Executioner's Song, The - Norman Mailer [108]
"Twenty-seven," Rusty said.
"You don't have a little sister, do you?" Gilmore asked.
Rusty thought, Lord, if I did, she'd be locked in the basement! Gary said, "It's really too bad but you're just a little too old. I like younger girls."
"Well," Rusty said, "that's my loss."
Gilmore stopped to pick up a couple of six-packs so she got back to V.J. Motors before him. "Hey," she said, as she came in, "don't do this to me anymore, Conlin. You go next time." And told about the water skis.
Gary came in with the loot. "I don't want those slats," Val Conlin said. "They're worth," Gary told him, "$I50."
"Hey, Gary, I don't have a goddamn boat. What do I want water skis for?" When Gilmore set them down in a corner, Val said, "When are you going to take your personal shit out of the Mustang so I can sell it?"
"Take a look at these water skis," Gary said.
"Hot?" Val asked.
Gary said, "What difference does it make?"
Val said, "I'm not a hock shop. I don't want hot merchandise. I sure as hell don't need new problems."
"Well," said Gary, "it's a good buy."
"Not a worth a turd without a boat," said Val. "Where's the boat? Just remember you owe me $400 as of tomorrow."
"I'll have it."
"Gary, you son of a bitch," said Val, "you better understand this and understand this good. If I don't have the goddamn money, you walk. You won't even know you had wheels."
"Val, you've been good to me, and don't worry. I'll have it."
"Okay," said Val. "Fine."
In the silence, Val picked up a newspaper and began reading. After a bit, he put the paper down and exploded. "Judas Priest, can you believe this murder?" he asked. "What kind of idiot would do it? Guy gotta be nuts, just shooting a guy in a gas station. For nothing."
It really upset him. He slammed the paper on his desk. "You know, I can understand a son of a bitch shooting somebody if you can't get the money. But anybody that would take the cash, and then put the kid in the back room and lay him on the floor and shoot him in the head twice, has got to be a psychomaniac son of a bitch! They ought to string up that bastard." Conlin heard himself raving even as he was saying it, and Gilmore looked him back in the eye and said, "Well, maybe he deserved to be killed."
The expression on his face was so blank that Rusty decided Gary knew something about the killing. Had he sold a hot gun?
Val was yelling, "Oh, Gary, come on, for Christ's sakes, to shoot a kid in the head? You got to be crazy, man. Nuts!" Gary just said, "Well . . . " He got up and asked if Val wanted another beer. Val said, "No, we got some. Take it with you, Gary." Maybe it was drinking all that beer so early, but there was definitely a pall on the afternoon.
3
On Tuesday afternoons Gary had his weekly session with Mont Court. Their meetings, since Gary had stolen the tape deck at Grand Central, took longer now, but on this hot Tuesday in July, it lasted for over an hour. Gilmore had finally begun to confide, and the parole officer saw it as his opportunity to reach him. In a few days, Court would have to make a recommendation on the presentence investigation, and he had about decided to propose a week of jail. It would give Gary a taste.
Court didn't look forward to that, however. Gilmore was using every opportunity to manipulate his environment but still it was hard not to feel sorry for him, particularly on a day like this.
Gilmore was talking about drinking, and how much he wanted to cut it out. As he saw it, that was the only way to get back with Nicole. He had to get back.
They talked, and Court found out that Nicole had left because she was frightened. That disturbed Gilmore. He didn't want her to think he was a violent person. Court listened politely, but he thought Gary was being unrealistic. You couldn't turn somebody's fear around by your desire that they not be afraid. Court did think, however, that Gilmore was being realistic in understanding how much he needed Nicole, and