Audiobook: Guns Drawn by Thomas Hyland (narrated by Eric Compton)

Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
Guns drawn by Thomas Hyland. Dedication. First, I want to
thank Almighty God, who have bestowed upon me a talent
with words. I may be a late bloomer with my
own set of limitations, but I've been able to work
through them. The second goes to my parents, Mark and
Cindy for being there for me during the good and

(00:37):
bad times of my life. God has blessed me to
have you both my life, and I'll be forever grateful.
The third one to the Canadian brothers Joseph and Daniel
Chappout for their friendship. The fourth goes to the film
writers group led by Lee Blaylock. The last dedication goes
to the bloody Red Baron himself, mister Mike Baron, the
co creator of Nexus and Badger. You're the Best. The

(01:02):
night was pitch black, and it was raining buckets, thunder
and lightning reined supreme. It was a lonely part of
the outskirts of a crooked city and flyover country among
the land of the free. A house sat isolated in
the sticks. Inside were four people, two living and two dead.
The sin of foul play was dank. The two living

(01:24):
souls sat in the kitchen area of the house. One
wore black, the other wore gray. They were at the
age of being mistaken for father and son. I made you,
and now I'm going to kill you, said the man
in gray, So in a way we come full circle
like that. Yeah, kid, like that, but that doesn't mean

(01:46):
I like it more than you will. That's unless I
kill you first, said the man in black. I'm packing
as much as you are. That's true, and you taught
me everything I know about killing. That's true as well.
But I've been in this game longer than you. But
that's not what it's going to come down to. You're right, kid.
You see what we have here is a Star Wars moment.

(02:09):
You know what I mean? That canteena sequence between Hans
Solo and that green guy comes to mind. Yeah, what
was that green guy's name? Come on, Your knowledge of
bullshit's better than mine, Greedo. Yeah, that's right, Greedo. But
I'm confused. Why is that? You See? When I saw
it back in seventy seven as a kid, it was

(02:30):
Han who shot first, but when Lucas changed it later
on in the nineties, Greto shot first. The question is
which of us is going to shoot first? Exactly now.
As much as I've enjoyed this kid, we got to
wrap it up pretty soon. The cleaning crew will be
here any minute now to give three bodies a sindoff.
Wouldn't want to keep them waiting, now, would we. So

(02:50):
let's settle this. Yeah, let's do that. They went for
their guns, and both men had managed to get them
pointed and aimed at each other's chest at the same time.
Neither of them fired, though, when they saw that they
had each other in a kill shot at close range,
they both laughed. Looks like we're both facing down the reaper,
said the man in black. We could end up going together. Well,

(03:13):
we gotta go some time, said the man in gray.
Why not now? They both laughed some more until the
sound of gunfire ensued. Abner's face was large and chubby,
his eyes brown and well rounded, while his body was
of average build. What his boss couldn't see was what

(03:34):
his wife of eight years saw in him. She had
the looks to be a pin up girl for a
men's magazine like Playboy, if its heyday wasn't behind the times.
To him, his wife was no different than any girl
from the gentleman's club down town. His attitude only created
resentment from her, which would grow with time. He was
dumb enough to think that nothing would ever change. He
took for granted that she didn't have the guts to

(03:55):
leave him, because the way he saw it, her only
saving grace was her body, or so he had reasoned
to himself. Besides, he'd ruined her before letting her go,
and she was smart enough to know it too. She
was nothing more than a canary trapped in a cage
with a cat sitting outside and staring in. It was
another rainy Saturday night, and Abner had the day off.

(04:16):
During those days, he'd spend his time watching Tubby. Sure
life may have been dull at times, but compared to most,
he was living on Easy Street. The doorbell rang. He
of course heard it, but he had no intention of
answering out of pure laziness. Answer the door, Honey, he
called out, Daisy. May didn't respond from the other in
the house, and the doorbell rang a second time. This time,

(04:37):
Abner got testy. Yo, honey, he called out, answer the door.
It's not going to open by itself. From the back
of the kitchen, she answered, with complete irritation. You're closer
to the door. She retorted, why don't you answer it?
Abner laughed like the obnoxious prick that he was. That's
a good one, honey, he called back. If you there

(05:00):
weren't hot, you'd be a comedian. I swear you could
sell tickets. You'd be like Bill Burr with tits. The
doorbell rang a third time, and again nothing happened. Well,
she called back, today's one of my evenings off from
paying the bills. He answered, I shouldn't have to do anything,
not on my union break. The doorbell rang a fourth time. Pig,

(05:21):
she spat from the kitchen. I love you too, honey,
he laughed. Footsteps approached. Don't break a leg, he teased. Pig,
she repeated when she got to the living room. By
then the doorbell rang for a fifth and final time.
Abner continued to laugh at all while his trophy wife
got to the front door and opened it. Standing outside

(05:42):
in the dark the night stood a tall, dark and
handsome man in black getting soaked in the rain. He
was the kind of guy a woman would die for,
but also the type that was trouble with a capital T.
May I help you, the man in black smiled, You
must be Daisy May, I'm sorry. Do we know each other? No,
but your husband must have spoken to me. I worked

(06:04):
for his boss at the business. Do you mean Harvey?
That's right, Daisy May smiled. Oh, what's your name? Duncan?
He said, Dwayne Duncan. My husband doesn't talk about his
job with me. So no, I'm afraid I haven't heard
of you. Why I'm crushed, he played, cause he talks
about you like you're the apple of his eye. Now

(06:26):
that I've seen you in person, I must confess that
you're that and then some She was instantly touched. Oh
you're so sweet. Now, let me guess. Abner is sitting
in the living room watching a Western and halfway through
a six pack. At this point, she laughed, you do
know my husband a little birdie? Told me? Oh what
kind of birdie? A real pretty one, he flirted. She

(06:50):
must be some bird she is, and she's quite a catch.
I'd go as far as to say she's worth two
in a bush, I would hope. So. Abner at that
point was what was going on, but was too lazy
to see for himself. Who is it, honey, Dwayne Duncan?
He says he works for Harvey Abner froze for a
moment with that name ringing a bell in his head. Damn,

(07:13):
he muttered under his breath. He put his beer aside
to turn off the TV and turned on a Tiffany
lamp near him before getting up to see for himself.
When he joined his wife, his eyes went wide with surprise. Dwyanne,
he said, speechless, Hi, this is a surprise. What can
I do for you? Well? For starters? Do you mind
if I step inside for a moment out of the rain.

(07:33):
It's pretty wet and cold out here, and there's something
we need to discuss, of course, said Abner. Come on in.
Abner and Daisy May stepped aside for Dwayne to enter,
before closing the door behind him. Can we offer you
a towel to dry off? Asked Daisy May. Oh no,
thank you, said Dwayne with modesty. I won't be long
enough to make a mess in your home. Oh, it's

(07:55):
no trouble, said Daisy May. That was when Dwayne smelled
dinner in the kitchen, which made his mouth water. Boy,
something smells good, said Dwayne. We were about to have dinner,
said Abner. From where I'm standing, it smells like your
wife's a good cook. Would you like to join us,
asked Daisy May. Have you eaten? I was going to

(08:17):
hit the drive through at Burger King after I left,
said Dwayne. Yuck, that ain't eaten, said Daisy May. Why
don't you eat with us right now? I wouldn't want
to impose on you both. What I must say to
your husband won't take too long. You wouldn't be imposing
on us one bit, said Daisy May. Well, in that case,
I'll join you both. Then it's settled. Then she said,

(08:40):
why don't you give Abner your coat? Don't mind if
I do, said Dwayne. Removing his coat, he handed it
over to Abner before following Daisy May into the kitchen.
Abner dropped it on the nearest couch. Yet, the last
thing that Abner wanted to do was share a meal
in his own home with Dwayne, and given the circumstances,
he had every right to feel that way. You see,
Dwayne was his boss's right hand man. He acted as

(09:02):
the blunt instrument that made problems disappear. Everywhere his boss,
Harvey Bishop, known as the Bishop, went, Dwayne went with him.
He was the Harvey what Harry Bennett was to Henry Ford.
Often that would mean violence would ensue, and in the
criminal underworld, violence often came with the job. The question
on Abner's mind was what was he doing in his

(09:23):
home and why wasn't the bishop with him? Whatever it was,
Abner had deduced that it couldn't be good. He was right,
it wasn't good, not by a yard stick. Abner followed
his wife and guest into the kitchen. Boy, it sure
looks good as it smells, said Dwayne. Wait until you
taste it, said Daisy May. I can't wait. Sit down

(09:46):
anywhere you like, Dwayne, set at the table. Daisy May,
set the table. What would you like to drink? She
asked him. What do you have as far as booze goes,
shock top or blue Moon? Got anything stronger? I'm sorry, No,
that's right. I remember now, Little Abner's taste in booze
is a little simple for my taste. What else do

(10:07):
you have? Well, we got iced tea, which I'll be drinking.
Other than that, there's water or orange juice. I'll take
orange juice, okay. She went to the refrigerator in the
kitchen and took out a bottle of orange juice before
she grabbed an empty glass from a nearby cabinet. Here
you go, she said, help yourself. Not until after grace,

(10:28):
said Dwayne. They bowed their heads, and Dwane led them, Lord,
thanks for the food on this table and the company tonight.
Keep as sharp and safe in this game a'm in,
They dug in. You know, little Abner, you got yourself
a hell of a cook under your roof. You should
count your lucky stars. All any woman can cook, she said.

(10:48):
You've never visited my mama's kitchen when I was growing up.
She couldn't boil an egg. Sounds like she needed to try,
said Daisy May. I'd like to have seen that, Dwayne chuckled.
Abner wanted to skip the small talk and get down
the business the way he saw it. The sooner Dwayne
was gone, the better. So what brings you here? He asked,

(11:09):
Let's not talk business at the dinner table. I don't
mind if you guys want to talk business. He never
talks business with me. That's so he won't. Why is that,
little Abner? I make a conscious effort not to discuss
my work at home. It's only a job to pay
the bills. It's completely separate from my home life. Never
mix business with pleasure, all right, Not at Dwayne. He

(11:32):
looked over at Abner. That's a good way of looking
at it. I can respect that. Giving the nature of
the business that we're in. Your job is pretty sheltered.
Most guys and gals don't have it that easy. Work
can be pretty strenuous, especially in our line of work.
With that type of strain, there's certainly risk involved in.
You gotta be careful. You can never know what can happen.
All it can take is one slip up and before

(11:53):
you know it, it's curtains. Dwayne smiled. His smile made
Abner uncomfortable. Ain't that right, little Abner? Dwayne and Daisy
May laughed, but Abner was silent. Relax, buddy, enjoy your meal.
This is delicious, by the way, Thank you, she said.
I'm glad you like it. Say might if I ask
you something? Ask away. I'm curious about what? Why do

(12:16):
you call my husband little Abner? For I'm sitting He
ain't so little unless you see something I don't. He
never told you, no. Dwayne looked over at Abner. Geez,
do you separate your business from your pleasure? Dwayne and
Daisy May laughed. Abner was uncomfortable. Why don't you tell her?
I'm sure she'd love to hear it from you. Tell

(12:36):
me what? Go on? Don't be shy. Abner took a
moment to chew his food and clear his throat. Harvey
is a connoisseur of comics from the old days. There's
this one in particular, called Little Abner. It appeared for
over forty years in the papers. It was a satirical
strip that dealt with a town of impoverished hillbillies. The
main guy's the six foot three, nineteen year old, simple

(12:58):
minded but sweet natured boy with pint sized parents. His
name was Abner. Harvey got a kick out of calling
me Little Abner since our last name is little and
it just kind of stuck. Daisy May laughed. While it
could be worse, honey, Dwayne laughed. Abner didn't laugh. Oh
that's not the best part, said Dwayne. What. Dwayne looked

(13:19):
at Abner, who was at the point of blushing with discomfort.
Tell her the best part. Go on, now, don't be shy. Yeah,
please do tell said Daisy May. Oh, come on, do
uh yeah, tell her the rest. She'll get a kick
out of it. You think so, Dwayne smiled at her.
Do you trust me? Yeah, you'll love it. Dwayne looked

(13:39):
at Abner. Go on, tell her his love interest is
a blonde named Daisy May. Shut the front door. Dwayne laughed,
Daisy May laughed, Wow, honey, I imagine that you never
hear the end of that one, not since he married you.
Dwayne and Daisy May laugh. But for Abner it was
sheer agony. He even made a movie back in the day.

(14:01):
He said, who's in it? Well, they made two movies,
said Dwyane, But according to Harvey, only the second one's worthwhile.
Who's in it? The lady from The Manchurian Candidate played
Daisy May? That Denzel Washington movie. No, No, shook Dwayne.
Not that bushy Airpilo crap. I'm talking about the original,

(14:22):
the classic The Manchurian Candidate. You mean there's more than one,
Well there were two, said Dwayne, both of which are
from the book of the same name in Harvey's once
a Year Reading list. Oh she said, yeah, said Dwyane.
That told Abder enough. He didn't read anything outside a
handful of authors. He would read and reread the same

(14:43):
books every year, cranking out at least two a week.
Daisy May, though, couldn't give a damn about reading. She
was never much of a cenophile either, but knew a
little bit from Abner's taste in cinema. Who wrote the book?
She asked? Beats me, said Dwyane. Richard Khan, said Abner, laughing.
Dwayne and Daisy May looked at Abner. What's that? Said Dwayne.

(15:07):
Richard Condon repeated Abner. Condom, said a confused Daisy May.
No Condon, Richard Condon. He wrote. The book came out
in nineteen fifty nine. The movie followed three years later
in sixty two, and starred Frank Sinatra. And who played
Daisy May? Asked Dwayne Leslie Parrish, said Abner? And who

(15:28):
she asked Daisy May? She played Lawrence Harvey's love interest
in the original film, But she wouldn't know her from
Adam because she was in things you wouldn't care about, honey,
the things. They are important to me, but not to you.
Dwayne looked at Abner and wonder what his problem was.
As Dwayne looked at Abner, he couldn't help but think
what a real prick this guy is. He had neither
a sense of humor nor a sense of respect, thought Dwayne.

(15:50):
He was too sensitive. He didn't like real sensitive men.
To him, a sensitive man was a weak man, and
the weak had no place in this world. Two types
of people in this world, winners and losers. The winner
takes all, while the loser was either killed or enslaved.
As it was in the ancient days, it was a
dog eat dog world, and to Dwayne, Abner was dog meat.

(16:12):
He should learn to relax more. Little Abner, learn to
laugh once in a while. Oh, he doesn't laugh so
much when he's the butt end of the joke, said
Daisy May. I don't think he ever does laugh, said Dwayne.
It's against his nature. Oh he laughs, said Daisy May.
But when the joke's on me, does that? So, said Dwayne. Yeah.

(16:32):
She said, well that's not fair, said Dwayne to my husband.
The word fair isn't a two way street. Abner didn't
take too kindly to that comment. Hey, honey, come on,
well it's true, she said, that's how it is. Yeah, honey,
that's how it is. Abner shook his head in disgust.
Let's not fight. Who said anything about fighting? I don't know.

(16:54):
It seems like you're trying to pick one. Take it easy,
little Abner, we're laughing. There are no cruel intentions to it.
You don't need to get snippy with your wife over
a few laughs. Come on, man. Abner backed down and
tried to smile it off, which even for him was hard. Yeah,
of course, you're right. I'm sorry, honey. I love you.
I love you too, she said, pacified. They were quiet

(17:15):
for the next few minutes while they ate. Dwayne looked
at them both. They seemed uneasy with each other. He
shook his head and smiled. Look at it this way,
little Abner, said Dwayne. They both looked at Dwayne. There's
four things a man should always say to a woman,
or at least this is how it is in my experience.
What's that, asked Daisy May. A man should always say

(17:35):
to a woman, I'm sorry, you're right, you don't look
fat in those pants, and how much cash do you need?
Daisy May laughed. If you say those four things, then
you'll have a happy woman. With a happy woman comes
a happy life for the man. Abner tried to laugh,
but he couldn't hide his discomfort at the table. Daisy
May enjoyed every moment of it and laughed harder than
she ever had before. If you keep cracking me up

(17:57):
like this, I'm gonna pee myself. Well we wouldn't want that, now,
would we, said Dwayne. She slapped Dwayne on the arm
in a playful gesture while she laughed. Stop, she said.
Dwayne smiled. All right, boss, said Dwayne. It took her
a moment to wind down the laughter. I'm pretty sure
your woman is happy to have you as her man,
said Daisy May. I would hope, so, said Dwayne. Are

(18:19):
you two married, she asked, not yet, but I'm working
on it. There's something that needs to happen beforehand, and
it'll happen. I'm sure she's willing to wait, she said,
I would hope so. But she doesn't have to wait
much longer. Oh yeah, she said a little perked up. Yeah,
I'm sure she'd be happy to hear that. I would hope, so,

(18:41):
said Dwayne. Kind Of got the feeling that she's going
to be happy, She said. Then that's good to know. Good.
There was a moment of silence between them, an awkward
kind that got Abner's attention. He looked at them both
and saw this tug of war of emotions between them,
Abner shook his head and shrugged it off. For the
next ten minutes, Abner picked out his food while both

(19:02):
Daisy May and Dwayne finished theirs. Well I've had enough,
said Abner, who put his fork on the plate before him.
Are you gonna have dessert? Honey? She asked Abner, what
did you make? Peanut butter pie? She answered. His spirits
had sunk even more. He hated peanut butter pie. She
even knew that he hated it. You know I don't

(19:24):
like peanut butter pie, he said, Well, I like peanut
butter pie, so suck it up. She turned to Dwayne.
Do you like peanut butter pie? She asked him. It
happens to be my favorite, said Dwayne with a smile.
Then you'll have a piece, she said, I'll have little
Abner's piece as well, if you don't mind. I don't

(19:44):
mind at all, she said. What about your husband? Do
you think he'd mind? Let's ask him. She turned to
her husband, Honey, I'm not the one that likes peanut
butter pie, so why would I mind? She turned back
to Dwayne. That settles it, then, she said, it does,
but I'd better have it after I've conducted business with
your husband in the next room. Okay, it's some brief

(20:07):
man talk. Shouldn't take too long. Do what you have
to do. Then Dwayne looked at Abner. Are you ready,
Little Abner? To Abner, that was a stupid question. Of course,
he was ready. Sure, we can do it right now
if you like. I'll clear these dishes while you talk.
Then I won't be a bother to you guys. Okay, then,

(20:27):
said Abner. Let's go, little Abner, said Dwayne. They got
it from the kitchen table and went into the living
room while Daisy May cleared the table of the dishes.
Once in the living room, they sat across one another.
Dwayne sat on one of the love seats with a
living room glass table between them. The only light in
the room was from the tiffany lamp near by, which
Abner had turned on earlier. They sat for a moment

(20:50):
in an uncomfortable silence in the near darkness. Usually Abner
wasn't bothered by the lamp, but the dim glow emitting
from the light made him very uneasy. He got an
awful feeling about this, meaning he put up his best
poker face, but Dwayne could spot the facade on him
like a shark spotting blood in the water. You have
a lovely wife. If I were you, i'd count my
lucky stars. Thank you. That's very kind of you to

(21:13):
say she's quite a woman. Too bad you don't respect
her what you heard me the first time, so I
won't bother repeating myself. She's as sweet as a bird
as well. Abner felt a chill go down his spine.
The uncertainty drove him to the edge of his nerves.
I'm afraid I don't follow where you're going with us.
You're in deep trouble, little Abner. Abner shook and struggle

(21:34):
to keep his cool. He then laughed with a sense
of unease. If this is some sort of joke, I'm sorry,
but I'm not laughing. Dwayne laughed as well. Dwayne suddenly
stopped laughing, got very serious and said, I hate to
be the bearer of bad news, Abner, but this is
no joke. You're in deep trouble. Abner tried not to panic.

(21:55):
What did I do? He said, with confusion. There must
be some mistake. There has to be sorry, there isn't.
Abner got desperate and shook in his boots. But what
did he do wrong? Dwayne? I don't know what's going
on here. I really don't. All right, little Abner, I'll
give you the benefit of the doubt about what. Let's
start with you. How long you been working in the business,

(22:19):
going on twelve years next month? And how many of
them are with Harvey? Oh, I'd say ten years and change. Wow,
that's a while. Yeah, if I remember right, Harvey was
a mid level manager then, wasn't he. Yeah, I guess why,
only curious. And you were with him through his climb
to the top of the food chain too, am I right? Yeah?
I was, and you've been with him ever since. Well, yeah,

(22:42):
you've done very well under him, haven't you. I have?
Do you mind if I stand Abner and pace a little?
I apologize, but my leg's stiff enough if I sit
down for too long. That's why I don't go to
the movies too often. But by all means, you stay seated, okay.
Dwayne rose from the love seat and started to pace
back and forth in front of Abner. You got a
good set up here, little Abner. Work pays off well

(23:03):
enough for you to marry a sweet hot thing to
play house with good deal for you, but not so
much for your wife. If you ask me, what do
you mean? I mean you're a pig, Abner? What's your point?
You bang other women on the side while leaving your
wife here to play a housewife, and you haven't told
me anything that Harvey doesn't know anything about. You know
Harvey's son Flynn? Yeah? Do you know his girl Lacey? No?

(23:29):
Then why are you banging her? Abner? Froze? What why
are you banging Flynn's girl? Abner? Come on, don't lie
to me about it. You've been meeting with her to
take her to bed. What you got to give me
a better answer than that? Abner hesitated. Relax, Harvey isn't
too broken up about it. He's tickled up that Flacy
isn't a thing anymore. After all, she was a clap

(23:51):
trap wanting to blow up in Flynn's pants, So better
yours than his. I don't understand. What's there not to understand?
I admitted about Lacey. But what's the issue then? Oh that, well,
there's a matter of five million that went missing. Wait
what now? It sure was a surefar away to put
yourself on Harvey's bad side. I'll give you that. Wait,

(24:13):
don't you know that there are some things you should
never do where you eat? Abner suddenly lost as cool.
I had nothing to do with the theft of any funds,
he claimed. This is the first I've heard of any theft.
You're the accountant, How could you not? Are you incompetent? No?
Then you're saying you did take the money. No, I didn't.
Either you're a thief or you're incompetent. Either way, it's

(24:34):
a firing offense because you're out of a job. Pal,
You're lucky. We could recover the money, which would be
bye by Bertie the hard way from the get go.
I'm being set up here, I'm telling you. Dwayne laughed.
You know you sound like a broken white album stuck
on helter skelter in the Manson family home. Forget it,
little Abner. You're boarding the next train to the big
audios right after Lacey. Wait, what where's Lacey? Let's say

(24:58):
I don't think she passed the pearly gate. You killed
or didn't you? I didn't have to. You know how
much of a hot head Flynn is. He'll go off
the handle when someone looks at him. Funny, how do
you think he'll react when he finds out you're banging
his girl. Abner fell silent. It dawned on him, as
he sat there like a deer in the headlights, that
he too would soon be dead as well. Did he
face it like a grown up? No? He began to

(25:21):
beg and cry, please, don't. You don't have to do this.
Dwayne stopped in his tracks and faced him down with disgust. Oh,
come on, little Abner, you're not even gonna face the
music like a man. I'll leave, I'll go away. Are
you serious? Yeah, yeah, I'm serious. Please. Dwayne shook his
head all right, then said Dwayne, taking out his gun.

(25:45):
It's your death, not mine. Dwayne, like the pro, he
was executed Abner with a single shot to the heart
right in his love seat. He took a moment to
stand over Abner's cold corpse, looking down at his lifeless
wide open eyes looking right up at him. After a moment,
he turned from the dead man and froze when he
spotted Daisy May in the far corner of the living

(26:05):
room in the dark. She was watching the whole time.
How long have you been watching, he asked, long enough
to see the finish Dwayne walked across the room, torture
to stop halfway there. You didn't have to watch. She
in turn, walked across the room to meet him, stopping
mere inches from him. I wanted to I know. They

(26:28):
hugged and leaned on each other. You're doing good, little Bertie.
It's almost over. So what happens next? A cleaning crew
is on its way as we speak to dispose of
the body. Shouldn't take any more than an hour. The
house is yours, and Harvey said the mortgage will be
paid off by the end of the month. Afterward, you
have the option of selling the house and keeping the
profits from the sale. With the demand for homes in

(26:50):
this area, you'll get double what he paid back when
he got it. Daisy May laughed, It's funny. What is
he told me when he bought it that it would
be our forever home. I didn't even get to see
the place till after we had married when he bought it.
And you know what, what, he could have done better,
much much better with a kind of money he was making.
A stupid fool thought he was top notch when it

(27:11):
came to class. He'd spend his days watching those Westerns
he thought were such high art. Ha. He didn't know
what high art was. If he did, he would have
gotten a house in Bedford Falls, up in the hills,
twenty minutes where the real high rollers are. Instead, he
decides to settle for a house in Sweet Mary, which
I must admit is a step up from where I
came from, but not that high up the way I

(27:31):
see it, She laughed. Cheap bastard, She spat. The extra
money he could have spent to get us into Bedford
Falls he spent on his hoarse. I'm glad he's dead.
He is now, that's for sure, they both laughed, before
they looked into each other's eyes and kissed. How long
before we can tell Harvey about us? Well, as far

(27:51):
as Harvey knows, we've only seen each other a handful
of times with him around. Our official story will be
that a month from now we started to see each other.
I figure we can make it official. I'd say four
months or so after he doesn't occasionally speak of you
and around. Then I'll tell him when we started seeing
each other. He doesn't need to know what we've been doing,
getting steady for about six months, one thinks, for damn sure, though,
what's that. I'll sure treat you a damn sight better

(28:14):
than your husband ever, did you damn well better? They
both laughed, and then they kissed. But you're sure he
won't find out about it? I mean, I know you
said that Harvey didn't like Lacey and was glad to
have an excuse to get rid of her. But Abner
was good to him. Should he ever find out, he won't.
But what if he does well to tell you the truth?
He might get a kick out of it. Oh yeah,

(28:35):
you see, let's say that Carvey kind of had a
little crush on you, and he told little Abner to
treat you better or he was going to lose you.
She laughed. If he were over a decade younger, he
would have made a move on you himself. Oh yeah, yeah, Jesus,
he's old enough to be my father. For all I know.
He could be my father with how much my mama
got around in her day, Dwayne laughed. But what about Flynn?

(28:59):
What about him? Lacy was his favorite girl? Should he
find out? Harvey's dealt with his only son in such
moods before and every time, He's kept him on a
tight enough leash to keep him from exploding. Besides, so
already and moved on to a different girl in I'd
say a week from now, you sure. Flynn may be
sunny Corleone ands spirit, but in the brain's department he's
afraid o. That'll do whatever his papa tells him. Did

(29:21):
you cover your tracks? Absolutely? I took care of it myself.
I had the money taken and put into an account
in their names. Harvey doesn't suspect a thing. Besides, he
requested me to look into little Abner when you came
Doss as we had planned. I even went as far
as to do an nod it myself and locating the
account was the nail and the coffin for them both.
Are you sure, honey, it's my word against the word

(29:44):
of a dead man. Besides, Flynn was on board from
the get go. When he found out about their affair.
A week from now, Lacy won't even be in the
back of his mind. They kissed again, but they were
interrupted by the ringing of Dwayne's cell phone. Hold on
a seck, he said. Upon taking out his phone, he
looked at the screen. I gotta take this, give me
a moment. Who is it? It's Monty. I'll be a moment.

(30:06):
He stepped away into the living room to answer the phone. Yeah,
I did. What's wrong? What when? Did write? We'll be
here waiting bye. Dwayne hung up the phone, but he
didn't turn around to face Daisy May. At first, he
stood where he was with his back to her, like
he was trying to process some news that was hard

(30:27):
to swallow. Right away, she could sense that something was
wrong Dwayne. She began to get worried, so did he.
They needed to be what's wrong? Talk to me? He
turned around to face her. Harvey's dead. What I said,
Harvey's dead? What happened? I don't know? What do you mean?

(30:51):
You don't know? Honey? Calm down. She was far from calm.
Calm down. You know how much of a loose cannon
Flynn is, Honey, honey, Dwayne said, calmly. With Harvey gone,
there's no telling how flint. Dwayne approached Daisy May and
took her in his arms to soothe her. Honey, honey,
with Harvey dead, there's no telling how flint, honey, honey.

(31:14):
We'll react now, you said, honey, he snapped, getting her attention.
At that point, It's going to be okay, Calm down.
We can't lose our heads. We got to think. We
gotta think fast and hard. Dwayne let her go. He
started to pace back and forth, tense his hell and
rub the back of his neck with one hand. He
was thinking under pressure. What did Moni say, she asked,

(31:35):
He didn't tell me a whole lot. Well what exactly
did he say? Well, for now, the cleanup crew isn't
coming cause everyone's on alert. Now what else? He's on
his way here, and he told me we needed to
hang tight and have a pot of coffee ready for
him to make in the kitchen. That means he's gonna talk.
And when he talks, it means something big went down

(31:55):
and he's got to lay down the wall, lay down
the law. What do you mean? Harvey's dead, Someone pulled
the tail of a snake, and now someone's gonna get
bit us. Not necessarily, it could be that he may
want to feel me out. Lord knows that with Harvey
gone there's a power vacuum. Now Flynn will make a
move to fill the void for sure. Do you think
Moni will make a move as well? It's possible he

(32:17):
may just want to prevent Flynn from taking over, you know,
how Flynn is. He's too unpredictable with his mood swings.
He could put the whole business in jeopardy. So everyone says,
did he say anything about Abner? He asked if I
had taken care of him yet, and I told him
I did. How did he react to that? That's the
thing I can't tell. What do you mean? I mean,

(32:37):
I can't exactly say, but I can say that he
didn't sound too happy about it. What did he say
then Harvey was killed? Did he say who killed him?
He didn't say. When was he killed? About ten minutes ago?
Where was he killed? I don't know. Maybe you got
to do better than I don't know. I know that,
But he didn't say, or he died. You could have asked,

(33:00):
Dwayne shook his head. What else happened? Did he say
he was there when it happened? He wasn't there? Then,
how does he know? He said that he got a
call about Harvey's death. Who did he get the call from?
He didn't say. Then he could have killed him for
all we know. Don't get thick on me, honey. Then
he could have killed him for all we know. Don't
get thick on me, honey. He bit, I've known Moni

(33:22):
since I was a little kid. He was in like
flint with Harvey. Then, damn it. He was the one
who brought me to Harvey when the two of them
were starting out when I was twelve. Can you be sure? Yes, honey,
I'm sure, can you? He and Harvey were like brothers,
he said with irritation. And Monty was more of a
father than my old man ever was to me. Not
that my old man ever cared about me. Monty did.

(33:43):
He was there for me when I needed a father
in my life. So don't you ever insinuate that money
isn't what he is to me. Okay, do we understand
each other? She realized that she may have overstepped herself,
so she backpedaled a bit. I'm not trying to insinuate anything, babe.
Then what are you doing? What's with the fifty questions?
Tell me that, yah, because it's not very smart coming
from you, and I know you've got more brains than that.

(34:03):
She paused to consider her next words. She knew that
she had better do so, for even she knew not
to be on his wrong side. Okay, let me try
a different approach. I know you killed Abner. But is
Lacey dead? Yes? But you didn't kill her yourself? No?
Did you see her get killed? No? Where was she killed?

(34:25):
I mean, how did it play out? Again? What is
it with the fifty questions? I'm starting to get pissed
off here? I know, I know, I'm sorry, but please
play along with me for a moment here, Please, babe,
go along with it here? Please? Where were you? I
was at my place when I got the call from
Monty that they had picked up Lacey. He said that
Flynn was going to take care of her himself, and

(34:45):
did he While I was halfway there, I got word
from Moni that Flynn took care of her and gave
me the go ahead to take care of little Abner.
Did he say anything else? He told me that Flynn
would have a pow wow with Harvey immediately afterward. Wait,
why why would he want to talk to his dad
alone after killing Lacey? What did he say to Flynn
before he killed her? Or did he kill her? What

(35:07):
if she talked to him into killing his dad? Now
you've got a loose cannon and a scorned horror whispering
hateful nothings into his ear. She could have filled his
head with some cock and bowl story that I set
her up. Then after killing his dad, he sent Manty
here to make sure that you killed me. Dwayne didn't
buy it, not one bit of it. If they wanted
you dead, then why didn't Moni tell me on the
phone to kill you myself. Why would he need to

(35:28):
be here to ensure that I kill you? What if
Flynn told him to come down here not only to
make sure that Abner and I are both dead, but
to kill you as well. Has it ever occur to
you that he doesn't look at you the way you
look at him? What if both she and Flynn knew
about us somehow? What if they were planning something on
their own? What's your point? What if it's not safe
for us anymore? Are you suggesting that we run for it?

(35:49):
It wouldn't be such a dumb idea, not dumb, but
not smart. What do you mean? Where would we go
where we wouldn't be looking over our shoulders for the
rest of our lives? And how long do you think
we'd last? Some are good at finding the people who
do what you're now suggesting. I know a few, in particular,
so does Flynn. No, honey, we can't run. If we did,

(36:09):
we wouldn't be safe as long as Flynn was alive
and in charge. The only real way out would be
to deal with Flynn on my turf, not away from it.
And besides, do we know what's going on. We got
to know how the field looked before we made a
move one way or the other. But we're not running,
and that's final. Dwayne took her in his arms and
tried to comfort her. She in turn took him back
for emotional support. If it comes to it, we fight

(36:30):
it out. That would be our only option should push
come to shove. But it might not come to that.
It might be that you're taking it way out of proportion.
That idea of Lacy still being alive and whispering hateful
nothing's in the Flynn's ear was your idea and that's
all it is. And it's an idea you shouldn't be entertaining.
She started to cry a little. She wanted to believe him.
She did. Now you had a hand in killing your husband.

(36:53):
I know how you felt about him the same way
that I did, but he was still your husband, who
was also your first kill. Now killings the easy part.
Living with it's the hard part. If you keep killing,
when you look into their faces as they give up
the ghost, it's not their faces that you see. It's
always the face of the first person that you killed,
justified or not. That face always haunt you. Every time

(37:16):
she closed her eyes, and in her mind she could
see her husband's face upon his death. It was in
her mind rent free. She would like nothing more than
for that face to go away, But she knew right
then and there that it never would. It would haunt
her forever until her death. Let me ask you something else.
Do you see yourself? Answering to Flynn, should he be
the one that takes over when the time comes, I'll

(37:37):
know when to make my move. And what about others
like Manty? Will they be with you or against you?
It won't come to that. Don't lie to yourself. I
won't that'll be the day. Instead of arguing with her,
he decided to shrug it off, which he did since
he wanted to move on. Even so, it did rattle
him a little. Deep down. He knew there was a
possibility that she was right, but he didn't want to

(37:59):
believe her. Instead of arguing with her, he decided to
shrug it off. Which he did since he wanted to
move on. Even so, it did rattle him a little
deep down. He knew there was the possibility that she
was right, but he didn't want to believe her, and
he didn't because he looked at Monti Hellman as the
father he should have had. He didn't want to think
that his surrogate father could ever betray him. But that

(38:21):
didn't mean he was stupid. Anything was possible in the
life he lived. He chose not to believe it. When
it comes to the family, you choose. The nile is
a potent thing. In Dwyane Duncan's case, it was a
flaw in his character that could very well some day
get him killed. Let's go in the kitchen and get
the coffee out and ready for Monty to make it
in the pot. He said. That means he's going to

(38:42):
make it black. Knowing him, he'll bring his sugar and
want to serve us. That's his routine. Whenever he and
Harvey were over. Never would he ever let me make it,
and always he made a show of serving the coffee himself.
That's Monty for you. Why does he do that? You know?
I asked him that once and he said that one
day he'd tell me that story some day, at the
right moment when you think that'll be who knows, maybe

(39:05):
never true. She agreed, come on, let's get it ready.
They both went into the kitchen. Daisy May went about
the kitchen to get her coffee maker ready. She got
the coffee beans out and prepared for Monty to make
it himself when he arrived. Dwayne meanwhile wondered to the
empty dining room table. But he wondered that that very
moment was a strong, stiff drink. I could use something

(39:27):
strong to drink at this point. To be honest, you
and me both, babe, it's a shame that little adner
didn't let you stock up on the hard stuff. Let's
play sure would have been more lively. How about some
more orange juice. I know you'll drink that at least,
why not. I'll picture it mixed with vodka when I
drink it, she laughed. By then, she had finished getting
the coffee materials out and ready there's the peanut butter

(39:49):
pie I made for you. But with what's happening, I've
lost my appetite me as well. I'm sorry. Some other
time I'll let you take the whole thing with you
before you leave? Aren't you going to have some for yourself?
I made it for you, babe, so enjoy it when
you do eat it, I will, he smiled. She handed
him a glass of orange juice. They both headed over

(40:10):
to the table and sat across from each other. He
nursed his orange juice while she waited in an uncomfortable silence.
What are we doing here? She said, breaking the silence.
What do you mean? I mean, what are we still
doing here? This is crazy? You know it, and I
know it. We got to see where this takes us.
We'll never have any peace if we don't. I get it,

(40:31):
But I don't think that's why you're willing to sit
it out? Then why am I? Because you don't want
to lose the father you have him manty to you,
he's the father that you should have had. It's complicated.
I got time to listen. Dwayne got a little uneasy,
and she could see it. I'm interested, that's all. He got.
Uncomfortable thinking about it. It was a sore subject for him.

(40:54):
He usually wasn't one to dwell in his feelings that
came with his chosen life. Doing so would only show weakness.
A move that would prove fatal. A life of crime
was like the animal kingdom. Even a hint of sentiment
would be enough to put one at the bottom of
the food chain. However, in Daisy May's case, he was
comfortable around her. Besides, she needed it. A compromise was

(41:14):
thus required on his part to open up to her.
I was a little boy then. I couldn't have been
no older than six. My father was long gone by then,
and my mom was a junkie. There's no one there
for me during those years. I had to fend for
myself in the streets, to scrape by for a meal.
There was this watchhouse that was a front for the business.
I'd gotten a hold of a toy gun that I
polished a little to make it look real. I went

(41:36):
in there around lunchtime and tried to stick up the joint.
I was stupid and desperate and young. She added, that
didn't help. So what happened MONI happened to be there.
He knew right away that my gun was fake, and
he yanked it right out of my hand and gave
me a whipping. Then, when I was twelve, he introduced
me to Harvey and all the rest is history. Dwayne

(41:56):
smiled as he looked back at those moments with fondness. Yeah,
he was the father I should have had. But you
can't choose who brings you into the world. But I
damn well would choose Moni in a heartbeat if I could.
Hands down, She looked at him like he wasn't living
in the real world. He saw it, and he didn't
like it one bit. What I trust Monty with my
life and mine. He reached out to her, took her hand,

(42:19):
and leaned over to talk softly to her. I trust him.
Do you trust me? Of course? I do? Then trust
my judgment. Please, honey, do you trust me? Of course?
I love you and I trust you, But your love
for Moni as a father figure may jeopardize our lives
if you're wrong. Look into my eyes, honey. She looked

(42:42):
deep into his confident, in well intentioned eyes. I'm not
wrong on this one. Put your faith in that faith
never moved Mountain's babe, and never did, no matter how
hard you wanted to. The Only way to move them
is to make them move. But there's some things were
never meant to move. Dwayne hesitated a moment. What if
you're wrong the doorbell then rang. It was Monty. They

(43:07):
both looked toward the front door as the doorbell rang.
That must be Monty wait here. Dwayne left her at
the table to answer the door, where she sat shaken
but quiet. Monty Helman, Harvey Bishop's second in the command,
was dressed in a suit like Dwayne's, but gray, whereas
Dwayne's was black. Unlike the street thug that was Dwayne,

(43:27):
Monty could have passed for a cowboy. If it were
to happen. He would likely beat Sam Elliot in a
Sam Elliot look alike contest. He was handsome, but far
more dangerous than Dwayne because he had what Dwayne lacked.
That was age and experience. He was a man past fifty,
with the experience one got from being around long enough
to know better. That was something Dwayne had lacked by

(43:49):
a yard stick. Hello kid, Hello Monty, Come on in.
MONI stepped inside out of the rain while Dwayne closed
the door behind him. Where there's Daisy May She's in
the kitchen waiting for us. You took the time to
have supper as well. When I arrived, she had it
ready to serve. Why waste a meal? And besides, you

(44:10):
told me to take my time. There's no hurry. I'm sorry.
Don't be sorry. I did tell you to take your time.
Where's little Abner. He's over there. Take me to him. Sure,
Dwayne led Monty into the heart of the living room,
where the cold corpse of Abner sat on the love seat.
Moni took a moment to examine him while Dwayne stood
by and watched. Abner's eyes were still wide open, and

(44:31):
Monnie took a moment to close his eyes with his
right hand. Upon doing so, he looked over at Dwayne.
He could have closed his eyes. At least he won't
know the difference anymore. Dead men don't care. But the
eyes tell a story. What kind of a story? The
kind that can haunt you in the back end of
your mind by looking at them? Never give them a
place in your mind. Rent free, sure, I'll remember that.

(44:54):
Let's go into the kitchen. When they entered the kitchen,
Daisy May made a move to rise from her chair,
but MANI, it was quick to stop her. No need
to stand up, you can stay seated. She sat back down.
Why don't you sit down as well? Kid, Money looked
over at the coffee maker on the counter, and saw
that it was ready for him to make. I see
you got the stuff out for me to make the
coffee for you, me and Daisy. May I remember that

(45:17):
you don't drink coffee, do you, kid? Never have? Never will?
That sounds final. I'm good with orange juice, all right.
Then Money went up to the coffee maker and began
making the coffee. He kept his back to them for
the duration. So what's the word, Monty? What happened? I'll
get to all that once I've served the coffee. Give
me a few moments. Shall we be worried? Kid? What

(45:40):
did I tell you about worrying? Worry doesn't make life
go any faster, So why bother? There's your answer, girl.
She looked over at Dwayne worried, but decided not to
say another word. Moni carried on as he made the coffee.
I've taught you well, kid, You've done well for yourself. Thanks, MONI,
said Dwayne, wondering where this was going. You've come a
long way from the fear of street kid who tried

(46:00):
to hold up a watch shop with a toy gun.
You had guts, but you were desperate and lost. But
you were there that I was kid. I gave you
the whipping of all whippings. But one look in your
eyes and I saw your potential. It needed to be honed.
He took me in after that, Yeah, I did. And
it didn't have to, but I did, And I'll forever
be grateful to you. Monty. I know you are kid.

(46:23):
I took you in, I nursed you. I gave you
direction and purpose, something you never got from your old
man or Mamma. You did. I wouldn't be where I
am if it weren't for you. At that moment, the
coffee finished brewing, Monty poured two cups and added his
stuff to each of them, out of sight of both
Dwayne and Daisy May. And you've made me proud. A
father couldn't have been more proud. Manti then took both

(46:44):
cups and turned around adjoined Dwayne and Daisy May at
the head of the table. Before them, he handed Daisy
May her cup and they each took a sip. Then
I put too much sugar in yours, a little more
than usual, But it's fine. What can I say? He smiled.
I like it, sweet. I know you've heard me say
this many times, but you do know that adding the
amount of sugar you add isn't good for you? Of

(47:05):
course it's not. It may be bad for you, but
it's still good. If it weren't good for you, then
it would taste like shit. Life is too short, so
I waste it on the good stuff that tastes like
crap when we can enjoy the bad stuff that's crap
for you. In the end, we all die one way
or the other. That's a cold, hard fact of life.
We only get one life on this earth, and after
that who knows? And who cares? Heaven, Hell, who's to say.

(47:27):
But the reality of the matter is that how we
live with the life choices we make determines where we
live right here on earth, and that's heaven or Hell,
the realities we create for ourselves. In other words, heaven
and hell are states of mind, and how we live
determines which of the two will live in, said Dwayne.
Exactly kid, said Monty MONI took a sip of his

(47:47):
coffee and looked at Daisy May Let's start with you, girl.
You said so yourself that you're born on the wrong
side of the track, So do you You're born in hell?
So your face with a choice, do I have succumb
to apathy and lie in the bed I was born in.
Or do I walk away to a bed of my
own making? That'll be a step up from where it
was before, Moni, I no, no, let me finish. Sorry,
That's okay, girl. It's what it is like all beds.

(48:09):
It has its own set of bedbugs that you start
to notice after a while. Now you decided to marry
your way out of it, and it soon starts to
wear on you. By that, I mean little Abner. He
was a man of certain flaws which rubbed you wrong
in ways that made you feel like you had traded
one hell for another. Who could blame you for wanting out?
But you got desperate. Mani then turned to Dwayne, and

(48:30):
desperation can make us restless, doesn't it? Kid? At that moment,
they both realized that they have been caught. Their fear
intensified with each passing word from Monty's mouth. Mani then
turned back to Daisy May. So what do you do, girl?
You turn your charms on the meanest, baddest cat to
get him to pull you out of the hell that
you put yourself in. Daisy May shivered. MONI I have

(48:52):
now now, girl, chastised Monty, there's no point in lying
your way out of it. We've known about you and
Dwayne for some time. Dwayne turned white with fear. Daisy May,
while scared as well, was at the same time surprised.
You knew. Of course we did, and Harvey and I
didn't care. That was when it became clear to Dwayne

(49:13):
Harvey's not dead? Is he no kid? He ain't? Then
why all the deception, asked Daisy May. He knew I
would have stayed put, said Dwayne. It was his way
of keeping me here. Daisy May looked at Dwayne, who
looked like a wounded puppy. I told you, she said
to Duayane. You always were a smart girl, said Monty,

(49:36):
too smart for your own good. If you and Harvey
are fine with Dwayne and me, then what's the issue
you're forgetting about your husband? Girl? Now, that whole ruse
that you two pulled about the money took brass balls
and it would have worked too. What made it fall apart,
asked Dwayne. Kid the moment you winged Lacy into the
whole thing, your pull in the tail of a snake.

(49:57):
All you were going to get from that was bitten
Flynn said, Dwayne. That's right, kid, Harvey was more than
happy to end Lacy. She was a clap trap waiting
to happen. It would have created problems with Flynn and kid.
You know the kind of problems Flynn can pull when
he's in a foul mood. Now, Abner may have been
a pig, but Harvey always liked him, and so did I.

(50:17):
He was dependable. You two could have handled Abner any
other way, by linking him to Lacey and setting them
both up to take the fall because you couldn't keep
your flies zipped. Not cool. Now that both Abner and
Lacy are dead. You got both Harvey and Flynn sore
at both of you and kid. That puts me in
a bit of a pickle. The kind of got to
fix it an indelicate way. Daisy May began to feel

(50:38):
strange in an uneasy way that was getting worse with
each successive moment. What's the matter, girl, I don't feel
so good that you don't agreed, Monty, you don't look
so surprised, kid. Daisy May looked at Dwayne to see
that he had become detached and broken. Dwayne, she said,
Dwayne remained silent. Dwayne once asked me a long time

(51:02):
ago why I'm always the one to serve the coffee.
I didn't tell him, but it didn't take him long
to learn why. So for your benefit, girl, i'll tell
you the story. Daisy May got worse as Monty told
a story. My mom went away for killing my old man.
She couldn't handle being his punching bag whenever he got
liquored up. So one morning, while we were having breakfast,
she poisoned his coffee, and he died right at the

(51:22):
table in front of us. I looked at my mamma,
who had always told me to ensure I was serving
the coffee. I asked her why. She said it was
about control. Always be the one in control. The moment
you give that up, you're already dead. You don't know
it until it's too late. I never knew that about
your mother, said Dwayne. It wasn't your place to ask,
and you're smart enough never to do so. But you

(51:43):
learned about the coffee when you first saw me serve
it to your mom when you're fifteen. It never surprised
me that you never drank coffee after that. I never
blamed you, but that day you should've learned not to
look up to me so much, But your hate for
your mom had turned your sour on life. You mean,
said Daisy May. That's right, girl, I poisoned your coffee,
and your man knew what I was gonna do the

(52:04):
moment I told him to have the coffee ready for
me to make when I arrived. She looked at Dwayne
with shock and agony. He remained detached but hurt within
his soul. Dwayne, Baby, you used him, girl, and he
wasn't dumb enough to see it. She looked at Monty,
But we sure he showcased your snatch to him, and
he liked it good enough to fill it up for

(52:25):
you when Abner wasn't around to do so himself, and
he did fall for you as you fell for him.
But Dwayne's like me. He was hurt enough times in
his life to know that love is only temporary. It
doesn't last forever. It didn't with you and Abner. Now
that you gave much of a damn for him, She
looked at Dwayne with her heart pierced. He looked at
her as well, who remained broken and detached. Tell me

(52:45):
it isn't true, she said, Dwayne didn't respond. Tell me,
she begged. Dwayne remained silent. Please, she pleaded, You're wasting
your breath. Girl. You used him to kill your What
would have stopped you from using some other fellow to
kill him down the road when you fell out of
love with him? He wasn't going to marry you. He

(53:06):
had no intention of doing so. In six months. You
would have been dead yourself. Once he saw it, he
couldn't get out of marrying you. You're a dead girl walking.
You were too blind not to see it. I saved
him the trouble. He's a killer. He always has been.
He always will be to the day he goes to
his grave. Sorry, girl. Near death, Daisy May mustered enough
strength for one more plea Dwayne. Dwayne remained stone silent

(53:31):
at the table as Daisy May succumbed to death. Across
from Dwayne. He looked at her as she died. His
feelings on watching her die were both indifferent and mixed.
He then looked at Monty. It was them then, and
only them. A man in black and a man in gray.
A man in black and a man in gray sat
in the kitchen of a house with two dead bodies

(53:53):
and more dead bodies were to follow. She fell for you, kid,
she did. You did as well. I know it hurts,
doesn't it? Kid? Dwayne didn't say anything. Well, are you
gonna say something? You're gonna sit there with that sad,
pathetic look on your face. Tell you the truth. It
doesn't look too good on you. Tell you the truth.
It does hurt. He looked at Monty, But the pain

(54:15):
of losing her is nothing to the realization that you
would turn on me. I never imagine that the man
who should have been my father would send me to
the gallows. But I'm not your father. I never was,
and I never wanted to be. The truth of the
matter is that I saw potential in you as an
asset to me down the road. In many ways, you
proved to be very valuable to both Harvey and me.
The truth is is that I didn't kill your mother

(54:37):
because she was a danger to you, which she was
for the record, there's no denying that. Then why did
you kill her? Good question, kid, Well, your mother wanted
to get clean and take you back. Now that I
think she would have been capable of sobering up. No,
but there's always a chance of me being wrong. She'd
be an obstacle to you getting into the business, and
it was the business that sent your old man to

(54:57):
the gallows. Why do you talk talking about? Said it confused, Dwayne.
My old man walked out on me when I was little.
My mom said, so, yeah, she did tell you that.
She told you that because you're too young to know
that your old man didn't walk out on you. But
he's gone. What do you mean. I grew up with
your old man and we went into the business together.
He was ambitious, like you, but unlike you, he was

(55:19):
a screw up. And you know what the business does
to screw ups. There's no place for them. It fell
on me to let him go. You're lying, am I? Kid?
Look in my face and tell me, am I lying?
Dwayne looked into his face and saw that he wasn't lying.
Everything he had believed about his father and his surrogant
father was all a lie. You know I'm not lying

(55:39):
to you. You've known me long enough to tell when
I'm lying to you, and this ain't it now. Your
mom she knew the truth behind your old man's death.
She even knew that I had a hand in it,
and she didn't take it well. That's when she became
a junkie, which didn't help you. But I kept my
eye on you both, and while your mom was a
dead woman walking, I saw what it did to you,
and I took notice. There was the truth when Nischke

(56:00):
said that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. It
was making you strong. I saw that. It was no
coincidence that you found me in that watch shot the
day you tried to hold it up. I followed you there,
and had I not, he'd been killed. Since that store
was one of the fronts for the business. It was
because of me that you were kept alive, and because
of me that you were able to get into the
business the way you did. Your mom had enough sense

(56:21):
left in her to see what I was doing. Towards
the end, she threatened to tell you that a hand
in letting her old man go. That's when she had
to go. Otherwise I would have lost you for good,
and knowing you, it would have been a matter of
time before you'd moved to kill me when you got
a little older. So you see, kid, you are who
you are because of me. I made you, and now
I'm going to kill you. So in a way, we've

(56:43):
come full circle like that. Yeah, a kid like that,
But that doesn't mean I like it more than you will.
That's unless I kill you first. I'm packing as much
as you are, that's true, and you taught me everything
I know about killing that's true as well. But I've
been in this game longer than you. But that's not
what it's gonna come down to. You're right, you see

(57:05):
what we have here is a Star Wars moment. You
know what I mean? That CANTEENA sequence between Hand Solo
and that green guy comes to mind. Yeah, what was
that green guy's name? Come on? Your knowledge of bullshit's
better than mine, Greedo. Yeah, that's right, Greedo. But I'm confused.
Why is that? You see? When I saw it back

(57:25):
in seventy seven as a kid, it was Han Solo
that shot first, but when Lucas changed it later on
the nineties, Greto shot first. The question is which of
us is gonna shoot first? Exactly? Now. As much as
I've enjoyed this kid, we got to wrap it up
pretty soon. The cleaning crew is gonna be here any
minute now to give three bodies a sendoff. Wouldn't want
to keep them waiting, now, do we So let's settle this. Yeah,

(57:48):
let's do that. They went for their guns, and both
men and managed to get their guns pointed and aimed
at each other's chest. Neither of them fired, though, when
they saw that they had each other in a kill
shot at close range, they both laughed. Looks like we're
both facing down the reaper, said Dwayne. We could end
up going together. Well, we all got to go sometime,

(58:08):
said Monty. Why not? Now? They both laughed some more.
Two shots were fired, one from each gunman. One man
limped out of the kitchen into the living room with
a fatal wound. He dropped his gun before leaving the kitchen.
It was Monty. He fell to his knees. His wound
was mortal. As the rain continued to pour down outside,

(58:30):
the doorbell rang Charlie, come in, I need a doctor
right now. The front door opened and a lone man
in white entered the house, drenched from the rain. He
was tall and handsome. Upon entering, he left the door
open and stopped half way to Monty. Looked down at
Monty and shook his head. You'd all look so good, Monty,

(58:50):
I'd say, you're slipping. It was Flynn, What are you
doing here, Flynn? Where's Charlie and the clean up crew?
I need a doctor. I can see little Abner over there.
Where's Dwayne and Daisy May? They're in the kitchen dead.
I need a doctor. Flynn shook his head. He smiled.
It was the smile of the devil from where I'm standing.

(59:12):
I don't think a doctor's going to help you one
damn bit. Besides, we got some business to settle before
we get the brass tacks. What business called to Monty?
What are you talking about? Your retirement? Why are you here?
Where's Charlie? I thought you were with your dad. You
missed his retirement, but don't worry, you'll be joining him
any minute now, by the looks of you. That was

(59:34):
when it dawned on Monty. What did you do? Flynn laughed?
What did you do? It's simple. We're in charge of
the business now, and who's we? My woman and I
your woman? My woman. Flynn turned around to look at
the front door. Come on in, baby. A good looking

(59:55):
woman in a soaked red satin dress and high heels
that reeked of high maintenance stepped inside. It was Lacey.
Lacey said, a surprised Monty, what did you do? Boy?
It's easy to understand. My woman and I had a
plan of our own all along. I instructed Lacey to
start the affair with Little Abner the moment I learned

(01:00:16):
of his wife's affair with Dwayne. I made it easy
for Dwayne to find out about Lacey. Dwayne and Daisy
May would make a move to rub off Little Abner
and put Lacey in the doghouse with him. Dwayne would
take care of Little Abner while you would take care
of both Dwayne and Daisy May. Meanwhile, while you're thinking
I'm taking care of Lacey, the reality is that she
and I were taking care of my dad. Once we

(01:00:37):
took care of my dad, Lacey and I would come
here to take care of you. We then wait for
Charlie and his crew to get here to give you
the last sendoff. I gained control of the business with
my woman at my side. The end, Monnie shook his
head and chuckled, good luck, because you're gonna need it.
Monni then collapsed on the living room floor dead. Flynn

(01:00:59):
looked awte at Mondi's corpse with glee and turn to
take Lacy in his arms. We did it baby, and
you played your part well. She moved to kiss him,
but instead of a kiss, she received a shot in
the gut. Near death, she gasped her last few breaths
to say one word, Why you still banged another guy?
And I don't want to think about that, you know. Besides,

(01:01:21):
there's always gonna be another. She muttered one final word
before succumbing to death. Bastard, Flynn laughed as he looked
down at her. And it would have been sooner or
later that you would have killed me to take the
business for yourself that I can't bye by not one
damn bit. Flynn laughed some more as he turned around
to face the front door. He was both cocky and

(01:01:42):
over confident. That was easy, like that Walter Hill movie.
He froze at the sound of a gun cocking behind
him that followed with a voice. It was Dwayne. He
was near death, but with enough life left in him
for one last kill. He got that right. I saw
that movie, Flynn. I'd say that make me Bruce Willis

(01:02:02):
at this angle and me Christopher Walkin, said a disappointed Flynn. Damn,
I should have checked the kitchen to see if you're dead,
say Dwayne, before we go any further with what comes next,
we can work something out. Oh yeah, yeah, I mean
you wouldn't shoot a man in the back, now, would you.
I've done worse. Dwayne shot Flynn in the back with

(01:02:23):
the remaining four shots and watched Flynn fall in his
face dead beside Lacey. Dwayne dropped his gun and fell
to the ground where he began to die, but not
before getting the last laugh. Han shot first. He was dead.
He was the last. The house had succumbed to a
deathly silence, six dead bodies and the house stank of death.

(01:02:48):
Three men arrived less than five minutes later. It was
Charlie Goodbye with his two man crew, Locus Wheeler and
Cletus Anderson. They entered the house excited for a big
payoff coming their way, bounced themselves to Paul's mid sentence
at the sight of Flynn among the dead. Charlie rushed
to Flynn's side to check him out, while Locus and
Clidas stood by the door with the gear in suspense.

(01:03:10):
Is he dead, asked Cletus. Yeah, he's dead, answered Charlie. Damn,
said Cletus. Charlie shook his head in disappointment and stood up.
Locus meanwhile walked across the room towards Duwayne to check
on him. Doesn't take him long to see that he's
also dead. He then took a moment to observe the
layout of the scene they all did. It looks like

(01:03:32):
Dwayne got Flynn in the back while waiting for us
to get here, said Locus. Charlie and Clidas observed the
scene before them and made the same deduction. That's what
it looks like, said Charlie. They then turned their attention
to Lacey beside Flynn. Did Dwayne tag her as well?
Said Cletus. Charlie takes a moment to look at Lacy
and then Dwayne on the other side of the room. No,

(01:03:55):
it doesn't look like it. It looks like Flynn tagged
her and then turned his attention to the front to
wait for us. He must have assumed Dwayne was dead
as well, but Dwayne had enough life left him and
plugged Flynn in the back, Jesus, said Cltas he didn't
stand a chance, check Monty, Charlie said to Clidas. Clius

(01:04:15):
went to Moni to check on him, while Locus rose
from Dwayne. How's Dwayne looking Locus asked Charlie dead, said
Locus positive. Said Charlie positive, said Locus. Cltas finished checking
on Monty. Monnie's dead as well, said Clitus positive, said Charlie.

(01:04:36):
If he ain't, then he's a miracle of the Lord,
said Cletus. Charlie shook his head. He checked on Lacy
while Cletas walked over to Little Abner. Well, she's dead
as well, said Charlie. Wasn't there supposed to be a
second female, asked Locus. Check the kitchen, said Charlie. I
have a feeling she might be in there, right, said Locus.

(01:04:59):
Locus went into the kitchen. Charlie got up and looked
over at Cletus. He was checking out Little Abner, but
was repulsed by the fact that he had crapped his
pants upon dying. This one's dead too, he crapped his
pants though, Why they do that? I can never figure
that one out. Yeah, they tend to do that. I
found her, announced Locus from the kitchen. Is she dead,

(01:05:21):
said Charlie. She's dead, But but what said Charlie. She
didn't die from a gunshot wound. How'd she die? Said Charlie.
That's it. I don't know. There's no visible wounds on her.
Is there any coffee near her, asked Charlie. Yah, don't

(01:05:41):
drink it, said Charlie. Okay. At that moment, Cleitus found
the rest of Little Abner six pack, which consisted of
two unopened cans. He grabbed one and cracked it open
to drink. When Locus rejoined them seriously, Kletus said, Locus,
you're gonna pop a cool one, now? Why not, said Cletus.

(01:06:03):
Is there another one for me, asked Charlie. Yeah, toss
me one, said Charlie. You bet, said Cletus, who tossed
the other to Charlie, who waitsed no time opening and
drinking it. How a boy one for me, said Locus.
It's no more. It's been open, said Cletus. Now there's
one that's half full. But given that the one in

(01:06:23):
the kitchen brought it by poison, I wouldn't take a
chance on drinking it. But he usually poisons the coffee.
You really want to take that chance, damn, swore Locus.
Check their fridge for a beer and grab one if
there is one, said Charlie. I'll do that, said Locus.
Locus headed back into the kitchen. Don't drink the coffee,

(01:06:45):
said Charlie. Yeah, yeah, I won't touch the coffee. We'll
wait for you, said Charlie. Found one, reported Locus, grab
it and join us, said Charlie. You bet. Locus rejoined them,
and they stood spreading out in the living room among
the dead while they drank. So we gonna talk about
this shit show, said Cletus, Yeah, said Locus. Flynn was

(01:07:10):
to pay us to clean up this mess, and he's
among the mess. At least we get paid for the
other one on the other side of town not too
long ago, said Cletus. I mean he's there to meet
us when we arrived, and his tart was with him,
who is now dead with him. Yeah, things didn't pan
out too well between them. They laughed, you think, said Charlie.

(01:07:31):
I mean we hear on the promise of overtime bonuses
for each of us for five stiffs, said Cletus, not six,
and it make matters worse. The six stiff is the
guy that was to pay us. Now. It doesn't take
a genius to see that we've been stiff since Flynn
became a stiff himself. Who's gonna pay us? I don't
know about you guys, but I'm not working for free.
I'm not in this business for my health. I'm in

(01:07:52):
it for the money. There's something else we should consider
here for a moment, said Locus. What's that? Asked Cletus.
Who's in charge? Now? What you mean, asked Cletus. I mean,
look around, said Lucas. Any man in line succeed Harvey's
lying dead in this house? Who calls the shots? Now?

(01:08:13):
Outside of men in this room, there's no clear picture
who's in charge now. He's right, said Charlie. A power
vacuum is opened up in the city, and that means
there's going to be a war. Where's that leave us,
asked Cletus, smacked down in the middle of it, said Locus.
We a clean up crew, said Cletus. We're not foot

(01:08:33):
soldiers on the daily operations. We're here, aren't we, said Locus.
What's your point, said Cletus. My point is that we
better consider our next move very carefully, said Locus. It
may be a deciding factor on whether we're allowed to
continue breathing? Am I right in that assumption? Charlie? You
are so all we do, said Cletus. Charley Charlie rubbed

(01:08:58):
his neck with one hand, he holded his beer in
the other. Trust me, that's all I'm thinking about right now.
If any of you guys have any ideas, I'm all
years well, I'm blank, said Cletus. Drink your beer, said Locus,
some ideas will pop in your brain. Very funny, said Cletus.

(01:09:19):
I wasn't trying to be funny, said Locus. Charlie took
a sip of his beer and looked at them both.
I've been the clean up guy for the organization longer
than both of you put together. Now, counting both of
your guys years and then some add up to thirty
two years. The average life span in this business is
six months before. I was in the Marines for four years. Now.

(01:09:40):
My third year happens to be when the First Gulf
War happened. I was showing an over confidence Saddam Hussein
that Uncle Stam was still the king of the jungle,
and I liked the gunfire and carnage of combat. But
before I knew it it was over. I was sent
home with an honorable discharge, and I was out of
a job with no skill set other than killing. For
a whole week, I drank myself to oblivion till an

(01:10:01):
old friend threw me a lifeline, which was this job.
I was a little leery at first being the guy
who did the cleaning after the killing, but the money
made me change my tune real quick. Now, the guy
who trained me for this job gave me some advice
which I shared with you when you both came into
this job. Don't politic don't get mixed up with the
business matters of the organization. Keep your head down, keep

(01:10:23):
your nose clean. And we've done that, and to them,
we're no different than a janitor who's paid to sweep
the floors and scrub the toilets after office hours. I'm nobody.
We're nobody's That's how we've managed to stay alive and
thrive in our end of this business. Now. I've seen
heavy rollers come and go since I've been the one
to give them their last rites tonight. No different at first.

(01:10:45):
What you mean by that, asked Cletus. There have been
occasional jobs where we cleaned up one high roller for another.
Always there was someone to pay up afterward, said Charlie.
But never before I've been in a position where all
parties involved killed each other, said Cletas, and stiffed us
with the bill added Locus. Yeah, said Charlie, We get you,

(01:11:08):
Charlie said Locus. So might call the next guy in
line gem over here, said Cletus. That's easier said than done,
said Charlie, What, said Cletus. He's right, said Locus. Next
in line. After these fools are six guys, and each
of them has enough men and firepower among them to
turn this city into the next Chicago. It doesn't matter

(01:11:31):
who we call. There's going to be a war. And
should the one we call not be the last man
standing after the dust is settled, our position won't be
pretty well. A guy called somebody, said Cletas. Can't leave
things as they are, and why not, said Locus. No, Locus,
said Charlie. As right as you are about one, Clitus

(01:11:51):
is right about the other. If we don't call somebody,
it'll not be nice. We'd be no better off than
we would be if we called somebody. That's great. Calm down,
Cletas said, Locus. Calm down, spat Cletas. Hey expect me
to be calm? Well, do you have any ideas, because
we'd love to hear them, But my ideas we should

(01:12:12):
all start coming up with some ideas, raved Cletas. Locus
shook his head in frustration. Knock it off, both of you.
We're only making things worse that we start turning on
each other. Right now, Locus and Clidas back down. So
let's think about this for a damn minute here, said Charlie.
The sudden sound of police sirens put an end to

(01:12:33):
their discussion. They pulled out their handguns and rushed for
the front window to look out. It's a fuzz, said Cletus. Locus,
check the back, said Charlie. Locus rushed to the back
of the house to check the back while Charlie and
Clidas looked through the window up front. There's no getting
out the front, said Charlie. Who you think tipped them off?

(01:12:55):
Does it matter? Said Charlie. They're here. Locus rushed back
to the front joined them a moment later in a
tail spin. There's fuzz all over the place. They're everywhere.
What we do, asked Cletus. This ain't good. We can
turn ourselves in, said Locus. No good, said Charlie. But
we can make a deal, said Locus. No good, said Charlie,

(01:13:20):
and get ready to make a move. On us, said Cletus.
Charlie looked at them and laid it out before them.
It doesn't matter whether we make a deal with them
or not, said Charlie. With the connections the business has
with the department, will be dead in our jail cells
within twenty four hours. So, like I said, it's no
good what we do, said Cletus. We could go out

(01:13:42):
with a bang, said Locus. They both looked at Locus.
Why not, said Locus? Guns drong guns, blazing butch and
Sundance style. You know, what do you think, Cletas asked Charlie.
Why not, said Cletus. I mean we're dead anyway, So
now ended on our terms right here, right now. They

(01:14:04):
looked at each other for a moment in silence to
ponder a moment before Locus smiled, Yeah, he said, or
go on to hell anyway. Cleita smiled. Might as well
take the handbasket with us, said Clitas. Yeah, said Charlie,
why the hell not. That's when they heard the boots
of many cops walking up the front door. All right, boys,

(01:14:26):
spread out, said Charlie. Choose your spot. Take as many
of them with as you can. They spread out to
different corners, of the house and named their guns at
the front door. I'll see y'all on the flip side
of hell, boys, said Charlie. They laughed. A minute later,
the cops stormed into the house. Three minutes later it

(01:14:46):
was all over. They were dead, and war had come
to the city. You've listened to Guns Drawn by Thomas Hyland,
narrated by Eric Compton. Highland was born and raised in
Los Angeles, California. When he isn't writing, he's a volunteer
assistant librarian and a courtesy clerk at a grocery store.

(01:15:08):
He lives on Hiltonhead Islands, South Carolina. You can read
more about the author at Thomas Hyland dot substackt dot com.

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