Part 19 (2/2)
”Don't tell ht to be quiet, but suddenly everything I'd endured over the last twenty-four hours bubbled up and I was so furious I wanted to run around likejust fine until you arrived and started bossing uard not fifty feet away-”
”How do I know you're not one of theot the locker contents”
Labeck matched my scoith one of his own Then he took a deep breath and uire-you'll just have to trust ht on the dashboard so I can start the damn car-notice the please-a request, not an order”
That was as close to an apology as I was likely to get, I figured snatching up the flashlight, I shone it into the car's interior Labeck, as built way too big for a srunted with the effort as he squeezed into the space beneath the dashboard and began jabbing wires
Soer, and the engine started
”Where'd you learn to hot-wire a car?” I asked
”From the president of your fan club” He uncurled himself from beneath the dash, backed out of the car, and worked his cra Luis's backpack like a whisk brooer seat ”If the Janitors go after hiet in Those till be okay I told the to stay with one of Woody Woodpecker's relatives for a couple days”
I hoped Eddie and Rico had enough sense to keep a low profile, but neither of them had exhibited h
”Where are we going?” I asked as Labeck got behind the wheel
”Back totoo bossy?”
I shrugged, secretly grateful Labeck illing to take ratitude We pulled out of the factory parking lot, muffin inat exactly the speed li stopped by a cop He kept to side streets, probably because the freeas still a mess He looked over at me ”You okay?”
”Peachy-keen”
”Your hand is bleeding”
”Oh, it's nothing It's just where they tried to chop off ers”
”Christ, Mazie”
I smiled to myself in the dark Labeck cared I was pretty sure he was on ”
I did I was too tired to care whether I could trust Labeck 100 percent I illing to shoot for 90 percent He was a careful driver, but a couple of times, as I described the events of the past thirty-six hours, he almost ran into parked cars
”Brenner?” His voice rose ”Brenner as in United States Senator Brenner?”
”He said I was nothing but a big disposal proble to kill hi in a bit of testosterone-fueled chest-pounding, but I appreciated the sentiiants on ht have been kind of sexy
The sky to the north was a s off the pluht sky It was spectacular, but looking at itupward in those clouds of s-being rescued by Claudette and Bobby Ray, escaping fro kidnapped by Racing Sausages-ere nearly back at Five Points
”What did you do to this guy?” Labeck asked, sounding dazed
”To Bear? I don't know But it has soht about Brenner, Ben-I never should have trusted hiyou the name that was on your shi+rt It is your nalow of a stop and go light He was s
”More or less”
More or less Well, wasn't he the man of mystery?
Escape tip 28: Boys will be boys- except when they're girls
We cruised slowly past the Oriental Theater, where patrons were lining up for theof the Rocky Horror Picture Show Aletups, with a few Riff Raffs and Little Nells in the ers in his ure in the movie line looked over toward the car Then the person-male, female?-clopped over on six-inch platforms
”Boney!” the creature warbled in a bass voice that at least answered the gender question He earing a frizzy auburn wig so wide it wouldn't have fit through most doorways Eyeliner had been applied by the quart, lipstick scrolled on far beyond lines where lips ever existed In heels and wig, he was in LeBron Jaht,” Labeck said
”I try” He batted his long fake lashes Stooping, he peered in through the broken passenger , eyeing ht?” Labeck inquired
Coquettishly, the guy fluffed out his French maid's skirt It was black satin over a net crinoline that stuck out at right angles and barely covered his crotch Frilly garter belts held up fishnet stockings His torso was crammed into a low-cut maid's uniform top that exposed a olflikein a robust falsetto
”With a bit of a mind flip, you're into a tiuy curtsied ”You ought to coht, Boney-you and cutie pie here” He stuck a large hand clad in a lacework glove through theWe shook, his grip surprisingly gentle ”I'ht The Patty Quinn character From Rocky Horror”
The mascara-studded eyes widened ”You know Rocky?”
I nodded During our single-girl days, Gloria and I had spent a lot of Fridayto ”Sweet Transvestite” and ”Eddie's Teddy” Wa-a-y before the Glee Johnny-come-latelies had co-opted Rocky
”What happened to your hair, sweetie?” Magenta asked ”It looks like someone styled it with a blowtorch”
Close
”Anything weird going on in the 'hood?” Labeck asked
”Narcs, thugs, suburbanites? No, baby, everything's cool” Magenta's eyes cut toon behind the inch-long feathery fringes ”I got your back, Boney babes”
”Come up after the show, okay?”