Destined for an Early Grave(30)

I didn’t bother to comment about the title. First things first.

“Bones.”

He glanced at me as if there weren’t two dying men in his hands. Their limbs were moving slower now. One of them urinated, darkening the blue in his jeans. Clearly, he wasn’t just trying to scare them.

“At least don’t do it here.” I stalled. “This is too public, and you’re freaking Denise out. Throw them in the trunk, and we’ll fight about it on the way out. If you win, you get to strangle them twice.”

His lip curled. “I know what you’re trying to do, luv, but in this case, you make a valid point.”

He dropped them, and they fell like twin bags of bricks. Harsh, gurgling noises came from them as they began to breathe again.

I heard some people approach. They were laughing, minding their own business—and about to stumble onto a messy murder scene and two half-strangled men.

“Spade, take our car and get Denise out of here,” I said. “You can meet up with us later. Cooper, open the trunk, let’s get him in here.”

“Blue Forerunner, mate, other side of the lot,” Bones directed, tossing keys to Spade. Another set was passed to him in the same manner. “Ring you on the morrow.”

Spade took Denise away, pausing only to stop the people from coming over with a flash of green.

“Get back inside, you’re staying longer,” he instructed them. They nodded, did a one-eighty, and returned to the bar. Poor folks would probably stay all night.

“Cooper, I don’t want you getting bloody, you can’t green-eye someone into forgetting about it,” I said as I hefted the lifeless man into the trunk. “Grab one of the others and toss him in.”

Cooper complied, picking up the nearest guy and shoving him into the trunk.

Bones lifted the remaining man and shook him. “If I hear a single peep out of either of you, I’ll shut you up the permanent way. Now, before I lock you in the boot, where’s your car?”

“Unngghh,” the guy in his grasp said. “Unngghh…”

“You damaged his windpipe, he can’t talk,” I noted.

“Indeed.” Bones scored the tip of his finger across a fang, smiled wolfishly into the man’s terrified face, and thrust his bloody finger into his mouth. “Now, answer me. Softly. Or I’ll rip your tongue out and ask the other bloke.”

With even that small drop of Bones’s blood, the man could speak again, if not very intelligibly.

“…white ’ickup ’ruck…”

“The white pickup truck with the Confederate flag near the front?” Bones queried with another shake. “That it?”

“…essss…”

“Who’s got the keys?”

A wracking cough, then a pained moan followed his response. “Kenny…’ocket…’illed him…”

“In the dead bloke’s pocket?”

“Unngh.”

“Kitten, if you would?”

I began digging inside the pants of the body. Nothing, front or back. Then I patted down the shirt pockets. Bingo.

“Here.”

“Cooper, take their ride and drive it to Twenty-eighth and Weber Street. Wait there, we’ll pick you up when we’re through.”

“Keep your cell handy, just in case,” I added, not commenting about the irony of a black man driving a truck with a Rebel flag.

“Right then, mate.” Bones dropped the man into the trunk and slammed the lid down. “Watch your heads.”

TEN

CANDLERIDGE PARK’S SIGN SAID THERE WERE a number of scenic trails and nature paths, but that wasn’t why we were there. No, we were there to bury a body. Hopefully, just one.

Fabian floated above the trees, having hitched inside Spade’s car without a word. He had to be touching something to travel long distances. The exception was if he was in a ley line, which I still didn’t understand. Something about invisible energy currents that acted like spiritual highways. Later, I’d ask him about it in more detail. Right now, I was arguing with Bones. Again.

“Spade acting in the heat of the moment is one thing, but if you kill these guys now, it’ll be in cold blood, Bones. They should go to jail, plus get some brainwashing to have them march in every Take Back the Night parade, not to mention civil rights, as soon as they’re let out. But they have families who don’t deserve to grieve over their sorry dead asses.”

“Everyone has someone who cares for them,” Bones replied without pity. “Even monsters. It’s not fair, but it doesn’t change the necessity.”

“The gun wasn’t loaded,” I muttered, switching tactics. “I checked. Besides, it’s not like anything would have happened. I had it under control—”