Page 67 of To Die For

Shore nodded. “We’d just finished up some drug counselin’ and we had jobs, too. We slept on the floor, but it beat livin’ on the street. We helped with the rent and bills and such, but we ain’t makin’ much and the dude that owned it wanted to sell the whole shebang. Some guy was gonna knock it all down and put up a big-ass gas station or some such. Dude like tripled the rent and no way we could pay that, even with all us workin’.”

“Keep going,” said Devine, as Shore paused to take a sip of coffee.

“So these two dudes in suits come by. They wanted to talk to Dwayne.”

“Just Dwayne, not Alice, too?”

“I ’member they just asked for Dwayne, ain’t that right, Kor?” replied Shore.

“Yep. Dwayne told us to go get us some ice cream. It was hot that day, so’s we all liked that idea.”

“The men didn’t announce who they were or show some ID?”

“No, but Dwayne seemed to be expectin’ ’em,” said Shore. “I mean, least he ain’t surprised when they showed up.”

“But didn’t Alice want to stay and see what they wanted?”

Shore nodded. “She did, but Dwayne say there was no problem. Just told us to go get some ice cream and they’d be all done by the time we got back. I pulled him aside and asked him if he was sure. I woulda stayed to help him if he needed it. Those dudes looked pretty tough, but I’ve kicked ass in bars all over. I can hold my own with most, no shit.”

“No shit is right,” agreed Rose. “I seen it. Dozer bust you up, man. But he a pussycat underneath. Gentle as a baby. Just tickle his tummy and he goes right to sleep.”

“Jesus, Kor, keep that crap to yourself,” growled Shore.

“Okay, go on,” prompted Devine again.

Shore said, “Well, we went and got us the ice cream. I had pistachio, love me a good pistachio. Double scoop. Always get me pistachio. What’d you have, Kor?”

Rose cocked his head and thought. “Not sure. Let me see now. I think it might—”

“Hey, it was the rocky road, right?” broke in Shore. “I ’member now.”

“Naw, man, I wasn’t doin’ rocky road then. I’m pretty sure it was—”

Devine broke in. “It’s okay, guys. I don’t really care about the flavors. What happened when you got back?”

Shore said sheepishly, “Oh, right, um, well, Dwayne was lookin’ pretty pleased with hisself.”

“What did he say had happened? And did he tell you who the men were?”

“He say they was business associates.” Shore sniggered. “I mean, shit, we ain’t Einsteins or nuthin’ but me and Kor ain’t stupid neither. If them boys was Dwayne’sbusiness associates, I’ll run through downtown Seattle in my birthday suit singin’‘Fat Bottomed Girls’ at the top of my damn lungs.”

“Hope to God I don’t never live to seethat,” commented Rose.

“That’s all he said, ‘business associates’?” asked Devine.

“Yep, but Alice pulled him into the bedroom and we heard her hollerin’ at him.”

“And Betsy?”

“She’d gone to her room, I think,” noted Shore.

“What happened when Alice and Dwayne came out of the bedroom?”

“She looked like she’d been cryin’ and Dwayne had his arm ’round her,” said Rose. “They didn’t say nuthin’ else ’bout it. Like it ain’t never happened.”

Shore added, “Next thing you know, they bought that car and moved to this here place.”

Devine said, “We know that the money for the car and house were paid directly to the sellers by an unknown third party. You think that was who those men were? Or who they were representing?”

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