Page 48 of Pure Silence

“You’re gonna feed her?” Goldie asked.

Day nodded as he slid his headphones down around his neck.

“Thank you.” Goldie went for the beer. He popped it open with a loud sigh. It was barely lunch time now, and he was already exhausted. His bones hurt from standing out in the cold, he’d had to deal with cops for over an hour now, and oh yeah, he saw someonedieagain.

At least the beer was cold.

Day got Purrcy’s food dish from the floor and brought it over to the sink to rinse out.

Goldie chugged his beer, watching Day meticulously dry the dish before dumping the contents of the cat food inside. As Day went to the microwave, Goldie asked him, “So, just to clarify something… youcantalk?”

Day nodded, pushing the buttons on the microwave and placing the food inside. After hitting start on the timer, he turned to face Goldie.

“But, like what?” Goldie slurped at his beer. “You’re only supposed to talk to God and whenever it pleases you?”

“Dear God,” Day said, “please let my angel know that I’m only supposed to talk to You and when I need to for the sake of preserving the mission.”

“And what about when you were screaming at the man about what he did to his nephew?” Goldie asked gently, reaching out to touch Day’s shoulder. “What was that about?”

“That… that wasn’t…” Day’s face contorted in anguish, and he grimaced. “God, please, please let my angel know that wasn’t supposed to happen. It’s just… it’s too much sometimes. What I hear.” His eyes clouded with tears. “What I hear them all say.”

Seeing Day hurting tugged at Goldie’s soul, and he put his beer down so he could pull Day into a big hug. “Hey, hey, talk to me. What is it? What is it that you hear out there?”

“It’s noise,” Day replied brokenly, his voice choked by emotion. “Awful, awful noise. It’s nasty words and filthy thoughts and then it’s clear,crystal clear, and I know what they all did. I know what they’ve done, and I know what they’re going to do.” He looked up at Goldie. “I heareverything, angel.”

“With everyone?” Goldie paused. “Except me.”

Day nodded.

The microwave dinged.

Day broke away suddenly, wiping at his face as he went to retrieve Purrcy’s food.

Purrcy’s meows hit a feverish pitch as she danced around Day’s feet, and she didn’t stop until she was able to launch herself face-first into the dish. She ate so aggressively that she drove the dish into the side of the fridge, and there she sat, growling as she devoured her very late breakfast.

“Hey, what about Alvarez?” Goldie asked. “You talked to him. Did you hear his sins or whatever?”

Day grimaced, and he replied, “God, please tell my angel, yes. The detective thinks about sleeping with his partner. He wants to spank her and put things in her asshole—”

“Okay, got it.”

“Oh, and he lies at work.”

Goldie reasoned that could be said about a lot of people, though it was a bit more troubling when that person was a police officer. Day claiming to have heard Michael wanting to kill Dana’s kids wasn’t so far a stretch considering Michael had openly threatened to kill Goldie and Dana. Goldie couldn’t explain the vividly accurate accusations Day had laid on the man who died via truck today, but maybe that was just luck.

The man had certainly looked creepy. Assuming he was abusing a member of his own family wasn’t too far a leap to make, so again, perhaps Day was just lucky.

But perfectly timing their conversation so that the man happened to stumble right back into the path of that truck?

Day should go play the lottery.

“That’s why you wear the headphones?” Goldie asked. “To block out all the crazy stuff you hear?”

Day nodded, hugging himself and sniffing quietly.

Goldie didn’t know if Day could actually hear people’s sins, but he knew it was real enough to Day to affect him so deeply. He finished off his beer, chunked it into the trash, and then he wrapped Day up in another hug. “Come here.”

Day immediately latched on to Goldie’s waist, burying his face into his chest.