MAGIC (23 page)

Corky stepped out from behind the curtain, stared numbly down at the corpse.

“Take these goddam things,” Fats said and Corky
took the knives carefully, laid them in the sink. “The guy was right, he sold top quality merchandise,” Fats said.

Corky blinked.

“Those were his knives, schmucko, get with it.”

Corky ran to the door, unlocked it, looked out. “What am I gonna do,” he said, “Christ, I got the Postman out there and now the other guy and what if Peggy comes home?”

“I’ll tell you just what you’re gonna do you—”

“—maybe I should get the Rolls—I could fit them in the trunk and—”

“—
goddammit listen to me
—you go right into my suitcase and you take some pieces of that canvas tape and you take these two and you stick ’em in the boat and you put a rock from outside on their legs and tape ’em there and row right out and over the side they go and if you’re not back in fifteen minutes you’re a bigger nincomfuckingpoop than even I give you credit for—”

Corky was back in twelve.

He leaned against the inside of the door, closed his eyes. “They dropped like they were being pulled.”

“Did you tie a rock to each of them?”

Corky managed a nod.

“Nuts,” Fats said; “now I can’t say ‘two birds with one stone.’ ”

“Stop with your goddam jokes for once!”

“I’ll be glad to if you’ll quit standing around with that faraway sensitive look plastered on your face, I got to shock you to get any activity—you’re not doing what’s got to be done, get to work on this place, clean the knives, get some towels and wash away this blood, you want Peggy to walk in and find out what a sloppy housekeeper you are,
move
.”

She didn’t walk in. She called rather, standing on the path halfway down. It was over an hour later and Corky had finished showering. He hurried up to her. It was cold and getting dark and she looked tired.

“You’ve been through a lot,” he said.

She shrugged. “Whatever. Where’s Duke?”

“We had kind of a scene. I guess you told him you were interested in me. He wants me outta here. He went hunting. He said he was going to take his time but I got the impression he didn’t much want me here when he got back.”

Peg nodded.

“Are
you
going to be here when he gets back?” Corky asked. “Or are you coming with me?”

“That’s what I wanted to talk about,” she said, and turned, led him up into the house where they sat across from each other by the fireplace.

“Okay,” Corky said. “Who wins? What’s the answer? I don’t want you to think I’m pressuring you because I’m not really, the fact that I’ll kill myself if you pick him shouldn’t enter into your thoughts one way or the other.”

She smiled. “You’re really wonderful, y’know that?”

“I feel my chances just went up a notch.”

“Well you must be
something
pretty special, because we’ve been together for a fat forty-eight hours after a little absence of fifteen years and we weren’t exactly intimate then, and you get me to lie for you and sleep with you and the most incredible thing of all, you got me, today, to
thinking
, which I have been avoiding with ease for most of my natural life.”

“I think I just lost the notch,” Corky said.

“You gotta try and understand my decision, Cork, ’cause it didn’t come easy. I’ve drunk more coffee in more luncheonettes and driven more miles and argued with myself and screamed out loud in the car—true—and let me get to it.”

Corky nodded.

“Okay. Duke: married all these years, not the best advertisement for the tradition but till today he never hit me and I think—don’t laugh—he cares. I married him when he was riding high, now he’s pretty low, makes me kind of a terrific fella to do that. That’s what
Duke would think anyway and I’m not sure he’s wrong.”

“Can I say something?”

“You can shut up, please, I’m doing my best. Okay. You: talented and terrific and on the come and listen, it wasn’t just that for a second there our thoughts touched like you said it happened with your Merlin and his wife, that was important, sure, but the truth is, I don’t know a whole lot in this world but if you don’t love me, I don’t know anything. Question: for how long? Answer: none possible. Problem: what if it stops.”

“It won’t.”

“You can’t know that
. People change when they get famous and no doubt about it, you’re gonna get famous and I’m not fifteen anymore, Corky, you think I am but I’m twice that and my breasts are starting to sag.”

“I can prove otherwise with my own hands.”

“You don’t
see me
, that’s the damn point. You see her, Peggy the cheerleader; well what happens when that stops? Don’t say ‘it won’t stop,’ I’m working to my climax.

“Okay. It crossed my mind during my endless driving that here’s the situation: Duke’s not perfect and you’re maybe not gonna be perfect either. But then it hit me:
I’m miserable anyway
, Corky. So why should I stick around, it’s my life. I’m taking off.”

“With me, right?”

“Get this please: I’m leaving, and you’re leaving, so it
happens
we’ll go together but I’m not running out on Duke because
he’s
at the bottom, I’m going because
I’m
at the bottom, so it happens by coincidence that you and I are heading the same direction, out, and if it works that we stay headed that same direction, terrific, but if it doesn’t, the world’s not ending for me, which is what I was afraid of, going off and leaving one guy and then getting dumped by another and not having the first one around to take me back but that’s no
problem, not anymore, ’cause if I get dumped, I’m not coming back.”

Corky blinked. “My God, you mean I win?”

“If I’m a prize, then you’re the winner.” She leaned back wearily, closed her eyes. “And as soon as I finish explaining all this to Duke, we can take off …”

“Gee,” Corky said, “do you think you ought to put yourself through all that?”

“I owe him that much.”

“But you’re tired, you know you are. I think you’re just letting yourself in for a real emotional bloodbath. Call him when we’re settled somewhere decent. Or write him a long letter; that’s what I’d do.”

She looked at him. “I’ve done dumb things all my life, not faced up to stuff. Today’s about the hardest day I ever had but I feel really good about it, Corky. I’ve got to make Duke understand this—for my own good as well as his pride. He’s got to know he didn’t get dumped for another guy.
We failed together
. He’s got to hear that from me.” She looked at her watch. “He’ll be home soon, it’s getting dark, you can’t hunt a whole lot when that happens.”

“I wish you’d let me convince you I was right.”

She went into his arms, held him a moment. “You go on back to the cabin and get ready. I’ll pack too. He’ll come in and we’ll talk and then I’ll come get you and g’bye.”

“Hello,” Corky said, and kissed her.

She kissed him back, then broke it. “Go on now. Please.” He started for the door. “How come the Rolls-Royce people never showed?”

Corky smiled at her. “That was gonna be my surprise. I called the Postman when you were gone and said could he cancel them and would he trust me to take the car awhile—”

“And he said
yes?
”

“He’s awfully fond of me. He’s only charging me fifty cents a mile.”

Peggy started laughing. “Peggy Snow riding off into the sunset with a man who loves her
and
an eighty-thousand-dollar car.” She sighed. “Into each life some rain must fall.”

“I love you,” he called as she started upstairs.

“You better, you bastard.” He waved from the front door, left, closing it behind him.

“What was all that about?” Fats asked when Corky got back to the cabin.

“Nothing important. Just the future.”

“And.
And?
”

Corky got his suitcase out of the closet.

“She’s leaving him?” Fats cried out. “Fantastic.”

Corky made a little bow.

“Unbefuckinglievable.”

“You think I’m not a little shaky?”

“So what now?”

“I figure we kind of tool off in the Rolls and get to know each other some.”

“Where though—where are we going?”

“Don’t get emotional, but I was kind of wondering if you’d mind if it was just a honeymoon for two.”

“What’s the punch line?”

“Dead serious.”

“You mean
leave
me behind?”

“I asked you not to get emotional. I just think it wouldn’t hurt for me and Peg to get to know each other alone.”

“You drive a hot white Corniche around you’ll get to know the inside of a jail cell, period. You can’t go without me, Cork—Jesus, who’ll do your thinking—admit it, you hadn’t figured that about the stolen car.”

Corky shrugged, started packing. “So I’ll dump it somewhere in a couple of days, big deal. No one’s looking for it now. I’ll leave it in a nice slum area, believe
me, someone’ll find a use for it and Peg and I will be long gone. I want to show her Paris.”

“You sound like MauricefuckingChevalier—you’ve never been to Paris yourself, schmucko—what is this ‘show her’ routine?”

“I just want to be with her. The rest of the world can take care of itself.”

“Hey, you’re serious.”

Corky nodded.

“Aw come on, Corky, this is me.”

“I know. Don’t think this is easy.”

“Then why are you doing it at all?”

Corky sighed. “Because, frankly, there’ve been times when you’ve been almost too strong for me. You’re a very imposing force and it’s scary—I want to try getting a little objectivity.”

“You don’t dare leave me.”

“Please don’t make this terrible.”

“I’ll tell—I swear—in the middle of the act some night when you don’t expect it I’ll tell every goddam thing you’ve done up here—I mean it, Corky—”

Quietly, Corky said, “I don’t think so.”

“What makes you so goddam confident?”

“Because I’m doing a single from now on.”

Fats didn’t say anything.

“I think I’ve got the confidence to try it now. Peggy gives that to me. I did some coin stuff for her that was really charming. It’s her, Fats. That’s what she can do for me. I’m going to grab it while I can.”

“You want me to beg?”

“Don’t go on—”

“—Christ, kid, remember where you were before I came on the scene?
The gas was on.”

“… I know …”

“You’re killing me, you know that?—I saved you—I was present at the creation—you just can’t dump me now that you’re on top—”

“I’m not on top—I’ve always bombed without you
before, maybe I will again, all I’m saying is I want to try.”

“Hey Cork … puh … please … keep me around at least … I can help … throw in a few lines maybe now and then … that’s not something you can’t live with …”

Corky kept on packing.

“… I’m praying … please God change your mind … please God say okay, Fats, you can tag along … please …”

Corky shook his head.

“Christ, do you know what loneliness is?”

Corky looked at Fats and nodded. “I been there myself,” Corky said. “But no more …”

An hour later Peg came knocking. “I don’t understand. I’m packed, I’m ready, I’ve practiced my speech till
I’m
getting bored with it, where is he?”

“Maybe he just hiked a long way and it’s taking longer to get back than you figured.”

“Possible.” She nodded. “Usually he just tromps around this area but sometimes not.”

“I really feel more strongly than ever that you’re facing something you don’t have to face. Be better for us all if we were gone.”

Peg shook her head. “It’s gotta be my way. But …” She stopped.

Corky looked at her to go on.

“I don’t like waiting up there alone, too many memories, kind of scary almost, you mind if I stay down here till he comes?”

“Oh, yeah,” Corky said smiling. “I’d mind that like anything.”

“And in honor of your stay with us,” Fats said, “I’d like to sing a little song of my own composition. It’s called, ‘Duke.’

“Not one of your better efforts,” Corky told him.

“Just trying to help little Peggy pass the time.”

“I just hope he’s not out drinking somewhere.”

“There a bar around here?”

“No, but twice last year about this time he went out and he met a couple of other hunters and they had their car and went into Normandy and Duke didn’t come rolling in till one in the morning.”

“What time is it now?” Fats asked.

“Not even six,” Peggy told him.

Fats did his Bette Davis. “Fasten your seat belts everybody; it’s going to be a bumpy night.”

“Who was that supposed to be?”

“That sound you heard was my ego breaking,” Fats said. “That was Ezio Pinza, my dear.”

Peggy broke out laughing.

“Don’t encourage him,” Corky said.

“Okay, all right, I can tell when I’m not appreciated, I just locked my mouth and threw away the key.”

“Thank God for huge favors,” Corky said.

Peggy got up, looked out a window across the lake. “Did he take a flash along, did you notice?”

“All I noticed was the elephant gun he was carrying—it was probably a peashooter but it looked mighty convincing to me. He just indicated like I said, that maybe it would be pleasing to all concerned for me to consider vacating the premises. And if he’d just get back, would I ever vacate.”

“He can’t be
much
longer,” Peggy said. “Patience above all things.” She sat down at the desk. Corky took the chair. They waited.

At six-thirty Peggy wondered if she should start to worry. Corky said that was up to her.

At seven Peggy said should she call the cops do you think. Corky said he thought she should call the bars. Peggy decided to hell with it.

But she was tensing.

“God
dammit
,” she said at seven-thirty.

“Well let’s get the hell
out
,” Corky answered.

“No.”

“It’s
senseless
just waiting—”