Deviation (10 page)

Lester fired two more times as he dropped to his
knees, the bullets burrowing into the rafters. He dropped his
pistol then and clutched at his ruined throat with both hands in a
futile attempt to stop the flow of blood.

Frank stood over him, watching him die. “Idiot,”
he snarled. He dropped the knife and bent over to retrieve the gun.
He waited, watching Lester trying to breathe. His throat made wet
whistling sounds as the pool of blood on the floor spread ever
wider.

“Are you okay?”

Frank looked up to see Dianne just off to his left.
Her face was pale and she looked scared out of her wits.

“I'm fine.” He raised an arm, beckoning
her closer. When she stepped up beside him he draped his arm around
her shoulders. “How are you?”

She nodded, staring down at Lester. He had collapsed
and appeared to be almost finished bleeding out. “Okay, I
guess.”

“Sorry about the drama. I refuse to allow
myself to be taken advantage of.”

“I see that.”

He could feel her trembling beneath his arm. “It's
alright, Dianne. It was god's will.”

“You killed him.”

“Yes.”

“You didn't get your meth.”

“No. Although he may have been holding out for
some reason.”

She stared down at the dying man, her emotions
reeling. “I don't think meth is a good idea anyway. Maybe
you're better off without it.”

Frank nodded. “That's probably true. Would you
like to help me search him?”

He felt her stiffen. “I...”

“It's alright.” Frank gently removed his
arm. “You work on getting your bearings while I retrieve
what's rightfully ours.”

As Dianne watched, Frank stooped over Lester's corpse
and dragged it across the floor several feet so that he wasn't
standing in any blood. Then he got to his knees and began searching
through the dead man's pockets.

The cocaine was easy to find. He pulled it from the
sweatshirt pocket and tossed it over to Dianne. “Have you
ever tried coke?”

She caught the little bundle and examined it.
“Actually, I have. A few times. I never cared for it much.”

“It can be a real treat.”

“So I've heard.”

Frank continued to search. He found his $3,200 in
Lester's back pocket and transferred it to his own. The other back
pocket contained Lester's wallet. Frank opened it and removed the
cash. He counted it quickly, coming up with $273. He pocketed the
money and tossed the wallet to Dianne. “Could you get rid of
this? It would be safer for us if he had no ID on him.”

She held the wallet, not liking the feel of the warm
leather in her hands. “Alright.”

Frank resumed his investigation of Lester's pockets.
He found no more money, and no meth, although Lester did have a
partial sheet of blotter in a plastic bag tucked into his shirt
pocket. Frank studied it curiously. “Son of a bitch. I
haven't seen this in years.”

“What is it?”

“LSD. Blue unicorns. There are eighteen hits
here.”

“None for me, thanks.”

“Are you sure?”

Dianne chewed her lip. “I'm pretty sure. I've
never actually tried it.”

“I think you should.” He looked down at
the acid. “But not today. We've got far too much to do.”
He slipped it into his pocket and stood up.

“What should I do with his wallet?”

“Just hang onto it for now. Actually...”
He stepped over to her and took the wallet and cocaine. “I'll
take care of this. Do you think you could help me move him?”

She was still trembling. Her world had turned upside
down again. “Where to?”

“Just the basement.” He returned to the
altar and set down his things. “With any luck, his death will
eventually be charged to McKenzie.”

Dianne stepped closer to the corpse. “Alright.”
She wasn't sure she liked this new life of hers. She had a lot of
thinking to do.

When Frank returned, he bent over and grabbed one of
Lester's ankles. “Let's just drag him. It will be easier,
and we can mop up the trail later.”

After Lester's body had been stashed in the basement
alongside a pile of forgotten and deteriorating roofing material,
Dianne offered to mop the sanctuary floor while Frank went out to
move the man's vehicle. It was a black VW Rabbit, just starting to
show rust. Frank had Lester's keys with him, and he spent a few
minutes searching the trunk and glove box before moving the car. He
knew there could very well be a secret compartment somewhere, but he
had no idea where and didn't want to spend the rest of the afternoon
searching. The only things of interest he found were a partial box
of ammunition for the pistol and another, smaller bag of marijuana
which was hidden inside the spare tire compartment. He pocketed
both and then drove the car two blocks away, parking it in a
residential area. He left the door unlocked and the keys in the
ignition.

As he was walking back to the church it occurred to
him that he needed a car. He stopped momentarily and thought of
going back. He couldn't decide. It all depended on whether or not
Dianne was going to accompany him and how reliable her vehicle was.

He made his way back to the church, intent upon asking
her.

When he arrived back at the sanctuary he found a
clean, wet floor and no sign of Dianne. It concerned him that the
door had been left unlocked and all his money and drugs unattended
on the altar. He took a minute to collect his things and bring them
to his room.

Upon entering his apartment, Frank was slightly
surprised to find Dianne resting comfortably on his bed. She opened
her eyes and regarded him as he closed the door.

“I hope I'm not intruding,” she said. “I
just felt like taking a little rest.”

“It's fine,” he assured her. He set the
money and drugs down on his desk. “Why don't you take a
little nap? You must be exhausted.”

She propped her head up on one hand. “You must
be, too.”

“I don't sleep much. The meth... it's very
difficult.”

“You really ought to give that up. It's nothing
but bad news.”

“It's not without its problems,” he
admitted. “Although I miss it terribly when I'm forced to go
without it.”

“That's because you're an addict,” she
said bluntly.

He nodded. “Perhaps. Or perhaps god intended
for me to experience its effects on a long-term basis.”

Dianne groaned and lay back on the bed. “You
don't really believe that, do you?”

“I'm not sure what to believe.”

“I think you should quit using it. It could be
a sign from god that your dealer didn't bring any.” She sat
up quickly. “You didn't find any in his car, did you?”

“No such luck.”

“Good.” She lay back down.

“So you're giving me advice now?”

She stared at him, her emotions a confused jumble of
contradictions. “I don't mean to. I'm just trying to help
you. I think you'd be better off without it.”

“I know I would be. It's very rough on the
system.” He glanced at the newly acquired baggies on his
desk. “Maybe the cocaine will be enough. At least for now.”

Dianne muttered softly and closed her eyes again.

Frank sat down on the edge of the bed, looking down at
her. “Before your nap, may I ask you a quick question?”

“Yes.”

“Have you thought any more about what you'd like
to do? That is, in regards to coming along with me?”

She smiled up at
him. “I can't
stop
thinking about it.”

“Well? Have you reached a decision?”

She took a moment to
respond. “It scares me a lot to even consider it.
You
scare me, after what I saw you do to that dealer.”

“That was highly unusual,” Frank said.
“I've never killed a drug dealer before.”

“No, but you've killed other people, haven't
you?”

He shrugged. “Not many. And they all deserved
it. Just like your good friend Cliff.”

That touched a nerve and Dianne looked away.

“I'm sorry. I just mean that sometimes god
requires us to go to extremes. It's not something that should
necessarily be held against us.”

“I see.”

“Do you?” He stared into her eyes,
worrying that he might have lost her trust.

“I don't know. I'm so confused.”

\ “Would you prefer not to accompany me?”

“I didn't say that. I keep... going back and
forth in my mind. I'm scared to go with you, because I don't know
what's going to happen. But I'm scared not to, because...”

“Because what?”

She sighed. “If I go back to work, and back to
my shitty little life... I don't know... I think I might end up
doing something stupid.”

Frank gently brushed a stray lock of hair out of her
eyes. “Such as?”

“I've always been kind of suicidal. I know for
a fact I'd regret it if I didn't go with you.”

“Then come with me.”

She nodded. “I'm scared to do it, and I'm
scared not to. If I don't go with you, I doubt I'd go back to work.
I'd probably just end up staying home and drinking until... I don't
know...”

“There's nothing wrong with drinking, unless
you're doing it because you're depressed.”

“I would be depressed. I'd keep thinking about
where you are and what you're doing. And I'd just be lying on the
couch getting drunk. And after a few days of that I'd probably end
up getting my old noose down from... where I keep it... on the top
shelf of my bedroom closet...”

Frank lay down beside her. Dianne moved closer to the
wall to make room for him. He slipped an arm beneath her neck and
she leaned closer, rolling onto her side and placing a hand on his
chest.

“Dianne...forget the noose.”

Her eyes shimmered in the fading light. “I want
to forget it. I've been thinking about it almost constantly for the
past month or so.”

“Come with me and you will. I promise.”

She picked absently at his collar. “I want to
come with you. I'm just... scared of what's going to happen.”

“What do you
want
to happen?”

“I don't know. I'm so confused I can't stand
it.”

“Life is what you make of it. You can do
whatever you want.”

“Life is a horror. I've always hated it and I
think I always will.”

Frank pulled her closer. “Life is not the
horror, Dianne. Being forced to exist within society is the
horror.”

She thought about it. “And if I went with
you...”

“If you went with me, you'd be getting a much
needed vacation from society. If you'd stop worrying about
everything you'd be much happier.”

She smiled. “Well,
that's
certainly true.”

“It
is
true.”

“So... you're saying we'd live outside of
society?”

“I'm not so sure it's that easy. I mean, we're
all born into it without a choice, and there's really no acceptable
way out of it. But there is a fringe...”

“You mean, live like nomads?”

“I mean live free. Without worry or concern.
No group health plans, no state taxes. We can do whatever we want,
whenever we want. It's not something to fear, Dianne. It's
something to aspire toward.”

“I still don't see how we'd do it without
getting jobs.”

“Ah, Dianne. There's a lot you don't see. Not
yet, anyway. But I'm confident that you will, in time.”

She smiled, burying her face in the hollow of his arm.
“It sounds better than hanging myself.”

“It is better. It's far better.”

“Then I guess I'd better go with you.”

“You don't have to.”

“I know. I want to.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He kissed her forehead. “Good. It will be a
lot more fun with the two of us.”

She moaned and slid her leg up on top of Frank's.

They relaxed that way for several moments, not
speaking. Frank was just about to ask her about her car, but before
he got the chance she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Dianne awoke, she was alone. The bedroom was
dark and there were no signs of Frank. She got up off the bed and
opened the door to the hall.

In the kitchen, she found him sitting at the same
table, drinking beer and looking through his road atlas. She walked
over and sat down beside him.

“Have a nice nap?” Frank asked.

“I guess. Sorry I fell asleep.”

“No need to apologize. You obviously needed
it.” He closed his book. “We've still got a lot of
work to do tonight.”

She looked at him thoughtfully. “We do?”

“Of course.”

“What work do you mean?”

“We've got to clean up your apartment. That's
going to be one hell of a job.”

“How are we going to do that? We can't just...
carry him out. He's huge. Bigger than Lester.” It occurred
to her that Cliff's would be the second corpse she moved that day.
It was not something she wanted to dwell on too extensively.

“There are ways.” He glanced at the wall
clock above the refrigerator. “It's a little past eleven. I
say we give it another hour and then head over there. Give everyone
a chance to get to bed, so we're less likely to be observed.”

“What are we going to do?”

Frank took a drink of Pabst. “I don't know yet.
We'll work with the materials at hand. That's all we can ever do.”

“I suppose so.” She glanced at his book.
“Did you pick a destination?”

“No. I thought maybe you could do that. Is
there anyplace you've always wanted to go?”

She thought about it. “Kind of. But anywhere
would be nice.” She leaned forward. “Are we really
just going to take off?”

“We are indeed. Are you ready for such a
thing?”

“Yes.” She felt a lot better after her
nap and was actually excited about heading out. “Which
direction do you think we should head in?”

“That's up to you. Anyplace you'd like.”

“How about west? Or south?” She looked
again at the book. “Either one.”

“That's fine. Why don't we head southwest and
just see where we end up?”

She nodded. “Okay. God, this is going to be
fun!”

“It sure is. Oh, I'd been meaning to ask about
your car.”

“What about it?”

“Do you think it's reliable enough for a trip
such as this? Or shall we help ourselves to Lester's?”

“I think it will be okay. There's nothing
really wrong with it, as far as I know. And I just got new brakes
and tires last year.”

“That's encouraging. Do you like to drive?”

“Not in the city. But out on the open roads,
sure.” She leaned back in her chair. “We can take
turns. Are we really leaving tonight?”

“I'm not sure. Let's see how we feel after we
dispose of your friend.”

Dianne got up and helped herself to a soda from the
refrigerator. As she sat back down, she cracked it open and took a
drink. “Are you going to be ready to leave here tonight? I
mean... permanently? Aren't there things you need to take care of?”

“Not really. I packed a suitcase while you were
asleep. I've got your money, too.” He glanced around
briefly, sipping his beer. “There's not much I want from this
place. It was home for many years, but they weren't particularly
good years. I'm hoping for better years ahead.”

“Me too.”

Frank lifted his can and they toasted. “Something
tells me we're going to have a remarkable time together, Dianne. A
time like no other.”

She smiled. “I hope so.”