Monsters, Matt Rogers [ereader for android .txt] 📗

‘Yeah,’ King said. ‘There’s only one thing I’ve got to take care of.’

She didn’t need to ask what that might be. The answer was obvious. King left her cradling her relocated finger and turned and walked over to Danny.

He hadn’t taken his eyes off Frankie. It was like the dead man had a spell over him. All he needed to do was look away to break free.

King said, ‘I think perspective is important here.’

Danny shook his head, his posture deflated. ‘This is crazy, man. This is so crazy.’

‘It could have been far worse. If I’d come along later, who knows what might’ve happened? Who knows where you’d be?’

Danny didn’t answer.

King said, ‘If I hadn’t been there to get you removed from the murder crew, would you have done it?’

‘I don’t know.’

It sounded like the truth. There was really no way to know. You can’t predict how you’ll react to external influences until you make the decision in the moment. If King was honest with himself, he knew deep down that Danny would’ve complied. Would’ve gone along, maybe even participated, not just watched.

There’s no point dwelling on what might’ve been. King had forced him away, and maybe saved his soul in the process.

King said, ‘It’s normal to grieve someone who was part of your life, for better or worse. So don’t blame yourself for that. You know what Frankie did. You know what he was capable of. But you were close to him. There’s no denying that.’

Danny nodded slowly.

King said, ‘I can’t stay. We’ll be gone by the end of the night. Me, Will, Alexis here.’

‘Yeah,’ Danny said. ‘Figured.’

‘I’ll give you a phone number. If you ever find yourself in a bad spot, in the darkness, I want you to call. I get that might seem odd after what just happened, but will you do that for me?’

A pause, then, ‘Yeah.’

King didn’t interpret Danny’s lack of talkativeness as anything other than shock. Why wouldn’t he be quiet? The kid had a ton to process. King honestly thought it was done. The weight was already off his shoulders when he turned from the scene, went to put a hand on Danny’s shoulder and walk him away.

Danny stepped back, out of reach.

He was trembling.

King stared at him. ‘What?’

Indecision tore at the young man. King could read it plain as day on his face. Danny’s eyes darted left and right, mouth opening and closing, his cheeks collapsing.

Again, King said, ‘What?’

‘B-before,’ Danny stuttered, his eyes wide like he couldn’t believe what he was saying. ‘When you sent me away from the gym last night. It…it wasn’t my first time. I lied to you.’

Now it was King’s turn for his face to fall.

Danny said, ‘I killed someone for Frankie.’

74

King could see the look in Alexis’ eyes as she stood off to the side.

Mild discomfort, but beyond that a sense that this wasn’t her conversation to hear, wasn’t her judgment to make. She didn’t know Danny, didn’t seem to deem herself capable of passing down justice. She looked at King and made a face. He nodded. She turned and walked and receded into the background.

He watched her disappear with a surreal filter over his vision, like Danny’s revelation had separated him from his emotions and perceptions, made him go somewhere else so he didn’t outwardly react.

Beside the bodies of Heidi and Frankie, King faced Danny. Kept himself composed, because letting anything out would jeopardise the flow of information. ‘How many times?’

Danny trembled. ‘Just the once.’

‘Don’t lie to me.’

‘I’m not. Not anymore.’

Hot wind blew down the channel’s concrete slope, tousling their hair. Neither of them spoke.

Danny said, ‘I chickened out twice. Frankie said, if I didn’t make the third one happen, I was gone.’

‘Gone how?’

‘That’s all he said.’ A deep breath. ‘“You’re gone.”’

‘What do you think it meant?’

‘I don’t know. Does it matter?’

Silence. King had to admit to himself that it didn’t. He was hoping, praying, for some way to sweep it under the rug. Like, If Frankie had a gun to your head, then you had no choice.

There’d been no gun to Danny’s head.

Coercion, maybe. Manipulation. Threats. All of it provides important context, but none of it offers an excuse.

King said, ‘Who were they?’

‘He was a board member.’ Danny glanced at Heidi’s body. ‘For her company. His name was Jack. Frankie and Heidi did all the leg work, put me in position with…’ He trailed off, took another breath to pull himself together. ‘With a cover story. I was an investigative journalist or something. I didn’t know the full details ’cause I didn’t have to. Just had to tell him my name was Finn so I could get him in the door. Then I put on gloves to protect my hands and…’

He hunched over.

‘Oh, God,’ he whispered.

King said, ‘I thought Carter was the one who went by Finn.’

‘We all did. Heidi kept falling back on the name, re-using it. Don’t ask me why.’

King couldn’t stay still any longer. He paced back and forth across the channel, sidestepping the corpses, raising his hands and placing them behind his head. He looked up at the stars. His thoughts spiralled, passing through his conscious awareness too fast to latch onto.

Danny didn’t move. Didn’t even rock back and forth on his heels, or shuffle side to side. He just stood there, the gravity of his revelation setting in.

King stopped in front of him, looked him in the eyes. ‘You could have kept your mouth shut. I never would’ve known.’

‘Yeah.’

‘Why’d you tell me?’

‘Because, like, you’re not doing this for money. Everyone I ever met only ever did anything for money. Maybe I got unlucky, but that’s the way it is. That’s all I ever learned. Do anything to get ahead. Dad taught me that when he wasn’t thrashing me, and I saw it first-hand. He lied, he stole, he cheated. And he’s still in that trailer park. Frankie taught me it, too, and Frankie’s—’ Danny turned and regarded the coach’s glassy-eyed stare ‘—well, Frankie’s right there. Then you