Drifter's Blues (Erotic Noir)

by Tallis, P. J.

  Had Blair suspected something was up, and was that why he was returning home? Or had he simply decided against a night of passion with Madison and chosen to spend the night in his own bed? It didn’t really matter, Donna knew. Not now. All that mattered was that Blair was more than likely at home and waiting for Kyle. Had in all probability met him already. And God only knew what the outcome of that encounter might be.

  Nightmare scenarios played themselves out in her imagination as she drove. Blair had tortured Kyle into confessing on tape to the plan, and to her, Donna’s, involvement in it. Hell, never mind involvement – the whole thing was her idea. Or, alternately, the armed response team had arrived, Kyle had panicked and made a run for it, and he’d been injured, or even killed. She didn’t dare call Kyle’s cellphone in case Blair took the call and traced it to her.

  It wasn’t supposed to be like this.

  Fighting rising hysteria, Donna brought the Mercedes’ speed down a little. She really didn’t need to be stopped by the cops at this point. At last she came off the Manchester Expressway. In ten minutes she’d be home, and face whatever was waiting for her there.

  *

  ‘Nice of you to drop by,’ Blair said amiably.

  He was still seated. The gun in his hand was tilted slightly downward so that it was pointing in the direction of Kyle’s groin. Blair looked comfortable with the weapon, Kyle thought, as if he’d practiced shooting it before.

  ‘But I think you’re being just a tad too diligent, Kyle,’ Thurgood went on. ‘The pool really is clean enough.’

  Kyle opened his mouth but nothing came out. Not because he was too frightened to speak, but because he really had no idea what to say. This isn’t what it looks like? Yeah, right. That’d be convincing.

  Blair’s gaze shifted to a point over Kyle’s shoulder. ‘Pretty, isn’t it? Original art. Nothing quite like it. Once you’ve owned one, you’ll never be satisfied with a reproduction again.’

  Kyle was still holding the oilskin sack in one hand. If he threw it just right, he could obscure Thurgood’s vision for just a second, and that might buy him some time to dive out the door. But it was a stupid idea; he knew it as soon as it formed in his mind.

  ‘But then you’re something of an admirer of art yourself, aren’t you, Kyle?’ Thurgood sat back in the chair, the gun still aimed vaguely in the direction of Kyle’s crotch. ‘You have an eye for the naked female form, that’s for sure. In particular, my wife’s.’

  Kyle drew breath to speak, but again realized there was nothing he could say to ease the situation. There was little point denying it, and he wasn’t going to grovel before this man. On the other hand, saying what he wanted to say – that Donna was too good for Blair and deserved better than the way he treated her, that he, Kyle, was in love with Donna and intended to take her away from all this and give her a better life – didn’t exactly seem a wise course of action either. Not now, with that goddam gun pointing at his balls.

  ‘How did you know?’ he managed, surprised at how level his voice sounded to him.

  Thurgood let out a hearty guffaw. ‘How? Good God, son. You really do embody the notion of a “dumb blond”.’ His smile was still in place but his eyes had changed. There was a hardness there now. ‘You don’t think I’d leave a prime piece of pussy like my wife alone at home all day long without putting some kind of insurance in place, do you?’

  Kyle didn’t understand. It must have showed in his face because Thurgood said, ‘Surveillance cameras. Mostly in her bedroom, which is where I assumed the action would take place. But she’s a devious one. So I rigged some up in the chalet with its nice soft bed. And guess what I found when I got home a couple Mondays ago?’ He shook his head, let out a long whistle. ‘Christ, boy. The two of you should charge admission for a performance like that. Fuck California – the US porn industry would relocate to Columbus, Georgia, in an instant if they could get an eyeful of what I’ve got on tape.’

  Kyle was transfixed, as if a spear had pinned him to the spot. Dread clutched at his throat.

  Blair nodded in the direction of Kyle’s crotch. ‘That’s quite a schlong you’ve got there, Kyle, you lucky stud. In fact, in other circumstances I might’ve gotten quite turned on by watching the two of you at it.’ He sat forward again, his face darkening suddenly. ‘“Other circumstances”. Specifically, circumstances where the hot babe being fucked on the screen isn’t my wife!’

  He roared the last words through clenched teeth, his gun arm coming up. Kyle recoiled despite himself, bringing his own hands up in a useless attempt to protect himself.

  ‘Don’t shoot,’ he muttered.

  As suddenly as Thurgood’s expression had changed the first time, it reverted to one of cheery good humor. ‘Oh, I don’t intend to shoot you, Kyle my boy. No, I’ve got something a little more… creative, shall we say, lined up. For both you and that whore.’

  Don’t call her that, Kyle thought, fury displacing his fear. Well, he couldn’t deny what he and Donna had been doing together, not if Blair had them on film. But surely the man couldn’t know about his intention to steal the painting.

  Again it was as if Blair had direct access to his thoughts. ‘Anyhow, where was I? Oh yeah. I was talking about art. See, I know Donna’s always coveted that painting. Don’t get me wrong, she has no real appreciation for it as a work of art. She’s a fuckin’ philistine. But she loves its worth. She knows it’s her mealticket out of this marriage. Or it would be if she could get her dirty hands on it.’ He rocked his head from side to side. ‘Which is why I’ve made it clear to her that if we ever get divorced, she’s not getting it. And if anything happens to me, if I’m ever found dead in the bathtub having stupidly dropped my radio in or something, it’ll immediately be auctioned off and the proceeds donated to charity.’ He held up a finger and grinned, wide-eyed, like a joketeller about to get to the punchline. ‘And the charity I’ve chosen is… a dogs’ home!’ He slapped his knee. ‘Doesn’t that just tickle you?’

  Kyle was trying to process it, trying to make sense of what Thurgood was saying.

  The older man went on, ‘She didn’t tell you all that, did she? When she got you to agree to her little scheme to rob me. Didn’t tell you that her preferred plan would be to arrange a little fatal accident for me, except I anticipated that and checkmated her by altering my will. So let me guess. You and her are going to elope together, right? Go down to Mexico and live off the proceeds of that painting, like a couple of star-crossed lovers.’

  Kyle said nothing, his face burning. Thurgood studied his face intently, then shook his head.

  ‘Jesus. That snatch of hers really has got you hooked. Can’t say I blame you, really. I used to feel that way about her.’ He waved the gun carelessly and Kyle felt a flicker of apprehension. ‘Look, Kyle. Get real. Yeah, you’re a regular studmuffin. Hung like a horse, and oh, you eat pussy real well too, by the look of it. Remind me to ask you for some tips sometime. But you’re hardly in Donna’s league. She’s educated, she’s classy, she’s used to the trappings of wealth. You, ah… how can I put this politely? You ain’t those things. How long do you think it would last? How long before she’s fucked sore, and starts to yearn after sophisticated, stimulating conversation?’

  ‘You asshole,’ Kyle said harshly, his teeth gritted.

  ‘Hey! It talks!’ Blair turned his eyes heavenward. He frowned. ‘There was something else… Oh yes. You’re probably wondering how I knew you were going to break in tonight. Well, I didn’t. How’s this for a coincidence? I assumed that because Donna knew I was out of town this weekend, you and she would plan yourselves a little fuckfest for tonight, maybe even up in the house this time. So I left the conference early and headed back here to surprise you. Imagine my own surprise when I found nobody at home but the alarm disabled. So I put two and two together, and guess what? It comes up four. Every time.’

  He watched Kyle for ten seconds, then raised his eyebrows. ‘No comments? A man of few words, I see. I like tha
t. The strong, silent type.’ He grinned again. ‘Not sure just how silent you’ll be when I get started on you.’ Thurgood gestured with the gun. ‘First things first. I want you to call her and tell her to come here. Don’t explain, just say she needs to come right away. And if you try to warn her, in any way, I’ll blow your nuts off. You won’t be such a stud after that.’

  Kyle didn’t move. Blair waved the gun again.

  ‘Take out your cell. Nice and slow, now.’

  Kyle reached his fingertips into his pocket and pulled out the phone Donna had given him. He dialed a random number, then held it to his ear.

  Holding Thurgood’s gaze, Kyle said into the dead tone at the other end, ‘Donna? It’s me. The job’s done, but I need you to come pick me up. Right now.’ He spoke hastily again, as though talking over her objections. ‘Look, I’ll explain when you get here, okay? Everything’s fine. See you soon.’

  He folded the phone away. Blair nodded.

  ‘Good boy. Now, where are my manners? Sit yourself down. You’re going to need your energy.’

  Kyle reached over and pulled up a chair.

  Thurgood said, ‘Because we may have to wait a little, I might as well entertain you with a little preview of what the evening has in store for us. Would you like that?’ When Kyle didn’t reply he went on. ‘Like I said, I found watching you and Donna on that tape… well, I found it gave me a semi, if truth be told. But I noticed that you were the one doing most of the giving. So I thought it’d be nice for you to do a little receiving for a change, Kyle. Because you deserve it.’ Again the raised eyebrows. ‘That float your boat?’

  Kyle didn’t know what the guy was talking about; but then he wasn’t listening properly anyway. He’d seen in the periphery of his vision a carved stone bust on the desk a few inches to his left. He had no idea how heavy it was, and he wasn’t going to get a chance to heft it, so he’d have to guess.

  ‘What I’m driving at, Kyle, is that Donna is going to get to pleasure you. And I don’t mean blow you. I know she’s already done that. No, I’m talking about the delights of anal lovin’. You follow me, Kyle? You won’t believe the things a guy can fit into his asshole. I saw a movie about it once. Well, tonight we’re going to find out just how much you can take. And Donna’s going to be the one doing the administering.’

  Kyle turned his head a fraction so that he could gauge the distance he’d have to reach to grab the bust. As he did so, he noticed the bust was of Blair Thurgood’s own head and shoulders. He was struck again by the guy’s vanity.

  ‘Maybe we should get a little wager going, to add spice to the evening,’ Blair was saying. ‘I wager you can fit a whole eggplant up there. No – better still. An entire Waltham Butternut. How does that grab you?’

  Kyle tensed his muscles, psyching himself up. He’d wait till the guy was in mid-sentence, then…

  ‘Only problem is, I reckon we’re fresh out of lube. No KY in the whole house, unless you’ve got your own on you. Well, shoot. I guess you’ll just have to do your best with spit. Course, it’ll be a little rough, but –’

  Kyle lunged for the bust, dropping his head slightly as he did so. In one sweeping motion he gathered it up and hurled it at Thurgood’s head. It was lighter than he’d expected and he threw it too hard, so that it sailed past Blair’s face to smash into the wall. But it surprised the guy.

  Kyle dove at him, pressing home his advantage. His head collided with the older man’s chest and drove him into the back of his chair before Blair could bring the gun round to bear. Kyle had played high school football and although it was a few years since he’d been on the field, the moves came back to him. He pistoned his legs, forcing the chair back on its wheels, pinning it and Blair against the wall.

  Blair moved surprisingly quickly, bringing his knee up and almost catching Kyle in the balls, though he managed to close his thighs in time. The move gave Blair a chance to force the gun up between them again. Kyle saw its barrel inches from his face, could smell the metallic aroma of its oil.

  Instinctively, blindly, he grabbed Blair’s wrist and twisted it, and that was when the gun went off.

  The blast was shockingly loud, louder than anything Kyle had ever experienced, and he was stunned for an instant, dropping away and raising a hand to his ear. The ringing continued after the roar had started to ebb away, but Kyle barely noticed it.

  Blair had jerked back in his chair and now slid down it. he’d pulled the trigger just as Kyle had twisted his wrist away, and the barrel had been pointing at a slant at Blair’s own forehead. The slug had smashed through bone and exited from the top of Blair’s head. Gore and blood fanned out across the wall behind him and streaked the chair and the carpet and the desk.

  His shoulders caught for a moment and then he slid completely to the floor, the remains of his head banging hard on the ground.

  Kyle crawled away from the supine body as if it was likely to reach out and grab him. He squatted in a corner of the room, staring at the thing that had been Blair Thurgood, his employer and his lover’s husband, feeling the man’s blood wet on his own face and hands.

  Ohhhh, fuck.

  *

  Every time Donna thought she had herself under control, she looked at the walls, the speckled desktop, the body on the floor, and she felt a fresh impulse to scream. Each time she crammed a half-fist into her mouth, but that only made her want to vomit.

  Kyle had his arm round her shoulders and was pulling her tight. For the first time there was nothing sexual about the way he held her. It was an embrace of comfort. He’d found a bottle of Blair’s Wild Turkey in the drinks cabinet downstairs and poured them each a generous measure. Donna had downed hers in one and held her glass out for another, but he’d shook his head. He was probably right. It was just another way to make her puke. She’d settled for a cigarette, which she’d tried to light with shaking hands until Kyle had to take the Zippo from her fingers and do it for her.

  ‘Tell me again,’ she said.

  So he told her, just as he’d told her a few minutes earlier, almost word-for-word the same. How he’d broken in as planned and found Blair waiting for him in the darkness. How Blair had told him he’d filmed Donna and Kyle screwing, and had worked out that they planned to steal his painting. How Kyle tried to overpower him and Blair had ended up getting shot in the head by accident.

  She’d arrived sensing something was wrong, and when she’d checked the garage and found Blair’s Eldorado neatly parked there she knew he was home. He always drove himself at the weekends, never using the services of his driver, Rooker. Donna had hovered by the front door for what seemed like an age, wracked by indecision, before she’d unlocked it and gone in.

  And seen Kyle ascending the stairs, dressed not in the black clothes they’d agreed upon but blue jeans and a check shirt, his hair wet as if he’d just washed it.

  ‘Donna,’ he’d murmured, hurrying back down. She’d stared at him, uncomprehending, too confused to return his hug with anything more than a half-hearted squeeze.

  ‘Donna, you need to prepare yourself,’ he’d said, gripping her by the shoulders and staring into her eyes. ‘Something bad’s happened.’

  And so it had.

  Now, as he related the story for a second time, she realized she’d asked him to repeat it because there was something, some detail, that didn’t make sense. She understood that he’d showered and shampooed his hair and found some of Blair’s clothes that more or less fit him, which explained why he wasn’t in black. But there was something else that wasn’t quite right.

  As Donna listened to him, she lifted her eyes to the wall above the desk, and it was then that she got it.

  ‘Where’s the painting?’ she asked.

  Kyle stopped in mid-sentence. She turned her head to look at him.

  ‘I took it away,’ he said.

  Donna twisted to face him fully. ‘What? Why?’ Her voice had a tremor to it. She wondered what she looked like; she imagined she was pale.

&nb
sp; Kyle glanced aside as if unsure how to start. ‘I... Look. We have to go ahead with the plan, in a modified form. Pretend that a burglar broke in, Blair surprised him, there was a tussle and the gun went off. Which is pretty much how it happened anyway. Okay?’

  Donna wasn’t sure where this was heading but she said, carefully, ‘Okay.’

  ‘Right. But if what Blair told me was true, that he made sure in the event of his death you didn’t get the painting, then we have to steal it for you to get any value from it.’

  ‘Okay, I get that,’ Donna said. ‘But why have you taken it already? Why not wait till I got here and then we could take it away together?’

  Again he seemed to be searching for the right words. ‘Because... because this way, you don’t know where it is.’

  ‘Hold on. Now just a minute.’ She grabbed his arm. ‘You’re not planning to doublecross me on this, are you, Kyle? Because if -’

  ‘No. God, no.’ He put his hand to her cheek. ‘I’m trying to protect you.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘Think about it. The way this has to play out, you come home and find the house burglarized and your husband shot dead. And the painting missing. The police are suspicious by nature. They’re going to consider that you’re involved. Please,’ he held up a hand, ‘hear me out. They’ll suspect an insurance job on your part, or something. So they’re going to question you. Repeatedly, and carefully, trying to catch you out. It’s better that you don’t know where the painting is for now, until all of this calms down. Otherwise, the cops will find out from you where the painting is. They will. It’s their job. God knows, it’s going to be hard enough for you to keep to your story that you know nothing about any of this.’

  ‘Kyle - ’

  ‘Think about it, Donna. You know I’m right.’

  She had to admit, he was. And yet, she didn’t like it. Didn’t like the way the plan, her plan, was turning out. She didn’t feel in control.

  ‘So you got cleaned up, took the painting away and hid it, and then came back here?’ she said.