Island of Bones(69)

Louis looked down at the beer bottle in his hands.

“You’re just a flesh-colored blur,” Landeta said.

Louis looked up.

“What color are your eyes?” Landeta asked.

“Gray.”

“I was guessing blue for some reason.”

Louis hesitated. “I’m black.”

Landeta stared at him. Then he let out a huge bark of a laugh. “No shit? I thought you just had a good tan.”

Louis laughed. The room grew quiet again. A clock chimed nine times. Louis looked for it but didn’t see it.

“You going to tell Horton?” Landeta asked.

Louis could hear it in the man’s voice. It was buried, somewhere deep under the layers of pride and macho crap, deep under all the stuff that started accumulating the moment you understood you were a boy, male, a man. It was buried there underneath the scar tissue around the heart, underneath that veneer they painted on you at the academy that eventually hardened over you like a tough blue shell. Buried there, underneath all of it, Louis could hear the vulnerability.

“It’s not up to me,” Louis said.

Landeta paused. “Did Horton ask you to babysit me?”

The question was so unexpected Louis couldn’t think of a quick answer.

“Don’t bullshit me,” Landeta said. “Did he?”

Louis thought of what Horton had said about Landeta when they found Frank’s body. He can’t seem to get a feel for things and he's missing stuff.

Landeta let out a long slow breath. “Never mind.”

“You have to tell him,” Louis said.

Landeta didn’t answer. He was just sitting there, holding his towel-wrapped hand. Louis set the beer down on the coffee table. He rose slowly.

Landeta looked up. “You’re going,” he said.

“To get another beer,” Louis said.

Landeta looked up at him then concentrated on unwrapping the towel from his hand. The bleeding had stopped. He seemed to notice the blood on his shirt for the first time.

“You need anything?” Louis asked.

“Yeah, for you not to treat me like a fucking blind man.”

“Shit, man. If we’re going to work this case together, you got to stop being a prick.” Louis shook his head. “All I’m asking is can I do anything for you?”

Landeta just stared at him. And in the bright light of the white room, Louis could see his eyes clearly for the first time. They were a cloudy blue and rimmed in red, like someone’s eyes might look if they had been crying for years.

But Landeta was smiling, an odd half smile that was closer to a grimace.

“Can I do anything for you?” Louis repeated.

“Yeah,” Landeta said. “Bring me back a Diet Coke with lemon. Then tell me what the sunset looked like tonight.”





CHAPTER 32




Before Louis had a chance to answer, Landeta pushed himself out of the Eames chair and disappeared into the bedroom. A few minutes later, Louis heard the flush of a toilet and running water.

Louis rose and went to the kitchen, getting a beer and a Diet Coke. When he came back, Landeta was standing there. He had changed into a clean white shirt and there was gauze wrapped around his left hand.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Landeta said.

Louis hesitated. That was it? The guy just says he’s blind and that’s his excuse for being an asshole?

“Here’s your Diet Coke. I couldn’t find the damn lemon,” Louis said, setting it on the table by the Eames chair.

Louis went back to the sofa and sat down. He took a drink of the beer, pulled out his notebook, and slapped it down on the coffee table.

Landeta heard it and looked over at him. “What’s your problem all of a sudden?”

“Nothing.”

“Oh, I get it. You want an apology, right?”

Louis didn’t respond for a moment then he nodded. “Yeah, yeah, I do. You treated me like shit.”

Landeta just stared at him.

“I know things are bad for you right now, but I was trying to help you,” Louis said.

“I told you I don’t need help.”

“With the case, man,” Louis said, “with the fucking case, that’s all. And you did need help with that.”

Landeta turned away. He hit a button on the CD player, popping out the disk and putting it back in its case. “I’m used to working alone,” he said.

Louis waited but Landeta was busy putting a new CD in the player. A second later, the sound of Ray Charles singing “Lonely Avenue” poured out of the speakers. Louis shook his head and started to pack up his notebook and books. He rose and started to the door.

“Maybe it’s time I had a partner,” Landeta said.

Louis turned. “What?”