Marisa muttered something in Spanish that I couldn’t make out, and then she said, “I don’t understand these fiberglass snobs. But as for what I did—well, I couldn’t let them buy a Gronitz so cheap. It wasn’t right.”
“But Kaylee nodded!”
“That wasn’t a signal to take the deal. Mr. Anthony is Kaylee’s second cousin or third uncle or something, and she says he’s worked the shady side of Kingman County since before our mamas were born. She could tell from the way he acted that they had offered the best deal they were going to offer. That’s all she meant.”
This time, when Donny spoke, his voice was lower and darker. “Well, she was wrong. Tyler got a text from Mr. Anthony before first period. Turns out Carlos will give us a good price for the tuba after all, if we bring it back tonight. Twenty-five hundred.”
There was a pause before Marisa spoke again. “No me digas!”
“I’m serious,” Donny said. “And listen, Kaylee has to bring the fourteen hundred and hand it over to Tyler. Then, when we get the twenty-five hundred to add to it, we’ll give you guys a share. But we can’t trust Kaylee to hold it anymore. Tyler says if she doesn’t show up with it, he’s gonna beat the shit out of Jared. Like a serious beatdown, broken bones and teeth. He wants to make Kaylee watch. Then he says he’ll e-mail her dad and tell him she and Jared have been hooking up, so the old man will cut off her college fund. We heard he’s sending her to Baylor, but only if she’s a virgin. Is that his rule or Baylor’s, do you think?”
“I’m sure I don’t know,” Marisa said. “But I know somebody broke into the house and took the money while Kaylee and Jared were asleep. They didn’t even know it was gone until Kaylee’s mom called and woke them up. And they found Kaylee’s phone on the back porch.”
Donny wasn’t buying it. “How do we know they didn’t make up that story so they could keep the money?”
Marisa was indignant. “How do we know it wasn’t you and Tyler who came back and took it?”
This part of the situation was my doing, and it had the potential to become ugly. But it wouldn’t have happened if the kids hadn’t been larcenous little punks. So I didn’t feel too bad about it.
“You’ll have to take my word for it,” Donny said. His tone shifted to a ridiculous coo that he probably thought sounded seductive. “I wouldn’t shit you, Marisa. I like you too much. That’s why I wanted to bring you in on this. But Kaylee and Jared were your idea, so if they ripped us off, it’s your fault.”
Marisa gave a sharp laugh. “You didn’t bring me in because you like me. You brought me in because you and Tyler didn’t know how much the horns were worth. But Kaylee’s the one who knew how to read Mr. Anthony. And Jared is a package deal with Kaylee. So if you don’t want band geeks around next time, then next time don’t steal band instruments.”
I pictured Donny giving a shrug. “We thought it’d be easy. And honest to God, Marisa, I wanted you to have a share. I knew you’d have to play that twenty-year-old junk sousaphone after we took the good ones, so I felt bad. I really like you …”
A moment later, I heard the sound of flesh being smacked, just as I had on Saturday night.
“You know what?” Marisa said. “We’re not going out anymore. You have a weak embouchure. And I should know. I play brass.”
Donny grunted. “Okay, so you’re good for something. You get to take that tuba home to practice, right?”
“No. When I practice with the Gronitz, I do it here. And Mr. Garrett is usually around.”
“But not today,” Donny said. “So no one would stop you from taking it. Not even that deputy out front. And Ms. Owens must have given you the cabinet key. So take the tuba home this afternoon, and we’ll sell it tonight.”
Marisa was not on board. “Then I’ll be the first one they interrogate.”
“No problem,” Donny said. “You’ll be catching a ride with Kaylee in that stupid little PT Cruiser, right? Just say it was stolen from her car when you guys stopped for a Coke or something. I’ll even bust out one of her windows for you.”
“You’re so sweet, Donny.”
“Let me prove it.”
“Like you said, I’ll have to take your word for it.”
Donny grunted again. “Okay, whatever. Meet us at Jared’s ranch tonight at 11:30. If you have to sneak out past your mom, do it. Kaylee and Jared need to bring the fourteen hundred—”
“They don’t have it.”
“—and you need to bring the tuba. Don’t be late.”
“This is a mistake,” Marisa said. “Don’t you remember how cheap that Carlos guy was? What makes you think he’ll pay twenty-five hundred for a horn he didn’t even want a day and a half ago?”
“All I know,” Donny said, “is what Mr. Anthony told Tyler. He said if we mess up again, Carlos will hunt us down and use that giant pistol to blast us some extra assholes.”
This time when Marisa spoke, her voice was quiet. “Quizás sí, quizás no,” she said. “But I guess we don’t want to find out.” She took a quick, audible breath, and then her voice was normal again. “All right, I’ll figure something out. Now we’d better get to class. You go first.”
“Huh? Why?”
“So no one sees us coming out of the annex together. If the tuba’s going to disappear again, we don’t want anyone saying they saw us together near the band room. You’re not in the band. I play the tuba. See the problem?”
“Oh. Okay.” One of the double doors to the hallway creaked. “Don’t forget—11:30. Get there early if you can.”
The door clunked shut, and then I listened for Marisa to go out, too.
Instead, I heard her fumbling with her backpack. And then I heard her speak again.
“I’m leaving voice mail so you know nobody else is texting with my phone,” she said. “You were right. They want the Gronitz. So I’ll bring it. Tonight, 11:30. Jared’s country place. But they want the money, too, and we don’t have it. So don’t leave us hanging, or it’ll all go to mierda.”
There was a soft snap, and then one of the double doors opened again. After that, silence.
I took one last look at the photo of the teenage Garrett and Carlos. Except for the fact that they had divergent skin tones and were holding different instruments, they sure looked a lot alike.
Then I replaced the photo in its envelope, tucked both envelopes into the notebook, and put everything back the way I’d found it. I made sure to lock the drawer.
I had some time now, but I wasn’t going to get a nap after all. Instead, I would think about how I was going to spend my evening.
It might be worth twenty-five hundred bucks to me. I had a lavish lifestyle over the hardware store to maintain.
10. The Fluffy Bunny Land Solution
By 10:00 P.M., I was in the woods northwest of the crooked house again, once more wearing my dark clothes and full-face eye black. I was aware of the extra lump in my back pocket and feeling stupid for having it.
The house was dark, and there were no vehicles parked along the driveway. So I decided to begin my vigil at the same vantage point where I’d started on Saturday. I was early. But I had the complete recorded works of Otis Rush on a thumb-sized mp3 player. So I was good.
Or I would have been, if I hadn’t fallen asleep. That was what I got for skipping a nap at school.
I awoke to “Crosscut Saw” in my earbuds, with the right side of my face mashed against a live-oak trunk and the itch of ants crawling up my shins. I yanked out the earbuds, jammed them into my jeans pocket with the mp3 player, then slapped at my legs until I couldn’t feel anything crawling anymore. My watch said 11:15.