Page 54 of Delusional

“Making me listen to a pun?”

“Not exactly. More of a riddle.”

“I’m ready.”

Walter took a moment to gather his thoughts. “What do you call two cannibals wrestling?”

“No idea.”

“A food fight.”

I laughed at that one. Out loud.

We ended our conversation. I hadn’t wanted to rush my friend, even in this cold, but I did thank God that Walter’s riddle had been quick and to the point. The wind was starting to turn my nose red.

I stepped back inside, ready to relay Walter’s latest information to the Trilling family. In the living room, I noticed Chet dozing on the couch. The brothers were sitting at the kitchen counter, talking to their mother as she chopped vegetables.

Rob Trilling turned in his seat and laughed. “You look like you could lead Santa’s sleigh.”

“It is almost Christmas, so the season is right for that analogy.” I stepped up beside the counter. “That was Walter Jackson. He’s found a lot of information on our friend Arnold Marks.”

Trilling smiled. “I knew he would.”

Just as I was about to give them a rundown of my conversation, we heard a noise in the driveway out front.

Someone was outside Mona Trilling’s house.

CHAPTER 65

TOM OWENS SAW the light from the hallway as someone opened his bedroom door in Yonkers. It was almost 10 p.m., and he’d been nearly asleep. He froze, didn’t jump or overreact. He wasn’t sure what he could do to defend himself if it was an enraged Ellis. If it was Pry, Owens figured no defense was possible. He’d never even know what hit him.

“Tom, are you still awake?”

He breathed a quick sigh of relief at the sound of Kimmy’s soft voice and mumbled a tentative “Yeah.”

Kimmy slipped into the room silently, closing the door behind her. She sat down on the edge of his bed. “I hope Ellis didn’t upset you earlier. He really is trying to do what’s right. We were working to wake up people for months and months before we found you. It’s a miracle none of us got blown up with some of the crazy bombs Ellis and Pry used to make.”

Owens stayed under the covers in the dark. He liked having Kimmy this close. He said, “The only thing I’m upset about is that Ellis doesn’t seem to be taking things seriously. If he did, we’d be knocking out power to Manhattan. Instead, he wants to try and make a statement by bombing another bank. No one will care. First of all, you guys already did that in New Jersey. Secondly, people hate banks almost as much as they hate politicians. It’s not going to make much of a statement.” Owens was starting to wonder about Ellis’s true motivations. “It’s almost like Ellis doesn’t even care about the issues he talks about. He seems to just want money.”

Without another word, Kimmy lifted the covers and slipped under them, so she was lying next to Owens. He could feel the heat of her body. It was exciting. He couldn’t even describe it. Her T-shirt and tiny shorts only enhanced the feeling of intimacy.

When Kimmy got comfortable, she put her head on his shoulder. She said, “I’ve found that sometimes I have to look at things from another perspective. Think about it. If we don’t have any money, we can’t do anything. All Ellis is trying to do is keep us afloat.”

“So you also think our next target should be a bank?”

“It’s not my place to pick our next target. I’m just a worker bee. But in order to save the planet, it’s important our hive doesn’t collapse like so many already have.”

“We’re getting by right now without any money,” Owens argued.

“Only because you were able to wrangle this house for us. And you still had to ask your brother for money.”

“It feels like Ellis wants to make some money.”

“That’s not true. It’s never been about making money. Ellis and Pry blew up that police sergeant in Queens to make a statement. They never thought about making money off it. They wanted to strike a blow against tyranny. Against fascists.”

Owens said, “Do you really believe that police sergeant in Queens was a fascist? Do you guys even know what fascists are? I watched the news stories about her, and it doesn’t seem like she was a fascist or promoting tyranny.”

“Ellis and Pry believe that all cops are fascists. But I’ll admit I didn’t like that one. I prefer targets like the Army arsenal or Virtual Spaces. That stuff I understand. I cry every time I see photos of that poor sergeant and her family.”