G'Day USA

by Tony McFadden

  ‘If you’re still alive.’

  I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the side of the container. ‘I will be. I fought this guy before and even with him getting the jump on me he couldn’t take me down. And he’s not going to get the jump on me again. Before you say anything else, you’ll be wasting your time trying to stop me. I’ll send you a way to find me in the morning, okay? I need to make another call and get some sleep. It’s going to be a hell of a day tomorrow. Give Lisa a scratch for me and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.’

  I hung up and cursed, softly. I hated leaving him out of this, but I didn’t have any other choice. There would be no grey area. I didn’t want a trial. I wanted this finished.

  But I had a couple of more calls to make before I crashed for the night.

  I took a deep breath and dialed my manager’s number. I owed him an explanation.

  ‘Marty speaking.’

  ‘Hey, Mar. How’s it going?’ I could hear the surf behind him. ‘Out on your deck? Hell of a storm today.’

  ‘Ellie? I’m on the beach here at Venice. Looking for you. What the hell is going on? Do you realize I just spent time behind bars because of you?’

  ‘Lily told me, yeah. Sorry about that, chief. How’d you get out?’

  ‘Nigel sprung me and in my efforts to save my most favorite client from herself I made him take me right here to the beach. To try and find you. So come out, come out, wherever you are and let’s get back to my place where I can ply you with expensive scotch and get you to tell me what the fuck it is you’re trying to prove.’

  ‘As tempting as that sounds, I’m just calling to apologize for putting you through what you went through. All will be sorted by this time tomorrow.’

  ‘More Warshawski shit? You don’t have to keep trying. The part is yours. Come back. Lily will have the cook make something warm for you. You must be incredibly uncomfortable out in the rough for the past couple of days.’

  I thought of Ann, and her last two years. ‘It’s nothing. I’ve been worse off on camping trips. Thanks for all you do for me Marty. I forget sometimes how supportive you are. Give Lily my best. After she beats on you for coming down here to the beach.’

  ‘Down here to the beach? So you are down here?’

  ‘Forget it, Marty. I’ve got to go.’

  ‘Hang on, wait. Don’t hang up yet. I saw one of your friends down here. Keep an eye out for him. He might be able to give you some back up.’

  ‘A friend? Who?’

  ‘That kid from the Beast movie. Kent. Looking a little rough. Maybe the two of you can team up.’

  I stood straight and looked around the corner of the container. Stupid, actually, because if he was anywhere near me he would have heard me talking. ‘Stay away from him,’ I whispered. Again, stupid, but ingrained.

  ‘Why? He seemed a little skittish. But I thought you two got along.’

  ‘I did too. Just keep clear of him. And don’t bother calling me back on this number. I’m burning it after the next call.’

  ‘How will I reach you?’

  ‘You won’t. If everything works out I’ll call you.’

  ‘If? What the hell?’

  ‘Gotta go Mar. My love to Lily.’ I hung up. That call had gone on too long.

  I slid down the wall of the container and sat on the ground, head on my knees. Marty had a run in with Kent, and came out of it alive. Some people had all the luck. I was putting too many of my friends in danger. I needed to end this. A plan was starting to gel. A good night’s sleep and I’d be gold. And he’d be under my heel.

  One call before I slept. I dialed from memory

  ‘Ellie, what the hell are you doing?’

  ‘Nice talking to you too, Cath. What’s going on? Anything new and exciting inn your life? You start rehearsals yet?’

  ‘Forget about me. The news is painting a very confusing picture about you. They’re saying your life is in danger and you should turn yourself in.’

  I combed my short hair back with my fingers. ‘Have I been exonerated for Sweeney’s death yet?’

  ‘I don’t think so. It’s not really clear. Like I said, confusing.’ I heard her take a deep breath. ‘They’re right, you know.’

  ‘Cath, you’re the steadiest girlfriend I’ve ever had. I’m really, really sorry to put you through this. I know who’s behind the bullshit and I promise you it’ll be beer and pizza, my treat, tomorrow night.’

  ‘Why? What’s going to be different tomorrow? How do you know you’ll even be alive tomorrow?’

  ‘I can’t let that ass win.’

  ‘So call the police. Jesus you’re stubborn.’

  ‘He’ll get out of it. He’s covered his tracks pretty well and even a half decent lawyer could keep him out of jail. I’m going to set him up.’

  ‘You’re playing with fire.’

  ‘I don’t have a choice. I’m not going to get wrapped up in some long, never-ending legal pile of bullshit. Or would that be a pile of legal bullshit? Whatever. I’m doing it.’

  ‘Well let Bernie and I help you. When are you doing this?’

  Oh, Christ. That’s all I needed. I’d already caused enough hassle for my friends. ‘Stay out of it. Seriously stay out of it. Promise me.’

  ‘I can’t. You’re too good of a friend to abandon.’

  I banged the back of my head against the container in frustration. ‘Fuck no. Just stay out of it. Please, stay out of it. This guy is insane. I couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt.’

  ‘And I couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt. No arguments. Now do you have a safe place for tonight?’

  ‘Yes. I think. Don’t let me see you down here.’

  ‘Get a good sleep Ellie. And if there’s anything I can do to help, yell.’

  And then she hung up. I looked at my phone, tempted to call her back and decided I’d be wasting my breath.

  At least the rain had let up. The clouds were breaking up and the full moon popped through once and awhile. It would be sunny tomorrow. Maybe I’d finally be dry. I was going to grow fungus soon at this rate.

  I turned off that pre-pay and turned on the other. I called the voicemail. Nothing. Nobody had been leaving messages on this number. And no text messages. Odds were good it was still clean.

  I yawned. A shiver swept across me like was in the early stages of an epileptic seizure. The cold and tired was catching up to me. I eased around the back of the container, ready if necessary to split some asshole’s head open.

  But it was clear. I pulled open the door and ducked as a piece of wood swung at my head. I hit the ground and rolled as Ann took another swing at me.

  ‘Ann, Ann. It’s me. Ellie. Hang on. Don’t hit me.’ I rolled again just as she checked her swing and threw the stick to one side. ‘What the fuck, Ann?’

  She covered her face with her hands and sobbed. ‘Oh, shit, I’m so sorry. I heard a bang on the outside of the box and thought he got you. I was too afraid to go out. And then you opened the door and I thought the worse.’

  I pulled her to me and hugged her tight. I got a bit of the sniffles myself. ‘It’s okay. He hasn’t got me and he’s not going to get me. I know who it is and tomorrow I’m going to lay a trap for him. I want you to get as far away from here as you can tomorrow.’

  ‘Why? What are you going to do?’

  ‘I need to get his sorry ass and me and the cops all in the same place at the same time. You don’t need to be there. In fact, I really don’t want you anywhere near. It’s too dangerous and I don’t want you anywhere near it when it goes down.’

  ‘But you’re just a - ’

  ‘Just a what? Girl? Kid? I’m both and I don’t want you messed up in this anymore.’

  ‘Why, because I’m crazy? A bag lady? Psychologically unbalanced?’ She had a small smile on her face. ‘I’m a lot tougher than I look. I’ve survived out here almost two years without life-threatening injury.’ She touched her split lip with her tongue. ‘This isn’t life-threat
ening, and I’d love to repay him the favor.’

  ‘It was the same guy?’

  ‘The same guy who popped me in the face was the same guy who tried to drown you.’ She smiled and took my hands. ‘I never did thank you for making him bleed.’ Her smile got wider. ‘I think you really pissed him off.’

  ‘Even better reason for you to keep your head down. Okay? Promise me.’

  She frowned and pulled into herself.

  ‘Oh, come on, Ann. I just want you to be safe. I want to help you after all this is over, and I can’t do that if you’re in a hole in the ground, can I?’

  She grunted and dropped on to her thin mattress and scowled.

  I shook my head. ‘I don’t want you to take it personally. I’ve come to care for you very much. You’ve helped me a couple of times and I probably wouldn’t be here without it. I owe you. And I want to pay you back.’ I sat beside her and pulled her close. ‘Ann, honey, you’re the best. You’ve only known me for two days and you’re already prepared to fight for me. There aren’t enough people in the world like you.’ I sat back and moved to my side of the container. ‘I’ll be back here tomorrow night. It’ll all be finished by then. You’re coming to my place for a nice hot tub and a quiet dinner at my friends’ restaurant. Just stay clear of me tomorrow morning. Deal?’

  She grunted and pulled her blanket over her and faced the wall. I couldn’t be sure if she had sunk back into her mental fugue or was just pissed at me. Didn’t really matter. I was going to sneak out tomorrow morning without her and this discussion would end up being moot.

  And if I lived through tomorrow I would make sure she didn’t spend another night on the streets.

  Chapter Thirty

  Ann woke with a start. She froze and listened. A noise had woken her. Weak light filtered through the cracks near the top of the container. She estimated it to be between 6:00 and 7:00. She rolled back to go back to sleep and heard it again. A whimper and a grunt.

  She looked over and saw Ellie through the dim light, tattered blanket pulled tight around her and having a nightmare.

  Ann slid across the floor dragging her blanket with her. She tucked in behind Ellie and put an arm around her and pulled her blanket over the both of them. She hugged her tight and rested her head on Ellie’s back. She could feel the young girl’s heart pounding and her muscles twitching. She was in the middle of a really bad dream. ‘There, there. Ann’s here. You’ll be okay. You’ll be fine.’ She snugged her in close and closed her eyes. Ellie seemed to relax, to her feeling, and she slowly drifted off.

  Charlie woke, swiveled out of bed and woke up the laptop sitting on his bedside table. A couple of key-clicks later and he was in the billing system. He entered her mobile number in the trace program and saw calls to three different people. He shook his head. She still wasn’t keeping a low profile. He couldn’t afford to help her any more. He stood and stretched. He knew roughly where she was. And he knew a bad thing was coming her way. What he didn’t know yet was if he was going to do anything about it.

  Cathy lay in bed staring at the ceiling. She’d been awake since Ellie’s call, and she certainly couldn’t sleep after the fight with Bernie. He was on the sofa. His refusal to entertain helping Ellie was almost the last straw. He argued that she didn’t want them to help so he was actually acceding to her wishes.

  Cathy thought different.

  She got up, pulled a robe on and padded out to the living room. ‘You change your mind yet?’

  Bernie groaned, his feet hanging over the end of the sofa. He swung his arm off his eyes and knocked an almost empty bottle of red wine on the floor.

  ‘Oh, you fucking asshole.’ Cathy dove and grabbed it before the few remaining drops could spill on the carpet. ‘You’re not even sober yet, are you?’

  ‘Cath.’ He covered his eyes against the early morning sunlight. ‘Jeez, can you keep it down? My head is killing me.’

  ‘Are coming to the beach with me?’

  ‘We’ve already had this fight. You’re crazy to go.’

  ‘You’re a spineless lazy asshole not to go. She’s our friend. She’s in trouble. We’re obligated to help.’

  He rolled over and faced the back of the sofa. His voice was muffled. ‘Don’t get involved, I say. And the trouble she’s in is of her own making. Let her sort it out herself.’

  Cathy stormed the sofa and punched him on the back of the neck. ‘You cowardly piece of shit. I’m going to find her and help her. I may not be back.’

  He tucked, his hands covering the back of his neck. ‘Shit. Spousal abuse.’

  ‘No. Not spousal. And I’m glad we didn’t get married.’ She stalked out of the house as her phone started ringing.

  Sampson held the phone between his shoulder and his ear as he navigated the surface streets. He was ready to abandon the call when Cathy finally answered.

  ‘Cathy, this is Jacob Sampson. We met a few times a year or so ago.’

  ‘Yeah. The cop. Joel’s brother. I’m kind of busy right now Jacob. Call you back later, okay?’

  ‘Wait. You’re one of Ellie’s best friends. She talks about you all the time. I was hoping you might know where she was. She’s in trouble. I want to find her and help her. Can you help me?’

  ‘You’re a cop. You all want to arrest her for something she hasn’t done.’

  Sampson sighed. ‘I know she didn’t do it. I’m not sure who did, but I’ve never thought she did. If you know anything, you’ve got to let me know. For Ellie’s sake.’

  ‘Look, I don’t know where she is, specifically. I know she’s still near Venice Beach somewhere. Something she said the last time I was talked with her.’

  ‘When was that?’

  ‘Last night. Late. I would have been out there last night but my asshole boyfriend refused to go. Ex-boyfriend, now.’

  ‘Sorry to hear.’

  ‘Sorry it took so long. So I’m on my way to Venice. I’m not sure where exactly she is, but if I can find her, I’m going to help her. If that means you have to arrest me, so be it.’

  ‘I’m on the same side you are.’ Sampson pulled off Pacific Highway on to N. Venice. ‘I’ll see you there. I’ll be looking for her too. Maybe we join forces.’

  He listened to silence. Then she said, ‘If I see you, I see you. I’ll be there in about twenty.’

  The dream was a frantic patchwork of colors and sounds and a dread feeling of immeasurable fear. It felt like icy-cold fire licked at his feet. Shadows of something threatening played at the corners of his eyes. He sat upright, a scream throttled in his throat as the incoming tide lapped around his feet.

  ‘Fuck.’ Kent rubbed his eyes and flinched at the searing pain on his left cheek. He touched it lightly and inhaled sharply. ‘That fucking bitch.’ He looked at the approaching water and scrambled out from under the pier.

  ‘Son of a bitch. I need food and then I need to kill me a bitch.’ He opened the Altoids tin. Two left. ‘And one of these.’ He tossed it in his mouth and dry swallowed. He tightened all the muscles in his torso, flexing his pecs, shoulder and arms and let out a yell. ‘It’s fucking great to be alive.’

  He staggered north on Ocean Walk. The sun was barely up. He squinted at his watch. ‘6:30? Shit. Too early.’ Rattling around in his head was a free meal he caged a couple of days ago - a lifetime ago it felt. He tried to remember where.

  Shops were setting up, inventory placed on outside shelves and fresh food shuttled into the cafes and fast food outlets along the strip. Kent stared at every food outlet he passed, trying to remember the friendly one. He was hungry and had no idea where his wallet was. It probably fell from his pants in the fight with Ellie. He touched his nose again. The swelling had subsided but the pain remained. ‘She’ll pay for it.’

  ‘What’s that, pal?’ An old Mexican-looking guy was hanging t-shirts in front of his stall. ‘You talking to me?’

  ‘Get lost.’

  ‘Nah, I don’t think so. I’m here for the day. You, on the other
hand, would do well to get lost. You look like shit, pal. Clean up a bit. We’ve got standards even here. Take a shower. You’re disgusting. Did you piss yourself?’

  Kent snarled and made to swing at him, then backed off and continued up the walk. He didn’t need to get picked up this close to his goal.

  He passed Emily and Henry’s cafe a good ten paces before he remembered that was where he and Charlie got the free meal. He backtracked and wandered into the cafe.

  ‘Hey there. Remember me? Ellie’s friend? She said she’d be joining me for breakfast here and I should start without her if I got here early.’

  Henry wiped his hands on his apron and came out from behind the counter. ‘Do I know you?’

  ‘Hey, old man, I’m Ellie’s friend. She said it was cool.’

  Henry placed a hand on the center of Kent’s chest and gently pushed him toward the door. ‘I don’t think so, Ellie’s friend. We have a dress code and you fall short. Considerably short. Go get cleaned up and we’ll talk again.’ He gave him a final push and closed the door behind him.

  Kent stood on the sidewalk, clenched his jaw and threw one of the restaurant’s patio chairs at the front window, shattering it and spraying the inside with glass. ‘Go fuck yourself you fucking dick-wad.’ He picked up a second and threw it through the hole, just missing Henry.

  Kent continued north. Hunger fueled the rage, and the rage fueled his hunger. He was quickly devolving to a ball of psychotic nervous energy. He had no idea where he was going. It was random walking. The odds of finding Ellie increased with every minute he was on the street, his logic told him. He licked his lips, parched. His tongue felt thick. His lips were caked with dried spittle, salt spray and old blood. He rubbed his hand over his chin. The stubble was soft. ‘I’m going to grow a beard.’