I'm a fool to kill you

FIFTY-TWO

We didn’t talk on the way back to the house. Jerry pulled into the driveway and turned the engine off.

‘Still think you oughtta build a garage, Mr G.,’ he said. ‘You got a driveway, but no garage. What’s that about?’

‘I’ll give it some thought.’

At that point Jerry looked in his rear view mirror and said, ‘Mr G.’

‘What?’

He was still looking in the mirror so I turned in my seat and looked. Ava was sitting there, just staring straight ahead. I wasn’t even sure she was breathing.

‘Ava.’

No answer.

‘Ava!’

Still no answer. Her face was white as a sheet, her eyes slightly unfocused.

‘She’s in shock, Jerry.’

‘Whatta we do?’ Jerry asked. ‘Take her to the hospital?’

‘There would be publicity.’

‘We could give a phony name.’

‘She’s Ava Gardner, Jerry,’ I said. ‘Somebody’s gonna recognize her.’

‘So then what?’ he asked.

‘Let’s get her inside.’

‘Should I carry her?’

‘I think she’ll walk.’

We got her out of the car and walked her inside; Jerry really impressed me. He spoke to her the whole way. ‘Don’t worry, Miss Ava, everythin’s gonna be OK. You’re gonna be fine.’

Obviously, Ava had never seen a shooting before. I knew how she felt. After my first I shook for days. We got her inside and wrapped her in a blanket to keep her warm. Then I got a bottle of bourbon out, poured her a small drink and both me and Jerry a big one. Jerry fed her the booze like she was a child, and immediately the color began to come back into her face.

‘Ava? Sweetie?’ I said. I slapped her face lightly and her eyes fluttered. ‘Ava!’ I snapped.

‘What the hell-’ she said, and pulled the blanket tighter around herself. ‘I need another drink.’

I poured her another but this time I let her hold it and drink it herself.

‘What the hell happened?’ she demanded. ‘What the fuck happened back there? All I know is there was a lot of shooting.’

‘Don’t worry about it, Ava,’ I said. ‘It’s over.’

‘Did you kill them?’ she asked. ‘Did you actually fucking kill them?’

‘Yeah, Miss Ava, I killed ’em,’ Jerry told her. ‘They went for their guns. I had no choice.’

‘This is crazy,’ she said. ‘What if they weren’t really following us? What if they were fucking innocent?’

‘Ava,’ I said, getting right in her face, ‘they followed us to an abandoned parking lot and pulled their guns. Believe me, they weren’t innocent.’

‘Oh God. . this is my fault.’

‘I think you need some sleep,’ I said.

‘Sleep? It’s early. It’s fucking day time, for Chrissake.’

‘You need a nap,’ I said. ‘Have some more.’ She finished the drink she held in her hand and I took the glass away. Then I walked her into the bedroom, laid her down on the bed, still wrapped in the blanket. In minutes she was asleep.

I walked back to the living room, where Jerry was having another drink.

‘This sucks, Mr G.,’ he said.

‘I know it, Jerry.’

‘How the hell did they get on to us so fast?’ he asked. ‘Somebody’s talkin’.’

‘Who?’ I asked. ‘Not you, not me. Not Ava. Not Jack Entratter.’

‘Not Mr S.’

‘Not Dean.’

We stared at each other.

‘Too many damn people already know what’s goin’ on,’ I said. ‘What if one of them just. . slipped?’

‘But. . who?’

I thought for a moment, had another drink, then closed my eyes and said, ‘Shit.’

‘What?’

‘Ava asked me if she could call her sister.’

‘You said no, right?’

‘Right, but the look on her face. .’

‘What about it?’

‘Damn it, Jerry,’ I said, ‘what if she already did call her?’