Educational Experience

Chapter Twenty-Five

I combined the two tiny chapters I promised you into one, first, because it made more sense and second because I didn't want to make you wait. The best is yet to come, though--real romance. But "Colt style," so you know it's not going to be your usual lovey dovey stuff.

We'll get to that soon. For now...more about poor Maddie...

25.

She was still there on the floor next to the toilet when we arrived. Friendly wasn’t there, though. Called 911 and ran, probably.

The cops that were there were very nice. Very respectful to Bonnie, especially—I tried to talk her out of going over there with me. But she insisted. And she had a right to see it and know everything. It was her child we’d lost.

So I had her hold onto my arm and we followed this one cop through. And there was Maddie on the cold tile with the hypo beside her, all curled up like that shot had knocked the wind out of her or hurt real, real bad.

Her lips were blue, and her eyes looked all sunk back in their sockets—wide open. Like she’d seen a ghost. And the whole set up was on the toilet tank. The little bags of whatever—I wasn’t sure. A bottle of water. Spoon. Lighter. Cotton balls…she’d cooked up whatever it was and shot it.

I hadn’t seen tracks—I would’ve noticed. I’m sure of that. She could’ve been shooting it somewhere I couldn’t see so easily. Knowing I’d be disgusted with her if I did. Or maybe she’d only just started. But it looked like she had the ritual down. Everything laid out just so.

I blamed Yuri for that. If he’d been there, I would’ve beat hell out of him, cops or no. Now, I’d have only the pleasure of watching him suffer when I told him she’d died doing what he taught her to do.

It made my blood boil—I started breathing like Friendly had earlier that day. It took all my strength to slow it down and let the anger flow out of me.

 Bonnie didn’t say anything. Tears ran, but she wiped them away and just stood there. I could tell she was in that mad/sad place we go when something like this happens to someone we love. I was stunned senseless because of the great day we’d just had.

“Guy called 911,” one cop said. “I don’t know where the hell he is.”

I just nodded and sighed real heavy. I couldn’t think straight, so I didn’t say that I knew who it was. You have to be careful in situations like that. You don’t say much, until you’ve had time to think carefully about it. They’d accept that sigh for now. They could tell we were both close to her and trying to come to grips with it somehow.

I knelt down, and then I looked up at the cops and asked, “Can I close her eyes or what?”

“Yeah, no problem. We got pictures,” one of them said.

So I closed them, and then I leaned down and sort of pressed my forehead to her cheek. Not so cold yet. But it probably happened right after we left or something because she was a little stiff, I thought. I’m not a big cop show fan, though, so I don’t know all that stuff a lot of people can tell you about bodies and all that.

Bonnie walked out of the bathroom all of a sudden, so I got up and went after her. She went into her bedroom and stood there with her hands balled up into tight fists.

“I knew she’d go before me—I knew it! I did,” she was saying. Through clenched teeth.

I went over and put my hand on her shoulder and she sank back against me and let herself cry a little. I cried, too.