Known Devil Read Free

confession.
    “You’ve been advised of your rights,” I said. “I know that, since I’m the one who did it. You understand that you don’t have to talk to us without a lawyer present.”
    “Yeah, yeah,” he said. “I know. It’s cool.”
    “Your name’s Thorontur,” I said.
    “Yeah.”
    “People call you ‘Thor’?”
    “Yeah – how’d you know?”
    “Lucky guess,” I said. “Mind if we call you that? It’s less of a mouthful than ‘Thorontur’.”
    “Yeah, sure. Whatever. Listen, dude, you gotta–”
    “Don’t call me ‘dude’. It’s ‘Detective’,” I said.
    “OK, sorry. Thing is, I’m feelin’ real bad, OK? I gotta see a doc, have him give me somethin’.”
    “We might be able to help you with that,” Sefchik said. “But, we call a doctor, you know, first thing he’s gonna ask is what’s wrong with the patient. So, how’re you feeling bad, exactly? You got the flu, or something?”
    “Naw, it ain’t that. I need some meds, you know?”
    A junkie. The little bastard was acting just like a human going through withdrawal. And that just wasn’t possible.
    “What kind of medication are we talkin’ about, Thor?” I said. “You under a doctor’s care right now?”
    “No, dude,” he said. “It’s just that–”
    My right palm slapped the table, hard. “ I told you not to call me ‘dude’. I’m not gonna tell you again.”
    Thor jumped a little, which is what I’d intended. “Sorry, uh, Detective,” he said. “I didn’t mean nothin’ by it. It’s just how I talk, you know?”
    “Not in here, you don’t,” I said.
    I was acting like a real hardass because I wanted psychological domination over this guy. Something very fucked up was going on here, and I wanted to know everything about it. Everything.
    “Yeah, OK, Detective. Whatever you want.”
    “I’m glad to hear you say that, Thor. Because what I want to know is what’s up with you, and I want it without a lot of bullshit.”
    I sat back in my chair to give him a little space.
    “You claim you need some kind of medication,” I said. “What exactly is it you think you need – and why?”
    “Hell, I don’t know the scientific name, or nothing, man – uh, Detective. We call it Slide.”
    “We? Who’s we ?”
    “Me and Car. And some other dudes we know.”
    “Car’s the guy who was with you in the diner tonight? The one standing on the table?”
    “Yeah, that’s him.”
    “What his real name?”
    “Caranthir Helyanwe. But most of us just call him Car.”
    “So, you and ‘Car’ and your buddies take this stuff called ‘Slide’,” I said, “and now you’re hooked on it?”
    Drug-addicted elves. Shit .
    “Nah, I ain’t hooked on nothing. I can quit whenever I want.”
    The elf even talked like a fucking junkie.
    “OK, you can quit whenever you want,” Sefchik said. “So why don’t you just quit it now?”
    Thor licked his lips. “It ain’t that I need it, OK? But I ain’t had any in a while. I just like the stuff – that’s all.”
    “A while – how long ago is that, exactly?” I asked. “When did you last have some of this Slide?”
    The tongue ran over his cracked lips again. “I dunno. Couple days ago, I guess.”
    “And you like this stuff so much,” Sefchik said, “that you and your buddy were willing to stick up a fucking diner just to get money for some?”
    Another shrug. “Slide ain’t cheap.”
    “What’s it do for you, anyway?” I asked him.
    He looked at me as if I’d just spoken in Polish. “Say what?”
    “He means,” Sefchik said, “How do you feel when you’re using it?”
    “It hits you in, like two stages, man… uh, Detective. At first, it’s like fireworks are goin’ off inside your head, you know? There’s flashes of light, all different colors – some that ain’t even been invented yet.”
    “How long does that usually last?” Sefchik asked.
    “Oh, m… Detective, I don’t fuckin’ know . I never looked at my watch – hell, I