Body Rides

  Nothing so funny about it.

  Nothing funny at all.

  ‘Neal Darden,’ he whispered, ‘world renowned speleologist . . .’

  Later, much later, he rolled Sue over.

  Together, they slowly toured her back.

  Her back and buttocks and legs glowed with a sheen of sweat. And Neal dripped onto her as he roamed.

  He caressed her, squeezed her, probed her, tasted her.

  She squirmed under him like a restless sleeper, sometimes sighing, sometimes gasping for air.

  He mounted her.

  Finally, exhausted, he crawled off Sue and flopped onto his back.

  Sue turned onto her side.

  Neal turned his head.

  ‘Howdy,’ she said.

  ‘Howdy yourself. Welcome back.’

  She stretched out an arm and lay it across his chest. Her left arm. The one with the bracelet wrapped around it.

  Neal caressed her forearm.

  ‘Wanta try it?’ she asked.

  ‘You’ve got to be kidding.’

  ‘You oughta.’

  ‘I’m wiped out.’

  ‘You and me both. Lordy.’

  ‘How was it?’ Neal asked.

  ‘Can’t tell ya.’

  ‘Sure you can.’

  ‘Nope. It was too . . . I don’t know . . . too big and strange. It wasn’t like samplin a kid’s milkshake. Ya gotta try it yerself. Get in me, and try it.’

  ‘Not tonight. Okay?’

  ‘Ya sure?’

  ‘I’m sure.’

  ‘All tuckered out?’

  ‘Sure am.’

  ‘Me, too.’ Her arm slid down. She fingered his penis. ‘My little buddy,’ she said. ‘All tuckered out. He ain’t dead, is he?’

  ‘Probably in a coma.’

  Her fingers fiddled. ‘Bet I can wake him up.’

  ‘That’s all right. He’s had enough excitement for one night.’

  ‘Didn’t know these things could go off so many times,’ Sue said.

  ‘Neither did I.’

  ‘Didn’t know I could go off so many times, either.’

  ‘You really did, huh? I thought so. I wasn’t sure . . .’

  ‘Well, I don’t go squirtin all over the place,’ Sue said. ‘Not like some folks I could mention.’

  ‘But you actually had orgasms . . . your body did . . . while you were in me?’

  ‘Had ’em both places.’

  ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘In you and in me.’

  He nodded. ‘You mean, you experienced mine.’

  ‘Sure did! But that ain’t what I meant. Isn’t. I had my own both places at once. The part of me that was in you . . . my soul or whatever . . . it came the same time my body did. It’s like we’re wired up together. Like switches were gettin thrown over where I was in you, and they . . .’

  ‘Lit you up.’

  ‘Yer bein funny again.’

  ‘Not very.’

  ‘Yer right,’ she said, and laughed. ‘I think yer funny. Sometimes. I reckon I mighta cracked up a few times, only I was too horny and outa breath. You had some mighty odd thoughts.’

  ‘You didn’t have to stay,’ he told her.

  Instead of answering, Sue gave him a calm, lazy smile and scooted closer. Then she pushed herself up, crawled onto him and lay down, her face close above his face, her breasts pushing against his chest, her legs together on top of his legs.

  He supposed it was no accident that she held his penis between her thighs.

  ‘That’s better,’ she said, and wiggled a bit.

  Neal moaned. He said, ‘Much better.’

  ‘Now, where were we?’

  ‘Me and my odd thoughts.’

  ‘I loved every one of ’em.’

  ‘You did?’

  ‘I did. That’s ’cause I love ya, Neal. If ya don’t believe me, just kiss the bracelet and come on in and see for yerself.’

  ‘Elise warned against that sort of thing.’

  ‘I done it to you.’

  ‘Right. And you found out I’m a filthy-minded pig.’

  ‘Yer a real sweet filthy-minded pig.’ Lowering her head, she kissed him on the mouth. Kissed him gently and for a very long time.

  He woke up. The bedroom lights were on and Sue still lay on top of him. The room felt chilly. Neal was warm where Sue covered him. Her legs had fallen to the sides, however, so they no longer gave her heat to his groin and the tops of his legs.

  He glided his hands slowly down her back and up the slopes of her buttocks. Her skin felt cool.

  Oughta get up, he thought.

  But he really didn’t want to move. He liked the feel of Sue sleeping on top of him.

  Oughta at least get up and go to the john. Brush my teeth. Wash up. Turn off the light. Make sure the door’s secure.

  He was fairly sure that the door, like most hotel room doors, locked automatically when it was shut. But he should make certain. And he should also fasten whatever chain or bolts . . .

  What time is it?

  Turning his head, he looked at the clock on the nightstand.

  3:36 a.m.

  He felt a sudden tremor of fear. For a few moments, he didn’t know why.

  Then he remembered Rasputin.

  The bastard could be here by now.

  Could’ve been here hours ago, snuck in the room and killed us both.

  Hell, he isn’t coming. No way.

  Not the sort of guy who’d go around checking to see where I used my credit cards.

  Probably.

  Anyway, I shot him full of holes.

  From Neal’s position under Sue, he couldn’t see the door. But he knew for certain that it wasn’t secured from the inside by any sort of bolt or chain. Hours and hours ago, Sue had shut it, leaned back against it . . . then Neal had carried her to the bed and neither of them had returned to the door.

  I should at least lock it from this side.

  And get my gun over here where I can reach it.

  Just in case.

  And take a leak.

  Turn off the lights.

  Pull some covers up over us so we don’t freeze . . . or turn off the air conditioner. Probably fine in here without the air conditioner.

  But he couldn’t get up and do anything.

  Not without waking Sue.

  Not without ruining the perfect feel of her sleeping on top of him.

  No big hurry, he told himself. If she gets cold enough, she’ll probably wake up. She’s bound to wake up sooner or later. I’ll just wait.

  Waiting, he gently caressed her.

  He wondered if this had been the best day and night of his whole life.

  And decided there was no doubt about it.

  A perfect day, a perfect night.

  If only I hadn’t dropped her at lunch. God, I wish I hadn’t done that. It was such a mean, nasty thing to do. Shit! How could I do a thing like that to her? Split her chin open . . .

  He began to cry.

  He wrapped his arms around Sue’s back and held her tenderly as he sobbed. Tears trickled down both sides of his face. On the left side, they were stopped by Sue’s head. On the right side, they dribbled into his ear and tickled.

  I’ll never hurt her again, he promised himself. I’ll never let anyone hurt her. I’ll stay with her forever and protect her from harm.

  Like I protected Elise?

  He pictured Elise dead.

  Again.

  And then his mind, going off as if on a whim of its own – to torture him – made a few changes in the horrible picture. The mutilated corpse on the ledge of the tub became Sue.

  No! Isn’t going to happen. No way.

  He held Sue gently. He felt her heat and weight, her heartbeat, her breathing. And he felt the crushing loss of her.

  Whatever else happens, he thought, we’ll never have another time like this. This was the best. You aren’t allowed repeats.

  ‘Who the hell says so?’ Sue whispered.


  Neal thought for a moment that he had imagined her voice. But then she raised her head and stared into his eyes.

  Her eyes were shiny and red.

  ‘We are too gonna have more good times,’ she said. ‘We are, too. Repeats are allowed.’

  Then her eyes flooded and she began to shudder and sob.

  Thirty-Six

  ‘What do you want to do about Mojave?’ Neal asked. It was five o’clock in the afternoon. They’d been on the road since shortly after one, having stayed in their room at the Apache Inn until the noon checkout time, then eaten lunch at the Puncho Viva restaurant and spent a while exploring the town, buying souvenirs and some snacks.

  ‘What about Mojave?’ Sue asked, frowning slightly.

  ‘What do you want to do when we get there?’

  ‘Like what?’ she asked.

  ‘It’s where you live,’ Neal pointed out.

  Looking at him, she raised her eyebrows. ‘Well, I reckon ya could let me off there and go on without me.’

  Her words gave him a sick, sinking feeling. He knew she was joking around, but . . .

  Reaching over, she squeezed his thigh. ‘Not that it hasn’t been swell, George.’

  ‘It’s Neal,’ he told her.

  ‘Well, shoot! How’d I go and forget yer name?’

  Smiling, relieved, he lowered a hand from the steering wheel and pressed Sue’s hand against his leg. ‘The thing is,’ he said, ‘we’ll be passing through. We should probably stop, don’t you think? Don’t you want to tell someone where you’re going? Don’t you have some stuff you’d like to pick up?’

  ‘Nope,’ she said.

  ‘What?’

  ‘I told ’em I was goin for good.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘Yup.’

  ‘No, you didn’t.’

  ‘Yup, I did.’ She gave Neal the wildest, most gleeful and disarming smile he’d ever seen her make. ‘I says to Sunny, “I’m runnin off with that fella over at table number five.” Sunny, she says, “What?” like I lost my marbles. I go, “He’s my dreamboat . . . takin me away forever.”’

  Neal gaped at her.

  ‘Better watch the road, honey,’ she said.

  He faced front. ‘You’re making that up. You never said any of that.’

  ‘Wanta bet? If ya don’t believe me, we can drop in on Sunny. You can ask her yerself. Better still, just use the bracelet on me. Hop on in, and you’ll find out if I’m lyin or not.’

  Neal shook his head. ‘That’s all right,’ he said. ‘I’ll take your word for it.’

  ‘Good. ’Cause that’s sure what I told Sunny.’

  ‘But you didn’t even know me.’

  ‘I had me a feelin.’

  ‘My God, you are nuts.’

  ‘Think I was wrong?’

  ‘No, but . . .’

  ‘I mighta been wrong, but I wasn’t. So, anyhow, we don’t gotta stop in Mojave. Nobody’s expectin me back.’

  ‘What about all your things?’

  ‘I told Sunny to keep ’em.’

  ‘That was generous.’

  ‘Well, she was rentin me a room. It was all her furniture. I didn’t have nothin . . . anything much in it ’cept some duds, and they weren’t much to write home about. She’s got a daughter my size . . .’ Sue shrugged. ‘I just went ahead and told her to keep everything.’

  ‘Don’t you have keepsakes, or . . .?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘Nothing?’

  ‘Nope.’ A corner of her mouth lifted. ‘Now, I got Dart. Dart’s a keepsake, I reckon. All the other stuff ya gave me, too. They’re keepsakes.’

  Neal suddenly felt awful for her. He shook his head. ‘How could you not have anything? You’re . . . eighteen?’

  ‘Dependin which i.d. I use.’

  ‘I’m serious,’ he said.

  ‘Yer also a guy that takes stuff hard, and I don’t wanta make ya cry again.’

  ‘Oh, jeez.’

  ‘Well? It’s the truth.’

  ‘You were supposed to be asleep last night when that happened. I didn’t know you were spying on me.’

  ‘I wasn’t spyin on ya, I was on a tour of yer marvels.’

  ‘Ha ha.’

  Sue laughed for real, but softly, and rubbed his leg. ‘Anyhow, I use to have all kinds of good stuff. But it all got burnt up in the fire. All my keepsakes, all my clothes, my dog Sparkle, my sister Betty. My folks, too.’

  Neal turned to her, half smiling – she had to be pulling his leg.

  He saw the way she was trying to look cheerful but had a frantic look in her eyes.

  ‘Oh, my God,’ he muttered.

  ‘It’s all right,’ she told him.

  ‘Your . . . whole family?’

  ‘My cat Fraidy survived. But then he got squished a couple weeks later on the interstate. Him . . . He and I, we hit the road together. Only he didn’t last. That’s ’cause cats’re generally not real bright? That’s a little-known fact. They like to pretend they’re regular little geniuses, but mostly they’re dumb as dirt. That’s how come they always get themselves stuck in trees and trapped in places and squished.’

  Neal, eyes wet and a lump in his throat before hearing about Fraidy, had been cheered up somewhat by Sue’s denunciation of cats. He took a deep breath.

  ‘Ya okay?’ Sue asked him.

  ‘Yeah. It’s just . . .’

  ‘Shit happens. Ya ever hear that saying?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Neal said. ‘I’ve probably said it myself.’

  ‘Well, anyhow, I’m okay now. Sorta. I mean, what’re ya gonna do? Crawl in a hole and die? Not me.’

  ‘You hit the road?’

  ‘Yup. Me and Fraidy cat. Only he didn’t last, and I did.’

  ‘How old were you?’

  ‘Fifteen.’

  ‘Fifteen? My God, that . . . it’s so young to be on your own.’

  ‘Well, they were gonna throw me in an orphanage. I didn’t have no use for that.’

  ‘What about school?’

  ‘Never went back after the fire.’ Grinning, she said, ‘But I reckon it don’t show.’

  ‘Only when you open your mouth.’

  ‘Haw!’ she blurted, and slapped his leg. ‘I’m gettin better, and you know it.’

  ‘I know.’

  ‘I’m workin on it.’ She narrowed an eye at him. ‘Betcha never even noticed I quit chewin gum.’

  She was right. ‘You stopped? When?’

  ‘I gave it up yesterday. Haven’t stuck so much as one piece in my mouth ever since yer call to Marta.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘When ya called me a gum-snappin twerp with hardly a brain in my head?’

  Neal winced. ‘I didn’t really mean . . .’

  ‘Don’t worry ’bout it. I know ya were just tryin to put her off the scent. But I know ya sorta meant it, too. So I’m reformin myself.’

  ‘You don’t have to . . .’

  ‘I wanta make ya happy.’

  ‘I won’t be happy knowing I forced you to quit chewing gum.’

  ‘Well . . .’ She shrugged. ‘Maybe I’ll get back to it sometime.’

  ‘Let’s get back to you,’ Neal said. ‘How long have you lived in Mojave?’

  ‘Pretty near a year now.’

  ‘And there’s nothing at all that you want to pick up on our way through?’

  ‘Nope.’

  ‘No money or jewelry, or . . .?’

  ‘I’ve got my money with me, all that isn’t in the bank. I’ve got my checkbook. I don’t have any jewelry.’

  ‘A TV, a radio, books?’

  ‘Sunny owns the TV. It’s my radio, only I don’t have any more use for it.’ She knuckled the radio on Neal’s dashboard. ‘You got one. I reckon ya got plenty of books, too.’

  ‘You’re right about that.’

  ‘You bein a writer.’

  ‘Do you have any friends?’ Neal asked.

  ‘That s’posed to be a crack?’

  ‘I mean in
Mojave. Anyone you want to visit on the way through?’

  ‘Hey, guess what. I’m on my way to Los Angeles, I ain’t dyin. I don’t gotta give no last farewells to every Tom, Dick and Harry I ever said “boo” to. Anybody I get to missin, I’ll just call ’em on the phone or come back and visit. L.A. ain’t Mars. I might just be headin back on my own pretty soon, anyhow, if ya dump me.’

  ‘Dump you? I’m not going to dump you.’

  ‘Who’s to say?’

  ‘I’m to say. I love you.’

  ‘I know ya do. But things change. Yer gonna be seein Marta when we get to L.A. Ya might just figure I don’t stack up real well . . .’

  ‘You know better than that; you’ve been inside my mind.’

  ‘Yer mind can change. Ya figured Marta was the true love of yer life till ya met me. So maybe you’ll go back to her, or run into some new gal . . . Then I’ll be on my way back to Mojave, more than likely.’

  ‘That won’t happen,’ Neal told her.

  ‘Well, I hope not.’

  ‘It won’t.’

  Sue was silent for a while, then said, ‘I don’t s’pose Marta’s just gonna vanish on us.’

  ‘I doubt it.’

  ‘What’ll we do about her?’ Sue asked.

  ‘I don’t know. I don’t think we’ll be getting into L.A. before ten or eleven tonight, though. She doesn’t know when we’re coming back and she has to be at work by midnight, so we probably won’t see her till tomorrow.’

  ‘Where we gonna go, to yer place?’

  ‘I’m not sure. It might not be safe.’

  ‘Maybe that guy ya call Rasputin’ll be there waitin for us, and we can nab him.’

  ‘He might be. You never know.’

  ‘I’ll tell ya one thing I know.’

  ‘What?’ Neal asked.

  ‘We’ve gotta split the reward with Marta when we get it. That’s the only fair thing. I mean, even if ya dump her as yer girl, she has to get her share. She has to get half.’

  ‘Why is that?’ Neal asked. Even though he agreed with Sue, he was curious about her reasons.

  ‘For one thing, I like her. She’s nice. I don’t wanta see her get cheated. Besides, she was there for ya after the murder. She took yer side and helped out.’

  ‘Yeah, she sure did.’

  ‘I reckon she probably loves ya.’

  ‘I suppose so.’

  ‘Also, she’s a pretty sharp gal. I got a feelin she might be smarter than either of us.’

  ‘You might be right about that.’

  ‘So what we’ve gotta do is work together, the three of us.’