The decoy

Chapt 33

Chapter Thirty Three

Arsenault tied Sebastian's hands behind the chair with an electric wire while his buddy, Starr sat behind the desk watching. When he had Sebastian tied to the chair, Arsenault pulled a cigarette lighter from his pocket lit a smoke and then held the flame towards Sebastian's face.

He smiled and said, "I could straighten this fucker out for you Cam. Let me straighten him out and I'll get rid of the body for you too."

"I have a few questions for you," Sebastian said.

"Shut the fuck up. You got nothing for me. I will ask the questions and I will tell you what's going on," Starr said.

He sat at the desk with his feet up and his hands clasped behind his head. He looked like he was trying to give the impression that he was in charge but Sebastian sensed that Starr didn't know what his next move should be. He wanted Sebastian and Teddy to think he handled situations like this all the time but Sebastian knew that was unlikely. He wasn't all that comfortable with this situation, maybe things were going too fast or maybe he was worried he couldn't control Teddy Arsenault.

Arsenault still held the flame near Sebastian's face. He cradled the shotgun in his other arm and smoked his cigarette.

"Listen to Cam," Arsenault said. He seemed angry that Sebastian wasn't frightened.

He glanced back at Starr and then he swung his hand closer to Sebastian's face so that the flame was under Sebastian's nose. The heat was intense. It immediately seared his skin and Sebastian recoiled from the pain and the scorched smell in his nostrils. His reaction to the pain caused Arsenault to giggle.

"Stop," Starr shouted out, "not yet. I have to sort this out," 

"When did you buy the car Cameron?"

Sebastian wasn't going to back down. He kept his eye on Arsenault and the shot gun as he questioned Starr.

Starr looked confused.                                                              

"Shut up."

"I mean I know that when you got the promotion Vail was already dead but I learned you bought that car a month earlier," Sebastian said, "who told you that Vail was going to die? How did you know that a promotion was coming and you could buy that sweet car? The cops want to know Cam."

Arsenault didn't like Sebastian bothering Starr. He was agitated and stood over Sebastian liking a hound that had caught the rabbit and didn't know what to do with it now. He knew his master didn't want Sebastian harmed but he wanted to take a bite.

The shot gun was still in the crook of his arm. He was more excited about burning Sebastian again and was unaware that the gun was pointing straight up and no longer at Sebastian.

The chair was one of those old wooden office ones with metal wheels. He rolled it back about six inches. Arsenault seemed to think he was trying to get away from the lighter and this excited him more. He stepped closer towards Sebastian.

Sebastian wanted to move further from Starr who was behind the desk with his feet still propped up. He needed to get enough distance between himself and Starr so that he could disarm Arsenault quickly when the time came. He rolled back slightly again and Arsenault followed him again. Starr seemed unaware that Sebastian was gradually moving away. It didn't matter to him.

"The cops are asking too many questions and it is all your fault,"

Starr was angry. "You know Pezzo did it. Everyone knows it."

"But how did you know Paul Vail was going to die before he was murdered?" Sebastian asked again.

"I didn't know anything. Paul was moving to Mexico. He told me. He was leaving for a while and he wanted me to look after things while he was gone. That's when I bought the car."