Close to her Skip said, 'He's showing us who's boss, that's all. It doesn't hurt any. You took something away from him last night and now he's got it back.'
Robin turned to look Skip in the face. After a moment she said, a little surprised, 'What'd I take?'
'His manhood. Don't you know anything? You put him down, I have to pick him up.' Skip stepped to the window as he saw a gray Mercedes appear in the back drive, out of the garage. He saw Donnell, behind the wheel, raise a remote control switch to close the garage door. The car moved off, past Robin's VW and around the corner of the house. Skip stared out at the backyard now.
Robin said, 'We don't need Don-nell.'
'Then what'd you bring him in for?'
Standing with his back to her he heard Robin say, 'I don't know, it seemed like a good idea.'
He heard the flick of her lighter.
'You know yet where you'll put the dynamite?'
Skip turned from the window and had to grin at her. Funny she should ask. He said, 'Once you have the idea, it's easy. Later on, after Donnell gets back, take him in the bathroom or someplace. Huh? You do what you're good at and I'll do what I'm good at, maybe we'll get lucky and pull this off.'
Robin said, 'Luck has nothing to do with it.' She blew smoke at Skip and walked out of the kitchen.
He turned to the window again and looked at Robin's red VW thinking, Five sticks under the hood, wired to the ignition. Go on get the car started, I'll be right with you. Tell her you forgot something and watch from a window. It made more sense than placing the charge where he had in mind.
Skip was still in the kitchen when Donnell returned with three sacks of Chinese cartons. They shared a joint while Donnell placed the cartons inside the big restaurant-size oven, Skip thinking that disrespecting a man and killing him were two entirely different things.
Full of thoughts today.
He said, 'Robin rolls a joint.'
Donnell said, 'She good for something, huh?'
'She's dying to get you in the bathroom.'
'What you telling me that for?'
'It's the only time she's pleasant.'
Skip drew on the joint, handed it to Donnell and said in his constricted dope voice, 'I gotta go call my mother.'
Donnell said, 'Hey, shit, I have to do that too.'
Donnell knew the one to keep an eye on was Robin. Skip was a man went headfirst right to it. Robin, you had to watch your back with her, she'd circle on you. Said she'd like to see the signed check; shit, she like to slip one out of the book, put her name on it later on. When she gave him eyes, letting him know she wanted her needs met, that was all right. Skip had said this situation excited her and she was hot. Fine, but it wouldn't be in no bathroom this time, not with all the beds in the house. It made it easy to keep an eye on her, lying underneath him, straining her head against the pillow going 'Ouuuu . . . ouuuu.' There was a woman Donnell had in this same bed screamed when she was peaking, cute woman that came in to clean the house and loved to sing but would get the words all fucked up. Like the Christmas song about chestnuts roasting in an open fire, then the next part, instead of Jack Frost, she'd say 'Jack Paar nippin' at your nose.' But, man, she moved underneath you, and even screaming was better than Robin with that ouuu, ouuu. When they were done, getting dressed, Robin gave him this cool look over the shoulder like she was prize pussy. Donnell said to her, 'Robin?' serious, giving her a look back. When she said what, he said, 'I think you getting better.'
Skip walked into the pool house and said, 'Jesus Christ,' at the sight of Woody floating on his rubber raft, flapping his hands in the water. Robin came out with Sunday papers under her arm and Skip said, 'Catch this.'
'Beautiful,' Robin said.
Skip watched her walk over to the table and sit down, barely glancing at the mound of flesh out there.
He said to her, 'I been a good boy, Mommy. I did what you told me while you were upstairs getting laid. Can I have my candy now?'
'Where'd you put it?' Still curious about the dynamite, but not enough to look up from the paper.
'You're gonna love how it works,' Skip said, and had to let it go at that. Donnell was coming out of the sunroom and around the shallow end. Look at the dude, a regular breath of spring in a yellow outfit now, like he was going to a party, Donnell's gaze holding on that sight out in the water. Skip said to him, 'The man's bare naked.'
'Yeah, I think he must've forgot he has company. You leave him here alone?'
'Few minutes. I had to go the bathroom.'
'Yeah, he thought it was time for his swim. Man will take a shower and come out rubbing his hands together, means it's the cocktail hour.'
'Shit, he won't miss that money, will he?'
'Won't even remember it's gone.'
Skip turned his back to Robin sitting at the table.
'You ever drop acid?'
'I have, but it don't agree with me.'
'If you want to try again . . .'
'I like the bad habits I have.'
'Well, I think I'll trip, if you'll watch the store.'
All three of them heard the doorbell, Robin looking up from the paper. Donnell said, 'Everybody be cool now.'
Skip watched him walk out through the sunroom and come back a few minutes later with a good-looking redhead, escorting her the way a cop will hold you by the arm.
As soon as she saw Woody, Greta said, 'Oh, my Lord,' and looked away. What was going on here? People watching a naked man. . . . She recognized Robin, dressed this time, wearing jeans and a light sweater, the woman staring at her; but didn't know the guy with the beard and ponytail, scruffy looking, grinning at her. Donnell seemed friendly, holding onto her arm, saying, 'This is Mr. Woody's friend Ginger.'
The bearded guy said, 'Hey, Ginger, how you doing?' But not Robin, she didn't say a word or look very happy about this interruption.
'I'm sorry to barge in like this. . . .'
Donnell said, 'Well, you here now.'
'I just wanted to talk to Woody a minute.'
'He's right there--go ahead.'
Greta said, 'Yeah, I noticed,' raising her eyebrows in fun. 'I better come back some other time.'
Donnell said, 'No, it's all right. Talk loud, he hear you. Watch.' Donnell brought her around by the arm to face the pool. 'Mr. Woody, look who come to see you. Over this way, Mr. Woody. Look, it's Ginger.'
'I should've called, I'm sorry.'
'Hey, he's waving to you.' Donnell raised his voice. 'Better get out, Mr. Woody. You gonna be all wrinkled like a prune.'
'I can come back tomorrow.'
Donnell said it again, 'You here now,' turning her from the pool to the table. 'You sit down. Mr. Woody's about done with his swim. Make yourself at home, I'll get you something to drink.' Sounding friendly, but he wasn't, his hand tightening around her arm as she made a move to pull it away.
'I really can't stay. I thought I might have just a minute, you know, to talk to him, but I'll come back some other time. I'm supposed to meet somebody anyway.'
The next moment it became scary.
Robin said, 'For God's sake, will you sit down.'
The bearded guy came over and pulled a canvas chair out for her, saying, 'You may as well enjoy yourself. What would you like, sweetheart, a drink?' He had spooky eyes, pale, pale blue.
Sitting down, at least she was able to free her arm of Donnell. She looked up at the bearded guy and shook her head. 'I don't care for anything, thanks.'
