What The Boy Said

by Wynn Quon

About the Author: Wynn Quon is a short-story writer, a playwright and filmmaker. He is a multiple winner of the Audrey Jessup Mystery Prize and has been published in the Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine.

Excerpt

Phoebe’s pacing up and down. I see her looking at her watch and she’s pissed off because she doesn’t like people making her wait. I’m feeling chill because she gave me some pills earlier. She said she didn’t want me to get all twitchy at the meeting. Once the high goes, I am in trouble—I’ll feel like I want to crawl out of my own body. The insides of my teeth will hurt. My skin will be on fire. But hey, the good news is I got a couple pills left over in my purse. If all goes to plan, I’ll never feel that pain again.

It’s two o’clock. The Woman left us here in her fancy basement den and said she’d be back with the down payment twenty minutes ago. 

My right eye wanders a bit. I was born with that. Phoebe said I shouldn’t carry a gun. “I don’t want you shooting me in the back because of your crossed eyes,” she said. Anyhow, I usually keep my head down so people don’t see, it’s a habit I picked up getting through high school. But today I had my head up. I had to look at the Woman when she came in. She glanced at me, we locked eyes for a second. I saw a sadness there. She didn’t try to talk to me. I understood. It’s just as well.

She told Phoebe she wanted to hire us for a job. They talked and made a deal.

Phoebe once said that she saw a little craziness in me. You’re wrong, I thought at the time. But the way things are going maybe she was right after all. 

We don’t know shit about ourselves.

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