Black Water (40 page)

Putting his fear aside, Gerard continued to probe for more.

“Da bank dohn have dat much money,” Phillipe said.

The other three laughed but they were nervous laughs. When Gerard scrunched up his brows, the other three spidered back. They knew it’d been too good to last. Then their own brows scrunched when he pulled out a chain, slowly, carefully, one link at a time.

“I’s tooken a lot o’ tings outa gatah bellies,” Coozie said, “but…he et a chain?”

“Maybe a whole boat!” Gerard said, continuing to pull the chain, when suddenly, he jumped back and crossed hisself. “Ohhhhhh, Sweet Blessed Mudda o’ Jesus, hep me!”

Coozie couldn’t take the suspense any longer. “Well, come on, wat is it?” He looked back and forth between Gerard and the hundred-dollar-bill-spewing-monster.

Gerard inched back to the gator, poked the tip o’ the knife in one o’ the links and lifted it out. Slowly, there appeared…a scarred and deformed human arm. Phillipe, Coozie, and Bob moved off with a full round of chest crossings and
Lawdy, hep me
’s.

Both ends o’ the chain were still locked to a wrist rubbed raw from the struggle at bein’ consumed, and what was more, the fist on the end o’ the arm had a death grip on two leather handles. Having pulled out the entire arm and chain, Gerard flipped it to the dogs. Immediately, they commenced tearin’ it apart.

“…and th’lowest o’ th’low’ll fight over yer bones.”

Bobby Norman's literary career began as an actor. A member of the Screen Actors Guild since 1991. Black Water is his first published book. He graduated from Santa Ana High School the same year as The Chantays and Diane Keaton. He lives in Norco, California, horse capital of the United States, with his wife, Ilene, and a varying number of furry and winged critters. One of his goals is to have dinner with J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. And they buy.