Backtracker (26 page)

As Boris marched purposefully down the trail, Dave took a second to collect himself, gird himself for the assault. He tried to decide which angle of attack would be best, which approach would be most likely to free the weapon from Boris
'
hand. Surely, Boris would be expecting such a play, so Dave would have to move quickly and precisely, perhaps strike him down first with a surprising, all
-
out tackle.

Taking a deep breath, Dave resigned himself to combat and prepared to move. He could delay no longer.

And then...

And then, a miracle happened.

Boris dropped the gun.

He never stopped walking, and he
didn
'
t
slow down, but he dropped the gun. Without a word, without a flourish, he let the thing slip from his fingers.

Dave
couldn
'
t
believe what had happened. He gawked at his friend, then down at the path, at the dark object which had been discarded there.

Boris had dropped the gun.

It all seemed anticlimactic. After all the fuss, the intense and impassioned struggle, the crisis had ended in a single, small gesture. Dave had been ready for a spasm of violence, a wild finale, but he
didn
'
t
even have to lift a finger.

A burst of relief swelled within him like a great round of applause. His body, which had been tensed for an attack, slowly relaxed.

The danger had passed. Dave
wasn
'
t
sure which words had done the trick, or if indeed anything that
he'd
said had made any difference, but he
didn
'
t
care; he
didn
'
t
know if Boris
'
change of heart would last, and he
didn
'
t
care about that, either. All that mattered was that his friend would live another night.

As Boris receded into the woods, heading toward the trailer, Dave walked to the spot where the gun had dropped. Carefully, he lifted the weapon and examined it; the metal was still faintly warm in places, resonating with the heat of Boris
'
touch.

The hammer of the revolver
wasn
'
t
cocked. With his thumb, Dave slowly turned the cylinder, peering into the chambers as they rotated.

Every chamber held a bullet.

He was startled by a shout then, and looked up. Boris had disappeared around a twist in the path, but his voice carried back clearly through the trees.

"
Don
'
t tell
anyone
!
"
he called, and that was it. Those were his final words on the subject.

"
I won
'
t
!
"
hollered Dave, glad to make such a promise, just grateful that his friend still lived. Clutching the gun, he let his eyes fall shut and thanked God for his victory.

After a moment, he heard footsteps crackling through the nearby brush, and he opened his eyes. Looking to the left, he saw Larry Smith approach through the woods along the path.

"
Nice work,
"
smiled Larry.
"
Good job,
"
he said calmly, stepping over a tangle of upthrust roots.

Dave was momentarily surprised by the guy
'
s reemergence; in all the flame and confusion of his battle with Boris,
he'd
completely forgotten who had dragged him out there in the first place.

"
You talked him out of it,
"
nodded Larry, setting foot on the path.
"
You saved his life, Dave.
"

Dumbstruck, Dave just stared at the guy for a moment. As the first flush of his triumph faded, the implications of Larry
'
s presence began to coalesce in his mind.
"
You were there all along,
"
he said slowly.

"
Yes, I was,
"
smiled Larry Smith.
"
I saw it all. You handled it well.
"

"
Why didn
'
t you help me
?
"
asked Dave, his voice low and troubled.

"
Because I didn
'
t need to,
"
replied Larry.
"
You had it all under control.
"

"
No, I didn
'
t,
"
said Dave.
"
My God, he could
'
ve shot himself right there in
front
of me.
"

"
I could tell he wasn
'
t going to do that,
"
said Larry.

"
You could
'
ve
helped
me,
"
said Dave.

"
You were doing fine on your own,
"
shrugged Larry.
"
I would
'
ve probably done more harm than good. You
'
re one of his best friends, but he hardly knows me.
"

"
I needed
help
,
"
insisted Dave.
"
If he would
'
ve
killed
himself, it would
'
ve been my fault.
"

"
But he didn
'
t, did he
?
"
smiled Larry.

"
He
almost
did
!
"
flashed Dave, upset and bewildered, staring at the weapon in his hands. He turned the gun over, watching as streaks of moonlight slid over its smooth surface...and then, something else occurred to him, and he swung his head up to stare at Larry.
"
You
knew
, didn
'
t you?
"

"
What
?
"
asked the guy.
"
What did I know?
"

"
You
knew
he was going to
kill
himself, didn
'
t you?
"

"
No,
"
said Larry.
"
All I knew was that he looked depressed tonight.
"

"
Bullshit
!
"
surged Dave.
"
You knew all
along
!
That
'
s why you told me to
watch
him before! That
'
s why you dragged me out here in such a
hurry
!
I couldn
'
t figure it out, but you knew!
"

"
Sorry to disappoint you,
"
shrugged Larry,
"
but I had no idea.
"

"
You
knew
!
"
insisted Dave, searching Larry
'
s maddeningly innocent face for a trace of revelation.
"
Why didn
'
t you tell me
before
?
I would
'
ve watched him like a
hawk
if I
'
d
'
ve known he was going to
kill
himself!
"

"
Look,
"
sighed Larry.
"
I hardly know the guy, okay? There was no way I could
'
ve known he was going to try to commit suicide. I just had a feeling that he was down in the dumps.
"

"
You
'
re lying,
"
seethed Dave.
"
You
had
to know. Just like you knew about the cop coming tonight, and why he showed up.
"

"
Wow,
"
chuckled Larry.
"
You
'
ve sure got an active imagination, buddy.
"

"
Imagination my ass,
"
growled Dave.
"
You
knew
.
I don
'
t know
how
, but you knew.
"

Still grinning, Larry planted his hands on his hips.
"
I
'
m not psychic, Dave,
"
he said
good
-
naturedly.
"
That
'
s the honest
-
to
-
God truth. There
'
s absolutely nothing special about me.
"

"
Yes there is,
"
said Dave, eyes narrowed as he surveyed the guy
'
s nonchalant expression.

Larry laughed and wagged his head.
"
Come on,
"
he said chummily, giving Dave
'
s arm a playful swat.
"
Let
'
s get back to the party. We
'
ve got to find out if there
'
s any beer left.
"

"
How did you know
?
"
asked Dave, remaining firmly in place as Larry started down the trail.
"
How the hell did you know?
"

Larry
didn
'
t
answer. He just kept walking, whistling a jaunty tune.

*****

Part Two: Show And Tell

 

Chapter
13

Dave
'
s day had been extremely busy, and
he had
a busy night ahead, but he was still determined to give Larry Smith a ride home.

He'd
thought of little else since waking that morning;
he'd
been unable to concentrate on the crucial end
-
of
-
term lectures of his professors, or the dense research books in the library, or his fry
-
cook duties at Wild West, because
he'd
been preoccupied with ferrying Larry that evening. It was his number
-
one priority, his Monday obsession, his all
-
consuming mission.

He wanted information. He was ablaze with curiosity, and he hoped to satisfy it by driving Larry home. By talking to the guy alone, away from work and parties, Dave hoped to unearth at least some of Larry
'
s secrets. If Larry continued to stonewall him, perhaps Dave could wheedle his way into the enigma
'
s apartment and take a look around, see something which would provide a clue to the truth.

Boy, did he want to know the truth. He wanted to know how Larry had been so accurate so often with his predictions; he felt sure that there was no coincidence or common intuitiveness involved, no mere luck.

Larry was psychic. Dave believed that that was the only possible answer, though Larry had laughingly denied it that night in the woods behind Billy
'
s trailer. Without a doubt, Larry had known before the fact that Boris would try to kill himself. Why else would he have been so insistent in telling Dave to watch Boris that night? Why else would he have dragged him through the woods at the exact moment when Boris was preparing for suicide? How else could Larry have known Boris
'
exact location, though
he'd
never before been through those woods? Larry must have known all along, must have known every detail, must have seen it all coming through some sort of second sight. As fantastic as it seemed, that was the only explanation which Dave could embrace.

Certainly, this
wasn
'
t
the time for Dave to expend his energies on such an unbelievable idea. His schoolwork was mounting and
he had
to redouble his efforts in order to get decent final grades in his classes. He should have been worrying only about his exams and papers and projects, not the far
-
fetched theory that Larry might have supernatural powers. Still, he
couldn
'
t
help himself; school was quickly taking a back seat to the mysterious Larry Smith.

And so, after his shift ended at the Wild West Steakhouse that Monday, he offered to give Larry a ride home. It was seven
-
thirty in the evening, and Dave should have run straight to his studies, but he ran to Larry instead.

At first, the guy tried to turn down the offer by claiming that Billy Bristol had already promised to give him a lift. Dave was persistent, though; he pointed out that Billy lived a lot farther from Larry than he did, and anyway, Billy still had another hour of work before he could leave. Fibbing a little, Dave said that
he had
to drive past Larry
'
s part of town to pick something up at his grandmother
'
s house, so it only made sense that he drop Larry off on the way.

Dave
'
s perseverance paid off. With a sigh and a shrug, Larry finally gave in; after telling Billy of his change of plans, he joined Dave in the brown Ford Torino.

As he drove away from the steakhouse, Dave made small talk with Larry. As casual as the conversation seemed, Dave was carefully guiding it and analyzing every nuance, searching for even the most veiled clue to Larry
'
s secrets.

He
didn
'
t
have much luck. Larry was frustratingly evasive, as elusive as a fox slipping through the forest.

For example: while crossing Highland Township, Dave mentioned Boris, hoping to get a new reaction on a subject which Larry had previously dismissed.

"
Well, Boris was in this afternoon,
"
Dave said nonchalantly.
"
He worked noon to four.
"

"
Right,
"
said Larry, his voice free of any revelatory shadings.
"
I saw him on his way out.
"

"
He seemed to be doing okay,
"
continued Dave.
"
I mean, he acted like he was fine. It was like nothing happened the other night.
"

"
What
'
re you talking about
?
"
Larry asked evenly.
"
What about the other night?
"

"
You
know,
"
said Dave.
"
The
gun
.
When
he ha
d
the
gun
at Billy
'
s party.
"

"
Oh, right,
"
said Larry.
"
That gun thing.
"

To say the least, Dave was stunned by Larry
'
s flippant attitude toward the suicide attempt; he managed to suppress his shock, though, and spoke calmly, as if he
hadn
'
t
thought anything of Larry
'
s statement.
"
Anyway, he seems okay. I was really glad, y
'
know, because I was worried about him.
"

"
Aw, don
'
t worry about Boris,
"
tossed Larry.

"
Why
?
"
asked Dave.
"
Why shouldn
'
t I worry about him?
"

"
He
'
s an okay guy,
"
Larry supplied casually.
"
He had
a bad night there, but I bet he
'
ll be solid from now on.
"

"
You really think so
?
"
wondered Dave, glancing over at Larry.
"
Uh
-
huh,
"
nodded the mystery
-
man, gazing out the side window of the Torino.

"
You don
'
t think he
'
ll try to kill himself again
?
"
pressed Dave.

"
I have no idea,
"
said Larry.
"
I hope he won
'
t.
"

"
So you think he might do it again, then
?
"
asked Dave.

"
Beats me,
"
sighed Larry.
"
He could do anything, I suppose.
"

"
You don
'
t have any strong feeling about it, huh?
"

"
The only strong feeling I have right now is that I
'
m hungry,
"
chuckled Larry.

And that was that. Dave had tried to get Larry to say something which might indicate that he could see the future, but Larry had given away nothing, then wrapped it all up with a laugh. The guy
hadn
'
t
even sounded as if he were hiding something; for all that Dave knew from the exchange, Larry was being straight with him.

Still, Dave believed that Larry was concealing a lot, that vast currents of truth swelled unseen beneath his calm surface. As determined as ever to probe those secret currents, he continued to work at penetrating Larry
'
s defenses.

Larry continued to deflect his every maneuver.

For example: after leaving Highland Township, Dave brought up the chocolate milk crisis.

"
Hey, did I tell you I got called on the carpet last week
?
"
asked Dave.

"
Nope,
"
responded Larry.

"
You know what it was about
?
"
continued Dave.
"
Chocolate milk.
"

"
Oh yeah
?
"
said Larry.
"
What about it?
"

"
Somebody turned me in for drinking it,
"
declared Dave.

"
Huh,
"
Larry said without much surprise, with just as little interest.
"
That
'
s something.
"

"
You know who did it
?
"
asked Dave.
"
You know who finked on me?
"

"
Who
?
"
asked Larry.

"
Peggy Kutz,
"
supplied Dave.
"
How do you like that?
"
Glancing across the seat, he saw that Larry was looking straight ahead, gently stroking his sandy goatee.

"
Peggy Kutz, huh
?
"
said Larry.

"
Yeah,
"
confirmed Dave.
"
She got that new shift supervisor job, and I guess it went to her head. All those years we were friends, and then she went and nailed me like that. What a bitch, huh?
"

"
That was pretty lowdown, all right,
"
agreed Larry.

"
I really though I could trust her, y
'
know? I never expected her to stab me in the back like that.
"

"
You never see the big ones coming,
"
said Larry.

"
I guess I should
'
ve taken your advice,
"
said Dave.

"
What advice is that?
"

"
Well, the night before I got called into the office by Fred, you were telling me to cover my butt. We were talking about sneaking food at work, and you said we oughtta
'
be careful.
"

"
Huh,
"
said Larry.
"
I don
'
t remember that. Are you sure it was me?
"

"
Oh yeah,
"
nodded Dave.
"
It was at Billy
'
s trailer last Tuesday night. You and Billy were having some beers and I dropped by to do some studying, but we just ended up bullshitting for a couple hours.
"

"
I remember that much,
"
Larry said slowly,
"
but I don
'
t recall giving you any advice.
"

"
I distinctly remember you telling us to be more careful about snitching food. It was really weird, because you were talking about it that night, and then the very next day I got busted. Billy and I were bragging about taking chocolate milk, and then I got in trouble for that very same reason.
"

There was a brief pause, and then Larry snorted.
"
I don
'
t remember any of that,
"
he said.
"
You must be mistaken.
"

As the outrageous denial slid from Larry
'
s lips, Dave shook his head in amazement.
"
I know what you said,
"
Dave responded, striving to keep the irritation that he felt from entering his voice.
"
Billy and I were saying how we could trust everybody at work, because we all covered for each other, and you told us we shouldn
'
t depend on other people to keep secrets like that. You said you just never know when someone might decide to turn against you...and the next day, someone turned against me.
"