Billy Summers

Alice must have been waiting just inside the door of her room, because when Billy knocks she opens up at once. And hugs him. He’s startled for a moment and starts to pull away, but when he sees the hurt look on her face he hugs her back. Other than meaningless bro-hugs from people like Nick and Giorgio, he hasn’t had a real hug in a long time. Then he realizes that’s not true, he got hugs from Shanice Ackerman. They were good and this one is, too.

They go inside. He told her he was okay when he called from the car after leaving Landview Estates, but she asks again now and he tells her again that he is.

‘And you … dealt with them?’

‘Yes.’

‘All three of them?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do I want to know how?’

‘None of them is going to need a hospital visit but all of them paid a price. Let’s leave it at that.’

‘Fine, but can I ask a question I asked before?’

Billy says she can.

‘Did you do it for me or your sister?’

He thinks it over and says, ‘I think both.’

She gives a case-closed nod. ‘That wig looks like a hurricane blew through it. Do you have a comb?’

He does, in his shaving bag. Alice tents the wig over her spread fingers and starts combing it out in brisk strokes. ‘Are we staying here tonight?’

Billy has thought about this on the short drive back. ‘I think we should. I don’t believe we have to worry about the Three Stooges calling the cops.’ He’s thinking of the pictures on his phone. ‘And it’s getting late.’

She stops combing and looks at him dead-on. ‘Take me with you when you go. Please.’ She mistakes his silence for reluctance. ‘There’s nothing for me here. I can’t go back to business school and serving cappuccinos. I can’t go home, either. I won’t. Not after all this. I need to get out of this town. I need to start over. Please, Dalton. Please.’

‘All right. But there’s going to be a point where we go our separate ways. You understand that, right?’

‘Yes.’ She holds out the wig. ‘Better?’

‘It is. And my friends call me Billy. Okay?’

She smiles. ‘Okay.’

2

There’s a Slim Chickens a quarter mile down the service road. Billy drives through and brings back food and shakes. The way she keeps her eyes on her chicken-and-bacon sandwich, planning the next bite even while she’s chewing the one in her mouth, pleases him. He has no idea why, but it does. They watch the local news. There’s just one item about the courthouse assassination. It’s nothing new, just a two-minute filler piece before the weather. The world is moving on.

‘Are you going to be okay tonight?’

‘Yes.’ She steals one of his fries, as if that proves it.

‘If you start getting short of breath—’

‘“Teddy Bears’ Picnic,” I know.’

‘And if that doesn’t work, knock on the wall. I’ll come.’

‘Okay.’

He gets up and tosses his trash. ‘Then I’ll say goodnight. There’s some stuff I have to do.’

‘Are you going to work on your story?’

Billy shakes his head. ‘Other stuff.’

Alice looks troubled. ‘Billy … you wouldn’t run out on me in the middle of the night, would you?’

This is such a perfect turnaround that he has to laugh. ‘No, I’m not going to do that.’

‘Promise.’

He crooks his little finger as he sometimes did with Shan and often did with Cathy. ‘Pinky-swear.’

She crooks her own, smiling, and they link up.

‘Go to bed early because we’re going to leave early. Long drive.’

All he has to do now is find out where they’re going.

3

In his room on the other side of the wall, he texts Bucky Hanson.

Can I come to where you are? Actually it’s we, I have someone with me. She’s safe but going to need new ID. Not staying long. When I get the balance of what’s owed to me, you’ll get what I promised.

He sends and waits. He and Bucky go back almost to the beginning. Billy trusts him completely and thinks Bucky trusts him. Also, a million dollars is a lot of cheese.

Five minutes later his phone bings.

SCOTS live show Skipper’s Smokehouse 2007 69 El Camino YT. Delete and DTA.

They haven’t communicated like this in several years, but Billy remembers what DTA means: Don’t text again. For Bucky to go to such lengths means he’s being very, very cautious. He may have heard something. If so, it was nothing good.

Billy also knows SCOTS. It stands for Southern Culture on the Skids, Bucky’s favorite band. ‘’69 El Camino’ is one of their songs. Billy goes to YouTube and types out SCOTS live at Skipper’s Smokehouse. Southern Culture on the Skids must have played that particular venue a lot over the years because there are over forty vids of various songs. Five of them are of ‘’69 El Camino,’ but there’s only one from 2007. Billy selects it but doesn’t hit play. It’s smeary cell phone video, the sound will suck, and it’s not music he came for.