15
THE LOCKED ROOM
His mind and body are in different cities, or at least it feels that way. The room is murky, shifting, blurred. His eyes are guppies swimming in a fishbowl.
Dry mouth, headache, lump on his head. Sitting in a chair.
Where am I?
Hands tied behind his back. Legs tied to the chair.
It’s coming back to him. Lana, Jimmy, Paradise City. A lead pipe.
We blew it. Someone made the kid and followed him to the bar. They were waiting for me outside. Never saw it coming. They must be real pros.
Garbled voices. Fuzzy shapes on the far side of the room. Three men. Everything seems far away.
He’s starting to come around.
A square room. Well lit and tidy, cool and damp. A basement. Thoughts are moving more slowly than normal, like a traffic jam in his head. Feels like it, too.
