?No!? Andrew jumped on Mars?s back. They spun in a circle, Mars trying to swing the cleaver back over his head. They banged around the living room, obliterated a lamp, knocked a picture off the wall. Mars spun until Andrew was dislodged and landed in a heap next to a disoriented Lizzy.
Mars towered over them, blood dripping down his neck and over his heaving chest, meat cleaver poised to strike. His face stretched in a savage grimace.
Andrew gulped. He was going to die.
The room shuddered with the explosion, and a hole opened in Mars?s head, brain and bone spraying the walls and floor. Mars went stiff for two seconds, then toppled over backward to lie sprawled in a puddle of his own fluids.
Linda stood halfway down the stairs, legs apart in a shooter?s stance. She held a smoking revolver with both hands. The expression on her face was all business. She was still naked.
She descended the stairs slowly, stood over Mars?s body, and pointed the gun at his chest. She pulled the trigger five more times, Andrew flinching with each blast. Linda looked at the body, nodded approval, and dropped the gun.
Andrew stood, helped Lizzy to her feet.
Linda began to shake all over. ?I th-think I need to s-sit down.? She dropped onto the couch and started to cry.
?I?ll get you a blanket,? Andrew said.
?There?s a r-robe on the back of the b-bathroom door.? Linda shook so violently, Andrew was afraid she might be having some kind of seizure. He ran upstairs to fetch the robe.
Lizzy lit a cigarette, puffed nervously.
?G-give me one of those,? Linda said.
Lizzy gave her a cigarette, lit it for her.
Linda sucked in smoke, exhaled a long gray stream. Her shaking subsided slightly. She puffed again, looked at Lizzy. ?Who the hell are you, anyway??
PART FIVE
35
The rain slashed, and the wind tore at the banners along Canal Street on the border of the French Quarter. Mike pulled the Caddy into the Marriott?s parking garage. His back and neck hurt so much, he was nearly dizzy, and the drive from Dallas had exhausted him. He felt like an old man. Even a long, hot day working the vineyard had never been like this. His whole life and all the years had caught up to him at last.
He checked in and took the elevator up to his room on the fifth floor. He thought about calling an escort service again for a girl to work that spot on his back, but he knew he wouldn?t be able to stay awake until she arrived. He kicked off his shoes and flopped onto the bed. He was fast asleep within three minutes.
His dream was a confused tumult of unpleasant sensation. All was dark. The only awareness he had of his own body were floating patches of pain. And somewhere in the nightmare realm he heard the voice of his bother Danny calling for help. Where was Mike? Why didn?t he respond to his brother?s pleas?
Mike groped, shifted, tried to move his bodiless existence toward Danny?s voice. But always there was the pain, blocking him. He had no body, but still he felt paralyzed. He strained to open his eyes, to end the darkness. It was as if his eyes were glued shut. He fought to pry them apart.
When Mike?s eyes popped open, he was back in the hotel room. He glanced at the clock. He?d slept almost three hours. He still ached but felt somewhat better. He found the remote control and flipped on the television, surfed until he hit a local station.
A weatherman said the storms would get worse before they got better. People were advised to stay indoors. Power outages here and there throughout the city, trees falling into power lines, lightning strikes. Flooding in some of the lowlands.
