Blackfly Season

20

“WHY DON’T YOU DRIVE,” Leon said. “I’m gonna stretch out in the back. My knee’s killing me.”

Kevin got behind the wheel, and Toof sat in the passenger seat beside him. His clothes reeked of weed.

“I can’t believe it,” Toof said. “You’re letting someone else drive your Trans Am?”

“My knee’s acting up,” Leon said. He was lying down in the back. “It’s not a big deal.”

But it was weird, Kevin knew. Leon was obsessive about his Trans Am. Took it to the car wash every week.

“So, what’s Red Bear want to see me about?” Toof said, when they were moving. “Am I in trouble again?”

“Naw,” Leon said. “At least, I don’t think so.”

Kevin didn’t say anything. Leon had told him to keep his mouth shut and drive out toward West Rock. Leon would give him more directions once they got off the highway.

“Are you sure?” Toof turned around to face Leon. “Why’s he yank me out of a pool game and drag me back to camp if he’s not pissed off?”

“I don’t know, Toofie-Doof. Have you got something on your conscience?”

“Like what? What are you talking about?”

“I don’t know, Toofie-Doof.”

“Don’t call me that. I hate that. Toof’s okay, but Toofie-Doof is stupid.”

“Unlike Toof. Fine. I repeat: Have you got something on your conscience? Have you been stealing from the supply, for example? You know Red Bear is going to take a seriously dim view of that.”

“I don’t use H. You know that. I just smoke dope.”

This was true, Kevin knew. And so did Leon, so he wasn’t sure why he was playing this game with their less-than-genius colleague.

“Well, if you haven’t been dipping into the supply, then maybe you did something else.”

Kevin made a left off the bypass onto West Rock Road. After only a couple of hundred yards they were into pretty thick bush on either side of the road. There were some nice houses out here, though.

“Something else, like what?”

“Well, something that doesn’t involve the death penalty. I don’t know, Toof. Have you been talking to the wrong people?”

“I don’t talk to anybody. Not about our business.” Toof faced forward again and stared at the emerald green of passing trees. “Except maybe to my family.”

“We are your family, Toof. That’s a quote from the man himself, remember?”

“I remember. I didn’t tell nobody nothing.”

“Then what are you worrying for? Relax and enjoy the scenery.”

They drove a couple of miles in silence. Kevin switched on the radio and they listened to Alanis Morissette yodel about her mistreatment at the hands of some mysterious man. Kevin still didn’t know why they were driving out to West Rock.

“Hey, where are we going?” Toof said.

“Shortcut. You’ve seen it before.”

“I have? It doesn’t look familiar.”

“Well, maybe that’s why you’re always getting lost.”

“Could be, I guess …”

Kevin remembered one time he had arranged to meet Toof at the Bull & Bear pub. He’d even drawn him a little map, and Toof had still gotten lost.

“I know why Red Bear wants me,” Toof said, and slapped his knee. “I’m so dumb sometimes.”

“What is it?” Leon said and sat forward, leaning on the back of the front seat like a friendly dog. “Why’s he want you?”

“You know,” Toof said. “You’re just playing dumb to keep me guessing.”

“No, I don’t know, Toof. Honest.”

“Get outta town, man. You know what this is about.”

“But I don’t, Toof. Kevin, do you know why Red Bear wants to see him?”

“Uh, no. I don’t,” Kevin said.

“See, neither of us knows, Toof. So if you’ve seen the light, you’re just going to have to let us in on it.”

“See, it’s ’cause I gave Red Bear my birthday and that, eh? So he could do my chart for me? He knows it’s my birthday tomorrow. That’s what this is about, I bet. It’s like a surprise party—remember, like he threw for you that time?”

It was true; Red Bear had thrown a party on Leon’s birthday. He had taken them all out to dinner at Bangkok Gardens. He had tried to order Dom Perignon but the restaurant didn’t have anything that good, so they’d had to settle for a Chablis. It had been a good evening; Red Bear had been in an excellent mood.

“It’s your birthday tomorrow?”

“Yup. I’ll be twenty-seven. No, twenty-eight. No, wait. I’m not sure. Twenty-eight, I think.”

“Gee, that’s great, Toof. That must be what this is about.” Leon touched Kevin’s shoulder. “Take the next left.”

Kevin made the turn onto a dirt road. It rapidly brought them to the construction site of a new subdivision. None of the houses was finished yet. The road became really rough, then, and they passed bulldozers and backhoes. The construction crews had left for the day.

“Take a right at the end of the road.”

The car dipped and swung over deep ruts in the mud. Then Kevin made the turn, and the road got even worse until it wasn’t a road at all. They passed a fenced-off equipment yard, and then there was nothing but trees.

“I’ll tell ya what I’d really like for my birthday,” Toof said. “What I’d really like is a trip to Tahiti. Or, like, maybe Hawaii. Anywhere the girls walk around in grass skirts and no tops.”

“I don’t think Red Bear would give you anything like that, Toof.”

“Oh, no. I know that. Hey, I’d be happy with a new CD or something. A movie and some popcorn. In fact, yeah, that’s exactly what I’d like to do. Let’s all go to the movies. There’s that new thing with The Rock just opened.”

“Well, sure. It’s your birthday; you can do whatever you want. Stop anywhere up here, Kevin.”

“I’m gonna order us a big cake for tomorrow. Dutch chocolate. Three storeys high, man. And maybe after the movies we could go out to the Chinook. I don’t need no place fancy. Fact, I like the Chinook better than that Bangkok joint any day. Yeah, let’s go there.”

Kevin stopped the car. Toof was still going on about the Chinook Tavern when there was a loud bang. He pitched forward so hard he bashed his head on the dashboard. “What the hell was that?” he said. He sat back, eyes rolling. He shook his head. “Did you guys hear something?”

The smell of gunpowder was overwhelming. Leon was sitting forward, the gun resting on the back of the front seat.

Kevin tried to speak, but nothing came out.

Leon fired again.

Toof tipped forward, slower this time. He pressed against the dashboard to raise himself. “Man, my eyes aren’t working right,” he said. His voice sounded as if he had just woken up from a long nap. “I’m not seeing so good.”

Toof got out of the car and stumbled, grabbing on to the fender for support. The back of his head was soaking wet, and blood was running down his jacket in strings.

“Fucking gun,” Leon said, and got out of the car.

Kevin wanted to run, he wanted to cry, but found he couldn’t do either. It was as if his legs were full of Novocaine.

The trunk opened and slammed shut. Then Leon came round the front behind Toof, with a baseball bat. He smashed him across the head, and Toof went down.

“Happy birthday,” Leon said.