FEAST OF THE FEAR Read Free

and made something of their lives.
    “ Someone broke in last night,” Al said. “Your mom got cut up real bad.”
    Those two sentences slammed into Mitch like bullets. He thought he might drop dead right there in front of Al. He had to fight with everything inside him to quell his rising panic. “Oh, God,” Mitch said. “Is she dead?”
    “ No, no! Relax, boy. They took her to the hospital.”
    “ Well, how bad is it?”
    “ Looks like whoever did it, didn’t intend to kill her,” Al said. “I don’t know what the hell they were thinkin’. Scrawled a bunch of skin-deep slashes all over her body. Like it was some kind of game, or warning or something.”
    “ Game? Warning?” Mitch said.
    “ The cops have already come and gone,” Al said, avoiding Mitch’s stare. “They tried to call you but the operator said your phone was disconnected.”
    Mitch avoided Al’s gaze. “Lost my job,” he said. “Couldn’t pay the bill.”
    All nodded in understanding. “I think they’re gonna want to talk to you later, Mitch. The cops I mean.”
    “ What on earth for? My God, I wouldn’t hurt my own mother!”
    “ I know that, Mitch, but they don’t. They took some prints and stuff from the blood in her bedroom. Said they might have a better idea later in the day as to who might’ve done this. You can relax, Mitch, I saw some of the prints and they’re smaller than yours.”
    “ How much smaller?”
    “ A lot,” Al said, and his buggy eyes swam in his head. Mitch thought he saw a species of fear in those eyes. His own heart hammered inside his chest.
    Listen, Mitch, do you want the bitch to die?
    Just remember, I warned you.
    Jesus, Mitch thought, the panic swelling in him like a tide. It couldn’t be. Mitch tried to move past Al, but Al stepped in his path blocking him. “Get out of the way, Al.”
    “ There’s nothing for you to see in there, Mitch. The cops put a barricade up at her bedroom door. No one’s allowed in until they’re through with the investigation.”
    Mitch stood staring at Al, remembering the terrible night he’d just gone through, remembering dozens of other past nights and their accompanying nightmares, not knowing how he felt, not knowing how he should feel.
    Mitch turned and made his way back outside, Al following behind him. The two men walked in silence to Mitch’s pickup. Mitch leaned over and gagged, nearly puking. His heart raced and his head swam.
    Al leaned against a rusty fender watching him in silence. The old man produced a hand-rolled cigarette, lit it and took a huge drag. Thick columns of gray smoke wafted from his thin nose and deflated mouth.
    Mitch straightened up, scrutinizing Al through wet eyes. “What were you doing in the house, Al?”
    Al managed to look both embarrassed and hurt. “Just gathering up a few of her things, Mitch, you know, in case she might need them at the hospital. I came by this morning and . . . found her like that . . .” Al looked away, his eyes cloudy with emotion.
    Mitch nodded, still watching Al thoughtfully. “You loved her, didn’t you, Al?”
    Al gave a nervous cough. His brown, leathery complexion turned suddenly pale.
    “ I know, Al.” Mitch said. “No need to be embarrassed about it.”
    Al dropped his cigarette and crushed it angrily beneath a worn leather shoe. “What do you know, Mitch?” Al’s voice had turned hard and he leaned in toward Mitch looking curiously like a vulture sizing up meat. His strange green eyes bulged madly from their sockets. “How much do you really know, boy?” Al’s voice rose. “Tell me what you think you know and maybe I’ll tell you some things you don’t!”
    “ Hold on,” Mitch said, backing away, holding his hands up defensively. “I only meant that I’ve suspected for a long time, since I was a kid, that you and Ma . . . well.”
    “ Yeah, I loved her. Still do. So what? I helped her through some hard times. When she got pregnant and had nobody to turn to I was the one