qdesjardin

Pino finds the steel chair too hard to sit on. Its brusque, rust-tinged edges almost seem to cut into her thighs. The shrill ringing of a telephone punctuates the soundscape of typewritten records - Pino sees the two detectives pass her by. She wonders if her family is going to be put in jail. It leaves her sad, thinking of her mom and dad, behind bars.

"I'm hungry.." Pino goes.

One of the detectives glances at an officer, who grabs a box of timbits off the fat, snoring clerk's plate and smacks it down by the tableside near her. How rude; Pino would think the police would be nicer people.

Still, she tries munching on the half-eaten chocolate pieces. Mmmph, tasty.

The fan's blades hover over the table. Lil's gaze is fixated on the rotational gleam the fan makes from the reflection, like the axles of a train. Gazing out the window at the sunset offers her little comfort; the freedom she's once known would easily turn into a torment.

She had little choice in the driver's death.. would she have been comfortable just hiding her family in the shadows? Possibly waiting an eternity for another car, while leaving her Pino at the mercy of the night's coldness?

She never meant to kill him. Intentions are like the devil – they drive you to action through promises, and if it goes horrible, no one would care that you meant only for the best. It was that truck driver who had reported her. How else would the highway patrol have known to go directly for the trunk? Oh, life has its ways of exposing your weaknesses in ways you'd never expect..

Lil retreats to that corner of her mind, where she'd once served as inspector. What would she tell them when they start talking to her? That the driver was under Antonioni's thrall? It would be opening up a can of worms, revealing the whole story about being under target by an old enemy.

From experience, she knows if the detectives have an agenda, they're not going to care about understanding her situation. (She's guilty of this herself, having accused people prematurely in her early investigations.)

It might be better to stay quiet..

With the door's creak, both detectives emerge. One is Paola, with microbladed eyebrows and a soft face which betrays shades of stern intensity. The other is Johnson, with his stocky frame and thin-framed glasses. They take seats right beside Lil, on either side of her like they're already good friends.

"¿Así que tienes una familia?" Paola goes.

Lil raises an eyebrow - not understanding a word.

"What my colleague means is, you have a daughter -" Johnson flicks his cigar into his mouth, slicing the top off it in automatic motion. "Pino. We passed her by, and she looks mightily unhappy. She must miss you already."

Lil winces. Pino.. how dare they use her against me!

A hint of a smile comes across Johnson. "We can make things go by in a pinch," he goes. "This wouldn't take more than five minutes with your cooperation. All you need to do is promise you'll answer honestly. Agreed?"

"About what?" Lil goes, her eyes shifting. "I'm not talking without a lawyer."

Paola talks with Johnson in hasty Spanish, like Lil isn't even here.

"You have your rights – Lillián Mayer, is that right?" Johnson pulls out his file folder to double-check, and Lil, letting her curiosity get the better of her, leers over to see a glimpse of what they've put on her record. She catches an apocyphal mention of a bludgeoned butler.

When Johnson looks up at her, she says "Lil. Yeah." They haven't even addressed the elephant in the room. Maybe they're trying to see what I'm willing to say before the subject is officially broached?

"Lil. If that's what you prefer. We can get you a lawyer – it will take time to find a court-appointed public defender. Possibly until tomorrow. We'll put you in a cell overnight if it takes that long – perhaps we'll ask Pino about what happened.."

Lil slams the table. "Enough with the mind games!"

"Tranqulio.." Paola says. "Johnson, esta perra está empezando a perder la compostura-"

"Hey!" Lil goes. "You think you can get away with talking about me cause I don't know Spanish, but I know enough that whatever style of interrogation you're practicing here in this shantytown, you're not going to make any headway with me this way."

Paola and Johnson exchange glances.

"There is no need to yell, Lil," Johnson goes, politely putting the folder away like a doting principal in front of a troublemaking kid. "You and your family are caught in a situation. An undeniable fact. We're not accusing you of anything – for all we know, you might have been unlucky and borrowed the wrong car that night-"

"He was going to kidnap us," Lil says, finally breaking the tension. "We were fleeing from our residence – we got a warning from an old friend, the mafia were going to attack my family, and so.."

"El mafia?" Paola goes. Her eyebrow raised, she mutters something to Johnson.

"Go on."

"We tried to hitchhike.. this driver was the one who picked us up. He was rude and somewhat creepy.. we stopped for a bathroom break, and I overheard him talking on the radio about bringing us over for payment- his mother's chemo-therapy. So, we.. knocked him out."

"By 'we knocked him out,' what do you mean?"

Lil closes her eyes, recalling that it was Pino who struck that fatal blow.. her gut is reeling from the thought of having pushed her daughter into murder.

"Vincent held the driver from behind, and I tried hitting him with the beer bottles. He was going to chew through Vincent's wrists-"

"Lillián," Paola says. "He is dead. The autopsy says he died from head trauma.."

An involuntary 'No' leaves Lil's lips.

"We can put you in for five years," Johnson says. "Involuntary manslaughter, if you admit that your confession is, to the word of God, true."

Lil finds the room's full-frame interrogation mirrors, reflecting herself, alone among an infinite regress of light and shadows, and enroaching darkness in its abyssal depths of reflecting everything – that nothing which permeates the pauses between your breaths.

".. what about Vincent?"

He'd thought he'd never find the taste of cigarette vapour soothing, but his nerves are shot from spending an entire night without sleep. Vincent coughs from the first puff, all while the nicotine already works its magic in his lungs – a wake-up call in his nerves. He coughs the vapours out in spurts, and it's far from the glamourous imagery of those noir serials. Still, he's thankful for the pack of Fortunas left on the table. Its musky aroma is as familiar to him as those morning visits to the bustling cafe, where you're greeted by smoke and coffee.

The shades are pulled over the window. From the rough manner which the officers have hauled him into this room, he is too intimidated to pull the blinds open. Anything a victim of contempt does could become reason for offense, so the only thing which illuminates is the lamplight, hovering over the table..

In a sudden thud, Vincent is blinded. He squints – they have switched the lighting on, full blast. He briefly catches the faint afterimage of a strangely familiar woman in the hall of mirrors, before the door slams open.

Paola smashes down a chair behind Vincent, while Johnson puts his rugged butt on the other side of the table, where it sags.

"Vincent Law," Johnson goes. "The five-time winning poker maestro. I'd bet a quarter of my life savings on you, every time! You never disappoint!"

"Gee, thanks," Vincent scoffs.

"Still not enough to keep me off this day-to-day work, sonnyjim. You've been caught with a body in the trunk. The actual owner of the car you were in. The last thing we'd expect is finding you in this mess – even though you've started a family of your own. That's where I get to tell you, 'I'm very disappointed in you, Vince.'"

"Are you going to put me on blast over that drunkard?" Vincent says. He feels the laser-stare of Paola, boring into his skull. "Did you talk with Lil already?"

"She said you held him from behind. We've found some blood from the driver's mouth which matches yours."

"We were under pursuit by Antonioni.."

A beat.

"Antonioni.." Johnson says, leaning off the poor table. "He's a big fish. We've tried nabbing his family for racketeering and gambling, but always, he eludes our grasp, the witnesses always vanish – or they kill themselves for no reason.. why would he go after you?"

Vincent sees the mirrors' infinite reflections, imagining the thought of Lil behind bars, of Pino alone. But a voice whispers to him that he's found the upper hand on these cops. In the depths of the mirror.. where the spotlight finally shines upon his face, illuminating his state of ignorance while the blue curtains, glimmering as they undulate, pull back to reveal the tall woman who's lurked beneath his awareness.

Amidst the morass of velvet flowers and vines, she waters the dried patches, holding her palm out and bringing a renewed order to the network of neural connections.

- It was you who was guiding me!

- What? I merely prodded you along to where you needed to be. It could have happened a thousand different ways over, the way your life unfolded, and yet, here you are. You have Lil, and you have Pino. And you're still alive, at least, for now.

- Why am I here, though?

- Because I willed it. Out of one chance encounter, when you had nowhere else to turn to for resources, I've kept you safe, in here.

The lady points to her head, while her other hand hovers over her heart.

- All this is my reality, and you are treading though my dreams. Softly, or however crudely you choose, you're always here.

- .. is there anything beyond this?

Vincent has only a faint inkling of the life he's had before. He knows this out of pure instinct. But trying to remember is like recalling a word – or a name – which is beyond the tongue's grasp. Even trying to talk with her has the efficacy of a fever-pitched clarity.

- Nothing of any value. You want to return to your family – to Lil and Pino, don't you? Let me tell you a secret..

Vincent ventures forward, enticed by what the lady promises. He feels the softness of the flowers under his feet, a cushion which caresses the skin with nectar.

- It is an improbability that a lawyer shall appear in the room you're in, let alone a lawyer who'd really care enough to aid you. But what is available is information, which shall appear at your feet like a long-lost memory, and what you will do is ask for total immunity in regards to Antonioni. It will protect your family from legal trouble, over the past transgressions you've committed.

- Immunity?

- Yes. There are two types of immunity: use immunity, and transactional. The former will only protect your testimony from being used against you in a court of law. The latter will save your family.

- And what will happen afterward?

- Good luck-

"Before I tell you that," Vincent goes, "I want immunity for my family. And not the cheap kind where it's just for this driver, but for everything that has to do with me and Antonioni. Transactional immunity."

Johnson gives it a moment. He looks at Paola, who is non-plussed about the turn of events. "Consider it done, Vince."

Nowe and Vincent haul the wooden paddleboat, trudging along the shoreline to the waters. It gets easier when the boat finds traction with the ocean – Vincent calls out for Lil and Pino to hop on board.

He's anxious about the boat's ability to stay afloat with all their weight; it felt like it was on the verge of sinking when Vincent once tried riding it with a pregnant Lil. He'd all but forgotten about it until Nowe suggested the idea of doubling back onto the waters.

When he tries hopping on after lifting Pino up into Lil's arms, the boat almost tips over..

"Aaghh!" Vincent fumes, holding onto the lip of the boat.

At the same time, Nowe spots some headlights approaching, caressing the residence in an outline of harsh light.

"You have to go - now!" he says.

Lil clutches onto Vincent's hands, as if trying to cherish what could be their last moments together. In her adrenaline-filled thoughts, an idea hits her: "Vince.. are you fine holding onto the boat's edge?"

"I am. It's just.. c-cold.."

Lil puts Pino on the boat's opposite end, and the boat seems to hold its own. Then she grabs both of the paddles, and starts rowing.

"Nowe," she says, "thank you.."

"Just go!"

She frowns, even knowing his curtness is justified. As the boat goes into the distance, Lil sees Nowe shrink back into the household – while she feels Pino's arms tugging at her, she makes a silent prayer for Nowe's well-being.

In the house, it is stark without the warmth of family. Nowe pulls out his cerberus pistol, and dims the LED setting so the pistol doesn't give itself away. He stands by the wall by the television, his gun pointed out – and poses himself still like a statue, waiting to strike.

Unless you were really listening for it, you'll never know that the house is surrounded by mafiosos. Their footsteps are dim, without so much a hushed whisper.

Nowe spots the outlines of the men, just outside the kitchen window. They're cutting through the mesh, and are gently prying up the windowsill – he clutches his pistol, no doubt leaving so much sweat in his white satin gloves.

When they clamber inside, Nowe controls his breathing. He lets them stalk past into the living room, where he can get clean shots on the both of them..

After two flashes, he hears the collapse of a body, violently knocking over the glass table. It was then that all hope for total stealth is lost, as he hears the men outside agitated, expecting a shooter, their Sicilian tones crying for retaliation.

Nowe strides over to the second floor, where he finds the bedroom of Lil and Vincent. He hides under the mattress, brushing aside Lil's makeup bags and hearing the clatter of her lipstick, rolling on the hardwood.

His gun is held out. His thoughts race over where he'll move, as soon as he'll knock out the ones coming over.

Nowe is met with a tense silence.

Then he hears the march of heavy footsteps, up the stairs. His eyes wince, as a part of him senses it is Antonioni himself - no one else walks with such a pompous gait in a gunfight.

".. Nowe!" Antonioni says, remaining in the halls. "Something for your consideration.."

The click of a radio.

Nowe strains his ears – he hears what sounds like his own family, in whimpers, as Sicilian voices on the other end order the use of a scalpel on the girl's face, and then – screams.

"Your heart yearns to protect others, but I fear you may be saving the wrong people -"

"Stop!" Nowe shouts, recognizing his sister. "Antonioni! Tu bastardo!"

"I can stop it," Antonioni goes, as if jeering. "And every fibre of me wants to, if only you'd be so kind to tell me where our dear Vincenzo has gone."

The chills flood through Nowe's body: a guilt torn between two loves. He winces – imagining the joy of exploding Antonioni out of his old age, but as he remembers those years, growing up, knowing Eris's smiles and her laughter..

Nowe tosses his pistol by the doorway, with a light clatter.

"For the love of God, please – leave my family alone." He says this in heaving sobs.

Antonioni's men raise their torches on Nowe, blinding him. To stare back at the mob boss is like staring at the sun. Nowe goes down on his knees, much to Antonioni's satisfaction.

"Good."

In any other night, the starlit peace would be the cherry-on-top of rowing along the coast. But here, Lil feels her arms burning – the paddles steadily weighing heavy as she feels her muscles tire from the exertion.

"I- I can't hold on any longer.." Vincent whimpers.

Lil snaps out of her melodic trance, and checks on Vincent. Poor thing, his face is so pale and she could make out he's on the verge of fainting. She shifts the boat towards the sandy coast, where she gets Pino's help in carrying him out.

Vincent is soaked, bearing the reek of those moments before it rains.

Lil takes off his clothes, stripping him down to his underwear. Then she lays herself atop of him – warming him up with her own body, as she holds and caresses his shivering arms.

"L-Lil," he says, "this is where we first drove into town.."

She looks around, seeing the same palm trees wavering in the night like those years ago. The spark of nostalgic rememberance leaves her feeling bittersweet – like it had been just yesterday when they sweetly made love after that escape.

Lil sees Vincent, and finding him so vulnerable, she kisses him in one gentle nibble. Even in his numb state, it's still enough to really flood his skin with euphoria, and he holds her closer, wanting more of her kiss..

He opens his eyes.

"Hi," he goes.

"Hello." Lil breaks a smile.

Pino sees them – oh, they're having a grown-up moment.

While Lil waits by the road, Pino recites the story of the three chipmunks back to Vincent – it's her turn now to read aloud to her dad. He's started a fire in the garbage can, just to keep them warm.

"The three chipettes blew the stove-top off," Pino goes, "and my, it made a scene. All the kittens wandered in from the alley, their noses smelling the nice meatballs they were cooking. Brittany could hear them all mewling out the window – it was a horde of kittens, all of them hungry, awaiting with open eyes for some food."

"Oooh," Vincent says.

Pino grins, feeling proud of entertaining her daddy. "Brittany didn't know what to do. But Jeanette was smart enough to call the Milkman over, and when the truck drove by, full of milk, the kitties chased after it under the moonlit night.

"Finally, they were able to cook spaghetti. Brittany was so hungry, she went through three plates – Eleanor had hers with a lot of cheese pieces, and Jeanette watched the TV as she ate. It was a lot of dishes they had to wash, but boy, were they full!"

Vincent breaks into a chuckle, as he fetches his clothes which had dried over the improvised bonfire.

By the roadside, Lil shouts for the attention of the oncoming truck driver -

"Halp! Stop!"

The truck is too busy carrying its load of steel slabs to notice. Lil sighs; they can't stay here for long. It might be possible that Nowe had fended them all off, but it's not an idea she wants to entertain – Antonioni isn't one to be deterred by that boy's plucky spirit alone.

A car comes by. This time, pulling over for Lil.

"You look lost, lady," the driver goes – his grizzly beard has some cracker pieces on it.

"We need a lift outta town."

"We?"

"I have a family – it's a long story. We just need a ride out." Lil calls Vincent and Pino over. The driver studies them: they sure look harmless enough. With a willingness in his eyes:

"Hop in."

Vincent, still shirtless, falls asleep by the back, despite the abundance of disposed beer bottles. Pino stays wary, taking a dislike to the lingering stench of cheap alcohol. "Pee-yeu! It stinks!"

"I know," the driver goes, "thanks for reminding me, I really ought to clean this up sometime.."

"Pino!" Lil snaps. "Let's try to stay polite."

"Okay, Lil-Lil.."

Lil keeps herself awake chatting with the driver – it's nice to relieve pent-up stress in a conversation, though she is careful not to mention the danger of being under pursuit by Antonioni. Otherwise he'll have second thoughts about helping them, or worse, sell them out to the mob. If you've been alive long enough, you'll know how regular people, despite all apperances, can and will cave in towards acts of total pettiness, given enough pressure.

"Is he your hubby?" the driver goes. "He looks wasted.."

"He's been out swimming for a while. He's not the kind of guy who'd get drunk for fun, usually." Lil flashes a little blush, standing up for her sleeping husband.

"What about you?" the driver asks. "Do you party? You look like you'd be kind of wild when you let yourself go.."

"Ask me that again, I'll give your cheeks a party to remember."

"Okay, okay, well! I totally respect that, dig!"

The car veers by the hilly forest, when Pino calls out that she has to go pee. "Please, pretty please, I need to go.."

It doesn't escape Lil how the driver flashes a brief look of exasperation. He pulls over to the side, and Lil wakes up Vincent-

"Huh, are we here already?"

"No, it's just a washroom break. I'm going with Pino.. I think you should come too, cause it doesn't seem like there'll be another chance."

Lil follows Pino and Vincent down, climbing over the wildlife fence down the hill – where it's in total shadow. Her breaths shudder out in wispy vapours, while behind her, the driver is enjoying a cigar break near his car's high beams. For some reason, she feels elated just to be out of that musty car; the pine woods and shrubbery whisper unintelligible secrets that only the night comprehends.

A thought crosses her mind. While she hears Vincent and Pino in the distance, she decides to clamber back up to see what the driver does, when he thinks no one is looking.

She watches the driver pull out a walkie-talkie radio. He steps inside, shutting the door, and Lil strains herself to hear:

"You were right. They were right near the beach when I found them. Listen, I'm doing a pit stop cause the girl had to go for a piss.. you promised me the ninety thousand on arrival, yeah? I want a raise, give me $120,000. Yeah? My fuckin' mother is undergoing chemo-therapy, and I'm struggling with the bills as-is man, now gimme the raise or you'll never get to see these people."

Lil could not make out who was talking on the other end, but she's heard enough to know the driver means no good. As Vincent and Pino emerge from the bushes, Lil rushes down to them:

"I've overheard him," she says. "He's delivering us to Antonioni."

"Whaat?"

"Lil, is he a bad man?"

She solemnly nods – in trepidation over what they'll have to do. "We need his car.."

Lil escorts Vincent and Pino back into the headlights' visibility.

"Took you folks long enough-" The driver snuffs his cigar on the asphalt, but not before exhaling one last, massive puff of vapourized tobacco. "I want to be in town by the break of dawn, yo."

If the atmosphere in the car has changed, this time bearing a charged alertness, the driver doesn't appear to notice. Vincent is putting his shirt back on in the back seat, while Pino is kicking her legs in a sort of agitated rhythm.

"You folks seem like you've seen a bear down there or somethin'," the driver goes, pulling the car ignition. "What you all acting up-tight for, all of a sudden." The tension is borne high, as the driver tries to get the engine to turn over – Lil recalls how driving the Jaeguar would purr up on demand; that's truly a luxury car.

As soon as the car roars to life-

"Now!"

Vincent reacts, grabbing the driver's neck from behind in a chokehold.

Lil grabs one of the bottles and tries smacking the driver. Trying to knock the driver out isn't a pretty ordeal – amidst the driver's thrashing, Lil smacks the beer bottle's bottom upon the driver's face, expecting him to go out cold with each blow. She leaves bruises on his cheek, his brow, but even so, the driver is a rugged man, surprisingly deft; he latches onto her arms. "You naughty bitch!"

"Get him, Vince!" Pino shouts. "He's hurting Lil!"

The driver bites down hard on Vincent's wrists-

"AAaooouww!"

It's up to Pino! She tries doing what Lil does, which is to grab another bottle, and swiping the poor driver directly on the skull. The driver breaks free from Vincent, and he whips out a switchblade - nicking Lil by the shoulder.

But blood wells up in his eyes, crawling up to the irises like an infection.

The driver hits the driving wheel in an unconscious thud, all his body weight slumping over, and for the few awkward minutes before Lil is able to push his body outside, the car's horn is the only noise the highway hears.

"I'm hurt," Vincent goes, the teethmarks emitting gashes of blood through his sleeve. Thinking on her feet, Lil slices off a strip of her own dress using the driver's switchblade, and wraps that tightly over his wrist – adding a dainty knot at the end.

While Vincent recouperates, Lil enlists Pino's help carrying the driver over to the trunk.

"Is he dead, Lil?" Pino asks. "Did we kill him?"

"I hope we didn't.."

Lil lifts the trunk, where there's a bag of hunting gear. On the count of three, they roll his obese being into the compartment-

An incoming truck.

Lil struggles with packing the arms and legs, before she rushes to slam the trunk down. She hears the truck stopping; tensing, she turns around, facing the curious truck driver who's hopped out.

"Do ya need help with anything?"

"No.. no," Lil goes. "We just ran into some car trouble, that's all."

"Oh, okay. Cause it looks like you were packin' something heavy into your trunk-"

Her nerves are so shot – it's hard spinning a story when you've been battered by the night's ordeal. She looks over at Pino, who is fidgeting with her pockets.

"I thought you might have blown your tires out," the truck driver goes. "Maybe you could use a hand?"

"It's not the case at all," Lil says, nudging Pino to get back in the car. "Our luggage was wiggling around too much while driving. We're doing fine otherwise." She pulls off a smile, and the driver gives her a look, but he's convinced enough to head back and mind his own business.

Phew.. crisis averted.

Lil lets go of clenching up when she hops over by the driver's seat. She starts breaking down into tears..

"This is just too much," she goes. "I can't.."

Pino, who's by the passenger seat, goes over and hugs her.

"Lil – please don't cry," Pino says. "You've been so strong for all of us."

"It's just so much craziness over one night, and I- I can't believe we've reached this point where we had to beat that driver up.. Pino, please, I don't want you thinking that it's okay to do things like this to others. Okay? Promise me."

Pino pulls her pinky out with Lil – pinky promise.

"I can drive," Vincent goes.

The highway rolls on – every second, Vincent is grateful for the improvised wrapping Lil's put over his wrist, the pain dying down as the dawn paints the night away. The back seat, Lil sleeps, her breathing serene (she'd personally cleared out all the stray beer bottles, eugh!).

"I spy with my little eye.." Pino says, holding her head out the window for a cool feature in the desert. "Something green and spiky, and it has three prongs!"

"Hmmph, the cacti?"

"That's right!"

Pino is too excited about what the new town holds in store to keep sleeping. "Hmm, I spy.. with my little eye, something which goes 'Moooo!'"

Vincent is befuddled. There aren't any cows to be seen. "Cows?"

"You!" Pino grins. "Moooo!"

Vincent does his best impression of a cow, bellowing out his belly, and they both laugh.

But something catches his eye in the rear-view mirror: it's the green and violet flashes of the incoming highway patrol.

"Pino, look behind," Vincent goes. "It's the police." For a moment, Vincent half-wonders if the police are just merely passing by, before his question gets answered: the cruise blares its alarm, signaling to pull over.

Shiittt.. maybe we're flashing a broken light?

Vincent purrs the car aside, as Lil stirs.

"¡Apague su automóvil y salga del vehículo!"

Vincent has only the faintest inkling what the officer is saying out the cruiser's loudspeaker. He steps out, facing the cruiser and its blinding sirens.

"What's going on?" Vincent says, his hands raised.

The officer steps out: he's a bald, stocky fellow, with sweat gleaming off his head. He raises his pistol at Vincent. "¡Los otros pasajeros, sáquenlos!"

Pino shakes Lil back to reality, where it dawns on her that they might be in serious trouble. "We have to get out of the car, Lil."

So, when Pino and Lil hop out, a second officer corrals them, knocking Lil to the ground and thrusting handcuffs behind her back. Pino screams; though she tries fleeing, the second officer grabs her, lifting the girl onto his shoulders.

They're put into the cruiser's back; Pino huddles close to Vincent: "I'm scared.."

"Don't be - the police are supposed to be the good guys.. excuse me?" Vincent shouts past the grille. "What are we being arrested for?"

The officers ignore him, as they turn to the car's trunk. One of them heads over to the driver's side, popping the trunk open, and the other officer lifts it up, revealing the haggard corpse of the driver.

"Ayyy!" they shout, like they've found El Dorado.

Lil shudders. Look what you've done..

Antonioni's lupara – an artisanal masterwork in execution – it hangs on the shelf of the limousine. The dim lighting gleams over the woodward stock, especially the silver braiding which decorates the spot above the trigger. His hands twitch, imagining the two-tiered sensation of pulling both triggers - one click which follows the other.

"Would you hand me two rounds of buckshot di radicalmente invasive?"

He half-expects his assistant, pulling out the ammo cabinet between his legs, to reply with a disappointing 'no.' But as luck has it, his assistant glees, passing him the remaining gold-plated shells.

"It's the last two, signor."

"Aah, very good."

He would have settled on using the knife, but as the years have worn on, he's grown a revulsion towards the delayed cruelty of butchering people like an uncivilized hunter. Perhaps it's the frailty of old age which has softened his nerves.

So the only question now.. who to take first? Justice is guaranteed to be an instantaneous affair when it's delivered by this gun. Should it be Lil? Let Vincenzo relish his last moments in anguish, allowing the one he loves to be ripped away.. or the other way around? The one who's left should be whoever deserves the real punishment. Seeing how Vincenzo has failed him twice – he'd given Vincenzo a chance to redeem himself – Antonioni pauses with this train of thought.

They have a child, Pino. Surveillence has let him know about how they'd started a family. Odds are, they've tried leaving behind the past.. especially their involvement with him.

A part of him feels for their young daughter. He doesn't have the heart to ruin her with the pain of losing both parents. But they must pay for the damage done; not only must his own family suffer the humiliation of losing at rigged poker, but on top of that, Bonanno has retaliated with war over the failed attempt at his life. It's a losing game.. the least he must do is this justice.

It can go like this: since it is Vincenzo who had primarily instigated this chain of events, he'll bear the full responsibility. He lifts the lapura from the stand, carefully.

The driver pulls up the coordinates of the Jaeguar.

It's by the sea.

Lil is preparing the dinner table – the meatballs still sizzle on the spaghetti plates (she'd tipped the delivery guy a good deal extra). She pulls the lighter to the candles, and it takes her a couple flicks from the quiver in her hands.

"It's so yummy..!" Pino is about to nab the first bite, but Lil swipes her hand off the fork.

Everything has to be perfect. Why? A good mood ensures the best chance that Vincent would hear her out.

The door pops open.

There's still soot under Vincent's eyes, but his usual routine of slugging his coat atop the couch is interrupted when he sees the beautiful set-up.

"Lil-?"

"You've been working hard, for all of our sakes. I figured we could treat ourselves out – it's Wester Friday."

It warms Lil's heart to see Vincent wolf down the spaghetti. If only she could learn cooking.. he tells her about how everyone at work was dancing, letting off some steam about being made to work overtime.

"What was the ceremony like?" he asks.

"Oh, it's a lot of dancing and singing-"

"We blew a huge bubble!" Pino goes. "It popped in everyone's faces!"

The dinner plates are all empty, and Lil puts them in the dishwasher. She looks at Vincent, who is tuned into the TV with Pino. When would be the time to tell him.. I can't keep what's happened after at the church a secret. I'll call him over in private.

"Vincent?" she goes. "There's.. something I need to let you know."

She calls him over, while Pino is absorbed by the animation.

"What is it Lil?" Vincent sees the bout of sadness in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I've.. had the church pastor come up to me. It'll sound like the most ridiculous thing to say.. he told me that Pino's the reincarnation of their holy saviour."

"Whaa-t?"

"He wants us to take Pino in with the church, to be raised as their messiah."

"That's just nonsense!" Vincent is fuming. "Pino's just an ordinary girl."

"Vince.. I also had this guy in white. He looked kind of familiar, for some reason. Right after the pastor spoke with me, he came over to Pino and scared her. I wasn't able to hear what he told her exactly, but it sounded like he was saying she's in some kind of danger. I took Pino into the car, and drove off – it was.. I felt overwhelmed."

"You did the right thing, Lil," he goes. "That's quite random, though. Why'd you say he looked familiar?"

"I think we've.. met before."

Vincent looks into her eyes, and as his thoughts froth, he has the recollection of hearing two deafening cracks upon that stage, with Lil (as Odeile) being shot by.. who was that kid? Could it be Nowe? No, it couldn't be. It's just a random creep who went over to Pino, that's all.

"Vincent, I'm starting to not like it here," Lil says, interrupting his reverie. "Maybe let's move somewhere else.."

"Nothing's perfect in this town," Vincent goes. "But let's keep some perspective: we've had it good since we moved here. People have been nice to us for the most part, compared with that other town. If it makes things better, let me go up to the church first thing tomorrow, and give Julius a piece of my mind. And that guy in white-"

Vincent smacks his hands together, as if kung-fu punching a wooden block into half. "Hi-yaaa!"

"Oh, Vincent.." Lil swoons. She falls into embracing him, into a feeling of reassurance as deep as those lavender fields she'd dreamed about. "Sometimes, I do let my emotions get the better of me.."

In her room, wearing her bunny one-piece, Pino puts the stranger's photo out on the little easel, with her desk lamp shining a spotlight over it. Her panda, Belle, wearing a top hat and cane from her doll outfit collection, is posed by the spooky image..

"We have gangsters on the loose!" Sergent Belle squeaks. "They're possessed and looking to frighten away our townspeople! Quick, I'm calling on you Rick to investigate!"

"Right away, aye-aye!"

Pino gets her Ricky doll to tap-dance towards the dollhouse.

"Excuse me, missus," Ricky goes, holding up the oversized picture to the lovely matron, Eggy. "I don't suppose you've seen these suspects around?"

"They're just terrible!" Eggy rests her hand upon her face, panicing in that melodramatic manner of those detective serials. "They've munched on all my pasteries, and now they're wreaking havoc by Betsy's saloon!"

"Come with me – this may be too big for me alone to handle; I could use a hand!"

Pino has the two hop on stuffed horses, and like Lil, they ride heroically across the carpet to the crime-in-progress.

The little saloon is a cardboard box, which Pino had painted daisies on and had Lil's help cutting out the windows. Now, Pino shakes the box to simulate the saloon in distress, and she tosses Ricky and Eggy inside the holes – she shakes the box harder, and some of its contents spill out, including plastic figurines, spoons, and a Victoria Saint plushie.

Finally..

"Gotcha!" Ricky goes, hauling out the dastardly villains responsible for the mess – the two muskrat ninjas.

"Aw shucks! You caught us!" they go, with the nasally timbre of a Brooklyn accent. "We was only trying to have fun!"

"It's off to jail with youse!" Ricky has the two of them in tow, as he lugs them back to the police station – zippity-zip!

"Richard!" Eggy blushes, kissing Ricky all over his face- "You'll always be my hero!"

"I couldn't have done it without you, Eggy.."

Vincent inches the bedroom door open. Through the crack, he watches her play, adoring the way she brings everything around her surroundings to life – the power of a child's imagination. He imagines her growing up into an accomplished artist; how proud he'd be of her! Then he nudges forth into her playspace.

"Pino," he says, "what sort of trouble did you put Richard into?"

She perks her head up - the bunny ears droop over her back.

"He's been looking for these two dastardly muskrats," Pino goes, as she lays her Ricky on the ground. "They made such a huge mess in the saloon, look!" She points at the box, whose contents have spilled out onto the floor.

"Wow -" Vincent acts on his urge to help Pino clean up the assortment of lain toys and trinkets, however amazing the scene may look to her mind's eye. "They sure had their fill. Let's try to clean this up, alright? I don't want you tripping over poor ol' Betsy when it's lights out."

"Okey!"

Pino scrambles, putting back the Victoria Saint plushie. Soon, the toys are tucked away in the saloon's rooms, and Vincent gives her a gentle pat on her head, before hugging her with all of his heart.

"It's almost bedtime," he goes, before his eyes fall upon the easel, with the photo lying in wait. "Wait- what's this.."

Even before he turns the lamp on, he feels the back of his scalp tingle – as if knowing what the photo has in store already. When he's able to make out the black and white silhouettes of the mobsters, recognizing Antonioni among them – he feels his gut lurch, as now he picks the photo and scrutinizes its details with the alertness granted by a mounting panic.

The table which has their current address on it.. the way the caporegimes are stern, as if having ordered a death sentance.

"Pino.. where did you find this picture?"

"A strange man showed it to me outside of church today. He said he knew my mom.. and that his name was Nowe.."

Nowe. The innocent boy who wanted to free his family from Bonanno's clutches. He's alive and well after all..

"What else did he say!?"

"He said that we're in danger. Mama told me he's a loony.."

Vincent picks Pino up, as he looks out the window – the moonless sea roaring with a receding tide. "We have to move, Pino- Lil!"

As he carries Pino out to the hall, he calls out for Lil, with each cry more desperate than the last.

"Lil! Where are you?"

He hears the flushing of a toilet – Lil staggers out of the washroom to meet him. "Did something happen with Pino?"

"It's Antonioni.. I think he's coming to get us."

"Antoni- that old geezer? Impossible! Where's this coming from?"

Then Vincent procures the photo. "It was Nowe, Lil. From Bonanno's party. He tried to warn us earlier.."

Lil takes the photo, and without really looking at it, realises how it spells an ill-omen, and how everything clicks together from an abstract anxiety into a concrete doom.

"No, I – that's why I had such a weird feeling!" Lil exclaims. "Vince, I'm so sorry.. I didn't realise it earlier."

"It's alright.. is the Jaeguar parked outside?"

The doorbell rings.

Vincent hands Pino over to Lil, and tells them to stay in the shadows, as he finds a nearby weapon – a metallic water bottle that's left on the counter. He approaches the front door, wreathed in the night's shadows, his heart beating rapidly, a fear whelming his nerves, treating the door like an entryway to uncertain hell.

Upon the second ring, he hears a familiar soft-toned voice:

"Vince, Lil – if you can hear me, please open up!"

Vincent hurriedly swipes the door open, and hauls the fellow in by the collar. Nowe – he's still dressed in the same white suit as earlier. He brushes his chest off, as if negating the insult of being hauled in so abruptly, while he turns the lights on like a courtesy.

"Nowe! How did you find us here?" Vincent goes, while Lil and Pino inch out from the corner.

"It's the car you've stolen from Bonanno. It's equipped with a homing device.. listen, I'm real sorry about scaring you so earlier. But now, you only have precious few minutes left. Antonioni's in town already.. he's on his way here. He'll stop at nothing if it means your heads."

Lil has Pino huddled in her arms, rocking her to and fro – as if hoping to calm both their spirits down.

"You.. you shot me!" she goes. "Vincent, I still don't trust him. This could be a ruse to bait us into trouble."

"I won't blame you for that sentiment." Nowe spits those words out of his core. "Ever since that one night, I've asked myself whether it was the right thing to have raised the gun towards you – I knew I was going to lose.. even though I wanted so badly the chance to be with you. Even now, I still feel my heart coveting you. You are out of this world, Lil. It was Vincent who won the duel, because after all, your heart was already tied to him.."

Lil winces, his penetrating grasp of her affinity with Vincent. "Why are you really here?"

A tear escapes out Nowe's eye.

".. I want to save you."

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