Page 119 of Rest In Pink
I am not in contact with Mickey Pitts. Please stop asking about him. I have no idea who is hijacking this page. I am currently homeless due to an unfortunate accident last night. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. Please give to my page at GoFundMe.
Thank you, Faye Blue, Page Administrator Pro Tem
Posted on BurneyCommunityNews on Facebook, Thursday 9:15 AM
YES, ALL THE PETS ARE UP HERE INCLUDING YOUR SNAKE
Look, people, any pet you loved is here. I am not going to take inventory. There are millions of them, all fat and happy and basking in the celestial sun. Stop asking me if Precious your grass snake is here. She’s here. She’s waiting for you. Patiently. She’s a snake, that’s what they do. It’s not like Heaven is anti-snake. Just ask Eve.
And in the latest excitement, our local firebug, Mickey Pitts, blew up Navy and Margot Blue’s house last night. Fortunately, Margot is away, and little Peri, who is doing brilliantly with her Mandarin lessons, is staying with the lurid Anemone Patterson and her voluptuous but oddly maternal Aunt Liz Danger, who is actually a Blue and not her aunt but some kind of cousin. Look, if you want accuracy, read a newspaper. This is just gossip from beyond the grave. Also, to the surprise of no one, Dour Detective Vince Cooper is on the case. I realize this is a very small town, but we could use some plot twists to make these posts more interesting.
Zombies would be good.
Chapter Fifty-Four
I sat at Anemone’s blue dining room table and watched George take a call at 8:32 while he was halfway through the big plate of eggs, bacon, and waffles that Marianne had dropped in front of him. He hadn’t noticed I wasn’t eating. I never ate when I was getting ready to go on an op. I liked going in hungry.
Liz, of course, had noticed and was giving me looks across the table which I variously interpreted aswhy are you doing this,eat something, for God’s sakeandtell George and take some backup. I could have just been projecting, though. I did feel bad about not telling George my plan. Or about the money. Or the phone call from Mickey. But I knew George, wary from the shellacking he’d gotten over the Lavender Blue debacle, wouldn’t agree on meeting Mickey. He’d want to play it by the book. He’d call out the cavalry and Mickey would head to the hills, wait for the cavalry to leave, and continue burning down Burney.
George let the phone ring four times, because he was still chewing. He swallowed and picked up. “Chief Pens.”
I watched his face go tight and I knew we were in action.
“I’ll be right there,” George said and hung up. He got to his feet. “The pavilion in Blue Park is on fire.”
“I’ll be right behind you.”
George ran for the door.
I was not right behind him. Technically, Mickey had just broken the agreement we had, but he was making a diversion with a target that was little consequence and didn’t hurt anyone. I’d expected something like this.
I sat still for several moments and then my phone rang. I picked it up and walked away from the table into the foyer. “The pavilion, Mickey?”
He laughed. He was really enjoying this. “It was ugly and needed paint. The fucking Blues. All they did was give a sliver of land along the river no one could build on anyway. Probably got a tax break for it.”
That Mickey echoed my own thoughts about the park was something I’d have to consider later. I noticed that Liz had followed me, which was not what I wanted. I made a motion that meantGo back insideand she apparently took it to meancome up close so you can hear the conversation. The woman was many things; obedient was not one of them.
“The bank opens in fifteen minutes,” Mickey said. “You get the money. You bring Lizzie Blue with you. Drive to the factory and park in the back. By the loading docks.”
I had expected the exchange to happen near the cell tower. I could hear Major Rogers laughing at me and my plans. “I’ll come alone.”
“That’s not what I want. You send Lizzie Blue in with that money.”
“You want the money,” I said, “I come alone.” I hung up.
Before I could say anything, Liz declared, “I’m going with you.”
“You are not.” I said it in the same don’t-fuck-with-me voice that I’d used to keep Molly from poaching my french fries. Unfortunately, Liz Danger, aka Lizzie Blue, was not Molly.
She put her hands on her hips. Despite my tender years, I knew what that meant. She was making a stand. And I noticed Anemone was in the entrance to the kitchen, watching us.
Surprisingly, it was Anemone who broke the standoff. “Liz? Can I talk to you for a moment?”
“Don’t you move,” Liz said to me and she went to Anemone and they disappeared into the kitchen. Which is when I moved. Fast.
When I got to the Jeep, George was already a mile away, his lights flashing.
He could handle a pavilion fire.