Page 125 of Stabby Little

"It could wash to shore," I protest, my mind racing. "Or end up under a tourist boat. You know how many of those go by every day?”

“Give me a break.”

“A child could leap off a pontoon and cannonball on top of Gordon's hand. They'll scream and their parents will bring it to the police. My DNA evidence is all over that damn thing so it wouldn't take much for them to connect the dots."

"That's why you need to get rid of it. It's too risky keeping it in our freezer."

"You're not hearing me." A low growl escapes my lips. "It's too late to dispose of it now. I'm not risking dumping it in a public location and having someone stumble across it."

"If our landlord visits unannounced, he'll stumble across it."

I take another sip of my apple juice. "He has no reason to open the freezer. We'll be fine."

"Maybe Finn will offer him ice water. He'll peek when Finn's grabbing ice cubes and notice an odd stump nestled next to the frozen waffles. He'll assume we're serial killers and call the cops on us."

"I'm pretty sure our landlord is a criminal, too," I drawl. "He'd rather jump off the Empire State building than speak to the police."

"Find a dog somewhere." Sparrow puts two Eggo waffles into the toaster. "Feed it the hand. He'll shit it out and his owners will never know."

"Way too risky." I kick my feet up. "What if he eats the flesh and leaves the bone? Or what if he drags the bone into his owner's house and sets it on their pillow?"

"You should've thought of that before you took it."

"It's hidden underneath the frozen peas. No one will find it unless they're searching."

"If the Diavolos show up, that's the first thing they'll look for."

"I'll buy more frozen peas and bury a fifth of the hand in every bag. They'll never find it."

"It'd be easier to dispose of it in a public trashcan. Fuck knows the workers never check those things."

"You don't know that." A groan escapes me. "The trash bag could split open when they bring it to the dump and the hand could topple out. Then they'll give it to the NYPD."

"We're fucked if we keep it in the freezer."

I bring my fingers to my chin. "Maybe we could eat it for dinner. Hannibal Lecter would've gobbled it up in a heartbeat. Many societies throughout the world still practice cannibalism. It could be a culinary awakening."

Sparrow pretends to vomit. "I'm not eating human flesh."

"Don't knock it until you try it."

"I'm leaving it on your pillow if you don't get rid of it by the end of the day."

"I'll put a finger in your Raisin Bran tomorrow morning if you do. Don't mess with my prize."

"Your prize is disgusting."

"You're disgusting."

"You have the maturity of a five-year-old."

"At least I take initiative when it comes to hunting down our captors. You and Finn haven't killed anyone in weeks."

Sparrow picks up the TV remote and turns it on. A local news channel flashes on the screen.

My heart slams in my throat when I read the caption.

"Holy shit." I point to the words under the news anchor. "Look."

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