[19] Roach Town
[19]
The early afternoon sunlight fell fell warm and bucolic on the New England town. A lull within a lull within a hush engulfed the town. The only business doing any business was the creemee stand. A gang of elderly and obese bikers were licking cones. The grandmas of Park House were quietly snoring in their cushioned rocking chairs. Mrs Lungren was walking her dog again. The post master was on break, eating a sandwich on a bench in the town square. Constable Bondo was buying a bottle of cheap vodka in the grocery store. Somewhere a woodpecker was knocking it's beak against a pine tree. A pleasant wind blew through the windows of the Park House van. The smell of lilacs hit Zone's nose. He thought about the Reporter Constance. He went a little stiff below the belt. The two detectives sat there in silence. Smoking, drinking their ciders. Zone was at peace. Gagger was bored out of his mind. Even with all of his shennanigan’s, the country life was not for him. He craved the city life. He was a city kid. Grew up in the city, lived in the city, it was the only thing he really knew. The country seemed odd and stupid to him. He could take it or leave it. Mostly leave it. He grew so bored with the surroundings that he interrupted the silence with a question. He asked Zone:
"Wait a second, how the hell did you get the van unstuck?" Zone remembered the note the person left for him. He took it out from his jeans pocket and handed it to Gagger. Gagger read it. He said: "Holy shit. Where the fuck are we?" Zone took the paper back from him. Folded it and put it back in his jeans pocket.
He said: "You got me, man. The weirdness floats." Gagger made very odd noise. Like indignance mixed with incredulity.
He said: "You and that fucking poem, man. I mean, you read one fucking poem over your miserable forty years on this earth and then you never shut up about it. I hate to tell you, but that poem stinks to high heaven."
Zone said: "I'm thirty nine, dude, and no, that poem sums it all up. You just lack imagination." The poem in question was a very dumb poem that Zone had read one time during a brief interlude with a college student many years ago. He had sitting in her studio apartment waiting for her to finish in the bathroom when he picked up a little pamphlet that said:
"The Complete Waterby." He opened the thing onto a page with the poem called Floating. It read as such:
Floating:
When all the world is dead aside/
When heaven starts to bloat/
Just remember down on earth/
the weirdness used to float.
Zone liked how the earth was empty and that everyone had moved to heaven when human life was finished. Plus he liked the idea of weirdness floating around. He remembered the poem and quoted it often. He never once went looking for this Waterby guy, or gal, he had no interest in whatever else they had to say, yet the poem stayed with him. To Gagger's chagrin. Because, yes, it was true that he lacked imagination, but more than that, he was mostly just annoyed that Zone would repeat it thinking he was coming across as some learn-ed professor-type that could recite poetry for every situation, except Zone only had that one dumb poem that nobody else knew aside from him and the college student that broke up with him when she got out of the bathroom. Maybe that is why Zone found the poem so profound? Gagger always wondered, like maybe Zone had somehow connected heart break with the poem, because Zone really did like the college student, he was in love with her even, and the break-up kind of hurt his heart. A thing Gagger remembered quite well because Zone went on a weeks long bender that nearly cost both of them their jobs. Or at the time it seemed like that is where things were going. Had Gagger known then what he knew now he wouldn't have worried so much, because there was no way to fire a cop, no matter what shit they did, even killing people for racist reasons was merely desk duty, but at the time, he was certain they would get canned. And even though Gagger knew that the poem was probably connected to that poem because of heart break, and that probably at this very moment Zone was feeling some emotions he was not sharing with Gagger, he really hated the poem. And he wished that Zone would stop reciting it. Which, if we are to be honest about these two detectives, deep down that poem also hurt Gagger's feelings as well. Because it reminded him of how vulnerable Zone could actually be, and by extension himself, and therefore that poem was just a reminder that they were two naked humans travelling through life with almost zero control of their surroundings. That Gagger himself had tried and failed to connect with other humans. Mostly women, and nothing ever seemed to work out for him, and that he and Zone were simpatico in this desire for human connection that they could only get through each other, so, good or bad, toxic or healthy, they were connected at the hip. Like long lost brothers given up for adoption all those years ago. The poem merely reminded Gagger that he was alone and would always be alone and that Zone was his closest friend and ally in the entire god-damned world. And yes, it was true that weirdness floated on earth, but god damn it! Gagger thought, stop reminding me! I don't want to think about it.
Which is why instead of arguing with Zone about the poem, Gagger said:
"Don't we need to be somewhere?" This knocked Zone out of his defensive stance on the poem.
He said: "Oh, shit! Right, hold on, I gotta leak." They both got out and hid behind trees. They got back in the van. The empty cider cans needed to be dealt with. Gagger picked them up and got back out of the van. He went to a nearby trashcan and threw them in. He got back in the van. Zone started the thing up. Turned around and drove back onto the road. They got to the highway and took a right. The were driving by the grocery store when Zone noticed Constable Bondo walking out, he was carrying a half-gallon plastic bottle of cheap vodka. Zone slammed on the brakes. Luckily nobody was behind them. He yelled:
"Bondo!" Then he started driving again. Gagger neither saw Constable Bondo, nor understood why Zone would slam on the brakes and yell "Bondo!" Luckily they were driving slowly, otherwise Gagger would have gotten another whack to his forehead. He was still launched forward by Zone stopping short.
He said: "What are you doing? Playing some bingo game I am unaware of?" Zone laughed at this. Yet he didn't answer the question. Zone was unaware that Gagger hadn't seen Constable Bondo. Gagger said: "Seriously, man. Who slams on the breaks and yells, Bondo?" Zone caught on, finally.
He said: "Oh, you didn't see?" Zone looked over. Gagger looked back. "Constable Bondo was leaving the grocery store just now." Like that explained it. Gagger looked over again. Zone looked back. He said: "Oh, right, my bad. When I was walking back to the van I made a list of all the people involved in this thing we are doing and I forgot Constable Bondo." That did explain it. Zone didn't need to continue, but he did. He said: "Like all the suspects of whatever, and for some reason Constable Bondo didn't come up, and just now when I saw him I remembered."
Gagger said: "Spare me the details, fucko, I know what you mean, don't you want to go talk to him though?"
Zone said: "Nah, not really. Maybe in a few hours, by the looks of it." Once again Gagger was missing some key information.
He said: "What happens in a couple of hours?" They were driving through town. Zone pulled over in front of the town square. He wanted to focus on what needed to come next, but this conversation was creating a kink. He watched the post master eat his sandwich on the bench in the town square. Then he saw Mrs Lungren walking the dog. He thought about the Reporter again.
Then he said: "Right, you didn't see. Bondo was carrying a bottle of vodka. A big one. My guess is that he'll be a little drunk in a couple hours, if you dig me."
Gagger said: "Oh! Yeah, I dig."
Zone said: "Okay, now that that mystery is solved, we can move on." Gagger took offense to this.
He said: "Dude, just because you see something and have some dumb running commentary, you can't possibly think I can read your fucking mind!" Zone scoffed at this. That was not true. Gagger read his mind all the time. But for some reason this time was different.
Zone said: "I said, my bad, dude! What else do you want from me?" Gagger looked down the town square. Towards the bar/restaurant thing. He could see Soibahn coming towards them. How the hell did she see them just now? She was waving her hands in the air.
Gagger said: "Dude! We got bigger problems, look!" Zone looked over. He stepped on the gas and peeled out. They were on the edge of town now. Dropping down towards the river.
Zone said: "Jesus Christ! What the hell?"
Gagger said: "I don't know, man, you must have done a number on her."
Zone said: "Yeah." He sighed and tried to focus. He said: "Keep a look out for something called Dell's Pottery Barn or something. I remember seeing it when we drove up."
The two detectives looked side to side. There was nothing remotely like that on either side of the road. Zone kept driving. Leaving the town. He came to a cross-roads. Or the highway split as it were. He didn't remember turning left before getting into town, which would be a right, now. So he kept driving straight. The speed limit changed and Zone sped up. They came to another little town. There was a dance studio but no Dell's Pottery Barn. Zone kept driving. They passed some fields. A herd or two of cows. Some turkeys. Which Zone loved. They reminded him of himself for whatever reason. The way they walked or the way they held themselves. Nearly vulture-like. But he also liked that they moved so slowly. Like Holocaust Jews in Winter Poland. Looking for shelter. Avoiding Nazis. Something dark and ineffable, mysterious and tragic. He knew he was projecting, but he didn't mind the projection. He could watch turkeys all day long if given the chance. Instead though, he was driving so he had to focus. They passed a golf course and Zone started to recognize things. The came to an opening in the road where they could see on both sides of the highway. Then, there, Zone saw it, the thing he remembered, it was a motorcycle statue. The thing had been stripped of everything aside from the bones of the thing. And the wheels. It was a very odd thing to see on the side of the road, in the middle of nowhere, Vermont. Next to a corn field. Zone slowed down. The next building they came to had a sign. It was on the other side of the highway from the motorcycle. It read:
"Dell's Pottery Barn-Open To Public"
Zone slowed down and pulled into the parking lot. The Reporters car was there. Zone thought about this. It had been a few hours at least since he and Gagger were racing around on Townline Road or wherever, trying to catch up with her. Which meant that the Reporter had been inside talking to Misty's mom, probably the whole time. Which was not a good sign. They would be walking into some very dark shit the second they decided to go inside. Zone said:
"Shit." Gagger understood the gravity in his voice.
He said: "The mom?"
Zone said: "Yeah, Constance didn't just come here and give condolences, they have been at it for hours. I don't know if we should go in there." Gagger understood. He didn't see a reason not to go inside though.
He said: "I suppose, but what else are we going to do? It's not like the pain will be gone if we come back later, right?" Zone thought about this.
He said: "Well, I mean, we can't really do anything for her. I mean, the State Police and all, I mean, we are just two assholes pretty much, right?" Gagger agreed:
He said: "I mean, we are, but by the looks of things, those dicks are covering shit up, right? I mean, I assume you have come to the same conclusion that I have, that something is god damn fishy in Roach Town, right? Roach Boy?" Zone sighed. Even in moments of huge gravity, Gagger had to be a dick about it.
He said: "No, it's true. You're right. It's us or nothing." He sighed again. He said: "Okay, then." Zone turned the van off. He got out. Gagger got out too. They walked up to the building. Which was a barn with a glass door. The glass door said: "Dell's Pottery Barn," in white, painted on letters. "Hours Of Operation: 9am to 5pm M-F." Zone pulled the door back. Gagger walked in first. Then Zone. The place was an assault of bad pottery laid out on shelf after shelf around the "Store Room." The main part of the barn, the "Studio," were three different pottery wheels. Sitting empty. There were the soft sounds of Joni Mitchell playing over the speakers. "Don't it always seem to go wrong..." Zone liked this one. It was the only song of hers he knew. But he liked how she did the bebop scat thing at the end of the chorus. He briefly forgot the somber tone he had taken before walking into the place. He sung along with the song: "Choooh, bop, bop, bop, bop…" And then he caught himself when Gagger elbowed him in the ribs. Meaning: "Shut the fuck up!" Zone stopped singing. He looked down the studio. The Reporter and Misty's mom, Nell, were sitting on a couch. They both were crying. Talking softly to each other. The two detectives looked like wild, beastly goons when compared to their surroundings. Zone with his long and slender bent posture. He Adam's apple sticking out. His face thrust forward. Both kempt and disastrous at the same time. Dark and nearly brooding, yet that dumb smirk on his face. His broken tooth kind of poking out from behind his pillowed lips. Gagger was worse somehow. Wide, almost, but lithe. Standing tall and confident like some Nazi Gestapo asshole. Had he started knocking over the shelves and shelves of bad pottery, nobody would be surprised. He looked menacing. But if you could see his eyes, which the two women on the couch could not, you would see a softness that neither of them suspected, and frankly, a thing that would have moved Dell into a different realm of thinking. That would have found herself in different times, upstairs in the queen-sized bed, squealing with delight. But as it was, these two detectives just looked like asshole goons who had come to town with the single, myopic desire of fucking shit up. They stood there looking menacing until the Reporter yelled over to them:
"It's okay! She knows who you are! Just try not to break anything!" Zone and Gagger gave each other side glances and walked across the studio floor. Their steps were loud and hollow on the wooden slats. The place smelled like clay and lilacs. Also, there was a ditch-like water smell. That was because of the clay, but it was a different smell than the clay. Like waiting clay. Or something almost rusty. The detectives approached the women trying to be quiet, but there was nothing they could do to avoid sounding like cows heading towards hay. If Zone was wearing a hat, or even Gagger, they would have taken it off as they approached. Instead Zone put his hand next to his crotch and interlaced his fingers. Gagger saw him do this and did the same. They sat down in two of the chairs that were placed around the couch. Zone looked up at the stairs leading up to the second floor. He wondered what was up there. How it looked. Whether there was a wood burning stove and a sink and a toilet. Then he looked down at the Reporter and Nell. They both had heavy, red eyes. Zone tried not to look at the Reporter because he was afraid that her gaze would hypnotize him. He felt little butterflies being around her again, and that was not good. Instead took a long hard look at Nell. She was a handsome lady. She looked like an older version of the dead body in the greenhouse. This was heart breaking. He was watching her look at Gagger. Something switched in her eyes for a second. Then it switched back. Zone thought to himself: "Fucking, Gagger." He snuck a look at Gagger. He knew that he saw what Zone saw. There was nothing Zone could do about it. And who knows? The woman was grieving. Maybe a little distraction wouldn't hurt. Gagger was good at it after all. Zone turned his gaze back to Nell and said:
"Mrs Sergeant, if you don't mind me calling you that?"
Nell said: "Call me Nell."
Zone said: "Okay, Nell, so sorry for your loss. I really am, I don't know how to..."
Nell said: "Drop it. Constance tells me you guys are good at finding things out. Tell me you know who did this?" Nell broke down again. The Reporter hugged her. She looked over at Zone. The look meant: "Give her good news!" Zone didn't have good news. There was no good news to have! The only thing he really knew was that something was fucked up in Roach Town. The only way he could give good news, if there was good news to be gotten, was to get more information in a way that would allow him to find out what the fuck was happening.
Zone said: "Mrs, Nell, I mean, can you tell me anything at all about the last day or so of what your, Misty, was up to? Friends she saw? People she talked to?"
Nell said: "I don't, I don't know, I mean, my god, I can't even take it anymore, her dad dying and then this, this! I don't know what I will do! I can't even imagine! Have I died? Is this hell? I can't even, my god! Make it stop!" Zone tried to ask another question.
He said: "Was she out all night? Did she have a job?"
Nell said: "I don't know. I mean, I don't even know. I don't. One second she is telling me about this guy she met, and the now, I mean, maybe? She had an apartment in town. Ever since coming back, I guess. I never went there. There wasn't any time. She'd come back so fast and then she was so excited about this thing, I don't even know. She came to lunch a few days ago, she didn't finish her salad. I was so awful about it, why didn't I just let it go! Can you imagine? That last time, the last time I saw my little baby I forced her to eat her salad! I didn't even hug her when she left! My baby! I can't believe it! Tell me she didn't suffer. Tell me!" Zone thought about the bloody nose. The blood on her top lip. Laid out on the floor of the greenhouse. In his mind he decided it was maybe just a drug overdose. He knew it wasn't, but for the sake of Misty's mom, he was able to believe that lie.
He said: "She looked peaceful when I saw her." Gagger's eyes went wide. This was the last thing that Zone should have said. However, maybe he was wrong because Nell said:
"Really? You mean that?"
Zone said: "She did. Like she was sleeping."
Nell said: "Oh my god. I have to go identify the body. The police told me to come over. I don't think I can do it. Conny, you have to come with me! Promise you will come with me!"
The Reporter Constance said: "I'll be there, Nell, whatever you need. I will be there." They both started crying again. Zone looked at the Reporter and got feelings in his heart. He wanted to hug her. But he didn't dare. He stood up instead. Which surprised Gagger. He was not expecting Zone to be finished with his questions. He wondered if maybe he should come back later with the Park House van, just to check in on Nell. It would be the nice thing to do. He stood up as well.
Zone said: "Well, I am so very sorry about this. I want you to know that we are doing anything possible to find the monster that, I just want you to know that we are going to find this, there will be no rock un-turned." Gagger understood that Zone was struggling to find the words.
He said: "Miss Nell, we will find who did this. And I will personally come give you an update about it." Nell smiled at Gagger. Through her tear-soaked eyes. Zone shook his head. Meaning: "Like hell you will." The Reporter Constance did the same. Nell on the other hand shook her head, meaning: "Please do, and you will be greatly rewarded."
The two detectives bid them a farewell and turned around. They stomped out of the studio. Loud and aggressive. Their walking nearly knocking things off of shelves. The Reporter Constance said to Nell: "One second, I will be right back." Nell nodded at her. She went back to crying. The Reporter ran out to meet the detectives before they left. She was light on the floorboards. Like a sprite crossing a glen. The difference between she and the detectives was astounding. She struggled with the same door that seconds before Zone had opened like it was a feather falling on a stack of cotton candy. She caught up to them before they got into the van. She said:
"Wait a sec! I got some info." Zone and Gagger turned around. The smell of lilac smacked Zone right in the gonads. He would have given anything and everything up in his entire world at that moment had she asked him to. But she did not ask him to. She instead said: "Misty had a boyfriend in town. And she had been spending nights at some party thing over in Warren. Also! She was excited about a tattoo. Not one that she had, but some other friend of hers that was from out of state, I guess."
Zone said: "A roach tattoo?"
The Reporter said: "Yeah, how the hell did you?"
Zone said: "Who is the boyfriend?"
The Reporter said: "Some loser named, Gravel. Apparently he has eyes like shockers, whatever that means."
Gagger said: "Eyes like shockers?"
The Reporter said: "You got me. Look, I have to get back, but don't fuck around you two. This is some serious shit."
Zone said: "That's a weird thing to say, don't you think?"
The Reporter said: "Yeah, right, I am the weirdo. You two show up smelling like cider and Gagger here trying to fuck this poor grieving woman? Give me a break." The looks on both Zone's and Gagger's faces said: "Fair enough."
Zone said: "Well, okay. Come find me when you get back from the morgue. We have a guy to go talk to right now."
The Reporter said: "The morgue?"
Zone said: "Aren't you going to identify the body?"
The Reporter said: "Shit, right." She sighed. She said: "Yeah, I guess. Fuck."
Zone said: "Hang in there. She needs you."
The Reporter said: "Don't fuck it up."
Zone said: "What'd I do?"
The Reporter turned around and walked back inside. Zone watched her. He turned to Gagger and said:
"Hate to see her go, love to watch her leave."
Gagger said: "Now that is a Waterby poem that I would actually read. Roach Boy." Zone sighed.
He said: "Shut it down, fucko. And keep your dirty paws off the mom."
Gagger said: "Tell her that."
The two detectives got into the van and started driving back to town. Zone was hungry and so was Gagger. They had some time to kill before going to talk to the Constable. Zone pulled onto the highway. He was day dreaming about the Reporter. Gagger was day dreaming about Misty's mom. She looked like she would fuck his brains out. They drove past the turkeys again and Zone felt happy. Maybe he could live here? He thought. Maybe it was time to rethink his position in life? He took the cigarette Gagger lit for him. Put it between his lips and smiled. Just maybe, he decided. Just maybe.