Act of Deceit

Chapter 49

W hen Donnally pulled into the driveway of Janie’s unlit house at 8 P.M., he imagined the look on her face when she arrived home to find that he’d brought in another stray. But at least this one wouldn’t be handcuffed in the basement.

Brother Melvin retrieved his small duffel bag from behind the seat, then followed Donnally up the front stairs and onto the landing, half shadowed by a streetlight.

As Donnally reached his key toward the lock, a Hispanic man dressed in black stepped out of the darkness. He pointed a semiautomatic at Donnally’s face, then at Melvin’s.

They raised their hands.

The man jerked his head toward the driveway.

Melvin drew back. “You can’t make us-”

“Shut up,” the man whispered. His accent was heavy, but his words were distinct.

“Take it easy,” Donnally said to Melvin, then to the man. “What do you want?”

“We’re going to take a ride.”

Donnally flicked his keys toward the hedge on the side of the house. They jingled in flight, then rattled leaves as they dropped though the branches.

“Not in my truck,” Donnally said.

The man shrugged. “We can walk.”

Brother Melvin pointed down with his raised hand, “My wallet is in my back pocket. Take it. We won’t call the police.”

“This isn’t a robbery,” Donnally said.

“Then what the…?”

“Sherwyn.”

Donnally knew he was right, but it didn’t make sense that Sherwyn would have the kind of connections that could put a contract killer on his doorstep.

In one motion Brother Melvin lowered himself to his knees and pressed his hands together in prayer.

Donnally tensed, fearing that the histrionic gesture would get them killed right then.

“Get up, chingaso,” the man ordered, and then bashed Melvin in the side of the head with the gun barrel.

Melvin wobbled, but kept his balance. “Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come.” Melvin’s voice became louder. “Thy will be done-”

“Shut the fuck up.”

“On earth as it is in heaven-”

“Fucking priests.”

The gun butt crashed down on Melvin’s head. He slumped toward Donnally, who stepped back and reached for the railing behind him, then jumped over. He hit the ground a fraction of a second sooner than he expected and slammed forward onto his hands.

A gunshot shattered the neighbor’s window a foot above his head. He pulled his gun, waited for the shadowed figure to lean over the railing above him, then emptied it into his chest.