The Infinity Box (Tourist Trap Book 3)

Chapter 34

"You're sure you got those letters figured out correctly?" Max asked.

"Yeah, I'm positive," Zeke said.

"All right, so if we put them all together the clue says 'Where lollipops reach toward the sky down to the ballpit turn your eye.' Does that mean anything to you?"

"Me? I have no idea. You're the one who lives here. Does it mean anything to you?"

"Let me think. Something about that sounds familiar. I feel like my annoying kids dragged me someplace with lollipops one time, but I tend to mentally check out whenever the wife forces me to spend time with the spawn. I feel like it was a park or something boring like that. Damn it, why can't he hide one of these clues in a bar of a strip club or even a bordello? Someplace worth hanging out in, you know what I mean? Also somewhere that I'm not likely to run into the wife or kids. They might be in that park right now for fuck's sake." Max let out a shudder.

"But you know where this park is?" Zeke asked.

"No I do not. Like I said. I really wasn't paying attention. But I do know it was back in town somewhere. So that's a start. Maybe we can ask around a bit on the downlow."

"Maybe Bobby might know," Zeke said. "He has to travel around the city a lot for his job. He probably knows exactly where it is."

"He might if he's not mentally compromised by raiding our booze supply."

"I thought you brought the booze with us in the canteens. Remember? We almost died of thirst?"

"I brought the booze that would fit in the canteens. There's still a lot left back at the rickshaw and it better all still be there when we get back or I'm going to be ticked off. I can tell you that."

"Speaking of canteens, don't you think we should probably fill them with water this time so we have a chance of surviving the trip back?"

"We could do that, but there's still a lot of booze in the canteens."

"We could dump it out," Zeke said.

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that, Zeke. Obviously you're still a little delirious from dehydration. Never ever dump out perfectly fine booze. No, the solution here is obvious. We're going to have to chug it. Then we can fill the canteens with water. You want to take the one we already started and I'll down the full one?"

"Um, I don't really want to drink any booze at all right now to be honest," Zeke said.

"Are you getting soft on me or something? Fine, you wuss. I'll drink them all myself. Just give me a moment." Max tilted his head back and downed the contents of the first canteen. He gestured with his other hand for Zeke to give him the other canteen. He smoothly transitioned from one canteen to the next without any pause in the flow of alcohol. When both canteens had been drained dry, he dropped his head back to its normal position and licked his lips. "Ah, that's much better. All that water I drank was sobering me up too much. My body chemistry was getting all out of balance and that's never a good thing. You never know what sort of crazy thing I might do when I'm too sober, like order that rubber knife set off the television or propose to my wife. It's a bad scene, I tell you. Now anyway, why don't you fill these canteens up with water for us? Not because I like the stuff. It's gross. But even I have to acknowledge that it's kind of essential for survival when one is traversing a hot, dusty desert."

"Hey what are you guys doing?" a voice asked from behind them, startling Max and causing him to fling the canteens. They disappeared beneath the water several feet away.

"Felipe? What the hell are you doing sneaking up on us like that? Are you trying to get yourself killed? Because I'll have you know my fists are registered as lethal weapons. You don't want to be messing around with them, Felipe. I can't be held responsible for what they do of their own accord. They've put more than one fool into the ground. I can tell you that. It's tragic. Regrettable even, but those poor souls shouldn't have been playing with fire. Because you know what happens when you play with fire, Felipe? You get burned. That's what. Now go find those canteens you made me throw. And make yourself useful and fill them up while you're at it."