Chapter 5
That Kid’s Apple
Three days after they delivered the muddied envelope to The Horse, Otto got called to a sit down at his office at the ass end of the graveyard. When he arrived he was surprised to find that Mordy was not invited and that The Horse intended to see Otto alone. He leaned back in his chair which looked like it could break apart at any second and picked at the two Cornish Hens he had on his desk.
“The guy you did the drop with never checked in.”
“Mordy?” Otto asked.
“No, the other guy. The guy that mattered. He was supposed to take care of something for me... something very important and it never got done.” Otto felt the fear enter through his stomach and settle in his throat. It was the fear of death. His death, here in this shit boxed office by The Horse’s own hand.
The Horse opened the drawer and pulled out a meat cleaver and placed it next to the hens. “You know anything about that? You know anything I should know as well?” he said as his hand made its way to the cleaver’s handle.
“Not, sure what you mean Sallie. We did the drop and the guy went on his merry way.”
“What happened to your head?”
Otto raised a hand to his head and remembered the bump. He muttered the first excuse that came to mind. “I’m just a klutz, is all.”
“You don’t strike me as a klutz.”
“I’m only half Klutz on my father’s side.” Otto said with a smile, but The Horse wasn’t laughing. Instead he leaned in, the wood chair cracked and splintered. “You think I got you sitting here with me because I don’t know what happened out there in my graveyard?” Otto did his best to hold a convincing stare against The Horse, which was no easy task. The man reeked of piss and violence. He pointed his thumb over his right shoulder in the direction of the graveyard. His yellow nail looked like a hawk’s talon. “Maybe I should start doing a little digging, see if I find a little buried treasure.” Otto smiled sheepishly and shuffled in his seat. “Digging holes is a shit job Sallie, take it from me.” The Horse looked down at the cleaver which prompted Otto to look as well. It didn’t have a razor’s edge. It looked dull, like it was used to chop wood or god knows what else. That meant there would be no clean cuts. It would work more like a thin hammer and could hurt twice as much.
The Horse picked it up and brought it down on one of the hens which cracked the little chicken in half with one fell swoop.
“I ain’t asking more than twice.” The Horse said.
Otto had no play here. “Look Sallie the guy just snapped, he was gonna cut off Mordy’s hand. I had no choice but to do what I did.”
“Cut off his hand, what for?” The Horse asked, but it seemed like he already knew the answer.
“Mordy rubbed the guy the wrong way I guess.”
“Did he mention his wife?”
Otto remained silent, which meant yes.
“After I specifically told him not to?” The Horse said, as Otto nodded.
The Horse pounded his meat hook onto the metal desk and dented it. “Do you have any idea what you pricks did? Any idea who that guy was?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“The Meat Grinder was worth more to me than a hundred hands off that little prick.” The Horse tilted his head back and sighed and Otto noticed he had the faintest, thinnest layer of lint slime between the rolls of his pudgy neck.
“Did you open the briefcase?”
“No. On my mother we didn’t.” The Horse sensed he was telling the truth.
“Where is it now?”
“Mordy’s got it.”
“You let that little psycho run off with it?”
“I had no choice, he had it cuffed to his wrist.”
The Horse just grunted. “I told you cunts this was important and not to fuck it up. I sat right here and told you. I couldn’t have been more clear.” He took a long deep breath, tried to calm himself down and exhaled that breath right into Otto’s face; whatever he ate before those hens, had onions in it.
“First off... you go take my case off that prick.”
“Done.” Otto said quickly. “I’ll get it from him tonight.”
“And second... that little prick’s got to go.”
Otto just stared at the floor.
“And it should be you that does it.” Otto looked up at him. “Do what Sallie?”
The Horse raised his thick finger and pointed to the ground.
“Why me?” Otto asked.
“He’ll never expect it from you. He thinks you’re his friend.”
“But I’m not really on the disposable side of things.” Otto said.
“You just whacked the fucking Meat Grinder, I’m sure you can handle a little stooge. You want to move up, here’s your chance.”
“Can’t you give him a pass, I’d swear he’s half slow.”
“This order don’t come from me. It comes from...” The Horse pointed to the sky.
“Jeez. Maybe you can meet with...” Otto pointed to the sky as well, “...and fix this so it don’t have to be done.”
“You think we bowl together after lodge meetings on the weekends? I get my orders like everybody else through envelopes. And my little envelope says Mordy goes in the ground. End of story.”
“I can’t do it.” Otto said defiantly.
“Making life and death decisions now over some skinny skutch ain’t got sense enough to piss straight? You don’t refuse an order come directly from The Man With The Plan. What do you think your dealing with here? Some regular boss? The Man With The Plan is an enigma like the snake in paradise. He’s watching. Waiting. Tempting. How do you think I knew you did in the Meat Grinder?”
Otto just stared at the floor again.
“So let’s say you disobey the order, you don’t do the kid, then you think you’ll just get whacked out for disobeying orders, one, two, three, painless death when you’re not looking. No dice. Got a mother? A father? Maybe a little brother that’s a solid citizen. Catch my drift?”
Otto didn’t much care for his brother but he certainly still had a mother he liked.
The Horse got up and waddled over to him. “You know why a man’s throat is called the Adam’s apple? It’s because of a notion that it was caused by the forbidden fruit that got stuck in the throat of Adam. Your pal swallowed that fruit time and time again despite the warnings I gave.”
“But he’s made a lot of progress. I think the way of things is starting to finally sink in.”
“He’s a bad apple, end of story. Look kid, I can read between the lines. The Man With The Plan has faith in you to deliver. That means he’s got plans for you. You’re pushing thirty something. Been chasing this thing for years. This is your chance to step up. Now I want you to get that kid here tonight, my office. Make sure he brings my case. I’ll come by after.” The Horse leaned in breathing through his nose which was completely stuffed up with a dried green substance. “And if that nut is still alive by the time I get here, let’s just say I’ll have a lot more digging to do.”
The Horse went into his suit jacket and pulled out a switchblade. “I want that kid’s apple. I want it in my hand before night fall. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
“Yeah, I understand.” Otto said as he took the five-inch blade and put it in his pocket.