The Love You Crave

29.

“What do you know about me?” Maybe says.

“I know you’re moving up the ladder quickly,” Hailey says. “Then again, this is pretty new for all of us.”

“I mean, what’s he said?”

“About what?”

“Me. What has he told you about me?”

Hailey says, “You want to eat first, or get this done?”

“Excuse me? You mean do it right now?”

“No time like the present. Let’s take my car. I’ve already scoped the place out.”

Maybe retrieves her small suitcase from the trunk of her car, and climbs into the passenger seat of Hailey’s rental. Hailey guides the car out the parking lot, and down the winding road that leads to a two-lane highway.

“It’s a short ride,” Hailey says. “Ten minutes, tops. I’ll pass by a few times so we can get a feel for how much activity is going on around the unit.”

“You plan to do it right now?” Maybe says for the second time.

“Of course. Why? What was your plan?”

Maybe feels a bit foolish, but says, “I figured to take a couple of days. Scope the place out, try to catch the mayor alone, or isolate him from his wife.”

“That would’ve worked,” Hailey says, “if the mayor was your only target.”

“But now it’s the three men?”

“And their whores.”

Maybe gives her a look. “The women too?”

“You were always supposed to kill the Mayor’s wife. He didn’t tell you? Jesus. Must’ve been afraid you wouldn’t show up.”

Maybe’s face turns red. “I would have shown up.”

Hailey looks at her. “Maybe, maybe not,” she says, then laughs at her joke about Maybe’s name.

Maybe says nothing.

Hailey says, “Let me guess: you’ve never killed a woman before.”

Maybe says nothing.

“Are you going to freeze up on me?” Hailey says. “I need to know. Hello? Can you speak to me, please? I mean, we are planning a high-profile hit together.”

Maybe says, “Are you dating him?”

“ What? Oh.” She smiles. “You’re jealous!”

“No, of course not.”

“Sounds like it.”

“Whatever.”

“ Whatever!” Hailey says, mimicking her.

She drives quietly a couple minutes, then glances over at Maybe and says, “Look, I’m sorry. I’m being a jerk. Truth is I don’t know much more than you. I’m all keyed up because…I hate killing innocent people, especially women. He knows that.”

“How old are they?”

“The women? Well, it’s not like they’re children, thank God. They’re older than you.”

Maybe says, “Women, children…it wouldn’t matter to me.”

Hailey studies her face. “Are you serious? Because I could never kill children. And he better never ask me to!”

Maybe says, “You’re too pretty to have been treated badly in high school.”

“Excuse me?”

“If there were high school kids here, it wouldn’t be hard for me to kill them. I’d just remember the ones who treated me badly in school. I’d think of them, and shoot these.”

“You could do that?”

“Sure.”

“What about grade school kids?” Hailey says.

“What about them?

“Could you shoot a kid?”

“Yes.”

Hailey gives her a look. “How?”

“What do you mean?”

“Jesus!” Hailey says.