The Killing of Bobbi Lomax Read Online Free PDF Page A

I’ve been up there.’
    ‘This is turning into a habit, hey Tex?’ said Al.
    ‘Yeah and not a good one. No offence, guys.’
    ‘None taken,’ said Al.
    ‘Three bombings in two days?’ said Marty.
    ‘Place is getting like Beirut,’ Big Tex said. ‘What you boys got so far?’
    ‘A whole bunch of nothing, by the looks of it,’ said Al.
    ‘Financials, possible affairs.’ Marty shook his head. ‘One too many possibilities.’
    ‘As per. That Houseman?’
    ‘Yeah.’
    They all looked back to the bed where Houseman lay bandaged and motionless. Tex looked like he wanted to say something. Instead, he just nodded.
    ‘Everyone’s telling me all these three victims: Bobbi Lomax, Peter Gudsen, Clark Houseman. Well, they’re all stand-up citizens. Who’d want to hurt any of them?’
    ‘Maybe they’re just collateral,’ Al pitched in. ‘Perhaps the bomber’s after something else. Someone else.’
    Marty looked at him. ‘Well, he sure is taking his time getting there. And today, over at the Houseman site there’s a whole load of witnesses all saying different things – He was walking up the hill, down the hill. He just got to the car and the bomb went off. He was in the car and the bomb went off. Someone saw him find a package on the seat of the car. Someone else thought they saw it on the seat. Another one thought they saw him drop it and then it exploded. Someone else saw him crouch down and pick it up . . . Hopeless.’
    ‘Well, all of those could be true.’ Big Tex smiled.
    ‘Sure,’ said Marty. ‘But not all at the same time.’
    Tex laughed. ‘You got that right.’ He peered around Marty’s shoulder to the bed. The nurse had finished, she was moving towards them now, towards the door. Tex smiled at her, nodded politely: ‘Ma’am.’ If he’d been wearing his Stetson he would have lifted it for her. As she left the room Tex shook his head in quiet appreciation.
    ‘Makes you wanna get ill, don’t it, big guy?’ Marty slapped him on the back.
    ‘Critically.’ Big Tex’s eyes followed her outside. ‘What about him? Houseman. He gonna live?’
    Al nodded. ‘They’ve put him in an induced coma. He was fitting, frothing at the mouth and everything. The docs said he’s messed up a bit, internally, also his leg’s half blown off, but the chest injury looked worse than it was. He’s going to survive if they can keep the brain swelling down and can operate on the leg in time.’
    ‘Good,’ said Tex. ‘’Cos that guy’s going to the chair. I damn well hate it when they die before they fry.’
    ‘Tex, you been holding out on us this whole time?’
    Marty registered Al’s shock, but didn’t reflect it. ‘OK Tex, spill it.’

6
August 21st 1982
    Houseman Residence
    Outside, in the street, nothing stirred. Not the neighbors, not their dogs nor that wretched motorbike belonging to Cisco, the next-door neighbor’s kid. And, inside, Jack was asleep upstairs. Clark was sat downstairs on the sofa, Edie’s hand outstretched in his, her head tilted right back on the sofa’s edge. He stared at her. No sign of movement underneath the tightly closed lids. Was he imagining it, or was her breathing getting shallower, deeper? He had no idea what to do with her next. Slowly, tentatively, he said: ‘First I’m going to ask you to kiss me.’ Edie burst out laughing. ‘Edie!’
    ‘It’ll never work, I’m not under.’
    ‘You’re just not taking it seriously.’
    ‘Well, it’s not serious, is it? Just a load of hocus-pocus. I guess I’m obviously not the receptive kind. Or whatever kind you have to be to want to be “under”.’
    He had to stop himself from telling her she’d been under in Vegas. And that if she’d been under there, she could be under here. It’s just he wasn’t Marvin Mesmer. Someone with years of practice behind him. He was just a beginner. But he wanted to catch up, to learn, as fast as he could. He’d always been a quick learner.
    ‘Well if you would just focus a