Page 110 of Road Queens
“Because you’ll be in England?” Cassandra asked. “That’s where my mother thought you were when we—”
“I know why you’re here.”
Later, Amanda would have trouble parsing the events of the next thirty seconds. Marcus upended Wanda’s ashes, and a small pistol clunked out with them—a .38, maybe? Amanda felt someone grab her and haul her backward, and then Sean’s broad shoulders were blocking her field of vision. She heard the clang of the urn hitting the floor, a gunshot (deafening in the small space), and Sidney’s moaned “Oh, fuck” even as she craned around Sean to see.
Marcus was still alive. Blood streamed from his ears and dripped on the flawless marble floor; the left side of his head had a curious bulge, which wasn’t curious at all. He was leaning heavily on the pillar, andWanda Garner’s ashes were a cloud. Somehow, he opened his mouth and brought the pistol back up.
“Don’t!” Sidney screamed, just as Sean shoved her aside and reached for Wanda Garner’s last living family member.
The second shot did what the first couldn’t.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“Pretty sure I’m done throwing up now.”
“I didn’t know youcouldthrow up,” Cass observed. “Remember when you got blasted on vermouth and chocolate milk? When you didn’t barf then, I figured you never would.”
“And if you tell anyone,” Sidney said, wiping her mouth on her sleeve, “you’llbe drinking vermouth and chocolate milk.”
“Everyone all right?” Sean asked. He’d checked Marcus Garner’s vital signs, an exercise everyone in the mausoleum knew was futile, and followed them out to the fresh air. “Physically, I mean?”
Amanda opened her mouth to answer, then cocked her head when she heard sirens. “You called for backup.”
“No, Icamewith my backup.” Sean brushed some of Wanda Garner’s ashes off her cheek and shoulders. “I just called for reinforcements.”
“Oh. Good. That’s good. That’s. Um.” She burst into tears and clutched at him, taking comfort in his arms and from Cassandra’s gentlepats on her back and Sidney’s “Aw, don’t cry, or you’ll get me started, and I hate crying as much as I hate puking.”
“You’re all idiots,” she sobbed as sirens drew closer and the corpse in the mausoleum cooled.
CHAPTER FORTY
Cassandra Schmitt’s sixteenth birthday ...
She heard them before she saw them.
“Don’t look at me like you’re measuring me for a straitjacket! We’re allowed to be here! My folks are right behind us. We’re taking her home!”
Then approaching footsteps and a different voice: “Ma’am, you can tell us the room number or we can just start opening doors. And I don’t mean to lecture, but you shouldn’t put all your faith in the chubby unarmed guard who’s old enough to be our grandpa.”
She could have smiled if she hadn’t been so numb. She’d never been hooked up to a Valium drip before, but it was pretty nifty. “Down here, guys,” Cassandra called. “Room two seventeen.”
She heard the wheeze of the pneumatic door opening, and then Sidney and Amanda all but galloped into the room.
“Oh my God!” Amanda cried, which was bad enough.
Then Sidney made it worse (Cass would have thought that impossible at this point) by bursting into tears. “Oh, Cass, your poor face!”
Cassandra gestured at the bandages and the IV. “Yeah, fishing today was not fun.”
They rushed up to the bed and then stopped, as if reluctant to touch her, or even get too close. “Is—is it true?” Amanda whispered. “Is your dad ... I mean ... did your mom ...?”
“They took Mom,” she croaked. “They arrested her.”
Sidney edged closer. “Yeah, we know. Listen, my folks are here; they’re talking to the attending about signing you out.”
“That’s nice. I hope they let me finish the IV first. I like your parents. They always pretend we can’t stay up late or snack, but then they let us stay up late and bring us snacks.”
Sidney was studying the IV bag. “Yeah, well, there’ll be snacks aplenty. Except maybe you’ll stay here overnight with this shit in your system. Either way, it’s up to the doc, but you’re gonna come home with us, okay? If not tonight, then tomorrow. Okay? Just for a couple of days. So don’t even worry about it. Okay?”
