The Bedlamite Obligation (A Matt Savage Adventure) Chapter 51

[seymoure]

O.K. Corral Time 

“Death is the final wake-up call.”
          -Douglas Horton 

There was that time where things that shouldn’t make sense seem to make absolute sense.

Like, “Why hadn’t I thought about making eggplant brownies before?” or “If I can fall down a couple of stories and live why can’t I speak German to trees and teach them to sing ‘I talk to the Trees?’”

That kind of thought is usually followed by sleep. It was impossible to know just how long that segment of the night lasted.

But it didn’t seem like more than an instant.

I was sitting in a leather chair that faced the front door of the apartment. It would be the place I would be reading if anybody had left a book for me to read.

Both eyes jumped open and then winced at the light from the hall.

In the middle of the door stood Leo MacPherson.

He had opened the door, rather than crashing through it like might be expected of the siege that was expected.

He stood there, waiting for me to be awake enough to recognize him.

He did have a flare for the dramatic.

“You ‘n’ me’r gonna talk,” he growled. “Then I’m gonna decide if I’m gonna kill you slow or fast.”

My mind went to the two guns that were sitting on the night table beside the bed. That was where I was supposed to be when he came in. Falling asleep in the chair was not what I expected to do.

“You know that the cops are coming, right?” I tried to sound casual. Hard to do when your heart wants to fly out of your throat.

His hand slid into his pocket and searched for a second, then retrieved something. He tossed the article he pulled out to me.

I caught it totally out of reflex.

It was a badge. Detective Cooper’s badge. On the back side of the shield was dried blood.

He started to make a show of searching other pockets, saying, “I got more if you wanna see. But I knew you would appreciate that one the most.”

If I had had a gun, I would have blasted the grin off his face.

He lifted the chair, with me in it. He turned the chair to face the sofa. Then he sat down and said, “Now you are gonna listen.”

© C. Wayne Owens
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