“Yeah, she offered me money.”
“How much?”
“She didn’t say. She just said that she’d pay if we let her go. Her and her partner.”
“She said that?”
“Yes.”
“Anything else?”
“She wanted to know how the partner was. She doesn’t want us to hurt her.”
Mary heard it clearly, more clearly than before. Wherever they had walked to was closer than it was before. They had saidher partner. The other woman, the bigger woman, must’ve been Mary’s partner. Mary remembered in a flash. Her partner was named Bennie Rosato. An image materialized instantly in her brain, an image attached to the name. Tall, blonde, athletic. Bennie Rosato was her partner. She knew Bennie Rosato. She had known her a long time. Not as long as Simon but she knew her.
“She asked about her partner? That’s touching. She’s probably gay for her.”
“Why you gotta say that?”
“Say what?”
“That she’s gay?”
“It’s the way she acts. Bossy.”
“My sister is gay.”
“Is she bossy?”
“All sisters are bossy.” Not-Ray chuckled.
“Whatever. Listen. Go in and take a picture of DiNunzio.”
Mary knew that name. It was her name. She remembered that her name was Mary DiNunzio. She had a partner namedBennie Rosato. She had an old friend named Simon Something. She was a person. She started to feel more and more human. She existed as a human being because she knew other people. Otherwise she was just a bloody mess that could barely breathe.
“Why do you want her picture?”
“Just go do it.”
“Why? Why do I have to go take her picture? It’s disgusting.”
“That’s the point.”
“So why can’t you do it? She doesn’t know you. She won’t recognize you. Why do I have to do all the dirty work?”
“What’s gotten into you?” Ray raised his voice.
“I don’t like the way things are going. I think we should get out of here. I think we just should go.” Not-Ray raised his voice, too.
“And leave them here?”
“Yes. Just leave them. If they die, they die. But it’s not like we killed them. I killed them.”
“You’re losing your nerve. Sack up.”
“I’m being smart. We got away with Todd. We might not get away with these two. Why put ourselves back on the hook? We killed Todd to get off the hook.”
Mary pricked up at the nameTodd. She knew that name. She couldn’t remember the details and something told her there were a lot more details. But Todd was connected to Simon. The police thought Simon killed Todd, but Ray and not-Ray had killed Todd. And they had been working with a third man whose name she didn’t remember.
