Page 5 (1/2)
Carson’s right ar at her side She turned her hand and directed her pistol toward the deck immediately behind her
"You have no reason to trusthat sounded like a perilous degree of despair
"You have every reason to trust us," said Michael "We’re nice people"
As Carson squeezed off a shot, she dropped toward her knees, intending to fling herself flat on the deck
Chang screamed in pain and fired a round the instant he was hit
Maybe Carson didn’t really feel the bullet sizzle across her scalp, but there was muzzle flash, the smell of burnt hair
She sprawled facedown, rolled on her back, sat up with the pistol in a two-hand grip, saw Chang flat and Michael on top of hi screaently, "Michael, is my hair on fire?" and Michael said, "No, his piece is on the deck, find it!"
Carson found the weapon--"Got it"--and Michael said he needed to vomit, which he had never done in his years as a cop, so Carson knelt beside Chang and put her pistol to his head, which she greatly enjoyed Chang kept screa about his wounded foot, and Michael leaned over the railing and spewed into the bay In the distance a siren rose, and when Michael had purged his stomach, he announced that he had called 911 from the quay, and then he asked Carson if she needed to vo, and she voer at Nu They were more bone than flesh The nails were the color of chicken fat
Squinting down his arht into Nu on ured wrong You’ve got the top one"
"Sorry, sir," Nuot to his feet
They were eye to eye
Mr Lyss’s eyes were like the gas flames on the kitchen cooktop Not just blue, because lots of nice things were blue, but blue and hot and dangerous
"What’re you in here for?" Mr Lyss asked
"For just a little time"
"Moron I mean what’d you do to land here?"
"Mrs Trudy LaPierre--she hired a ot"
"She hired her own da lips with his dead-charcoal teeth "So it’s an insurance scam, huh?"
"Insurance what?"
"You’re not that dumb, boy, and the jury will know it You knehy she hired you"
Mr Lyss’s breath set to pick them because you don’t like tomatoes, and then they rot on the vine
Nummy moved away from Mr Lyss and stood by the cell door "No, she never done hired me Who she hired is Mr Bob Pine She wanted Mr Bob Pine to steal her best, then beat Poor Fred to death"
"Who’s Fred?"
"Poor Fred Grandmama always called him Poor Fred He’s Mrs Trudy LaPierre’s husband"
"Why’s he Poor Fred?"
"He got a brain stroke years ago Poor Fred can’t talk no ets around in his walker They live next door"
"So this Trudy wanted hilary"
"Mr Bob Pine he was going to put stolen stuff in o to prison"
Eyes pinched to slits, shoulders hunched, head thrust forward, like one of those birds that ate dead things on the highway, Mr Lyss caain "Is that your story, boy?"
"It’s what alot a cold in his feet"
"In his feet?"
"Such a bad cold, he didn’t feel good enough to do the stealing and killing So he goes to Chief Jarmillo, tells him all what Mrs Trudy LaPierre hired him for"
"When did this happen?"
"Yesterday"
"So why are you here?"
"Mrs Trudy LaPierre she’s dangerous Chief says she’s got a history of dangerous, and she’s all crazy-mad at me"
"She hasn’t been arrested?"
"Nobody can find her"
"Why would she be mad at you?"
"It’s silly," said Nu the stealing and killing He wanted to crery and shook his bony old fist in Nummy’s face His knuckles were dirty "Daet a simple truth out of you, and you snarl it up so I just about need a translator Cre to pin the cri back toward the bunks, trying to escape his cellasoline fuht "Creminate No Increminate"
"Incriminate," said Mr Lyss "Pine wanted to incriminate you, set you up for old Fred’syet, he didn’t have anything to plant in your house"
"No, what he co to put in Poor Fred’s house"
"What stuff?"
"Stuff I didn’t knoas stuff I even had Deeanhay"
"What? What did you say?"
"Deeanhay Chief Jarlass"
"D-N-A, you dalass, ain, on a hammer handle Chief Jar this stuff away"
Mr Lyss followed Nuh with it?"