I'm sitting at the breakfast bar while Lumen changes. The sunlight is dimming now as the sun sets over the sea, casting everything into pink with its dying light.
"So, what do you think?" I hear the words and turn before I can really focus my thoughts to say something sensible. I've been running over the plan for this evening in my head. Get to the bar, target DiMarco and Greco, get talking, separate them, see what we can find out. It should be safe but I think we might have to meet this delightful couple once or twice more before we get the evidence required by the Code. My brain's still running through ways to get Greco to tell when I look at Lumen.
I know it's been ridiculously hot the last few days here in Miami but Lumen's outfit seems to be indecent even for the weather. She's wearing cut off jean shorts again, like those she used to lure Daniels to his death. The top of her body is covered with a white men's shirt, tied over her midriff. It hides most of the bad scars across her back and reveals a slice of black lace bra just over the place where the buttons should be fastened. The silver strappy heels, large silver hooped earrings and a couple of chains and bracelets finish her outfit. Her hair is pulled up and back in a tight pony tail from which a few hairs escape down her cheek. Her makeup, usually understated, is much bolder. Her lips slicked pink and her lashes dark and longer than I remember. My expression must be strange because she laughs nervously and her hand goes to her throat, a gesture I've realised she makes when she feels self conscious.
She looks down at my baggy sweat pants, the thin checked shirt and then up to the cap. Her eyebrow quirks.
"What a pair we make." She shakes her head, the pony tail bounces. "Do we have names?" I frown; I usually pick a name out of the air, the environment I'm in. I remember how much trouble Kyle Butler got me into.
"What do you want to be called?" I ask, walking over to this strange woman wearing Lumen's expressions. She bites her glossed lip.
"Sam." She's thought about this and I realise she already has another name, people in her other life know her as Elle. "Who're you?" she smiles and holds out her hand.
"Jason, nice to meet you, Miss." I let my accent slip a little, less enunciation on the consonants, nothing too fakey. She grins as I grab her hand and shake.
"Ok, Jase," she giggles. "What's the plan?" Still holding her hand I go to the sofa, she follows.
"We don't drink much, if at all, but we make it look like we match them glass for glass. I'll find a way to get talking to them; just go along with what I say. As soon as we're all talking then we need to separate them, they'll tell us more if they're not together."
"If she goes to the bathroom, I could go with her?" I nod; it's a good idea and looks much less suspicious because it's what women do. Again, another lesson in serial killing for women. "What do we do if it gets awkward? If we think they suspect something?" Her voice sounds edgy and I see she is twisting her hands in her lap. She looks down and notices the movement.
"It's ok to be nervous," I tell her, putting my hand over hers. She shakes her head.
"No, I'm not nervous, just wired. I'll be fine when we're there, doing it. Don't worry about me." She smiles at me and reaches over to kiss me. I breathe in her scent, fuzzy this time, under some strong perfume but still there, comforting, intoxicating.
"Ok, if something goes wrong then we just get out. If it looks bad then we have an argument, ok? Slap me and walk off. DiMarco and Greco are not going to get involved in our drama."
"But they are already involved in our drama; they just don't know it yet." Lumen's smile is dark.
We park the SUV a few block from the bar, making sure we walk the rest of the way to stop anyone noticing that our transport doesn't really fit in with our characters. We don't talk and Lumen's heels clack along the sidewalk. This part of town is more run down, no need to clean up for the tourists; none of them go down this way.
Weeds grow between the slabs of concrete and most of the streetlights are flickering. I guess the mayor doesn't care too much about the folk who live in these parts. We see a couple of stores selling liquor and probably other, more illegal, goods. Young men slump outside, smoking, playing music on their car stereos. Their vehicles are low slung, bright paint jobs, fancy interiors paid for by the week out of minimum wages, drug earnings.
No one bothers us. My sloping gait and possessive hand on Lumen's arm gives off a signal that these smaller sharks understand. Another couple would be chum in the water, easy prey, but these boys recognise a killer, whether they know it or not.
Small, dirty children are playing in the parking lot of the bar, the green neon sign casting an unhealthy glow over their bodies as though they're children in some zombie apocalypse nightmare. They glance at us briefly before they go back to scrabbling about underneath a car. I have a feeling it might not be there when we come back out.
I go through the door first, holding Lumen's hand and she totters after me on those heels. There's something curiously endearing about the way she moves in those shoes, the way she clutches that ludicrously small purse with the thin strap over her shoulder. I want to smile but Jason wouldn't do that so I keep my face grim.
"A jack, straight up and..." I look at Lumen and she shrugs, already in character. The expression is slightly submissive, slightly doped. I look back at the small selection of drinks. "A Bud." The bar tender barely even grunts as he passes me the bottle of Jack, a shot glass and the beer. Somewhere on the jukebox Hank Williams laments that there's a tear in his beer and some men are playing pool while their girlfriends stand about looking bored out of their minds, one of them texting on her phone.
I walk to an empty table and Lumen follows me. As we sit down she looks at me with a pointed expression and slides her eyes sideways. She's right; Greco and DiMarco are on the next table, only a few feet away. His hand is on her bare thigh, the short, tight skirt barely covering her ass and the cropped, green halter neck top clashing with the vivid red bra straps which cut into her shoulders. Her expression is puppy dog, adoring. His is hard, mean. It's pretty much the act we're doing ourselves.
I lean across, my hand on the seat of Lumen's chair, between her legs, and pull her over the floor towards me. The wooden rickety legs screech over the bare boards. She giggles and puts one heeled shoe in my lap. I grin and pull on her ankle, sliding her forward in the chair towards me. She flails out a hand, grabbing the table next to us, nearly falling on the floor, laughing all the while. DiMarco grabs her drink and Greco grins.
"Hey! Watch yourself there!" he says, smiling widely at Lumen. His arms are muscled and entirely laced over with tattoos, not the tasteful etchings you see on lots of people downtown but the crude, black smudges which tell of prison, rough nights.
"Oh, sorry," Lumen smiles at him and I grab her hand proprietarily as DiMarco copies my gesture with Greco's hand.
"Did you spill the guy's drink, Sam?" I hold up the jack. "Want a refill?" Greco rubs his stubbled chin with his hand and nods, even thought his drink is still intact. I lean across and top him up. Lumen smiles at DiMarco.
"Hi, I'm Sam and this is Jason, Jase," she looks at DiMarco's hair, red, straight and frizzy at the ends. "I love that hair colour, what is it?" The woman smiles and touches her fringe.
"Cherry red, you can't get it anymore, my sister's a hairdresser and she stocked up before they stopped selling it. Tina, by the way, and this is Joey." She says it with a flourish in her voice, like she's revealing a precious work of art or an expensive car. He grins a lopsided grin and nods to me.
"Not seen you in here before," he says, studying me intently. I smile and down my Jack in one.
"Nope, we're new in town." I smile at Lumen who drinks her Bud nervously. I know she's worried about the story I'm spinning, waiting for clues for her part in the tale but it looks like that skittish, half cowed girlfriend routine that most of these monsters in here have instilled in their partners.
"Tourists?" Greco frowns as he finishes his drink; no doubt he feels competition in the air. There is no competition; I am the biggest monster here by far. I kill adults, not little babies.
"Nope, we came down her to stay with friends, just some time away from my parents." Lumen takes the initiative, smiling softly at me for approval. All this plays into our characters really nicely. I nod, appreciating her twist on the story. "They don't really approve of me and Jase." She says, looking right at Tina. I watch to see if we've gone too far but Tina nods in sympathy and Greco's grin widens.
"Hey dude, if the parents don't approve it means you must be just right for their daughter!" He slaps his hand on the table and I see him sway in his chair, he's already half drunk. This is getting easier. I need to get him talking so that I can leave Lumen to speak to Tina. Separated, most couples like this fall over their lies, trip themselves up, reveal themselves. I have to just hope that Lumen and I are not most couples.
"You're right there! Hey, I like the art, where'd you get it done?" I lean over and study the ink on his arm. It's blurred but it's clearly a coffin. He looks down to see which picture I am looking at and I see Lumen scoot her chair nearer to Tina's, their heads closer together. I guess women bond faster than men. Maybe they just don't bother with the posturing. Tina asks Lumen about her shoes. Maybe it's different posturing.
"A sad story, my friend," Greco doesn't offer any more information and I nod like I get it, which I don't. I top up his glass; he doesn't notice that I don't touch my own. I glance over at the girls.
Tina is holding Lumen's hand; I hear something about how hard it is when you love someone and then Lumen looks like she's crying. Tina fishes in her purse, a small leopard print number, and hands Lumen a tissue. Lumen dabs her eyes. I look back and Greco and he rolls his eyes. I chuckle.
"Hormones," I , shrugging and he grins. "She's been like that ever since she found out she was knocked up. Got any kids, Joe?" He shakes his head, pulling a face. Tina stands up, Lumen follows shakily.
"We're just going to the ladies' room," Tina says, covering Lumen's upset by standing in front of her, blocking out our view. Joey nods but gives her a long look. She smiles and totters over to kiss him. She's drunk too; she wobbles dangerously, nearly spilling into my lap.
"Whoa there!" I grab her leg to steady her and leer. Joey laughs as Tina huffs and takes Lumen away across the sticky floor.
"Women!" he sighs, still half laughing. I raise my glass and he bangs his glass against it, spilling my drink. He downs the Jack and I top up his glass again.
"Yep, can't live with them, can't kill em with a chainsaw!" I say cheerily. Greco snorts and chokes laughing. I grin.
"Well, you could but you'd have to make sure there were no witnesses, or the witnesses weren't ever going to testify against you!" he sniggers unpleasantly. I nod.
"Yeah, but where'd you find that kind of witness?" I play along, pretending we're planning the imaginary murder of our girlfriends. Greco looks at me, his expression sly.
"Hey, there are reasons that people won't tell the cops you know." He nods conspiratorially. I raise my eyebrows and lean in.
"There are? Dude, you know some fucked up shit." As I expected, he takes it as a compliment. He leans back on the chair, the position precarious. A flick of my leg and he'd be over backwards, smacking his head on the table, splattering his brains everywhere when he hit the hard floor. It's tempting. He gestures towards the bathrooms.
"Tina, she wouldn't tell on me, she never would. No matter what fucked up, nasty shit I did." He downs another glass, not even looking up as I refill.
"What sort of shit?" I ask, pushing back my cap. Suddenly his eyes narrow, making him even more rat like, ugly.
"You ask a lot of questions, Jason." I grin and nod.
"Yeah, yeah I do, sorry. It's just, you know, I don't need a fucking kid right now and Sam? She isn't going to get rid of it and... Well, I was just offloading, talking to a guy, I guess." I shrug, leaning back, underplaying the urgency of the conversation. His eyes go from narrow to understanding.
"Yeah, I know what you mean, bro. Kids fuck things up. No going out drinking cos she can't leave the whiny brat. They're always in the fucking way, crying and shit. Man! They really fuck things up."
"You sound like you know what you're talking about," I say, cautiously. He nods and rubs his face with his hands. "Have you ever had kids?" He nods, then shakes his head.
"The brat wasn't mine, Tina had him before we met. He was at her mother's when we hooked up, that was ok, but then she wanted him to live with her. Fuck man, it was a ball ache. Diapers, bathing, crying, all the fucking time." He drinks another drink, the bottle's nearly empty.
"So, where is he now, babysitter?" I ask, looking around like there might be a baby under the table, Greco laughs.
"He fell down the stairs, if you know what I mean?" He grins, then sits up like he's remembered he's not supposed to talk about it. I remain expressionless, like I've registered nothing from what he's said. Inside my brain, those computers are whirring again, was that enough of an admission for the Code?
"That must have been hard on Tina?" I shrug, like I don't care, and he laughs at my callous attitude.
"Nah, the bitch didn't want a baby, she wanted me. Proved it in a court of law too." He's interrupted in what else he might say by Lumen and Tina's arrival back at the table.
Tina is holding Lumen's hand and Lumen is nodding, like she's agreeing to something. I frown at them and Tina smiles at me, it's a sad smile. I look away, catching a glimpse of Lumen's face as I turn. Her face is puffy, streaked with the marks of tears, like she was the night I lied to her. But her eyes are sharp and bright. She's heard all she needs.
"Gonna get me another beer, Jase?" she asks coyly, putting her head onto her chest and looking up at me.
"You shouldn't be drinking in your condition," I say curtly, Greco laughs.
"Oh, it's only a beer," says Tina, smiling at me. I grin back and give her an obvious look up and down, she blushes,. Greco's so wasted he doesn't even see it.
"I'll buy you a drink, Tina," I say, leaning across and taking her glass, making sure my fingers brush over her skin. She giggles.
"Jase," Lumen says, warningly, sounding sulky, petulant.
"What?"I turn on her. "For fuck's sake, Sam, what is wrong with you? Jesus!" I stand up, the table wobbles. Lumen starts to cry, she's good. "Not the tears again! Don't you have another tune to play for fuck's sake, bitch?" I snarl and she whips to her feet. Her hand snakes out before I can really judge it and she slaps me, hard, across the face. She turns and stalks out of the bar, wobbling on those damned heels. I look at Tina, she shrugs.
"She'll be ok, Jase," she says up at me. "It just takes some adjusting to, having a baby. Maybe you'd better go after her? It's a kinda rough neighbourhood." I sigh theatrically. Place my bottle in front of Greco, who is now lolling back on his chair, his eyes half closed and nod.
As I follow Lumen's exit, Tina calls out.
"Maybe see you again, Jason?" I turn and smile.
"No doubt, Tina, no doubt." She smiles and gives a little wave.
Lumen is around the corner of the bar, she leans against the wall and bites her lip.
"You ok?" I ask, putting out my hand, trying to gauge how she feels. She nods and twines her fingers through mine. I pull her to me and kiss her. Her soft mouth opens to me and I feel that familiar sting of pleasure zipping though me. Her arms come up around my neck, she strokes my cheek and pulls back.
"Did I hurt you?" She frowns and I shake my head.
"Only for a second." I kiss her quickly again on the lips and let her go. "You were very convincing. What did she tell you?" We start to walk.
"I told her I was having a baby, that my parents kicked me out. She told me all about her and Joey, how in love they were, how she couldn't leave him, even for her family, her baby. Fuck, she made them sound like Romeo and Juliet!" I laugh but her mouth is a grim line.
"Did she say anything about the baby?"
"Yeah, she told me it all, it was like she was dying to get it all out, like it had been bottled up inside her and she thought I was the same as her, a kindred spirit." Lumen sounds cold, angry.
"And, did she say he killed the child?" I try not to think of Harrison, if I do I know I'll go back in there and just stab Greco.
"Yes. She told me what happened. Blamed it all on the baby's crying, it drove Greco mad, he couldn't help it, he's sensitive." She breathes through her nose like she's fighting her anger. It must have been hard for her to hear all this and stay calm.
"And she told me that Greco went too far and that she couldn't live without him, he didn't mean to kill the baby and so she lied for him."
We're at the SUV, Lumen leans against it and I can hear her breathing. She looks like a stranger to me, in her outfit and make up. But the most startling thing is the mask of anger, of cold rage on her soft features.
"What did he say to you?" I tell her, keeping the story to the minimum because I know she won't want the details. She's sickened already. I unlock the car and she climbs in.
I start the engine and we drive in silence. Lumen uses a wet wipe from Harrison's stash under the chair to remove the harsh make up. Even though that mask has gone, she still looks cold and wrathful.
I glance at her as the yellow streetlights illuminate her face briefly and then plunge it back into shadow.
"So, we know enough, right?" she asks, her voice flat. I nod. The next time she speaks something has replaced the anger, it is lust and excitement.
"So they're ours, Dexter." I nod again. "Let's use the chainsaw this time." Her voice is quiet but determined.
So, now you've met Greco and DiMarco do you feel they deserve it? Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to killing them too?:) thanks for all the kind reviews and comments, you are such great people to have on board. Thanks to Chander1200 for the trailer trash bar music and to the birthdayful VB for checking out my punctuation! cx