Chapter 73

“HELLOO?” CAME A familiar voice from the hallway and with it I let out a breath of relief. “Helloo? Is, like, anyone home? For some reason I’m tripping all over these wires, like what is that all about? Wires? Helloo?”

“Bloody Kimberly,” said Colfax. “Get in ’ere.”

“ ’Sup with the gun, Colfax? Put that away before you hurt someone. What are you, shooting the rats? This place is a major creepazoid. Why can’t you just stay in a hotel or something? I know, I know, the boss wanted to get the feel of the old ship, but really now. Puhleeze. Just know I’m not staying. Sooner I get off this old bucket the happier I’ll be.”

Kimberly Blue entered the room carrying a brown paper grocery bag. She was dressed down, blue jeans, a loose white shirt, and maybe that was why I thought there was something different about her. Something wary maybe, without her usual obliviousness, something sad yet determined. Different.

“Victor?” she said, still holding the bag. “What are you doing here? And Justice Straczynski and Mrs. Straczynski? And those swords? What, is it a party? You should have told me, I would have dressed. I have this really mad sailor’s outfit. And instead of lunch meat I would have gotten something festive.” She walked, seemingly unconcerned, to the bar, put down her bag. “Maybe a bottle of imported vodka and some hors d’oeuvres. I could go for some hors d’oeuvres, couldn’t you? Those little quiches, with the spinach. Yah. No fish, of course, I learned my lesson, but how about crab puffs? Are crab puffs okay?” She looked at her boss, and then at me, took in the strange scene, the somber tone. “So, everyone,” she said. “What’s going on?”

“Did you see anyone outside the ship on your way up here?” said Colfax.

“Ah, no. Like, everyone’s got someplace better to be than a rusting bucket sinking in the harbor. And I still don’t know why I couldn’t just put the supplies myself onto the little boat. I mean, I put them in the truck, I could certainly take them out and put them in the boat. I’d rather stay there than here any day. At least that boat has a bed. But Colfax is all, don’t go on the boat. And I’m all, but where do I put them? And he’s all, just leave them in the truck. And I’m all, but that’s pretty stupid.”

“Kimberly?” said Colfax.

“Yes?”

“Just shut up.”

“Okay.”

“Where’s the boat?” I said.

“At the end of the pier,” said Kimberly. “Maybe you didn’t see it because it’s hidden by the warehouse. For some reason that’s where Colfax docked it.”

“I said shut up,” said Colfax.

“So that’s where she is.”

“Who?” said Kimberly.

“Beth. Colfax kidnapped her and put her on the boat.”

Her eyes widened, her head came around and then again like an old-time comedian doing a perfect double take. “Excuse me.”

“And the FBI is searching for your boss,” I said.

“Why?”

“Because he’s been a fugitive from justice for twenty years. Because he’s really Tommy Greeley.”

She took a step back and staggered onto a stool, looked over at Tommy, still standing with a sword in his hand.

He shrugged and smiled.

“And now,” I continued, “he’s trying to have a sword fight duel with a sitting Supreme Court justice, whose wife was planning to sail away with you guys to the Caribbean but has decided to stay. And everybody is looking for money that isn’t there. That nails it pretty much, doesn’t it? Except maybe for the murders.”

“Murders?” said Tommy.

“Yes. Murders. I thought it was you who had done all the killing, I was certain it was you, following the path of betrayal, meting out your wild justice, but now I’m not so sure. Because the guy who committed the murders is the guy who’s looking hardest for the money. And that doesn’t seem to be you, does it? You’re looking for something else.”

“All I wanted was to get back what I lost.”

“What was that?” said Straczynski.

“Everything you took away from me.”

Tommy lunged, but meekly now, the lunge of a man too tired to really try. Straczynski parried with a flick of his wrist.

“You were going to jail,” said the justice.

“I was going to freedom, but you took it all from me. My love, my life, my money. So that’s what I was trying to get back, just that, yes. But I’m not a killer.”

“No, you’re not,” I said. “And you know what convinced me? Something as small as a dime. The loop on the sabers. If you were out to kill your enemies, why would you leave the loop on your saber. Why wouldn’t you file it off, sharpen the point, dip it in poison, stick it in your enemy’s eye?”

“It wouldn’t be sporting,” said Tommy.

“No, it wouldn’t. I thought it was you following the path of your betrayal, but it was someone else, following that same path for reasons of his own. Colfax,” I said, “you’ve been a very bad boy.”

“It was business, just that, you understand,” said Colfax. “Nothing personal. But terms is terms and I need to be paid. I was just making a proposal to our friend Babbage, a little gentle persuasion, and next thing I know ’e’s flopping around like a tuna on the deck. And that Lonnie, I was passed word ’e knew who ’ad taken the suitcase. I came in with questions, he came after me with a wrench. I didn’t ’ave no choice. It was self-defense.”

“You stupid son of a bitch,” said Tommy.

“You owed me the payments. What did you expect me to do? Take you to court? I’m just satisfying the terms of my engagement. And don’t you be all ’igh and mighty yourself, Victor. Nothing more bracing than a lecture on morals from a lawyer. It’s like an hyena teaching the lion to tuck in his napkin. And even with all I done, I’m still owed my money and no one’s going nowhere until we figure ’ow to take care of that.”

A sound pierced his speech, a soft high-pitched sob, and then another, and another, each louder than the sob before it. It was Kimberly, on her stool, her face covered by one of her hands, crying.

“What’s the matter with you?” said Colfax.

“This is the worst, just the biggest poodle,” she said between her sobs. “This is so humiliating. I knew there was something wrong. I’m, like, the vice president, remember, the vice president of external relations, and still nobody tells me anything. I mean, I’m supposed to know things. I’m an officer, dammit, and a shareholder too. I have rights. But you’re running out of money and does anyone tell me? You’re Eddie Dean and you’re Tommy Greeley both and did you tell me? Colfax is running around killing half the world and do you tell me? No. Don’t tell Kimberly anything. She’s only good for making coffee, and I don’t even make good coffee. And then you go kidnapping our lawyer, like that’s okay too. It’s a poodle, totally. This whole thing skinks.”

“Skinks?” I said.

She looked at me and I saw it, right there, yes, in the knowing glint in her eye.

“Stinks,” she said. “Whatever. You know what I’m going to do. I’ve been thinking about this for a long time and you know what I’m going to do?”

“Who the ’ell cares?” said Colfax. “We got-”

“Shut up, Colfax,” said Kimberly, with steel in her voice, and Colfax shut up. “Mr. D, or G, or whatever. I’m, like, grateful and all for the opportunity, but I think I’m going to quit. This is all too much for me. I’m just a little girl from Bellmawr, New Jersey. I didn’t know this was the way business was done. Really.”

“Kimberly, dear,” said Tommy. “I want to explain.”

“I don’t want an explanation. Thanks for everything, really, but I just want to quit. It’s a matter of ethics or something like that.”

“Kimberly.”

“Besides, your last check bounced.”

“Enough already,” said Colfax. “I don’t want to ’ear about who loves who, who’s leaving who, I’ve had enough of your bleeding duel. What I want is my money.”

“You heard Victor,” said Tommy. “There is no money, I’m afraid. None. I was heavily invested. Playing the margins. You know how that goes. Poof. No money.”