course. You being a sergeant, that’s understandable.” Floyd said.

 

  Just then, they both heard a motorcycle drive up the street towards the car. A lone trooper was riding it. It slowed and finally stopped as it reached the car.

 

  “Hey Mark. What’s brewing?” Floyd said to the trooper.

 

  “Phew! This is exciting. Hey you two. What are you doing sitting in the damn car?“ Mark (the trooper ) said.

 

  “And what would be exciting?” Lewis asked.

 

  “What would be exciting is you won’t feel this damn heat. The breeze on your body as you ride, and all that.” Mark replied.

  “That sounds like liberation.” Lewis said, adding , “So can I get a ride ?”

 

  “No way, I’m not riding double.” Mark replied.

 

  “I’m not riding double either. I want the bike. I’m tired of sitting in this car. It gives me cramps.” Lewis replied.

 

  “Well, it seems you have to get used to it because I’m taking off right now.” Mark said.

 

  “Wait there. I want the bike too.“ Floyd said.

 

  “No chance.” Mark replied.

 

  “Now Mark, I’m not really sure what your wife would do or if she would be pleased to hear about how you spent last Christmas Eve. Or would she?” Lewis asked with a smile.

 

  Mark’s mouth opened and closed. He took off his hat and scratched his head. Floyd’s eyes widened.

 

  “How did you find out?” Mark asked.

 

  “How I found out is the reason I am a sergeant. Now get off that bike and hand i
t over. “Lewis said, getting out of the car.

 

  He walked round to the Floyd’s window, where the Mark was standing beside the bike. Lewis mounted the bike.

 

  “But about me. It’s not fair. I wanted the bike too.“Floyd said.

 

  “Same threat goes for you, son.” Lewis replied , kick started the bike and rode away into night.

 

  Mark cursed silently, went round the car to the other side and got in beside Floyd, where Lewis had been.

 

  “I guess he has us where he wants us. “ He said, as he settled down.

 

  “Yeah. Wrapped around his little finger.” Floyd replied, then asked “So in whose booth at the club did you spend last Christmas eve ? “

 

  “In Zoe’s.“ Mark replied.

 

  Floyd sucked in breath. Zoe was the most popular girl at the strip club. She had the largest bust he had ever seen in his entire life and she was on demand too. If every curse married women had made upon her was a spike, she would have more spikes than she had hair on her head.

 

  “I see.” Floyd said, letting out the breath he had held in.

 

  They sat in silence for some time, then Mark spoke out.

 

  “You know that Rodrigo of a man in the papers? “

 

  “If you mean that fat snob of an Italian, then I think I do. “ Floyd replied.

 

  “He’s the one I’m talking about. He will be sixty by midnight. He’s throwing a party.”

 

  “They always throw parties. That’s the least he could do. “

 

  “Yes. But this one has something quiet odd. He said in the papers he had never touched a gun his whole life.” Mark said

 

  “That lying bastard. Who does not know of his dirty past ?” Floyd said.

 

  “So, “ Mark went on, “ He wants to shoot a gun after he cuts the cake.”

 

  “That’s nuts. What’s cool in shooting a damn pistol?”

 

  “Not a pistol.”

 

  “A revolver? “

 

  “A Thompson.”

 

  “Sweet motherfucking Jesus Christ of Galilee! A Tommy? That beast they give to those county Sheriffs? You ever shot one?”

 

  “Yeah. It was my companion during the war. The chief will be there too.” Mark said.

 

  Floyd shrugged.

 

  “He’s covered then. I wonder if that bloke can handle all of that beast. “ Floyd said, stretching in his seat.

 

  They sat in silence for some time, then a rage of gunfire tore through the night. Floyd stiffened.

 

  “I think that’s him.” Mark said.

 

  “Yeah, for sure. “

 

  The gun went on and on for a long time then stopped suddenly.

 

  “That didn’t sound good.” Floyd said.

 

  Even as he spoke, two patrol cars with sirens blasting sped past them into the night. Two minutes later, several ambulance vehicles followed.

 

  “Now that is not good at all.” Floyd said, starting the car this time and lurching it unto the road.

 

  Everything made sense by morning. The papers reported that Rodrigo had killed everyone at the party, including the chief of Police, and then killed himself. No one single witness was found. He was declared wanted by the police. After reading the papers the next morning, Mark was not entirely convinced there were no witnesses. Also how can a man shoot himself several times with a machine gun? It wasn’t possible.

 

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