Gun Work: The Further Exploits of Hayden Tilden Read Online Free PDF Page A

cuttin’ on ’im. Know what he did?”
    â€œNo, Thurm. What’d he do?”
    â€œLaughed at me. Said he’d see me in Hell soon.”
    â€œYou know the man?”
    â€œThe ghost?”
    â€œYeah, the ghost.”
    â€œUh-huh. No. Not sure. Maybe. Don’t matter. Think I kilt him off again anyway. Or maybe not. Get ’im next time though.”
    About then I heard a police siren outside. Said, “Look, Thurm, why don’t you give me the knife. I’ll stay here with you, and we’ll run the dead son of a bitch off together, if he comes back. Okay?”
    Commotion at the door. Knew the law had arrived. Anxious cops would soon fill the room up. If pistols came out, figured anything could happen. Poor old brain-addled Thurm just might get shot to pieces.
    â€œThe knife, Thurm. Give me the knife. I’ll stay with you.”
    Of a sudden, the man looked like a cheap umbrella in a rainstorm. He kind of collapsed into the corner. Dropped that big ole blade on the floor at my feet. I grabbed it up and pitched it across the room. Second or so later, red-faced trio of boys in blue stormed up behind me. They snatched Thurm up like a kid’s raggedy doll. Man didn’t say a word when they dragged him away. Just kind of whimpered.
    Heddy McDonald came running up. Beautiful gal took my arm, escorted me into the hall, and pointed me back toward the dayroom. “I’m so glad you took a hand in the matter. Would have been awful if Mr. Gaston had been hurt or killed.”
    â€œYes. Yes, it would’ve.”
    â€œGood thing I got here when I did,” she added. “Was able to make those policemen understand which of you they’d been called to corral.”
    â€œMighty thoughtful, darlin’. Sure wouldn’t want to spend the night in the hoosegow for slicing and dicing some of Rolling Hills’ nurses.”
    â€œOh, Mr. Gaston won’t spend any time in jail. He’s being ushered downstairs to the med room in the basement. Have a call in to Baptist Hospital for Dr. F. Scott Bryles to rush over and medicate him a bit. After a day or two of rest, I’m sure he’ll be fine. Thank God none of our other patients were i njured.”
    Strolled up to the sunporch door. Turned to Heddy and said, “Sounded to me like Thurm might’ve pulled something like this before.”
    A pained look of deep sadness etched its way around the girl’s beautiful eyes. She squeezed my hand. “Of course, you’re right. This wasn’t Mr. Gaston’s first bout of oddly aggressive behavior. Poor man suffers from advanced hardening of the arteries, Hayden. Disease is characterized by loss of memory, confusion, lack of good judgment, and social grace. Anxiety, depression, and anger. Sad state of affairs. Very sad. Horrible end to a good man’s life.”
    â€œMaybe what happened didn’t have anything to do with hardening of the arteries. Maybe he really did see a ghost, or maybe his past finally just caught up with him.”
    Heddy smiled. Let out a muted chuckle. “Ghost, or not. Past, or whatever. Few days of sedation should cure the problem.”
    â€œWell, might be near the end, but he’s not gone yet. Maybe he’ll get better.”
    Now while I said it, didn’t for a second believe a single syllable. Hid out on the sunporch couple of nights later. Sneaking a smoke and a sip of rye. Must’ve been around one thirty or two o’clock in the morning. Cat perked up in my lap. Then, those body-collecting cockroaches, with the squeaky white shoes, came scurrying down the hall pushing a wobble-wheeled gurney.
    They crept into ole Thurm’s room like a crew of masked thieves. Few minutes later, whizzed back past my hidey-hole with him all wrapped up in a sheet. Man’s bloodless face was pasty white. Lips were black. Dead-eyed stare. Never saw him again.
    You ask me, didn’t have nothing to do with