outside to throw out the trash. A car had come up the alley with no lights. He played back the past few minutes, trying to piece the details together even as his life drained away. Not a random shooting. No, this was deliberate. Someone looking for him. Someone who knew his habits.
His vision blurred.
The cat.
There was the cat again.
Meowing. Pawing at him.
Joe put out his hand, his sticky, bloodstained hand, and touched the cat’s head. He tried to pet him, but his arm shook like crazy. His hand trailed down, dropping to the ground, his fingers coming in contact with a leash. Max was wearing a leash.
Joe didn’t waste time wondering about what had brought Max to this alley at this moment, a leash dangling behind him. While he still had strength, Joe fumbled, trying to unhook the clasp. His bloody fingers slipped, but he finally freed the leash from the cat’s collar. A skinny leash. Probably pink or some other pastel color. It was too dark to see, or Joe’s vision was too impaired. But skinny was good. He slipped it under his thigh, brought the two ends together and tied it off, tightened the knot.
And then he blacked out.
Voices.
Joe heard voices. Female voices. Whispering. Arguing.
“We have to get out of here,” one of them said.
“I can’t leave Max.”
Ah, Melody. It was Melody’s voice.
Beside him, Max meowed.
Melody and Max.
What a pair.
What a great pair.
“Max!” The joy in Melody’s voice was something to hear. She sure loved that crazy cat.
Joe was flat on his back now. He could feel the asphalt beneath him, and he could feel the night air against his face. He could smell the pollen and the blooming trees, and he could smell the barbeque joint down the street. Big Daddy’s. They made the best barbeque.
Above him, someone let out a gasp. Maybe the biggest gasp he’d ever heard. Like someone overacting.
“
That was Melody.
Suddenly a light was shining in his face. He flinched and squinted and wished she’d shut it off.
“Lola, call 9-1-1. Call 9-1-1!”
He tried to raise a hand to block the light, but his arm wouldn’t move. It just wouldn’t move. He squinted and could see someone bending over him. He could see long hair and a blue dress. A white apron. Melody. Dressed like Alice in Wonderland. And she was wonderful. She really was.
Another head appeared-Lola’s-then spoke. “I called 9-1-1. They’re on their way.”
“Here,” Melody said. “Hold my phone.” The light shifted.
He felt Melody’s hands poking around. “There’s so much blood,” she said. “So much.” Her voice trembled. Joe was sorry about that.
From somewhere in the distance came the sound of a siren.
Saint Paul had the quickest damn 9-1-1 service. They were known for showing up at the scene before the caller even disconnected. Joe liked that.
But Melody.
He wished she didn’t have to witness this.
He couldn’t see her face-it was in shadow-but he could feel what she was feeling. He could sense her horror. The sirens were getting closer. Then suddenly the alley was illuminated with what seemed like a million lights, Melody’s face washed in a ghostly pallor.
Joe reached up. He wanted to comfort her. He wanted to tell her it would be okay. “S-sorry,” he managed to whisper. Somehow he was able to lift his hand and touch her face. But only for a second. Then his hand fell away, his fingers leaving a trail of blood down one ashen cheek.
Chapter 11
With Max clutched to her chest, Lola at her side, Melody stood at a distance and watched as the paramedics worked on Joe. Police cars swarmed and lights flashed and radios squelched. Bits of conversation drifted to them.
“Should we leave?” Melody asked. Her voice was shaking, and her mouth felt numb. Then she realized her whole body was shaking. “I want to leave.” She knew it made no sense, but she wanted to run home. She wanted to get out of her bloody clothes, take a shower, and wait for Joe to come over so they could pop popcorn and watch TV. But Joe wouldn’t be coming over. Joe was at that moment being lifted into the back of the emergency vehicle in which he would be driven to Regions Medical Center.
Just like David.
And just like David, he would die. And she didn’t want to see that. She didn’t want to know about that.
Maybe she could go back to weeks ago, before Joe entered her life. Yes, that was it. She would pretend they’d never met.
“One of the officers said something about getting our statements,” Lola said. “I think we have to stick around until then.”
“Oh. Yeah. Right.” How had she forgotten that part of it? The string of cops? The questions, when all she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep forever. Never, ever, ever waking up again?
Lola gave her a one-armed hug and briefly leaned her head on Melody’s shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mel. So sorry.” She didn’t have to explain, didn’t have to go on, because Melody understood all of what she meant. Lola was sorry that Joe was a criminal, but she was especially sorry that Melody had just endured a repeat of the scene enacted with David.
The emergency vehicle turned on its siren and careened away, wailing. Did that mean he was still alive? Melody hoped he was still alive.
Max let out a muffled meow, his head buried against his mistress’s chest, as if he too wanted to pretend none of this was happening.
A female cop approached, pulling out a tablet as she walked. “Melody?” she asked once she was near enough for a good visual. “Is that you?”
Melody looked up to see an officer she remembered from another life, David’s life, their life together. “Sandra?”
“Wow. Hi,” Sandra said. “You’re the last person I’d expect to see here.”
“I know. Was it drug related?”
“We aren’t sure at this point. How do you know the victim?”
“We… Well, I guess we were dating.”
“Dating? You and Joe?”
“I didn’t know who he was. I didn’t know about his secret life. He seemed like such a nice guy.”
“He is a nice guy. Well, I don’t know him very well, but everybody seems to like him.”
“I don’t understand. Is he an informant or something? I just thought he was your run-of-the-mill drug dealer.”
Sandra frowned, looked over her shoulder, then back at Melody. “Melody, Joe isn’t a criminal.”
Melody felt Max relax a little, almost as if he understood.
