When James opened his eyes he thought he was floating between blue clouds. Except they weren’t clouds at all but buckled up metal covered in windshield glass. He heard shouting. Black smoke blew into his face and made him cough. The door shuddered next to him as someone struggled to pull it open. Hands reached inside and pulled him away from the Skylark as the hood caught fire.
They carried him around to the other side of the tractor where someone had parked a Subaru Outback. After he was set on the ground he heard a woman say she was going to get the first aid kit off the back of the caterpillar.
“Did he hit anybody?” someone asked. James opened his eyes and waited for the murkiness to go away. While he lay in partial shock he took inventory of his injuries, was surprised that he’d only had some bloody scratches. His ear still throbbed from when the sheriff jammed him with his pistol barrel.
“No. Just the cat thank god. But Jim Love lost his grip and fell into the bay.”
“Goddamn. Did the fall knock him out?”
“No. They’re talking to him. He’s trying to stay in our lights. Bill is on his way. We’re taking his car down to the marina to get a boat. I told the crew to move the lights over on Jim so we can keep an eye on him. Pete’s going to lower a safety line down. Maybe he can get it tied around him.”
“How’s he keeping from being swept down river?”
“There’s some rungs on the center bridge support. I don’t now how much longer he can hold on, but he’s one strong son of a bitch.”
A tall bearded man approached them. His eyes were pale blue like the car and he stared at James. A woman rushed past him with the first aid kit and sat on her knees next to James. She said her name was Kathy. She had a kind face.
“What are you doing back in Traitor?” Bill said. James pretended not to see him, rolled his eyes up and watched the stars above to think about something else other than Bill Calder standing over him with murder in his eyes. If there wasn’t any dark space between them they wouldn’t even be stars, he thought to himself.
“You know him Bill?” Jeff asked.
“Yeah I know him. We go way back. Last I heard, he’d gone AWOL or something down in Mexico. What we’re doing James? Trying to run down me and my crew?”
“Leave him,” Kathy said. She got the emergency blanket out of its package and unfolded it. Jeff bent down and helped her spread it over James. Kathy grabbed a roll of gauze from the kit and started working on his scratches. James gazed blankly at her.
“You’re going to be okay honey. Help will be on the way.”
James closed his eyes.
“I’d prefer that you left me and him alone for a while,” Bill said.
“I bet you would. He’s in shock, Bill. Might have brain damage. I think he’s got blood coming out of his ear.”
“I’d say the brain damage happened before he tried to kill us.”
Kathy stopped and looked up. She’d always hated it when Bill was in one of his swaggering moods. Talking as if he were some badass. Trying to act like he wasn’t the coward he was.
“I’m not going to sit here and let you do anything. So just forget it.”
“He almost killed us, Kath. He’s probably drunker than a skunk. It’ll be too late for a blood test by the time help comes and he’ll get away with a warning.”
“You’ve got it all figured out, don’t you?”
“The guys would back me if we said I’d found him that way. Crushed skull and all…”
“I really doubt that would happen,” Kathy said. She finished taping the gauze that held James’ ear.
“Forget him, Bill,” Jeff said. It wouldn’t be worth it. You do something and he’ll never get the fun of going to jail. Come on. Let's go see if we can help Jim.”
“Okay. Have it your way. But if he ends up walking away from this with nothing but probation I’m going to be pissed. This boy is no good.”
“I believe you,” Jeff said. He turned around and walked toward the Subaru. Bill stared down at James a little longer before he followed Jeff.
As soon as both men had their backs facing him, James ripped away the foil blanket and pointed the.38.
“You’re not going anywhere with that car.”
Kathy put her hands to her face and screamed. The men spun around on their heels, startled. James stood up and the foil blanket slid onto the ground and rustled as the wind pushed it away. For the first time all night he realized how much better he was feeling about himself. How the musty stacks of money and Ann’s.38 had cultivated a take-charge attitude in him. That and a real hated of Bill and what he did to his family when he got home from drinking most nights.
I had it lucky if you wanted to make comparisons, James thought. And that’s what made Bill’s kids so mean. He supposed that the way Bill thought was the only way he knew. That you had to make them tough so they’d be ready for a tough world. He’d once stood by idly watching his three boys beat the hell out of James for fishing in what they believed was their polluted trout pond.
“I thought you said he was hurt bad,” Bill said.
Kathy ignored Bill. She turned to James and stared into his eyes. “You don’t want to shoot anyone James.”
“No I don’t, ma’am. I just want the keys to this car.”
“Hell if you do,” Bill shouted. When he took a step forward, James fired the.38 over the man’s shaved head.
He thought of the moth flying through the flame. Saw the sullen face of Bill’s daughter when he’d tried to walk her home one night after school. He’d wanted to take her out to the movies but she kept telling him she couldn’t. And then later she’d fallen during track and when he’d picked her up his eye had caught the bruises on her inner thighs.
“I will put you down, Bill Calder. Watch and see.”