Chapter 38.
Kizzy.
Star is pacing up and down now, all thoughts of Jed suddenly gone. Welcome to modern love, here one day, gone the next. I try to break the ice, "So Dad...any idea where we're heading? I hear America's pretty big, plenty of room to hide."
Dad looks at me curiously and I can hear the tick from his brain working overtime, God he seriously thinks this is a good idea, like maybe I should click my fingers and a horse and carriage will appear too!
He looks directly into my eyes, "Anything is possible Darling with you and I together. What a team we are going to be."
Star swings around, her face is pink and fevered like she's just about to lose it.
"Team? You're going nowhere! Police will be here soon and..."
She just about has time to splutter out the last word when Dad leaps towards her grabbing her face and squeezing hard.
"You have a lot of mouth for a street rat, do you know that!"
He squeezes tighter and I watch the tears spurt from her eyes like a broken dam. "Do you have any idea what I do to street rats like you...do you?"
She shakes her head clearly regretting her bravado.
"Well for starters I torture, gut then fuck the life out of them. There is nothing that compares to seeing that last glimmer of light leave the body."
A trickle of wee runs down her legs and Dad drops her in disgust.
"Ugh. Bloody rats."
"Leave her Dad," says Phoenix, "She's harmless, just a nothing as far as you're concerned."
Dad sits down twitching his shoulder, "You're probably right there." He turns to face her with an afterthought, "You would do well to remember that I do not like to be pushed."
"I'm sorry," whispers Star.
Dad exhales slowly, "OK right time to get back to business. Let's get the rubbish into the garden and Phoenix you can light it up for me."
I can't believe this shit, like what? Doesn't he think that anyone will notice...
"Dad... neighbors?"
"I wouldn't worry about that sweetie we could be burning anything you know."
Wow, his confidence is off the scale. "Ok then what about the smell?"
He laughs clapping his hands together. They are elegant hands with long tapered fingers much more suited to piano playing. "Oh, I love a bit of crispy bacon."
I look at Benita and she shrugs. I can tell both of us are thinking about our dogs...are they going to be part of the rubbish too?"
Dad catches my eye reading my mind, "And while you're at it son throw those bloody dogs on the barbecue too."
Benita starts crying again and me? I feel nothing. I'm sad because I guess I'm supposed to be sad but it's almost like I've distanced myself and this is all happening to someone else. It's like watching a video on slow and then fast forward trying to work out where the action is.
I turn back to Dad, "Let's go now, you and me while we've got the chance."
He smiles peacefully, "We will darling. We will."