Monster - A. Lee Martinez [71]
Judy opened a beer and took a long drink. She didn’t think she could trust Lotus anymore. The woman, if she was even a woman at all, was definitely a little bit loony. But she also seemed so nice, so pleasant, even when issuing death orders.
Lotus had said Judy was free to leave at any time, but somehow Judy doubted that. She didn’t trust the old woman, though she kept that to herself and smiled while munching a pretzel.
She felt a bit foggy. The haze was returning.
“You should drink some more tea,” said Lotus. “Keeps the head clear.”
Judy took a long drink. Within a few minutes, everything came into focus again. It all made perfect sense, really. Lotus was so old and wise. She must have known what she was doing.
“Care for another cup?” asked Lotus, even as she poured Judy’s second.
After drinking this, Judy still didn’t approve of killing Monster, but she was fairly certain that Lotus had her reasons. And even if Judy didn’t understand those reasons, she assumed they were perfectly sensible. Lotus had a point. What was the big deal with one measly life when they were going to make the world a better place in the end?
“I’m thinking about turning your friend into a fish. A koi or possibly a trout,” said Lotus. “What do you think about that?”
“Whatever you think is wisest,” replied Judy. “You know best.”
18
Monster was vaguely aware of being dragged into the house and thrown into a guest room, but it was a few minutes until he regained his senses enough to take note of his surroundings.
He’d been in prison before. When he was eighteen, he’d spent two days and a night in a Mexican jail cell, playing cards with a giant Belgian. The dank cell stank of urine and mold, but the beans had been good and the Belgian knew a lot of knock-knock jokes. He wished he was back there.
His new cell was bedecked in yellow wallpaper. Dinosaur sheets covered the single bed. He went to the window and parted the clown-themed curtains. He was on the second story, but if he broke the glass and climbed down the sloped roof, he could probably make the jump. He picked up a tall, thin floor lamp. It was light but could probably do the trick. He stopped short of smashing it into the glass.
Too easy. They’d probably thought of that. Maybe he was doing something stupid again. Maybe not, but he was getting pretty tired of doing stupid things. It might be smarter to consult an outside opinion. Ferdinand had done a cursory search, but she hadn’t found Chester’s paper body folded in Monster’s pocket. He laid it on the bed.
Nothing happened. Not even the failed connection notice that normally came.
Some kind of nullifying counterspell was interfering. Monster had expected as much. There was no way for Chester to get back into his paper form. Monster was on his own. And if there was a spell keeping Chester at bay, there was also probably another that would bite him on the ass if he tried to escape.
The guest room had a small bathroom with an even smaller shower. But it got the job done. It didn’t clean his clothes, though his boxer shorts were relatively slime-free. He lay on the bed in his underwear and tried to come up with a plan that had the least chance of backfiring.
The door opened. Monster didn’t even try to make a break for it. He just assumed such an attempt was doomed to failure.
Lotus carried a sterling silver serving tray in her hands and some clothes under her arm.
“Hello, hello,” she said. “I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you something to eat.” She set it on the end table beside the bed. “And a change of clothes. Thought you might need that too.”
She laid the clothes, in neatly folded squares, at his feet. The pants were plaid, and the shirt was striped. The socks were black. Monster held them out at a distance, afraid that if he allowed them to get too close he might spontaneously transform into a grandpa with his pants up to his chest.
She carried something