Sassafras, Part 62

Rick


While I was crumbling up the hamburger Bill walked in the front door. “Where’s Aunt Jo?”

”She’s changing. How’s everything going?”

He looked at me and smiled. “It’s going. You should have seen her at Don’s. She told my aunts she’s moving back. Aunt Margie said she was going to make me go to Phoenix with them, but Aunt Jo told her to go to hell.”

Joan walked in from the living room. “No, I never told her to go to hell. I told her I’d see her in hell before she took you to Phoenix. There’s a difference.”

“Well, either way, I’m not going to Phoenix. We’re staying here.”

“If I can find a job.” She took the spatula from me and inspected my work. “Looks good.”

“I’m glad you approve.” I gave her a kiss and leaned back against the counter watching her work. What makeup survived the funeral was gone, her hair was up in a ponytail and she was wearing a yellow t-shirt and baggy black sweatpants, but she still looked cute. She looked young and athletic, like a tomboy, ready for a game of softball or touch football. Not the sophisticated city girl I was used to, but it was surprisingly sexy. If Bill hadn’t been there I would have been all over her. It was hard to keep my hands to myself each time she walked by. Finally I couldn’t take it any longer. “I ought to get going. The sooner I talk to Matt the sooner I can come back.”

“But he won’t even get there for 20 minutes.”

“I know, but I don’t want to be too obvious about talking to him. If I just walk in and start asking him questions somebody might get suspicious. If I walk in and have a beer and then casually ask a couple of questions nobody would notice a thing.”

“You sound like a natural born sneak.” Joan said.

“No, my sneak ability took years of training and practice.” She walked to the door with me. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Are you sure you don’t need anything while I’m out?”

“No, I’ve got everything I need. Be careful, Rick.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be careful. You’d better go keep an eye on that hamburger.”

“Okay. I expect a full report when you get back.”

“I know, I know. I just hope I have something to report.” I kissed her goodbye and left.

When I got to Tanner’s I got a beer and played pool until I saw Matt walk in. I knew he would take a few minutes stocking the bar, then take the trash out. I watched until I saw him pulling the trashcans to the back door, then I went outside and walked around back to the dumpster right when he was opening the back door.

"Hey, Matt," I said when he saw me. "Sneider wanted me to see how things are going. Has anybody been snooping around asking questions?"

"Asking about what?" he asked.

"Cut the shit, Matt, I know what happened. Sneider’s tripping because Jenny's sister's been on his ass. He doesn't want her to find out anything. Has she been here asking questions?"

"She was in here a couple of nights ago, but wasn't really poking around, just drank a couple of beers. I think I remember seeing the two of you together that night," he said, starting to look suspicious. He wasn’t exactly a brain surgeon, but I was going to have to watch my step. A little suspicion could be deadly. For me and Joan.

"Yeah, Sneider has me baby sitting her, but I can't stay with her 24/7, you know?"

"If I was baby sitting her I would," he laughed. "She'd be on her knees 24/7."

We both laughed, but I felt my temper rising. "Yeah, that would be nice, kind of awkward at work though," I said.

I tossed a bag of trash in the dumpster. "Was it hard cleaning everything up that night?" I asked casually, trying to sound like I knew more than I did.

"Nah, there wasn't much to clean up. Had to throw away a pool stick he broke after she started swinging it at him, and wipe a little blood off the floor. I didn't know he killed her till the next day. I'm just glad he didn't expect me to help carry her out."

"How did Sneider get her out without everybody looking?" I asked,

"Sneider?“ Matt looked startled. “He wasn't even here. It was just Hollywood."

I didn't know who Hollywood was, but didn't want Matt to know. "Right, right, I forgot. I thought Sneider did her the way he was freaking about it. You know how he is.”

"No, man, it was just Hollywood that did it. They were just sitting there by the pool table. All of a sudden she clocked him a couple of times with that pool stick, then he just starts pounding on her. The next thing I know she's laying on the floor and he's in back of the bar getting a bottle of whiskey and the beer bong. When he hauled her out of there I didn’t know if she was alive or dead, and I sure didn't ask any questions. He's crazy. Sneider's a mean bastard, but Hollywood's a crazy motherfucker.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said. I felt sick inside, but tried to hide it. Matt didn’t seem to notice. Who the hell was Hollywood?

“Yeah,” he went on. “He likes doing shit like that. I saw him once when he was breaking up a bar fight here last summer, but he didn't break it up, he just kept beating one of the guys until the other cops pulled him off. Broke the guy’s arm in two places. I think he's one of those crazy people that like whips and chains, you know what I mean? A sodomist or something."

“I think you mean a sadist,” I said absently, thinking about what Matt said. Jenny went down swinging. I could see the same fiery streak in Joan. I just hoped it didn’t end up the same. “A sodomist would be somebody who likes ass sex.”

“So you were a sodomist when you were in the penn?”

“Hell no,” I said. “Just very, very horny.”