So I decided to make Susan a snack.
—That’s a problem.
—It was fine. There was nothing wrong with the fruit.
—The problem is—if they left fresh fruit out that means they expect someone to come eat it.
—Not necessarily. Rich people let shit go to waste all the time.
—I bet we should be expecting a maid or a cleaning lady or something. We’ll just have to plan for it.
—The point is—Bobert’s gone.
—All right. I’ll get up. Keep telling me while I get my jeans on.
—I cut up the fruit and put it on a plate and took it up to Susan. I could hear Bobert reading to Susan, like whispering. He didn’t say anything tome when I told him I was going to feed Susan. I figured he was just in the zone. Just focused. So I told him I was gonna go in, but he didn’t stop reading. Whatever. But then I asked him to hold the tray for second while I got the door unlocked. By then my eyes were adjusting and I was putting two and two together. And I saw, in his chair, it was just a tape recorder playing Bobert’s voice and the door to the closet was open.
—Is Susan all right?
—I don’t know. I came to get you.
—Fuck. This is all we need right now.
28
House meeting .
—Turn off the lights.
—No. I’m not gonna turn off the lights. Get up.
—What the fuck, Malcolm?
—Get up. Is everybody here?
—Don’t hit me with that thing, Malcolm.
—I’m not hitting you. I’m tapping you. I’m waking you up. You’ll know when I’m hitting you.
—What the fuck is so important?
—I don’t see Angel.
—She’s probably passed out in some other room.
—We’re having a house meeting.
—What time is it?
—Susan’s missing.
—What happened?
—Bobert took off.
—I left a tape recorder playing.
—Where were you?
—I went to go to the bathroom.
—I told you to go in the bucket.
—No one ever brought me a bucket.
—Then ask somebody for a bucket. Call out. Start screaming. I would have come running.
—There was nobody to ask.
—Are you sure?
—Yeah. You were all asleep.
—We have to find Susan.
—All right. Everybody search a different room. Just search the house first. I don’t think she’s gonna get far. We’ll meet back here in five minutes if nobody finds her. And somebody let the dog out. He probably needs to shit. Not you, Bobert. You stay and talk to me.
—The dog likes me.
—I don’t care. Your privileges are revoked. Everybody else start looking! Bobert, no. You stay and talk with me.
Search. Search. Search. Search. Search.
—No one ever brought me a bucket.
—You should have asked somebody.
—There was nobody to ask.
—You shoulda asked the person who brought you the tape recorder.
—That was Angel.
—You think I don’t know? I can hear her on the tape. In the background. Breathing.
—You can hear that?
—I’m a good listener.
—What are you going to do to me?
—What do you mean?
—Are you going to beat me up?
—You want me to tell you what we’re going to do to you?
—Yeah. Just tell me. Then I don’t need to worry about it. I think once you say it, then it’s over, in its own way.
—I like that theory.
—If you say you’re going to hit me, then I know it and it’s like it’s already over. Even if you say everybody’s gonna hit me, one by one, or something. I can take it. If you hold me down. Or even if I have to just stand here and take it. Whatever. Just tell me. Or are you going to brand me?
—What do you mean, brand you?
—Like bend up a coat hanger into shape and heat it up on the stoveand brand me, like an animal. You could use the wolf shape you spray-painted on driveway of the other house? Just tell me. I don’t really care.
—I’m gonna send you home.
—How?
—We’re gonna make you leave.
—But I don’t have to go home. I can go anywhere I want.
—You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Including look after Susan.
—If you kick me out I’m gonna call the cops and report
—That’s a problem.
—It was fine. There was nothing wrong with the fruit.
—The problem is—if they left fresh fruit out that means they expect someone to come eat it.
—Not necessarily. Rich people let shit go to waste all the time.
—I bet we should be expecting a maid or a cleaning lady or something. We’ll just have to plan for it.
—The point is—Bobert’s gone.
—All right. I’ll get up. Keep telling me while I get my jeans on.
—I cut up the fruit and put it on a plate and took it up to Susan. I could hear Bobert reading to Susan, like whispering. He didn’t say anything tome when I told him I was going to feed Susan. I figured he was just in the zone. Just focused. So I told him I was gonna go in, but he didn’t stop reading. Whatever. But then I asked him to hold the tray for second while I got the door unlocked. By then my eyes were adjusting and I was putting two and two together. And I saw, in his chair, it was just a tape recorder playing Bobert’s voice and the door to the closet was open.
—Is Susan all right?
—I don’t know. I came to get you.
—Fuck. This is all we need right now.
28
House meeting .
—Turn off the lights.
—No. I’m not gonna turn off the lights. Get up.
—What the fuck, Malcolm?
—Get up. Is everybody here?
—Don’t hit me with that thing, Malcolm.
—I’m not hitting you. I’m tapping you. I’m waking you up. You’ll know when I’m hitting you.
—What the fuck is so important?
—I don’t see Angel.
—She’s probably passed out in some other room.
—We’re having a house meeting.
—What time is it?
—Susan’s missing.
—What happened?
—Bobert took off.
—I left a tape recorder playing.
—Where were you?
—I went to go to the bathroom.
—I told you to go in the bucket.
—No one ever brought me a bucket.
—Then ask somebody for a bucket. Call out. Start screaming. I would have come running.
—There was nobody to ask.
—Are you sure?
—Yeah. You were all asleep.
—We have to find Susan.
—All right. Everybody search a different room. Just search the house first. I don’t think she’s gonna get far. We’ll meet back here in five minutes if nobody finds her. And somebody let the dog out. He probably needs to shit. Not you, Bobert. You stay and talk to me.
—The dog likes me.
—I don’t care. Your privileges are revoked. Everybody else start looking! Bobert, no. You stay and talk with me.
Search. Search. Search. Search. Search.
—No one ever brought me a bucket.
—You should have asked somebody.
—There was nobody to ask.
—You shoulda asked the person who brought you the tape recorder.
—That was Angel.
—You think I don’t know? I can hear her on the tape. In the background. Breathing.
—You can hear that?
—I’m a good listener.
—What are you going to do to me?
—What do you mean?
—Are you going to beat me up?
—You want me to tell you what we’re going to do to you?
—Yeah. Just tell me. Then I don’t need to worry about it. I think once you say it, then it’s over, in its own way.
—I like that theory.
—If you say you’re going to hit me, then I know it and it’s like it’s already over. Even if you say everybody’s gonna hit me, one by one, or something. I can take it. If you hold me down. Or even if I have to just stand here and take it. Whatever. Just tell me. Or are you going to brand me?
—What do you mean, brand you?
—Like bend up a coat hanger into shape and heat it up on the stoveand brand me, like an animal. You could use the wolf shape you spray-painted on driveway of the other house? Just tell me. I don’t really care.
—I’m gonna send you home.
—How?
—We’re gonna make you leave.
—But I don’t have to go home. I can go anywhere I want.
—You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. Including look after Susan.
—If you kick me out I’m gonna call the cops and report
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