fff #7 - home coming

“Good morning, this is Cheri” I said.

“Cheri, what’s your location?” he said.

“I’m just coming out of the canyon.” I said grimacing, “Hi Jimmy, how are you this morning?”

“Get that look off your face, I can feel that look.” he said.

“You know how much I hate to bother you so early and all, but Sal wants you to go by Louis’ to see if he’s home.” he said. “He didn’t come in last night and Sal’s getting pissed.

“Why can’t someone else go this time?” I questioned, “I’m on the other side of town and I’m late for a nail appointment.”

“You gotta go cause Sal said so!” Jimmy said in that surly voice he uses when he is irritated. “Sal knows that Louis trusts you enough to let you in.” calming a bit, “Sal wants you find out if he’s holding out on him.”

“I’ll only do it if you give me a shadow and a couple of days off.” I said reluctantly as if I had room to negotiate, “this is a two person job, Jimmy.”

As he was hanging up the phone he murmured; “Just get over there, will ya?”

On the ride across town I began to ponder;

“I’m becoming wary of this family life. I only wanted to do a couple of small jobs to get a new car and other objects that I wanted. Didn’t need them, wanted them. That kind of thinking is what got me where I am now. It beats sitting at a desk all day working on a job that takes half a year. These jobs I do now last usually only a couple of minutes. Destroying all in one heartbeat what it has taken them all their lives to create. I would guess all those that met their fate with me probably had it coming. Why else would they send me if that wasn’t the case?”

“apparently I will be going in solo again, those bastards!” I thought as I drove around louis’ driveway. I hiked up my skirt to put my nickel plated friend in the band of my stocking. The new heated mother of pearl grips I bought for her keep her from cooling my thigh. I adjusted my skirt and got out of the car. Louis was waiting for me behind a pillar near the front door.

“Fancy getting a visit from you, Cheri, and so early in the day too.” Louis said with a smirk.

“If I had the choice you would have remained alone this morning.” I said offering him my hand.

We went into the house to the drawing room to continue our conversation.

“Shall I assume Sal sent you to visit me?” he asked; “because when you come for a social visit you usually call ahead.”

“Jimmy asked me for Sal to come visit you and ask if you were clear and when you were coming in.” I explained.

“I decided I wasn’t coming in, last night, and every last night of my life.” He said as if it was a choice.

“Louis don’t you think you should talk to Sal before you go making decisions on your own?” I coaxed; “you know how Sal likes to know what’s going on with his family. You know how he gets when you go out and you don’t come back in.”

“Shit-he’s getting nervous, where’s my shadow? I never should have come in alone” I thought.

Louis just stood there stoically behind his marble desk.

“Why don’t we just take a ride over to see Sal?” I pushed, “we’ll just tell him you were ill.”

Louis pulled a revolver out of his desk drawer and pointed it at me from across the desk.

“I’m not going anywhere” he asserted as the sun’s reflection on the barrel blinded me.

My phone began to ring and he motioned for me to answer it.

“It’s probably Sal.” He said.

Somehow retaining my composure, I put the phone to my ear and the only word the voice on the phone said was:

“Duck.”

I immediately fell to the floor as if my body suddenly had no skeleton. I heard a pane in the window behind me shatter as if it were a hundred miles away. I secured my nickel plated savior out of my stocking and peered out the window to see if I could find my shadow. She gave me the all clear from the roof of the pool house, and I went around the desk to check on Louis.

“I don’t care if I was here when he got it, but I’m glad I didn’t have to do it this time.” I thought; “ugh, and with these nails.”