Dreadful Summit (14 page)

He pulled away from me. Then he turned around and I could see he looked scared. ‘What do you mean, killed him? What did you do? Beat him up so bad you think he's dead?'

‘I shot him!'

‘Shot him? For Christ sake, you're drunk.'

‘I'm not drunk!' I pulled the gun from my pocket and held it out to show him. ‘I shot him with this.'

Marion let out a squawk and went back so fast she hit the bed and sat down, but Tanya and Dr Cooper just stood there looking at me, then the gun, and then me again.

Dr Cooper said, ‘What are you making this up for? What's it all about?'

‘I'm not making it up! Al Judge beat up my father with his cane and I killed him. I thought it was all right but then I found out something, and it isn't.'

‘Then what was all that about him firing you and you just wanted to get even?'

‘I didn't say that. You said it, and I let you think it was so.'

It looked like if he could have grabbed the gun he would have killed me right there. ‘I said it? Don't you go putting words into my mouth! What are you trying to do anyhow? Make me your alibi?'

‘You don't understand! I don't want to get you in trouble. I don't know what to do. I want you to tell me what to do.'

He shoved me back so hard I almost fell down. ‘First put that gun away! What do you want to do? Kill somebody else?'

I put the gun away in my pocket, and he started to rub his hand over his hair like a wild man. ‘You mean all that stuff about working for Judge was crap?'

‘I don't work. I go to school. I'm too young to work!'

‘Too young!'

‘I never worked for Al Judge! I'm sixteen! I was only sixteen yesterday!'

I was looking at Dr Cooper so hard I never even thought about Marion. It made my heart almost stop the way she jumped up and yelled, ‘You're not! You're not! Don't say a thing like that!'

Dr Cooper didn't even look at her. He was looking at me with his mouth open, and I yelled, ‘That's how I had the tickets last night. It was my birthday present because I was sixteen!'

I think Marion must have gone crazy. She ran at Tanya and tried to rake her fingernails down Tanya's face, and all the time she was screaming, ‘You thought it was funny, didn't you? That's why you did it! You thought it was funny, didn't you?' until Tanya got hold of her and yelled back, ‘Stop that, Marion! I didn't know! I tell you I didn't know!'

Then all of a sudden Marion pulled herself loose and ran into the bedroom and slammed the door behind her. Tanya started to go to the door, but Dr Cooper said, ‘Let her alone! She's better off in there.'

She said, ‘I have to get you a robe anyhow. It's cold in here,' and he said, ‘No. I want to get this straightened out first,' so she just stood looking at me. She had a big scratch all down her cheek too, but it didn't seem to bother her.

Dr Cooper said, ‘Why did Judge beat up your father?'

‘Because my father got his sister in trouble. But I didn't know he did.'

‘You mean Judge's kid sister, Frances?'

‘Yes. But I didn't know. I didn't even know she was his sister! How could I know if they don't have the same name even!'

‘What same name? Why don't you try to make sense?'

‘Her name is Frances Sedziaski. How could I know she was his sister?'

‘For Christ sake, you didn't know that was his name too? It even means “judge” in Polish. He only started calling himself Judge when he took over the column!'

‘I didn't know that! How could I know if nobody told me!'

‘You didn't know anything at all, but you went out and killed him?'

He wasn't getting the idea at all. He just wasn't getting it. I said, ‘I saw the way he beat up my father and I had to kill him. Because I didn't know what my father did.'

‘How did Judge find out what your father did? What was it anyhow? Rape?'

‘No! Frances was in love with my father! She was crazy about him!'

‘Well, for Christ sake, what happened? Did she tell Judge? Did he catch them together?'

I didn't know how to answer that. ‘Maybe he found out when Frances died.'

‘Died!'

‘She died from an A.B. That was when he must have found out. When she died from the A.B.'

Tanya said, ‘That's awful. Oh, that's awful,' but Dr Cooper didn't even listen to her. He said, ‘Where did you find all this out?' like he didn't believe me.

I said, ‘I was in a closet. After I killed him, I was in a closet and I heard people talking!'

He came close to me with his lips pulled back like a dog getting ready to fight. ‘That's a lot of bull, isn't it? But you think if you get me involved, I'll fix up your story for you. Is that what you're looking for?'

‘It isn't bull! Honest to God, it isn't!'

‘Then what did you come here for? You kill a man and then come running back to me! What do you want to get me mixed up in this for?'

He grabbed my overcoat and twisted it so tight that it cut into my chest and I was afraid to pull away. I said, ‘Honest to God, I don't want to get you in trouble. I don't want to get you in trouble, Dr Cooper,' but he kept pushing me to the front door and he wouldn't listen, and Tanya only stood there with that big scratch down her face and looked at me.

He said, ‘I'm telling you this, and, God damn it, get it into your head. You don't know me. You don't know me and you never saw me before in your life!'

The way he had me pushed up against the door I could hardly move, but I wouldn't let him get his hand on the doorknob. I yelled, ‘You've got to let me stay here! You can't chase me away! You've got to let me stay here!'

‘I'm giving you the biggest break of your life by not turning you over to the cops right now! Open that door, and start going.'

‘You've got to let me stay here!'

‘If you drag my name into this I'll kill you myself. Do you understand? I've got a wife upstate, and I don't want to do any explaining to her. And a job I'd be fired from tomorrow if this came out. Do you understand that?'

Tanya was standing in the middle of the room, and she wasn't looking at me any more. She was looking at Dr Cooper and you could see from the way she was breathing that she was mad. She said, ‘Is that what's bothering you? Go on, Lloyd, tell me. Is that what's on your mind? That pretty little wife with the big eyes, and that wonderful job you're so happy about?'

He let go of me all of a sudden and turned around to her. ‘Do you think I'm wrong if I don't want ten years of my life blown up by a crazy kid?'

She said, ‘No. No, but you want to watch yourself when you're drinking, Lloyd. That publicity job Olsen has waiting, that divorce, they all came out of the brandy bottle. Didn't they, Lloyd?'

‘For Christ sake, Tanya! This isn't the time to start that!'

‘You were lying all along, weren't you?'

‘No, I wasn't. I meant everything I said. But it takes time. You just don't rush into things like that!'

‘You're a riot, Lloyd. I don't rush into things like that. I'll be dead and gone before they happen.'

He went over and tried to get hold of her, but she pushed him away. He said, ‘For Christ sake, Tanya!'

‘Get away from me!' she yelled. ‘Get out of here!'

‘Tanya!'

‘Get your clothes and get out of here! And stay away from me!' She pointed at me. ‘And you get out of here too before I call the cops!'

Dr Cooper was still trying to get hold of her, and he was yelling, ‘Don't you understand? I'm set! I can't take a chance!' and then Tanya hit him as hard as she could right across the face.

‘Get out of here! Both of you! Get out of here!'

Even on the other side of the door after I got it closed again, I could hear her yelling that.

Chapter Seventeen

I
WAS
afraid to go outside. I got as far as the little hall where the mailboxes were, and I waited there. There was a thin curtain over the front door, like a mosquito net, and I could look through it without anybody seeing me. Three or four times the street looked empty and I started to open the door, but then somebody would come along and I shut it quick.

I thought if only Al Judge would come alive again everything would be all right. Jesus Christ made a dead man come alive once, and if He would do that for me, I would never do anything wrong again. I would never even think anything wrong. I would be like a saint. I would only do good things, and if they wanted to burn me in a fire or cut me up on account of it, that would be all right.

The curtain smelled all dusty and old when I had my face against it, but I was crying and it felt better that way. I had it all straight in my mind. I would go into the first church I came to and tell the priest everything that happened. I wouldn't go to St Theresa, because they knew me there, but any other church was just as good. I would tell everything that happened and then the priest would give me penance and tell me what to do and I could start being good again. It made me feel better just thinking about it.

The next time the street looked empty I went outside and started walking along fast. I had my collar up and my head held down so nobody would get a good look at me. It was cold and grey out and other people were walking around the same way, but I was still scared. When somebody came walking along alone it wasn't so bad, but when a couple of people came along talking together I hated it. I thought they must be talking about me sure and then they would try to grab me, so I walked even faster.

I passed a lot of churches but they were all the wrong kind, and I was almost out of Greenwich Village before I came to the right one. I went up the stairs slow so I could get everything straight in my head before I started telling it to the priest, and then I pushed open the big door and went in.

They were having a Mass. It was after seven o'clock so of course it was seven-o'clock Mass. I had forgotten all about that. All the time I thought about going into the church I only saw the way it would be dark and quiet and nobody around. But there was a lot of people. And in a back row, right next to the aisle, there was a cop kneeling in his blue overcoat with the brass buttons in back of it, so if I took one step he might turn around and see me.

I was just inside the door. I reached around behind me with my hand and started pushing it open again. When it was open enough, I went through it fast, and down the stairs, only my legs were so weak they gave out near the bottom, and I fell on my hands and knees right out in the street.

I felt the gun slipping loose and I pushed it back hard into my pocket. My hat was near the gutter and a guy came running over with it. I was only afraid he would see my face good, so I grabbed the hat and put it on while I was running down the block. Maybe he was okay, but I couldn't take any chances. I kept changing around, running and walking, until I hit Fourteenth Street. Then I turned down toward Ninth Avenue and slowed up a little.

There was only one place left I could go. I had to get back to the bar without anybody seeing me and take a chance my father would listen to me. I couldn't figure what he would say or do, but whatever it was it would be better than going crazy walking around and around the streets.

There were some stores open on Ninth Avenue already, and when I same to them I went by as fast as I could, and then I slowed down by the ones that weren't open yet. That's how it happened I was leaning up against the door of Mr Triola's barbershop when I looked down the block and saw the cops coming out of the bar. All I could do was flatten myself up against the door and pray none of the cops would look down the block my way.

There were three cops in uniform and another guy, and they walked to a big black sedan that was parked there. They stood next to it, and the guy talked to them and pointed with his hand, and I saw it was Peckinpaugh. It sent a chill through me, and I pressed so hard against the door my shoulders hurt.

But he didn't see me. He kept talking, and the other cops kept shaking their heads yes, and then he and two of the cops got into the car and drove right past me, very fast and with a lot of noise.

The cop that was left stood looking after them a little while, banging his night stick into his other hand like he was sore, and I saw it was Kennealy. Then he turned and walked back into Mr Ehrlich's store. I could hear the door slam after him.

I couldn't take a chance on passing in front of the candy store now. I ran across the street and down the block on that side until I came opposite the bar. I stopped to see if everything was still quiet around Mr Ehrlich's, and then I ran back across the street to the bar. If the door was locked I was ready to kick it in, but it was all right. Just the way I left it. I went in quick and then pushed the door shut so it wouldn't make any noise.

It was empty inside. If I had come five minutes before, I would have run into all those cops, but now it was empty and quiet the same as when I left it. The big puddle of whisky was only a dark spot on the floor now, and my busted glasses were in the middle of it. My plate was still on the table and the coke bottle half-full. I grabbed it and drank it all down the way it was. It was lukewarm and flat, but it tasted wonderful.

I didn't want to go upstairs but I had to. I figured I would be the first one to tell my father about what happened, but I knew the cops must have done that. And maybe they told him a lot of lies. I had to go up and straighten him out if he would only listen to me.

I went through the back door into the hall. The yard didn't look exciting any more. It looked cold and grey, and Mr Ehrlich's peach tree was standing there like a dead thing. Then something pushed me and I froze up, all sick inside, until I looked down and saw it was Flanagan's cat. That was when I heard the talking upstairs.