“I guess you’re planning on being busy all day long,” she said, laughing. “And probably all night too.”
I wasn’t about to disagree with her. After lingering a little over my third coffee refill, I hit the road, driving towards the mountains. It was almost an hour before I found what I was looking for. Off the side of the road was a large rock, large enough to hide a bus. I maneuvered the car behind it, and then walked back to the road to see how good a job I’d done.
There was no sign of the car. The only way someone would see it was if they left the road and searched for it.
I set off on foot down the mountain, keeping my thumb out. After an hour, a pickup truck stopped and gave me a ride. I explained that my car had broken down and I needed to get to Denver for an important business meeting.
“That’s funny,” the driver said, giving me a puzzled look. “I don’t remember seeing a car broken down on the road.”
I didn’t say anything.
“Well,” he hesitated, “in any case I’d be glad to help you out. I’m going there anyway.”
I settled into the passenger seat. At first my mind just drifted along with the road. Eventually I started thinking about Mary. To be honest, I must’ve known from the start she was my own flesh and blood. Maybe it took a while for me to admit it to myself, but I must have known. That had to be why I was willing to take her case for just about nothing-and fifty dollars a day plus paying for my own expenses is as close to nothing as you can get. No matter how much I’d tried kidding myself, there was only one way to make sure Mary never found out about Rose.
I never had any choice.
My poppa, Walt Murphy, the others-I never had any choice about any of it.
About any of them.
As we drove, my companion couldn’t keep from chattering about this and that, and his small talk pricked me worse than needles. I looked at him and wondered if one more would make any difference. It would be easy enough. If I carried his body a few hundred yards from the road, it would probably be months before they found him. If they ever found him at all.
I gave him a hard look. He was an annoying, dull-eyed man who didn’t know enough to shut up and leave a guy in peace. But I guess I didn’t feel like moving. Even blinking my eyes seemed too big an effort. Both the passenger and driver windows were open, and the wind was hitting me hard in the face. All I wanted to do was sit back and think about Mary.
I closed my eyes and felt like I was falling. For miles and miles. As if I’d jumped from an airplane. And it was a long way before I was going to hit the ground. I couldn’t see it, and I couldn’t see any reason to worry about it. No reason to do anything but sit back and enjoy the ride.
And I had a hell of a time.
Chapter 26
Bert Debbles’ room was more of an oversized closet than anything else, but I guess you can’t expect much for seven bucks a night. A narrow cot was wedged up against a windowless wall. The only other furniture was a small stained wooden chair and a tiny three-drawer dresser. The walls were bare, unless you wanted to count the water stains or the cracks. A single bulb hung from the ceiling.
I had been wrong about the lock, though; you probably could’ve picked up a dozen of them for five dollars. And I was also wrong about needing a screwdriver; a breadstick would’ve done the trick. Anyway, as it was, I had gotten into the room without breaking stride from my walk down the hallway.
I took my overcoat off, folded it on the chair and got to work. Aside from the furniture, there was a quart-sized bottle of gin beside the bed, and dirty clothing scattered about the floor. I went through the dresser drawers and found nothing but a bible and some clothes. Under the bed was a tattered cloth suitcase.
I pulled it out and opened it. Tucked under a pile of socks was an envelope, which had scribbled on the outside-
If anything happens to me give this to the police-Bertram Debbles. I ripped the envelope open and a key fell out.
It was a locker key from the Denver Bus Terminal. No more than what I was expecting. The old man was too greedy to risk sharing his secret with anyone, and was too cheap to spend any money on a real safety deposit box. I knew the old man because I knew my poppa, and there wasn’t much difference between them.
I held the key in my hand, and started laughing. It was just so damn pitiful. A bus terminal locker key was how he’d planned to protect his miserable existence. He should’ve sprung for the real thing.
I wiped the tears from my eyes and sat down. It was twelve thirty, and by now Bert Debbles would be working himself into a fit. He’d be sitting in Charlie’s Silver Dollar Bar, probably facing the door, and thinking every evil thought imaginable about me. He’d be wanting to get up and leave, but too afraid he’d miss me.
I imagined what his face looked like-all chalky white with rage and his eyes dumb with indecision. His jowls were probably quivering-half from indignation and the other half from the shakes that were sure to be running through him. I started laughing again. Well Bert, I thought, just be a little patient and you’ll be finding me. Thinking about what he’d find made me laugh even harder.
The doorknob turned. I wasn’t expecting him to give up on me for another few hours, and wondered how badly I’d misjudged him.
Still, I reached for the bottle of gin. Holding it by the neck, I slapped it against my open palm. It would do for what I had planned. I stood up and forced a smile, all ready to greet Bert Debbles. Except it wasn’t Bert Debbles. No, that would’ve been too damn easy. Fate wasn’t about to be that kind. Standing in the open doorway was Marge.
My head was reeling. “What are you doing-”
“Where is she, you crumb?”
I walked past her and closed the door. “What are you talking about?”
She looked surprised that I was alone. “I thought you had a girl in here.” Standing in the middle of the room, she looked unsure of herself and it made her seem so small. “That was a rotten thing you did to me. Why did you do it, Johnny?”
I had turned away from her and had my forehead resting against the door, trying somehow to keep my head from spinning off my neck. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
She laughed. I guess she had to laugh or cry, and she was probably sick of crying. “I waited at the restaurant for three hours. I had to wire my mom for money to pay the hotel bill and get a ticket home.”
I didn’t say anything.
“I don’t know if I can ever forgive you,” she said. “Look at me!”
I faced her. “The hotel didn’t give you my message?”
She shook her head, confused. “What message?”
“I don’t believe this!” I said. “There was an emergency with a case I’m working on and I had to fly home. I left your plane ticket at the front desk. I also paid for the room for the rest of the week and left you spending money. The hotel clerk assured me you’d get my message.”
“No one told me anything. I-I thought-”
“I should’ve known better,” I said, compressing my lips into a tight frown. “I guess I should’ve went back to the restaurant but I had only twenty minutes to catch my plane, and a man’s life was at stake.”
It was a pretty sappy story and you would’ve needed rocks in your head to buy it. Marge certainly wasn’t lacking anything between her ears, but I guess if you want to believe something bad enough you’ll find a way.
“I-I didn’t realize, Johnny. I guess it’s all pretty funny if you think about it, huh?”
She tried smiling, and it was the saddest effort I’d ever seen. “We’ll look back and laugh someday,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
“I was going to your office to see you, and I saw you leaving. I guess I followed you.”
“You just happened to be there when I was leaving?”
“Maybe not,” she smiled, guiltily. “I guess I was waiting across the street. I thought you dumped me in Mexico for another woman and I wanted to see who she was. Don’t be mad at me. I had a right to think like that after what I’d been through.”