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“You’ll be going to jail, buddy. Then, to the hospital. An ambulance is on its way to determine if you need medical help right away. Until then, you’ll be cuffed and held right where you’re sitting.”

When the ambulance finally showed up, he’d tossed his stomach up four more times.

He was getting weak from all the blood loss, and he didn’t know how much longer he could remain sitting upright.

The officer with the gun said he was going to shoot him if he didn’t sit still.

He decided to bargain with them to see if he could get some money from his sister.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I was supposed to meet my sister here, and she was going to give me some money.

Her husband, he’s not too keen on her handing over some cash to me, and we had a little disagreement.

” He thought about that for a second. “He hits her, you see. Knocks her around a bunch and doesn’t like me to interfere in their lives.

But she owes me some money from the last time that she got knocked around. ”

“You’re saying that Edgar Walsh knocked around his pretty new wife?

I don’t believe that’s even possible. Did you hear that, guys?

He said that Edgar is a wife abuser.” They all thought that was like some kind of joke, and they were laughing about it.

“Edgar’s mother would knock him three ways from Sunday if he even thought about touching his wife with harm.

Then, his daddy would take over if there was anything left of him.

Nah, you should have come up with a better lie, Tommy Boy.

That one doesn’t hold water.” He laughed again.

“Edgar hitting his wife. That’s just too funny. ”

“Well, he did.” They were all laughing at him, and he was ready to get up and knock the shit out of them all.

But the medics were saying that he needed to go to the hospital and he’d need an escort there by one of the officers.

“Just get my sister out here right now and make her turn some money over to me. It won’t take but a minute.

She’ll hand it over with you guys around.

She knows she owes it to me. They took my name off the letterhead and made it so that I can’t get into the bank and take what I want.

I can’t even get into the plant anymore. ”

“Sounds to me like someone is watching their backs with you around. Also, sounds like they know you better than we do, and they’re not going to be turning over anything to you in the near future.

” The cop with the gun finally put it in his holster.

There wasn’t any place for him to go as he had two IVs in his arms, and they’d given him something for pain.

Tommy felt good for a few minutes until he saw Edgar and Tabby standing over him.

“Are you pressing charges, Mr. Walsh? Mrs. Walsh? We saw him firing a gun in your direction. Are either of you hurt?”

“Yes, we wish to press charges. And no, neither of us was hurt by his gun. I’m just glad that he’s a terrible shot, or we might well have been killed by him coming around here.” Tabby said that she was glad that her daughter wasn’t around, or she might well have been hurt by her brother.

“I’m going to kill her, too, and her little dog.

You’d better be watching your stairs, little sister.

I’m gunning with my gun for you.” He laughed, thinking of the joke he’d just told about gunning her down with a gun.

He’d never felt so odd before. “Hey, what did you give me? That has me thinking I’m funny. ”

“So you were planning on killing your sister and her daughter, were you? That’s against the law, you understand.” He told the officer that what he understood was that he had to kill her to be able to pay for the insurance policies.

“They make you have to wait four months…or ninety days? How many months is that?” Someone told him.

“Yes, three months. You have to wait three months before you can cash in the one million dollar policy that I’ve taken out on the rest of the family.

My momma is going to not like me much, but she’s gotta go too.

All of them do so I can have some flashing around money. ”

“You’re going to kill your entire family?

Then what are you going to do when they’re all gone?

” He said he’d been putting some thought into that and figured that he’d just have to figure out some random people’s names and kill them off, too.

“Sounds like you’ve got this all worked out, young man.

I’m sure that the police sergeant will be thrilled to hear you confessing everything. ”

“You betcha.” He looked up at Eddy again. “No, it’s Edgar. He’s my brother-in-law, Edgar. He changed into a big dragon. You should have been here earlier. He was this monster of a dragon just lying in the yard. I was sure that he was going to eat me. Weren’t you, Edgar Washburn?”

“Sure I was, Tommy. Sure I was. And I’d not eat you. I’d be worried about getting sick on the poisons that are you.” Tommy thought that was funny and was dismayed that no one laughed. “You’re acting like you’re drunk. Did you know that?”

“I have a reaction to drugs that way.” He hiccuped. “That’s why I don’t take them no more. They affect me like I’m on a bender blender. Get it? Bender blender? ‘Cause you need a blender to make drinks. Get it?”

He knew that he was funny, but none of the people around him was laughing. His dad told him once that when he was getting teeth pulled, he had said he was going to fuck the pig in the yard. Then he thought of his dad.

“Where is my daddy and mommy? They should be here too with Earl. That way, I can get you all in one place and kill you off. Off with your heads. See? I’m funny.

But if you could get them all here, and I can just borrow one of your guns, I could just tick off my list the people that I’m going to kill. I need some money.”

“You’re not going to be killing anyone, Tommy. You’re going to jail.” He told Tabby to shut her lying mouth. “I’m happy that you’re going to jail, and I hope you’re there for a very long time, too.”

“You liar. That’s all you’ve ever done is lie to me.

And about me. Why did you tell Dad and Earl how to keep me out of the safe?

That wasn’t very sisterlike of you, Tabby.

You should be nicer to me. I could kill you right now, and that would be the end of you.

But I tell you what. You give me some money, a lot of money, and I’ll kill that brat of yours right quick.

Just one bullet to the head, and that will be it for her and you. ”

Suddenly, he was moving, and he couldn’t use his arms or legs.

They had him tied up to the bed he was on and taking him someplace.

Yelling at Tabby to tell them to let him go, all he got from her was her back turned to him.

Christ, he hated that more than he did anything in the world.

He wasn’t finished with her yet, and she was walking away.

Or was he moving? He couldn’t tell right then.

“I’m back. Well, now you’ve done it. You’ve gotten yourself arrested.

” It was Fred again. He asked him where he’d been.

“Hiding from you. So you know, no one but you can hear me. I think I like that better, don’t you?

But the others. They were afraid that you’d harm me, so I was staying with my lady wife for a few days.

I can tell that I missed a great deal. You’re off to jail, I see. ”

“Nope, they’re taking me to hospital first. I’ve been puking up blood.

They don’t know it yet, but I think maybe I’ve been dying for a while now, and no one noticed.

But as soon as I get me some money, I’ll be right as raindrops.

” The man next to him, he thought he was one of the medics, asked him who he was talking to.

“Fred. He’s not a friend of mine, but he does know a great deal about me.

Reads my mind, you see. Tells on me, too, when he thinks I’m being bad. I’m always bad, don’t you agree?”

“Yes, you’re going to let people think you’re insane if you keep talking like you are. People can’t hear me, Tommy boy. I told you all you have to do is think about what you’re saying, and I’ll hear you. Right now, well, boyo, you’re going to be going to the funny farm if you keep this up.”