“He said you robbed the safe.”
“I knew it. You’d think the guy could’ve come up with a more original way to get even than to start making up rumors about me. What does he think this is, high school?”
Frank was staring at me.
“What?” I said. “Don’t tell me you believe that bullshit?”
“You went to Vegas Monday night?”
“Yeah,” I said, figuring the cops must’ve told him so there was no point denying it. “So what?”
“I was gonna say something about it before, but now it all makes sense. Where the hell did you get the money to go to Las Vegas?”
Frank was screaming. I’d never heard him scream before, at anybody, but I decided not to take it personally. He was probably just pissed off about all the shit that was happening lately and he was taking it out on me.
“I hit at the track,” I said calmly.
“I thought you told me you weren’t gonna bet anymore?”
“What can I say?” I said. “I’ve got a problem. And if you wanna know the truth I’ve signed up for Gamblers Anonymous.”
“Rodrigo told me he saw you leave here that night, carrying a big garbage bag.”
“Rodrigo’s a liar.”
“I’ve been through too much the past twenty-four hours to put up with any more bullshit,” he said. “To be honest, I don’t really care about the robbery anymore, but I just want to know the truth now, once and for all—”
“I told you the truth. Come on, I don’t even know the combination to the safe, remember?”
“Maybe you saw me or Gary going into it one time.”
“That’s crazy. Don’t listen to Rodrigo. If Rodrigo saw me steal the money why wouldn’t he’ve told you right away?”
Frank took a deep breath. “He said he would’ve told me about it right away, but he was afraid to get involved with the police because he was working here illegally.”
“So why is he telling you now?”
“His green card just came through this afternoon.”
“Come on,” I said. “The guy’s lying—he probably took that money himself and now he’s just trying to cover his own ass.”
While I was talking, Gary stormed into the bar. He looked crazy. His hair was a mess and he looked tired, like he hadn’t slept since the last time I saw him. Swinging his arms, he walked around the bar and came right up to me.
“He did it,” Gary said to Frank. “I told you right away, but you didn’t believe me. First he robbed you, then he killed Debbie.”
“Hey, watch your fuckin’ mouth,” I said.
Now Gil came over and he was standing behind Gary.
“Why don’t you just cool it?” Gil said.
“Stay the hell out of this,” Gary said. “This is between me and this killer right here.”
“Hey,” I said to Frank, “if you don’t tell your kid to shut up—”
“She was flirting with him all the time,” Gary said to Frank. “If you didn’t know about it you were blind, because everybody knew about it.”
“Look,” I said. “If you don’t just shut the hell—”
Gary sucker-punched me below my left eye and I stumbled backwards into the liquor bottles. Glass crashed onto the floor. Frank and Gil were screaming and Queen was singing “We Are The Champions.” I was okay, though. I didn’t fall down and I wasn’t dazed. My eye hurt and I knew it was going to swell up if I didn’t put ice on it. But the ice would have to wait.
“That was for Debbie,” Gary said, “and for my father.”
Frank was yelling at us and Gil was trying to hold Gary back. Then Gary got loose. He took another swing at me, but this time I was ready. I stepped back and the punch missed wildly. I saw my opening. I pushed him off me then I hit him with an uppercut to the jaw. His head snapped back first, then his whole body went. As he was falling backwards, I caught him again—right in the mouth. It was probably the hardest I’d ever hit anybody. I got all my strength behind it and he didn’t have a chance to duck. He fell straight back on his ass like somebody pulled a rug out from under him.
“That’s all,” Frank said. He was grabbing me from behind. “Get the hell out of here—right now!”
Gary was squirming around on the ground, trying to get up. Blood was dripping from his mouth. Then he spit a few teeth onto the floor.
“Look what you did,” he mumbled. “Look what you did.” He was crying.
“Gil, pick up the teeth and put them on ice,” Frank said. “Maybe a dentist can reattach them.”
Gil took a glass and started to put the bloody teeth into it.
Frank was looking at me.
“I had to do it,” I said. “You saw him take that cheap shot at me.”
“I want you out of here! Now!”
“Frank, come on, I—”
“Out!”
Gil helped Gary up. Gary looked like he was about to pass out.
“Take him to the bathroom in the back and clean him up,” Frank said. “Then we’ll take him to a dentist.”
Frank took the glass with the teeth and put ice in it. After Gary and Gil passed by I started to leave. Then I turned back toward Frank.
“Before I go I just want you to know I’m not lying,” I said. “I don’t know who robbed the safe or who killed your wife, but it sure as hell wasn’t me. You know that.”
Frank didn’t say anything.
I waited a few seconds then said, “And don’t worry about those choppers. An old buddy of mine got his teeth busted once. The dentist put on some of those caps and the guy came back looking like a movie star.”
“You better just go home, Tommy.”
“All right,” I said. “Whatever you say. I mean you’re the boss, right?”
I went to the back to get my leather coat. When I came back, Frank was sitting on a bar stool with his head in his hands. I couldn’t tell if he was crying, but he was moving his head like he was. I really felt sorry for him.
“I still want to manage this bar some day,” I said. “I know I can do a great job for you and if you want me to do it I’ll do it. But if you don’t want me back here, that’s fine with me too. I just want you to know, you’re still like a father to me.”
I started to leave.
“Tommy.”
I turned around. Suddenly, Frank looked ten years older.
“See you tomorrow,” he said.
I smiled, then I flipped up my coat collar and I left the bar.
Seventeen
At seven A.M. I was standing in front of the mirror on my closet door. I was wearing my white suit with my black shirt, shiny black shoes, a black tie, and my lucky gold barbell chain. My hair was slicked back and my beard was trimmed. I would’ve looked perfect if it weren’t for my black eye. I hadn’t put ice on it and it had swelled up overnight.
The gates to the racetrack didn’t open until eleven o’clock, but I wanted to leave early. Sunshine Brandy was running in the second race and I was afraid that if something happened, like my car broke down, I’d miss it. But leaving six hours before the race went off I’d definitely get there with time to spare.
On my way out, I checked the kitchen counter. Last night, when I came home from the bar, I’d noticed more cheese was gone and there were some more droppings. Now there were only two chunks of cheese left and the whole counter was covered with mouse shit. I took the rest of the cheese out of the fridge, spread it around the counter for the mice to feast on, and then I got the show on the road.