The Topekan Read online

  “I have to go.”

  She glared at him and he continued,

  “Let’s talk afterwards, okay?”

  She didn’t answer. Danny jogged to his rental car. As he turned the key in the ignition he heard popping and shattering. He looked in the rearview and saw that the rear window was spider-webbed and shattered. He ducked and floored the gas pedal. Annie continued to blast the shotgun at the car as it sped away.

  24.

  Chrissy was lying on the couch and smoking a cigarette. Half of her left butt cheek hung out of her shorts. Danny burst through the door of the trailer and shouted,

  “Now I see you in your true home!”

  Chrissy startled, grabbed a coke bottle, and threw it at him. He ducked and it smashed against the wall. She screamed,

  “Get the fuck outta here!”

  “I’m staying and doing what I please!”

  “No you aren’t! Get the fuck out!”

  She took off a shoe and threw it at him. He ducked and said,

  “You sold me out!”

  She pulled a pistol out from between the cushions and shot at him. A bottle shattered next to him and his hands shot up. He was terrified. She pulled the trigger three more times but nothing came out. Danny said,

  “Aww, you want gunplay, do you?”

  He stepped to her, grabbed the gun, and slapped her once then he said,

  “Time for you to exercise some self control or else I’m gonna lose my temper!”

  He turned to look at what she had shot. It was a big bottle of whisky. The top half of the bottle had collapsed straight down onto the bottom half. It was still half full of whisky. Danny said,

  “You wasted all that whisky!”

  She smiled, shook her head, and said,

  “You’re one dumb fuck, you know that?”

  “Well you aint the friendliest bitch in the world neither. Now, I know you been playin’ both sides of the turkey!”

  “What?”

  “Why did you sell me out!”

  “I had to, they threatened to kill me!”

  Then Danny noticed something by the couch and he asked,

  “What’s that?”

  He walked to the corner, stooped, and picked up a cage with something in it. He asked,

  “What is this?”

  “It’s a monkey, retard.”

  “What are these crumbles in his cage? Is this crack? You been feeding this monkey crack?”

  “It’s meth.”

  “Are you out of your goddamn mind? Where did you get this monkey at?”

  “Like it’s any of your business.”

  “I already know where you got it and who you’re in with.”

  “Who might that be?”

  Danny shook his head and replied,

  “You think they won’t kill you? Guess who I found at the winery, torturing Blackbush. Lana!”

  Chrissy’s eyes got big and Danny continued,

  “Now tell me what the fuck’s going on!”

  “We’re supposed to meet at the church.”

  25.

  Seventh Street was crowded with workmen and a couple of robust women. They stood in groups on either side of the street and watched Danny roll by in the rental car with a shot-out back window. The monkey sat next to him on the front seat.

  Danny saw something in the middle of the street. It was a skinny, shirtless man. The man wore a horsehead mask and there was a black ponytail hanging out the back. His thin arms flailed and he spun and bounced from leg to leg. Danny rolled past slow. Sweat glistened on the man and his head fell back and he laughed. Danny was afraid.

  The old stone church and bell tower were down the street, across from the Panama restaurant. Danny pulled to the curb. When he opened the door and stepped out, an old plump woman by the road looked at him with wide eyes and said,

  “I have just seen a saint!”

  Danny looked behind him and saw no one there, but he wondered if she might be right. He was afraid but determined as he walked to the cracked yellow lines in the middle of the street. These were hardened criminals after all. The big wooden church doors creaked open and a thick man in a grey suit stepped out and scanned the street. Then another man, also big, ushered a smaller man out the door with a push in the back. Dusty Larue. The people on the street moved away. Tortuga came walking out the church doorway with a woman. She was in a black dress and showing some leg. Lana. The five of them descended the church steps and began to cross the street. Tortuga’s boot heels clocked against the asphalt as he walked. His dull black eyes met Danny’s and he slowed down and called out,

  “Come have a drink.”

  “A drink of what? Shit?”

  Danny felt a drop of blood slide off his hand and fall to the asphalt. The air smelled of sun-warmed tar. Tortuga said,

  “Player, your hand is bleeding.”

  Danny was silent and Tortuga continued,

  “You could try to unfuck yourself but I fear it’s too late.”

  Lana and Larue stood looking. Danny said,

  “Lay down your arms or I’ll gun you up real good.”

  Lana laughed. The Monkey screeched and jumped up and down on the roof of Danny’s car. Danny continued,

  “Recall what happened at your speech!”

  Tortuga’s mouth dropped open. Danny continued,

  “Yeah that was me.”

  Then Danny yelled to Lana,

  “And you should be ashamed of yourself!”

  Tortuga spoke to the guard, who ushered Larue to the side of the road and kicked the backs of his legs. Larue went down to his knees. The guard gritted his teeth.

  The sun shone off Tortuga’s broad forehead. He raised a pistol at Danny and fired a blast. Lana fled. Danny panicked and ran towards the church. There was another blast and Danny hobbled. Pain in his leg. Tortuga was squared off and pointing his pistol at Danny, who sank to the street in pain and despair. Then a car with a shiny chrome grill raced up behind Tortuga and hit him hard. He flew forward and fell face down on the street. The car screeched to a stop. There was a trailer attached to the back of the car.

  Danny stood up and struggled to keep his balance then he heard something behind him and he turned. The horsehead man was approaching with a bone-handled bowie knife in his hand. He almost reached Danny but the monkey leapt and grabbed onto the horse face. The man flailed and knocked the monkey away but Danny stepped forward and threw a straight right that knocked the man out. The knife fell from the man’s hand and pinged against the asphalt. His limp body stood straight for a moment then fell back like a timber. Danny was relieved. He pulled off the horsehead and saw it was Ganz, Danny’s former client. Danny realized Ganz was also the skinny man who had attacked he and Chrissy at the office, and who Danny had knocked out in Tortuga’s basement. The monkey ran over and bit Ganz’ ear but Danny said, “No, monkey, no!” He shooed the monkey away.

  The car was stopped in the middle of the street. The driver’s door opened and a tall thin man got out. His face was chiseled to a point of fury. Blackbush. He marched to Tortuga, who was trying to drag himself to the curb. Blackbush took hold of Tortuga’s legs, dragged him into the trailer, and dropped him face down. Then Blackbush took some cornmeal out of his pocket, scattered it on Tortuga’s ass, and slammed the trailer door shut. A big turkey had been waiting in the trailer and it came strutting to Tortuga’s ass. It started pecking. Tortuga yelled and flailed. Blackbush got back into the car and floored it. The engine revved, the tires screeched, and the car lurched forward. Danny collapsed from exhaustion. He looked up and saw Larue take hold of his arms and pull him to the curb just as the car and horse trailer roared past. Blackbush looked like a demon rockabilly preacher behind the wheel. Danny heard Cop sirens in the distance. The last thing he saw was the church bell in the church tower and the wispy white clouds above.

  26.

  Danny woke up flailing in a sunny white room. Someone grabbed him by the arm. He smelled vanilla perfume and saw a wom
an’s face staring down at him. Her eyes were blue and her mouth hung open. Chrissy. He was lying in a bed, covered in cold sweat, and disoriented. He asked,

  “Where am I?”

  “You’re in the hospital…you’ve been asleep for two days!”

  She leaned forward and hugged him then Dusty Larue walked into the room. Larue stopped and said,

  “Dunedain! You’re awake!”

  Chrissy said,

  “I’ll let you boys talk…but later you’re mine.”

  She let her hands slide out of Danny’s and he watched her walk out. She was in tight black yoga pants and Danny liked the way her ass looked. Larue said,

  “Looks like you got yourself out of the shit can again.”

  “Thanks to you.”

  Governor Carnahan walked into the room with a broad grin on his face and his arms spread wide. He said,

  “Dunedain, you headline-stealing son of a gun!”

  “You’re still alive?”

  “Someone has to keep you knuckleheads in line!”

  “Tortuga?”

  “Hoosegow. Sore ass. Can you get up?”

  “If there’s something worth getting up for.”

  Carnahan and Larue helped Danny out of bed and to the window. A blue 1967 Lemans convertible was parked in the lot. Carnahan said,

  “It’s yours, big guy. You’ve earned it. Come see me when you’re out. I’ve got work for you.”

  Danny was happy. Chrissy leaned back in the doorway and waved. Carnahan jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at her and asked Danny,

  “Does she plan to stick around?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Maybe we can make an honest family man of you after all!”

  Carnahan turned to her and asked,

  “Honey, do you cook?”

  “Cooking? What’s that?”

  “It’s putting food in a pan to convince a man you love him!”

  “What is this love you speak of?”

  “It’s where a man and a woman both decide they’re too fat to get anyone else!”

  “Do you see any fat on these thighs?”

  “Looks fade!”

  “Fuck that, I’m staying young and pretty forever!”

  Carnahan turned back to Danny and smirked. Chrissy said,

  “Bye for now bunny bird!”

  Danny called out,

  “Where are you going?”

  “Tracking my whereabouts? You better be careful, sounds like you’re assuming a boyfriend role!”

  “Yes ma’am, here to serve.”

  “Serve me? Ha!”

  She held up her hand, pointed to the ring finger, cocked her hips and head to opposite sides, and said,

  “You’ve been served!”

  She turned away quick, her blonde hair whipped around behind her, and she walked out. Then someone else came through the doorway. Frank Shine. Frank said,

  “Aaay! What now?”

  Danny replied,

  “Larue and I are going into business. We could use an investigator.”

  “I’m in! Whose Lemans is that?”

  Danny nodded. Frank turned to the window and asked,

  “Who is that woman getting into it?”

  The top on the Lemans was down and Chrissy was in the drivers seat. She waved and called out,

  “Thanks in advance!”

  The Lemans’ tires screeched as she gunned it out of the parking lot. The smell of burnt rubber wafted into the room. Danny smiled and said,

  “You smell that? That’s the odor of love.”

  Carnahan replied,

  “Looks more like grand theft auto to me!”

  Chrissy brought the Lemans screeching back around into the lot, where she skidded to a halt and shouted,

  “By the way I’m pregnant and I think it’s yours but I’m not sure!”

  Danny shouted back,

  “Good job baby!”

  She rolled her eyes and said,

  “You’re crazy, you know that, right?”

  “No kidding. How else do you think I got into this mess with you!”

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