Nobody's Fool

***

We got back to my apartment somehow. She drove, I think. I was moving like a zombie by this point. The stench of roasted flesh was in my nostrils and the sight of her wicked smile as she sliced off Benny's dick was burned into my eyes. She was revving like a hot rod. When we got inside, she slammed me against the door and kissed me with a mad fury, her hands pawing at my cock. I somehow pushed her aside and went to check the bathroom. The tub was empty. Cologne must have chewed through the tape. He had taken JJ with him. I turned to see Nobody standing in the bathroom doorway. She had stripped off Cologne's clothes and dropped them on the floor. Her muscles were taut and her breasts were heaving. I could see a gleam of wetness between her legs. Her hands were behind her back and she was twisting one toe in the carpet like a shy, little girl. She grinned at me.

"C'mon, Gumshoe. Reward time. Come fuck me. Come fuck me like you fucked the Scarpetti bitch." Then she giggled and ran into the bedroom.

I splashed water on my face. It didn't help. I felt like I was no longer part of the world. I started out of the bathroom, then doubled over and retched. Cologne's clothes were in a pile at my feet. His wallet had fallen out of his pants. I picked it up. I'm not sure why, I guess to see what his real name was. His driver's license said Julian Justin Scarpetti. Christ, he was JJ's brother. And I had dumped him naked on his sister's nude corpse. What had I become? And then I saw the picture tucked behind the license.

It was Cologne and a woman. They were in a beachside bar, fruity drinks in their hands, laughter in their eyes. His arm was around her and she was gazing lovingly up at him. Her hair was chopped short and there was a delicate scar at the edge of her mouth. Nobody. I felt like there were worms burrowing in my brain. I didn't want it to make sense, but it did. Cologne needed Benny and JJ out of the way. He and Nobody had set me up to do it. I walked into the bedroom like I was walking to the gallows.

Nobody was on the bed, laying in the puddle of piss JJ had let out in her death throes. She was fingering her clit. When I came in she spread her legs wide and leered at me. I grabbed my robe from the hook on the door and tossed it to her.

"Let's go up to the roof," I said. "We should be able to see our handiwork from there." I left. She followed.

Ten stories up we could see the glow of flames down in the warehouse district. Sirens filled the night air. Blue lights twirled in the darkness. Police and news helicopters hovered above the chaos. We stood at the edge of the roof. The wind flapped open her robe, revealing her body. That magnificent body. She pressed herself against me. I felt her hot breath on my chest. Her left hand groped my crotch. She stood on tip-toe and kissed me hard. Then she looked at me. There was something in her eyes that wasn't sadness.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Me too," I lied, and I shoved her off the roof.

She fell without a sound. My eyes took a thousand snapshots as she fell. I could see the robe flapping like angel wings. I could see the glint of the razor in her right hand. I could see her deep, brown eyes. She didn't even look surprised. For the rest of my life I will try to forget the sound she made when she hit the sidewalk.

I walked back down to my apartment. I stripped off my clothes. They reeked of smoke and blood and sin. I grabbed a bottle of Jameson and got in the shower. I stood under the steaming water until it grew cold as my heart.

***