The Passenger (The Passenger, #1)(10)

What else has he done?

What else? God. The man’s a seducer of prelates and a suborner of the judiciary. He’s an habitual mailcandler and a practicing gelignitionary, a mathematical platonist and a molester of domestic yardfowl. Principally of the dominecker persuasion. A chickenfucker, not to put too fine a point on it.

John?

What.

You’re describing yourself.

Me? Not at all. That’s nonsense. An eiderduck perhaps. Once.

An eiderduck?

The bridal duck so called. Somateria mollissima, I believe.

Jesus.

A minor peccadillo alongside the enormities rightly laid at the door of your man. Dreams haunted by the complaints of poultry. A restlessness in the roost, a squabbling. Then the ensuing wingwhack, the shrieks. It’s a sobering thing. Just his daily list of things to do. Pick up cleaning. Call mother. Fuck chickens. I’m surprised to see a woman of the world such as yourself so easily taken in.

He pulled reflectively on his cigar. He shook his head almost in sadness. Still I suppose they might be willing to endure these indignities if it meant being snatched from under the poulterer’s boningknife at the eleventh hour. And of course the question does arise as to whether it’s proper to eat them afterwards. Islamic law is quite clear on this point, if I’m not mistaken. That it would indeed be wrong. But your neighbor can eat them. Assuming he’s of a mind to. The Western Church I believe is silent on the matter.

You cant be serious.

Couldnt be more in earnest.

Bianca smiled. She sipped her drink. Tell me something, she said.

Of course.

Does Knoxville produce crazy people or does it just attract them?

Interesting question. Nature nurture. Actually the more deranged of them seem to hail from the neighboring hinterlands. Good question though. Let me get back to you on that.

Well he seemed very nice to me.

He is very nice. I’m enormously fond of him.

But he’s in love with his sister.

Yes. He is in love with his sister. But of course it gets worse.

Bianca smiled her odd smile and licked her upper lip. Okay. He’s in love with his sister and…?

He’s in love with his sister and she’s dead.



* * *





He slept until evening and then got up and showered and dressed and went out. He walked down St Philip Street to the Seven Seas. There was an ambulance parked in the street with the motor running and a couple of police cars at the curb. People standing around.

What happened? said Western.

Some guy croaked.

What happened? Jimmy?

It’s Lurch. He took the pipe. They’re bringing him down now.

When? Last night?

Dont know. We havent seen him for a day or two.

Harold Harbenger was looking over Jimmy’s shoulder. We havent seen him cause he was dead. That’s why he wasnt around.

Two medics were bringing the gurney out. They lifted the wheels at the threshold and wheeled Lurch into the street. They’d covered him with a gray rescue squad blanket.

Here he comes and there he goes, said Harold.

He’s under there all right, said Jimmy. You can take that to the bank.

We smelled the gas. This morning it was real strong.

He’d taped up all the doors and windows.

He stuffed his socks under the door. You could see em stickin out in the hall. That’s what gave the game away.

You didnt think you should check on him?

Fuck him. Live and let live, I say.

There he goes, said Harold.

They loaded the gurney into the back of the ambulance and shut the doors. Western watched them pull away down the street. When he walked into the bar a city detective was talking to Josie.

Was he sort of a quiet person or what?

Quiet? Hell no he wasnt quiet.

Was he a troublemaker?

Josie sucked on her cigarette. She thought about that. Look, she said. I’m not one to speak ill of the dead. You dont know where they might be or whose ear they might have. You follow me? You run a place like this there’s always somebody you got to make allowances for. Up all night drunk and hollerin or whatever. And some other stuff I’d as soon not get into. All I can say is that he never done nothin like this before.

The detective wrote that in his book. Did he have any kin that you know of?

I dont know. They always seem to have a sister somewhere.

Western got a beer from Jan and went to the rear of the bar. Red and Oiler came in and got beers and came back. Old Lurch, Oiler said.

You wouldnt take him for the type.

People will fool you.

Western nodded. Wont they though. Did you tell Red about our little job this morning?

Yeah.

I wonder if maybe we shouldnt keep it to ourselves.

Might not be a bad idea.

What about you, Bobby? How long do you think that plane had been in the water?

I dont know. A while. At least a couple of days.

Who’s going to do the salvage?

Oiler shook his head. Not us.

By us you mean Taylor’s.

Yeah. Lou says they sent the check over by courier.

Who’s they?

Dont know.

There must have been a name on the check.

It wasnt a check. It was a money order.

What do you think this is about?

Oiler shook his head.