Part 12 (1/2)

He was very heavy.

”So this is dead weight,” Sara said. Alexander said nothing.

The bags rolled up at each end as they carried him into the living room, revealing Joe's entire torso. Sara undid Joe's belt and removed it, then wrapped it around the outside of the two bags, cinching it as tightly as she could. It seemed to hold.

They did a few more lines. The c.o.ke bugs did their little dance along her bones. Alexander stuffed all eleven ounces into the big square pockets on the front of his jacket and tucked his gun back under his belt. Sara put her own stash back into her purse.

Alexander went out the door by himself first, looking all around for any potential witnesses. When he returned, he took Joe's shoulders and headed out the door, leaving Sara to grab the feet. With Alexander leading the way backwards down the outdoor stairs, they shuffled one step at a time. Black windows stared down as they made their way across the parking lot. Sara squatted down to support the weight of Joe's legs on her thighs as she fumbled in her purse for her keys. She had to adjust her position a little to fit the key into the hole, but at last the trunk popped open. Straightening up, she pushed the feet inside. Alexander followed her action by trying to put the shoulders in, but Joe had stiffened into a position that didn't fit inside easily.

They struggled and pushed and twisted but nothing was working. Alexander shoved his flat palm against the belt buckle at the middle of the bundle, pounding over and over until there was a strange, wet-sounding snap. The garbage bag with Joe's head disappeared into the trunk.

”Now what?” Sara asked. She had already pulled out of the parking lot.

”Just keep going straight,” he said. ”We'll take a left in a little while. There's an industrial park near here; I'm sure we'll find a way to deal with this there.”

”That's it? That's the plan? We'll drive to an industrial park and see what we can do?”

”You got a better idea?”

Tension cramped her arms and shoulders. She clutched the wheel and tried to control the trembling that had taken over her body.

”What if there's somebody there?” Suddenly Sara was sure there would be.

”Then we'll find someplace else.”

”You're awfully calm about this!”

He lit a cigarette. She gestured with two fingers, and he placed it between them. He started to get another for himself, but she shook her head. ”Don't,” she said, taking a drag. ”I can't hold it and drive right now.” She took two more drags and handed it back.

”This is a problem,” he said. ”But we can solve it. We're going to solve this problem, and then we'll go back. It's just what we have to do.”

”I don't see any industrial park.”

”We've still got a little ways to go. It shouldn't be too much farther.”

The rear-view mirror exploded into red and blue flashes. Sara pulled the car to the side of the road, looking over her shoulder at the police car that had stopped them.

CHAPTER 9.

Wallet and Key THE POLICE OFFICER was still sitting in his car, apparently running her license plate. Or calling for backup? What if Joe's sleeve or pant leg was sticking out of the trunk?

The cop would know. He'd know she was c.o.ked up, just by looking. And her dress still smelled like booze.

Something clicked inside her head, pus.h.i.+ng out the old, weak Sara. ”Slump against the window and act like you're pa.s.sed out,” she told Alexander. He surprised her by complying right away, slowly crus.h.i.+ng his cigarette with his heel on the floor mat. Sara watched in the rear-view mirror as the cop got out of his car and approached her window.

She reached into her purse and her fingers brushed against the baggie with her c.o.ke. She caressed it briefly before pus.h.i.+ng it to the bottom of the purse and coming up with her billfold as the officer s.h.i.+ned his light through the window. She pushed the b.u.t.ton and it lowered smoothly.

”Can I see your license and registration, miss?”

She held up the billfold, showing him the license in its little clear plastic window as she reached over Alexander to retrieve the registration from the glove compartment.

”Please take it out of the wallet, ma'am.” The cop's irritation showed in his voice. The flashlight s.h.i.+ning in through her window was painfully bright, but it allowed her to remove the license and hand it over. Alexander stayed motionless, which must have been exceedingly hard to do. Sara's own hand shook like an EKG needle as she pa.s.sed the license to the cop.

She smiled and tried to look convincing, wis.h.i.+ng she could soften the fierce intensity her eyes shared with Alexander's these days. ”Boy am I glad to see you, officer,” she said. ”I'm really lost. Can you tell me how to get back to the North Sh.o.r.e?

The cop was a youngish black man with a moustache. He stood silently for a moment, reading her license. She reminded herself to just tell him she lived at the address he saw there - her mother's house in Glencoe. It would be one less thing to try and explain.

The officer s.h.i.+ned the light back down into the car, bending to look at Alexander. ”Do you know why I stopped you, ma'am?”

She hoped her nervous exhalation sounded like a polite chuckle. ”Probably because I've been driving around in circles, right?” She smiled again and raised both of her palms toward her face in a kind of shrug. ”I'm really lost.” She looked through the windows of the Benz at her surroundings, then forced herself to glance up at his face. ”I ... I've never been in a neighborhood like this before. I'm scared.”

His expression did not change. ”I stopped you because you were going fifty miles an hour in a thirty-five zone,” he said. He s.h.i.+ned the flashlight at Alexander. ”What's the matter with your friend, there?”

”We went to a party and he had too much to drink.” Sara stared at the dashboard. ”I want to get him home before he throws up in my car.”

”Did you drink at all tonight, ma'am?”

”Just a little,” she said.

”Please blow into my face, ma'am. I need to check your breath.” She did, and he nodded slowly. ”Wait here, ma'am.” He returned to his car.

They sat like that forever. Alexander was twitching every part of his body that could not be seen through the rear window. Sara's legs bounced up and down like she was working a sewing machine.

The cop appeared at her window again, handing her a speeding ticket. After briefly giving directions for her to get back to the northbound part of I-94, he warned her about watching her speed and then told her they could go.

Sara took the Skokie exit, remembering some warehouses and other industrial-looking buildings there.

Wary of her speed, Sara kept an eye out for any opportunity to dump Joe's body. Next to her, Alexander managed to keep his movements down to a kind of reptilian squirm as he scanned the right side of the road for dump sites. She turned blindly into a dark alley behind some large buildings - jackpot! An isolated Dumpster. She turned off the lights and they sat quietly with the engine idling for a bit, watching for anything that might indicate a possible witness.

”We can never be totally sure,” he said. ”The sky's starting to get light. There's no more time to wait.”

Both of them hopped out of the car and ran to the trunk. They had to fight harder than when they'd put the body in but they finally managed to pry it loose. Alexander reached behind him to throw open the Dumpster lids, and together they heaved to toss in their load.

Alexander put his foot onto the Benz's back b.u.mper and climbed up into the Dumpster, making sure Joe's body was covered with its contents. After rearranging a few cardboard boxes and bags of trash, he climbed back out again and got into the car. Sara was already back behind the wheel.

They headed back into Chicago.