shoulder from torso, feet from legs, and so on, Rafael needed to take a break and sat down on the closed lid of his toilet.
He smoked a quick cigarette and enjoyed each drag al the more, knowing it was an extra second away from the tub of blood to his left. He was looking down at his feet when he noticed a rustling sound coming from the living room. The Cleaner sound coming from the living room. The Cleaner finished with the carpets and was now dragging the second body in from the living room along the plastic lining.
A few moments later and they were side by side on their knees, hacking and tearing, and sawing along in relative silence.
At one point Rontego asked, “Didn’t you used to have glasses?”
The Cleaner replied in between breaths,
“Laser eye surgery.”
Rontego glanced over; the Cleaner sawed away, intent. “No shit? That stuff work very wel ?” The Cleaner stopped sawing for a moment to wipe some sweat off of his forehead with his forearm.
“Yeah, worked real good, a lot of people get that done now.”
The Cleaner was happy to have a distraction as wel , but he continued on cutting into the flesh.
“No thanks,” Rafael said. “No one is getting near my eyes with some damned laser. Want a smoke?”
“Don’t smoke”
Rontego shrugged. He lit one for himself, glad to have something besides the stench of iron fil ing up his nostrils. With a cigarette hanging from his mouth, he lifted up a hammer and he shattered apart a knee cap. It helped to separate the ligaments so that he could finish tearing the leg off of Sonne Pieri.
Rontego looked up at the Cleaner and noticed that he wasn’t paying attention to the work, just sawing and ripping, a clear method to the work.
Rafael let the cleaner have most of the gold paraphernalia found on the bodies, but noticed that the family crest ring on Sonne’s right hand was stil there. He supposed that no one, not even the Cleaner, wanted to try and peddle that ring and be attached to the murder of Sonne.
A thought came over Rontego and he stole a careful glance at the Cleaner, making sure he was not paying attention. When he was satisfied that the coast was clear, Rafael tore the finger, ring and al , from the hand and wrapped it in a white handkerchief he used to dab the sweat from his forehead. With a subtle shift in his weight, the finger fel into his pocket. A glass of water later, and it was chil ing on ice in his freezer, until such time as Rontego decided it might be useful.
For now though, the hacking and sawing of bodies commenced.
After that, there was very little conversation between them as they focused on finishing the task at hand. By the time they al three bodies were dismembered and stuffed in two of the plastic lined duffle bags, the floors, bathroom and tools bleached clean, and they were changed and showered, it was close to midnight.
Rontego stood in his living room wearing an al light blue jumpsuit, unzipped at the neck revealing a little gold chain that hung there.
“What are you gonna do with our friends there?” Wherever the Cleaner took the bodies, Rontego wanted to be sure that they wouldn’t be found, ever.
“Don’t worry. I’m gonna burn the bodies in my furnace, then after the fire dies down I’m gonna smash the bones with hammers until it becomes a fine dust. Then it’s just a matter of sprinkling the powder over Lake Erie.”
“And our clothes?” he asked.
“Burn them, too.”
The Cleaner‘s face looked gaunt. Even he had a threshold for this type of work. He gathered up the bags and supplies.
As he headed to the door, he turned to look at Rafael and said, “Hey, tomorrow meet me for dinner.
We’l discuss the disposal I’m doing. I have some things I want to go over with you, but I’m too beat right now. Good?”
Rafael nodded his approval and opened the door for the man carrying al three bags. He was stronger then he looked. Then again, maybe a bloodless body was a lot lighter than a normal
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