next move.”
“Lost her?”
“She sniffed him out. Knew he was coming. Took off.”
Jerry thought about this. It didn’t make sense to him. “But why keep coming back here if he knows he lost her?”
Chester dropped his voice farther. Jerry strained to make out his words. “Cuz he’s got nowhere else to go, man. He’s waiting for her to slip up. To come get her stuff. To send for her stuff. For someone to lead him to her.” Chester stopped for a moment, appraising Jerry openly. “Someone like you, man.”
“Like me? I don’t know where she is!”
Chester nodded knowingly. “You don’t think you do, anyway.”
Jerry’s head swam. This guy was a genuine loony tunes on a stick. Suddenly all Jerry wanted was to be out of here, away from this apartment, away from the floor-to-ceiling collections , but most of all, away from this crazy conspiracy-theorist. But he needed a little more information first. Besides, Chester’s got it backwards. This guy’s going to lead me to Sara, not the other way around.
“You said the guy was carrying. Do you mean a gun?”
“I don’t mean his library card!” Chester laughed silently, and slapped his knee. Jerry looked on in amazement.
“How do you know he had a gun?”
“Saw it, didn’t I? Under his shirt, right here.” Chester put a hand under his left arm. “I got a nose for weapons. Just like I know you ain’t carrying nothin right now.” Chester smiled a small, somehow malevolent smile that made Jerry feel like an idiot for coming into this apartment. But what could he do? He needed the information. He would just have to stay alert.
“What did you mean by a gadget?” Jerry asked.
“He got a little metal gizmo, no bigger’n a pack of smokes, and he pulls it out of his pocket and looks at it all the time. It’s covered with buttons and lights and it has a little screen on it, like a cell phone screen, but tiny.”
Jerry nodded like he knew what the hell Chester was talking about. “Can you tell me where and when you saw him?”
“Sure, I saw him yesterday about 3 o’clock, right in the hallway. He was just walking by like he lived here. And I saw him yesterday after the sun went down in the parking lot, just passing through again. And I saw him the day before, going into the super’s office.”
Jerry’s heart gave a little tripping leap forward. “What would he be doing in the super’s office?”
Chester laughed again. Jerry felt a white-hot bolt of hate jolt through him at the sound of that laugh. “Ain’t it obvious? He’s trying to rent an apartment here. What better way to spy on the building than to live here?”
Jerry knew there was more he should ask, but he couldn’t stand to be in this dull, cramped apartment for one more second. He stood and moved to the door, his hand on the knob. “Thanks, I really appreciate you answering my questions.”
Chester jerked to his feet, knocking his chair over. His eyes darted around the kitchen wildly. Jerry didn’t wait to see what the problem was. He opened the door, leapt over the threshold, pulled it shut behind him, and ran for the closest stairwell.
Chapter 13
“S it down over there,” Sara ordered, pointing.
Obediently, Manny sat down on the bed and stared at the floor. Sara pulled the drapes completely shut, flipped on the lights, then checked the room to be sure it was completely empty.
“Empty your pockets,” Sara told Manny.
Manny patted himself down from shoulders to waist and smiled horribly at Sara. He leaned forward and put his hand out as if he were going to try to pull her to him. Instead, he fell off the bed, his head making a sickly thunk sound on the thin carpet.
Sara waited to see what he would do.
When he didn’t move at all, she told him, “Get up, get back on the bed.”
A stream of unintelligible sounds came from underneath Manny. She couldn’t tell what he was saying and she didn’t particularly care.
“Get up, now!” She leaned down and grabbed
“Lost her?”
“She sniffed him out. Knew he was coming. Took off.”
Jerry thought about this. It didn’t make sense to him. “But why keep coming back here if he knows he lost her?”
Chester dropped his voice farther. Jerry strained to make out his words. “Cuz he’s got nowhere else to go, man. He’s waiting for her to slip up. To come get her stuff. To send for her stuff. For someone to lead him to her.” Chester stopped for a moment, appraising Jerry openly. “Someone like you, man.”
“Like me? I don’t know where she is!”
Chester nodded knowingly. “You don’t think you do, anyway.”
Jerry’s head swam. This guy was a genuine loony tunes on a stick. Suddenly all Jerry wanted was to be out of here, away from this apartment, away from the floor-to-ceiling collections , but most of all, away from this crazy conspiracy-theorist. But he needed a little more information first. Besides, Chester’s got it backwards. This guy’s going to lead me to Sara, not the other way around.
“You said the guy was carrying. Do you mean a gun?”
“I don’t mean his library card!” Chester laughed silently, and slapped his knee. Jerry looked on in amazement.
“How do you know he had a gun?”
“Saw it, didn’t I? Under his shirt, right here.” Chester put a hand under his left arm. “I got a nose for weapons. Just like I know you ain’t carrying nothin right now.” Chester smiled a small, somehow malevolent smile that made Jerry feel like an idiot for coming into this apartment. But what could he do? He needed the information. He would just have to stay alert.
“What did you mean by a gadget?” Jerry asked.
“He got a little metal gizmo, no bigger’n a pack of smokes, and he pulls it out of his pocket and looks at it all the time. It’s covered with buttons and lights and it has a little screen on it, like a cell phone screen, but tiny.”
Jerry nodded like he knew what the hell Chester was talking about. “Can you tell me where and when you saw him?”
“Sure, I saw him yesterday about 3 o’clock, right in the hallway. He was just walking by like he lived here. And I saw him yesterday after the sun went down in the parking lot, just passing through again. And I saw him the day before, going into the super’s office.”
Jerry’s heart gave a little tripping leap forward. “What would he be doing in the super’s office?”
Chester laughed again. Jerry felt a white-hot bolt of hate jolt through him at the sound of that laugh. “Ain’t it obvious? He’s trying to rent an apartment here. What better way to spy on the building than to live here?”
Jerry knew there was more he should ask, but he couldn’t stand to be in this dull, cramped apartment for one more second. He stood and moved to the door, his hand on the knob. “Thanks, I really appreciate you answering my questions.”
Chester jerked to his feet, knocking his chair over. His eyes darted around the kitchen wildly. Jerry didn’t wait to see what the problem was. He opened the door, leapt over the threshold, pulled it shut behind him, and ran for the closest stairwell.
Chapter 13
“S it down over there,” Sara ordered, pointing.
Obediently, Manny sat down on the bed and stared at the floor. Sara pulled the drapes completely shut, flipped on the lights, then checked the room to be sure it was completely empty.
“Empty your pockets,” Sara told Manny.
Manny patted himself down from shoulders to waist and smiled horribly at Sara. He leaned forward and put his hand out as if he were going to try to pull her to him. Instead, he fell off the bed, his head making a sickly thunk sound on the thin carpet.
Sara waited to see what he would do.
When he didn’t move at all, she told him, “Get up, get back on the bed.”
A stream of unintelligible sounds came from underneath Manny. She couldn’t tell what he was saying and she didn’t particularly care.
“Get up, now!” She leaned down and grabbed
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