Never Too Far

by Christopher, Thomas

  He left the horses and wagon in the stable because he was too afraid of leaving them somewhere unattended in the Fulfillment District. His plan was to bring Templeton back to the stable and give him the diesel there. Even though he was sure Templeton wouldn’t like that, Joe didn’t really care. He dreaded seeing him again, but it was a necessary evil. Five thousand shekels was nothing to sneeze at. It wasn’t a huge fortune, not like the initial ten thousand, but if they were smart, it could last a good long time.

  When he finally stepped inside the Weimar Club, his attention was immediately drawn to the stage. A small band of strings and brass played raucously as naked women painted in assorted colors cavorted around another woman who was unpainted. That woman was writhing around and spreading her hands all over herself. Joe knew he shouldn’t stare, but it was all he could seem to do. The rest of the big room was filled with tables of people drinking, smoking, and shouting. The air was clouded with white smoke. On a balcony were more women—strumpets, no doubt—with open tops and loose hair. They stood in front of doors where disheveled men stumbled in and out.

  Templeton wasn’t hard to spot. He sat in the corner, like a giant rubbish pile, puffing on a cigar and clutching a stein of beer. Next to him were two strumpets with their blouses open and halfway off their shoulders.

  When Templeton spotted Joe, he shouted, “Dirt-eater!”

  Joe weaved through the mess of people until he was in front of Templeton’s table. His eyes were still filled with those tears that never fell. His white shirt was stained black with drool. The strumpets leaned against his massive body like they were leaning against a tower of rotting mattresses. They looked at Joe with glassy eyes and dull smiles. Their cheeks were rouged with pink circles and their eyelids coated in blue shadow. One of them had a gap in her front teeth.

  “Wasn’t sure you would show,” Templeton said. “How do you like my accessories?”

  He enveloped each woman in his heavy arms and shook them so their breasts bounced. Templeton laughed. Joe looked away and sat on a wood chair across the table.

  “What about the deal?” Joe said.

  “Deal? What deal?” he laughed. “We’ll talk business later. Now it’s time for fun. Where is that girl of yours? Don’t tell me you didn’t bring her?”

  “I don’t want any fun. I just want to go. What do we need to do?”

  “Slow down! You need to learn how to relax. Pleasure is peace, my friend.”

  “I don’t care. I want what’s mine.”

  “Nothing’s yours until I say it’s yours. You get it when I’m good and ready. What else are you going to do? Who else are you going to go to?”

  “I can find someone else.”

  “Really? Where? How?”

  “I don’t know. I’ll figure it out.”

  “One false move and you’re dead. Matter of fact, I could alert the authorities about you right now. There are more desperate losers out there besides you. It’s what keeps me in the money. Go ahead, walk away, if you got all the answers, if you’re such a big man, go ahead. Go. I dare you.”

  Joe stared at Templeton. His watery eyes were full of smug glee, which only made Joe angrier and want to prove the fat beast wrong. He wanted to spit in his eyes and walk away.

  “Awfully quiet,” Templeton said. “You don’t have any other choice. So don’t do something stupid.”

  Joe slumped in his chair and accepted that he would have to put up with whatever Templeton wanted. He remembered the teachings of the Prophet Roy, who said, “The humble spirit grows strong” and “Only the meek find rest” and “Walk the earth as if you are air.” They were words he often found himself rebelling against, but now they provided the fortitude he needed to deal with Templeton.

  “Ah, she’s here!” Templeton called out. “The loveliest dancer of them all.”

  Joe turned to see who he was talking about. To his shock, he saw Eve sauntering toward their table. She wore a pale blue robe that billowed around her legs. Her hair was swept to one side and fell across her breast. He realized that she must’ve been one of the dancers on stage, but he never noticed her up there. He couldn’t picture which one she had been. Then it dawned on him. She was the one in the middle, the one that the painted girls were dancing around.

  She appeared to be as shocked to see Joe as he was to see her. When their eyes met, she hesitated a moment as a flash of recognition ran across her face. But after that she acted very cool. She pulled the chair out beside Joe and nodded her head at him as if meeting him for the first time. She sat down. Joe shifted uncomfortably.

  “Let me introduce you to my new colleague,” Templeton said, gesturing toward Joe.

  Eve didn’t turn to him to shake his hand or acknowledge the introduction. He interpreted her indifference as hostility, especially after what happened in her room. What he wondered was how she knew Templeton. Or more to the point, why she knew him? To Joe, Templeton was disgusting and lecherous, so why would anyone want to willingly be associated with him?

  Joe watched Eve take a silver case out of the side pocket in her robe, set it on the table, and flip it open to reveal a neat row of white cigarettes. She slipped one out, closed the case, tapped the end on the top of the case and slid the cigarette between her lips. Templeton suddenly lurched forward, rocking the table with the roll of his flesh as he struck a match. The end of the match disappeared in his fat fingers as he extended the tiny flame to ignite Eve’s cigarette. When he sat back with another lurch, the table rocked again.

  “You were marvelous as always,” Templeton declared. “Come, sit by me.”

  He callously pushed away the two half-dressed strumpets to clear a space for him to lavish attention on Eve. As the other woman stumbled away, Eve blew out some smoke, picked her case up off the table, and got to her feet.

  “I only have a few minutes,” she said, “before I have to get ready for the next show.”

  “Of course, of course,” Templeton said.

  Eve shuffled around the table and eased into the chair next to Templeton. He looked as if he wanted to engulf her. His wet, slippery lips trembled.

  “You know the deal,” she said.

  “Yes, of course.”

  He plunged his hand into his hip pocket, dug around, and pulled out some bills that he set on the table in front of Eve. Joe had never seen paper shekels before. They only came in fifties and hundreds. There appeared to be several bills there, but he didn’t get a chance to see how much before Eve stashed them in her robe. Templeton then leaned toward her. His eyes fluttered, his nostrils flared as he breathed her in. He let out a purring sound that bubbled at his wet lips. The sight made Joe cringe, but Eve didn’t seem to be bothered at all. It didn’t look like the first time this had happened, especially when Templeton slithered his arm around her shoulders. He curled his hand like a fat claw across the top of her breast and caressed the bottom of her chin with a thick stumpy finger. Once again Eve took it all in stride.

  “Why won’t you be mine?” he said.

  “I did that once. And look what it got me.”

  Templeton chuckled.

  “I could set you up far away from here,” he said.

  “And be a prisoner? I already did that too.”

  “I’m not going to be in this game much longer. I’ve got enough to get free now.”

  “And give up your pleasures and power? You couldn’t leave if you wanted to.”

  “I can do whatever I want.”

  “Only because they look the other way and get a cut. Don’t fool yourself. They won’t want to lose their piggy bank or want their piggy bank to squeal.”

  “You shouldn’t talk to me like that.”

  “You shouldn’t talk like an idiot.”

  “Who’s going to touch me? I’m invincible.” He threw out his arms and puffed out his chest to show his invincibility before hunching over Eve again. “Like you said, they don’t want to lose their piggy bank.”

  “Unless they find another one
and you become disposable.”

  He paused a moment, as if mulling over what she said, before saying, “What do you know?”

  “Nothing. It’s hypothetical. All I’m saying is you aren’t exactly discreet.”

  “You do know something.”

  “Only what I see.”

  “Don’t tease me. Tell me what you know.”

  “I think I’ve made my point.” She nodded at Joe without looking at him. “You think he’s deaf and can’t hear what we’re talking about?”

  As she was saying that, Joe felt something nudge his foot and then tap his toes. He stared at Eve, but she didn’t make any sign that it was her, although it had to be her. He wasn’t sure what she meant by it. Maybe it was just to acknowledge him, or maybe it was to warn him.

  “Him? A dirt-eater?” Templeton chortled. “Don’t make me laugh.”

  “That’s exactly what I mean.” Eve said. “Don’t get comfortable. You have rivals who want to clear the way.”

  “Clear the way?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “No one has the balls to take me out.”

  “Have you forgotten about Red?”

  “Red is a punk.”

  “He might be a punk, but he’s smart enough to see a chance.”

  “Stop messing with me. You trying to make me paranoid?”

  “I’m trying to save your ass.”

  “By making me jumpy?”

  “By making you see that conditions have changed.”

  “So you are trying to warn me.”

  “Take it any way you want. I have to go soon.”

  “You can’t just leave me hanging like this.”

  Eve didn’t say anything. She sucked in deeply on her cigarette and blew the smoke out slowly. The white tip was smudged with lipstick. Finally, she looked at Joe, but only briefly. He could see in her eyes that she was even more suspicious of him than before.

  Chapter 40

  Eve put her cigarette case in her robe and was about to leave when two men in black hoods darted out of the crowd. They swooped in with long knifes that glinted beneath the lights. At first, Joe didn’t fully comprehend what was happening. Only after they grabbed the heads of Eve and Templeton and yanked them back did Joe understand. By that time, however, it was too late. The sharp blades sliced deep into both of their necks. The blood squirted. It shot out like water from a punctured hose.

  The blood hit Joe and he toppled over backwards in his chair. On the floor, he wiped his blood-spattered face with his sleeve, and even though he should’ve stayed down, he scrambled to his feet again. His left eye was cloudy and burned from the blood that got in it, but he could still see well enough to know that several more men in black hoods had descended from out of nowhere. They stabbed Templeton’s fat body like a flock of ravens pecking and tearing at a bloated animal. Eve was nowhere in sight. She must’ve crashed to the floor below the tabletop, which was now a wet puddle of spilled beer and dark blood.

  The massacre was seemingly over as violently as it began. The hooded men dashed away into the screaming mob of people gathered around the bloody scene. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the crowd fell on the murdered bodies like vultures.

  Joe went into a full-on alarm. He ducked under the table as it rocked and swayed from the rush of people swarming around. They grabbed and tore at Eve and Templeton’s clothes and bodies. They were taking anything they could get. Money was ripped from hand to hand until it was shreds. A siren went off, loud and shrieking. Eve’s robe was torn loose, her bare skin scratched and clawed. The table tipped over and feet trampled on Joe. He got tangled for a moment in the thicket of legs before he slid into a tight gap between two people and pushed himself to his feet. He fought his way through the crowd until he reached the door and squeezed outside.

  He shimmied along the face of the building to a narrow alley, no bigger than a hallway, and stopped. He saw the flashing red lights of two trucks, and then two Arbyters with their mounted cannons swiveling over the mob.

  “Disperse! Disperse!” a loudspeaker proclaimed, followed by a popping sound.

  The air filled with bursts of yellow and white smoke. Joe didn’t know what it was. The crowd turned frantic as they scattered. Several people, stumbling and coughing, pushed past Joe and knocked him against the wall in the alley. He smelled an acrid odor, and when he breathed, his lungs seized. He thought it must be some kind of poison, so he ran down the alley with the other fleeing people. The wretched smoke continued to follow him. His eyes watered. But he happened to spot a small opening in the brick foundation of the building opposite the Weimar Club. It was either a knocked-out window or knocked-out bricks. Either way, Joe thought he could hide there until everything calmed down.

  He dove on the ground and wedged his shoulders between the bricks and squirmed into a dark crawl space. He felt around for something to block the opening and keep the smoke from seeping in. He found something that crinkled when he touched it. It was an old sheet of plastic. He plastered it against the opening and waited.

  After he coughed a few more times, his lungs started to clear. Even though he felt safer now, his nerves were still raw. He was still rattled from the savage attack on Templeton and Eve, especially the way Eve’s white throat split open and the way her blood gushed out. He thought he heard her gasp something, some word, before the knife cut in and slashed her neck. He remembered her throwing her arms in the air and the V of her robe peeling open to expose the hollow of her neck. What was it she said? Something with an “s”. Was it soft, send, sound, south. South. It had to be south. But south what? It meant nothing to him.

  While he lay in the dark crawl space, he wondered what was going to happen now. He didn’t know how much more of this he could take until it didn’t seem worth it. His only contact to sell the diesel was dead. Then he heard the rapid tat-tat-tat of rifle fire. He flinched and let go of the plastic. The bitter smoke rolled in before he could get the plastic over the opening again. It stung his eyes and throttled his lungs. He gasped for air a few times. The thought flashed through his mind that he could be suffocating, but a moment later his lungs began to inflate again. He coughed and hacked. His eyes watered, so he kept them closed.

  Once again, he wondered what he was going to do. If he still wanted to get money for the diesel, he’d have to find another buyer. He was back to square one—worse than square one because he had no idea who to go to next. What about Templeton’s rival, Red? It seemed like the only option Joe had left. He had to find Red. But where and how, especially with only one day remaining on their tags?

  As bad as that was he had more pressing issues at hand, like who sent the killers and how was Eve involved? Did the killers know who Joe was now? Were they coming after him next? Worse yet, was Mary in danger? Was someone on their way to Mary and Joe’s room right then? The only important thing now was to make sure Mary was safe. They had to get out of sight and leave the rooming house. The rest he’d have to sort out later.

  Joe tore the plastic away from the opening. He crawled out into the alley and stood up. A whiff of the foul smoke still lingered in the air.

  He only made it to the end of the alley before two men grabbed him. They wore long dark coats and fedoras with thin red bands on them. One of them snatched Joe’s wrist and scanned it. His face was narrow in the eyes and broader around his jaws. He must’ve been fond of candy because his breath smelled like peppermint.

  “It’s him,” he said. “It’s the dirt-eater.”

  The other man pulled something out of his pocket. He shoved it in Joe’s hand. It was a piece of paper.

  “We know you have the diesel,” he said. He stared straight into Joe’s eyes. “Follow these directions and all will be forgiven.”

  They let go of him and then walked away as if nothing had happened. Joe slumped against the wall. He looked at the paper in his hand and unfolded it.

  It read, “Take the diesel to the old church on Ludwig and 10th. Bring the gi
rl.”

  Chapter 41

  That evening, Joe and Mary set out to find the church. They went through parts of the city where decaying buildings lay and people milled about as if they didn’t notice a thing. Joe couldn’t stop fidgeting. It was as if he was sitting on a pile of rocks and sticks instead of the smooth bench. He kept lifting one hip and then the other. He squirmed and shifted his feet.

  At one point they rode down a steep ramp onto a narrow boulevard beside a canal. It was full of dark water that reflected pieces of light from the windows shining in the buildings on the opposite side. Up ahead, Joe saw two figures standing near the edge of the canal. He was too far away to see exactly what they were doing. When they got closer, he saw a man standing in front a woman whose heels were dangerously close to the edge. One slip and she’d fall in.

  Joe was about to shout when he realized the woman wasn’t really in trouble. Instead, the man’s arms were wrapped around the woman’s waist. His head was lowered over her shoulder, and the woman leaned against his body with her head tilted up close to the man’s face. It looked as if she was nuzzling his neck or whispering something in his ear. The two seemed oblivious to the wagon’s approach. They didn’t move or startle or even look while Joe stared at them. That’s when he saw the woman wasn’t whispering at all, but rather her lips were pressed tightly against the man’s lips. They were lovers. Joe looked at Mary to see if she saw them, to see if she also saw the lovers. He figured she hadn’t since her hat was pulled so low over her brow.

  Further along they turned and crossed over a bridge. It had a small tower in the middle of it with a lone yellow window at the top. They followed the street ahead. The horses’ hooves clomped on the stones beneath. The street ended at a crumbling building. The brick walls were mostly knocked away, leaving jagged ridges like broken teeth. They were at the corner of Ludwig and 10th. To their right was an old church.