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And the spirit of revolution will not die while the hearts of these workers continue to beat. - Ernst Toller Thruce's house lay back in a cul-de-sack in Hancock Park in the west of the city. A lot of old trees hiding beautiful old bungalows. At number 314, Dave stopped the car and let Cuin out. He lowered his window screen. “Have a good time and let me know when you want to get back to the house; I’ll pick you up. Say hello to Thruce for me”. “We’ll do,” Cuin saluted his friend and walked to the front door. At that moment, Thruce opened the door and pulled him inside. “Oh boy, I’m screwed. C'mon in, and please, please say it ain't as bad as it looks like”. “It ain’t as bad as it looks like,” Cuin repeated. ”It seldom does. "Now, calm down. What on earth happened? Did you shoot two guys? Are they hurt, are they dead? What’s going on here?” “They are dead alright." Thruce laughed a silly laugh. "I killed them, didn’t I? Oh, Jesus, what am I going to do now?” “Where are the bodies? Show me,” demanded Cuin, who felt the need to take over in this awkward situation. He was familiar with dead bodies, so how bad could it be? Thruce passed him and walked to the living room. The curtains were still closed. On the sofa, a man and a woman were sitting next to each other. A bullet hole in their foreheads, a surprised expression on both faces. A revolver in the hand of the man, resting on his lap. The woman was carrying a handbag; she apparently just wanted to open it. One hand inside. “What did you shoot them with?” Cuin examined the bodies, trying not to touch anything. “My Smith’s and Wesson. Here”, Thruce showed him his black piece. “Get rid of it real fast, Cuin ordered. "Is it traceable to you?” “No, I don’t think so,” Thruce said. “I got it online from the black market. It’s not registered or anything”. “Good,” Cuin looked around. “Do you have a bathroom with a bath? Or better still, an outhouse with water facilities where we can do what we have to without being noticed?” “No such luck. I have a downstairs bathroom with a bath and a shower. What are you planning?” “We have to wash them, put them in some plastic, and dump them somewhere where they are not found immediately. Do you know of such a place in the vicinity that could function as a dumping ground?” “Let me think.” Thruce calmed down a bit now Cuin was taking the lead. “Yes, there is a grass wall near the old train tracks, a couple of miles out of town. I used to go there when I was a kid. It’s desolated now, perhaps only used by some Have-nots, but there’s nothing there, except trees and bushes. That track isn’t used or anything. Just wasteland”. “Sounds perfect. "Now, we have to wash them both without leaving anything on them, no fibers or dust, or whatever must be found on the bodies that will lead them to us. "So, we have to do some shopping first, assuming that you don’t have the stuff I need in the house. Disinfectant soap, plastic, large rolls, lots of it, plastic coats, masks, and hair caps for us. Is there a store nearby where we can buy the stuff? Preferable an anonymously large franchise of a big chain of shops all over the country? That way, we can avoid the bought items being traced back to this one individual store and us." “Yes, there is such a store. Newton and King in the city. They are a bit trashy”. “Just what we need. Now, let’s get started”. “You can tell me what happened in the car. Where is your chauffeur?” “I gave him the day off, as my cleaning lady. I figured…” “You figured right,” Cuin said. The next three hours, they were busy buying stuff, washing the two corpses, and dumping them in the grassland. They were exhausted on their way back to Thruce’s house. Thruce was driving, Cuin sat in the passenger's seat with his eyes closed. “That went well,” Thruce sounded relieved. “Yeah, it did.” Cuin opened his eyes. “You never told me who they were. It’s not that you kill a man and a woman just for kicks, I suppose. Good shots, by the way, right between their eyes. Where did you learn how to use firearms?” “In childhood,” Thruce answered. “My dad taught me. He taught me many things. How to take care of yourself in a grim world. You see, he was a conman too. Not very good at it. But still, I learned from him. "Who were they? "Billy-Bob Vanderbilt and his wife.” “Jesus," Cuin said. "The Vanderbilts? One of the richest people in the Americas? Shit, I hope that won’t be a problem later on. They are bound to be missed; get a search party on them, media exposure, the lot”. “No, I don’t think so,” Thruce stated. “He was the lowest branch of the family tree, a really distant relative of a distant relative of the big family. Although he boasted about the Vanderbilts, I heard. He was a nasty little man”. “Why were they in your house?” “They were stalking me. A few weeks ago, he already attacked me in a night club, just the one punch, nothing fancy. And later, he threw a brick through my window. I must have told you about that?” Oh, yeah… Cuin thought, that Billy-Bob. I would have pinned Thruce’s murder on him in the end. “Yes,” he talked out loud now, “I remember.” “They came over last night. I thought they wanted to talk. I shouldn’t have let them in, but I did. He had a gun; he wanted to kill me. If it hadn’t been for my Smith’s and Wesson I left in my duster’s pocket the other day, I wouldn't have the time to fire. It went on so quickly. I just acted in self-defense. I shouldn’t have fired twice, though. I shouldn’t have killed her as well”. “She had a piece on her, make no mistake, Cuin said. I searched for her purse. Had to leave it all there, of course”. “Oh, well. That’s something. But still, I feel awful killing them. I am not in the habit of killing people. Although her mother killed herself because of me. Carmen, I dated her for a few weeks”. “But, that’s not good!”, Cuin suddenly sat right. “Everything can be traced back to you if you're not careful. Let me think for a while. We could have a situation after all”. Thruce turned on the radio. They were drinking beer and playing chess in Thruce’s house. For most of the two hours, the two men sat silently, concentrating on the game at hand. Cuin was specially plunged in thought. He calculated the chances somebody could trace back events to Thruce. It was an off chance, but there was the possibility. Thruce had to disappear for a while. “I’ve been thinking. If it’s alright with you, I want to invite you to my house on the other coast. I have a spare room available, and that way, people won’t see you around in Los Angeles, perhaps reminding stuff that happened in the nightclub, perhaps making assumptions. The same with your connection to their mother and mother-in-law, Carmen. The least they see you, the better it is. And we still have another situation because I let you live and didn’t carry out the assignment. We have to consider what to do about that situation as well. All-in-all… checkmate! … I think it’s best if you travel with us back to my place in Westlake.” Cuin moved his queen. “Shit, I lost again. Yeah, I think you are right. I will stay at your place. I will be for the better. We can plan a strategy. What did you say? Do you live in Westlake? I’ve been there, ten, no, maybe twelve years ago. Loved it there. Oh, that’s a bonus then”. “It’s not a holiday, and it’s not for fun. This is serious, man”. “Yes, I know, just kidding. When do we leave?” “Next weekend, Saturday or Sunday. We will have to see when there is a flight back to International Airport Westwing. Can you afford the flight?” “Hell, yeah,” Thruce smiled. “I am loaded, so, no worry there. But, as it is, I pay for your flight and that of your girlfriend. The least I can do. You saved my ass, big time”. “You saved mine, so we are even. No need to pay for the flight”. “I want to,” Thruce explained. “My way of saying Thank You!” “In that case: You’re very welcome. I am going to call Dave now to pick me up. We will keep in touch. Come over to the house on Friday with your stuff. We have a quiet evening with Dave and Pernell. Daphne would love to have you around. She is very fond of you, you know?” “I love her, too; let’s do this!” Cuin turned around to face Thruce. “By the way, welcome to the world of killing. You now have three on your belt. Not bad for a first-timer.” “Not funny,” Thruce rolled his eyes, “I almost forgot.” “Never forget,” Cuin said with emphasis. “Never forget what you are.” WC:1584 |
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