This may seem like a meager offering considering I'm late updating this thing (family vacations, woo), but that's because I have large blocks of the next five chapters built up and I'd like to get ahead of myself again before I start posting for reals. The next chapter is pretty long, too, so I'll leave this here for now until I can figure out the ending. Merry Christmas, Zach! York loves the tie you got him.


CHAPTER 48.5: PHONE CALL 2
TIME AND LOCATION: 18:02, Quint's trailer
WEATHER REPORT: Slightly overcast

"Hey, Quint Dunn speaking. Who is this?"

"I ratted on your girl, Quint. I'm sorry."

"What?" Hand over phone, quick glance around the trailer. Out the window- no sign of Richard. Crouch beside the motorcycle, harsh whispers.

"Is that you, Chris? What the hell are you talkin' about?"

"He was FBI, man. What was I supposed to do, lie? I didn't say much, just... I mentioned the Basket."

"How much did you tell him? When did this happen?"

"Yesterday afternoon. Out in the basketball court. I hardly said anything, just the code, but if he's smart it won't take him long to figure out what it means. I didn't plan on leaking, it just kind of... happened..."

Heart falling into stomach, eaten by acid. "How could you do this to me? Everyone knows me and Becky were going out. I'm the next closest link. If he traces it back to me, I'm screwed-"

"Look, man." Chris getting hot now, fueled by desperation. "Julie was the one who started spilling first, okay? And the rest of us followed. She was right, though; this isn't just about us. Anna's dead, and... I didn't want to say this, but I think it might have something to do with where Becky was getting the 'product' from. You know?"

"I don't know where she got it from. She never told me."

"Yeah, but it works."

Cold fire. "I never did the stuff."

"Well, me neither, but I know kids who did, and they said it was legit. Fuck, Quint, I dunno. This got way too big, way too fast. Do you have any idea what you're doing? What you're gonna do?"

Silence. Then: "I gotta talk to Jack."

"Jack who? The gas guy?"

"Who else?"

"Well, good luck with that, then. Say hi to Gina for me." A weak joke, a terrible joke, but he can't help but hear the grin on the other end of the line. "And Quint? No hard feelings."

"Son of a... If anything happens to me or Becky, 'specially Becky, I'm going to hunt you down and chop you off at the ankles with an axe. ... Why are you laughing? This isn't a joke!"

Realizes too late that it's not mockery he's hearing, but sobbing.

"...Chris?"

"I d-don't know what's going on, Quint. If they catch you, I... I don't think it's gonna matter. Something's happening, something bad, I don't know what-"

"They're not gonna catch me. At least you gave me a warning. And will you shut up? You're not the one who should be crying right now."

"S-sorry. ...Listen, I should get off the phone. I gotta drive my little brother to soccer practice..."

Pacing, hat off, hat on. Heat writhing under skin.

"Yeah, whatever."

"I'm sorry."

"...Me too. Don't call me here again, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

Click.


The Twin Peaks Gold Box set is the gift that keeps on giving, and by giving I mean scaring your loved ones.