KISS THE WITCH by Dana Donovan Read Free Book Online Page B

said I
will––”
    “ I know what you said. Why
would you tell him that after what I just told you?”
    “ You just told me a minute
ago that you think about having sex with Ursula.”
    “ No, you asked me if I
ever thought about having sex with Ursula, and I said I did. I
don’t think about it. I only thought about it.”
    “ Isn’t that the same
thing?”
    “ No. It is completely
different. Look, haven’t you ever thought about having sex with
Ursula?”
    “ Sure. I thought about it
many times. I mean come on. Have you seen her? She’s
gorgeous.”
    “ All right then. Why don’t
you tell Spinelli that? Tell him how you want to have sex with his
fiancée.”
    “ I’m not going to tell him
that.”
    “ That’s right, and neither
will you tell him what I said. In fact, as far as I’m concerned,
this conversation never happened. You hear?”
    He gathered the lines on his forehead and
narrowed his sights to a distant point on the road ahead. As we
made our approach down Howard Snow’s street, he said, “Dominic and
Ursula haven’t done it yet?”
    I pointed to a parking spot outside the
cordoned off fire zone half a block from the house. “This will
work,” I said. “And no, they have not done it yet.”
    “ Why not?”
    “ I don’t know. I guess
because Ursula is not that kind of girl.”
    “ Ha.” He threw the car
into park and shut the motor off. “Or Dominic’s not that kind of
guy.”
    “ Maybe. I know he’s
nervous about it.”
    “ `Bout his wedding
night?”
    “ Yup.”
    “ You think we should get
him a hooker, you know so he can practice?”
    “ Carlos….”
    “ I’ll pay.”
    “ Absolutely not. Besides,
that’s illegal.”
    “ What if she doesn’t
charge us?”
    “ Oh? You have some
frequent flyer miles you need to cash in?”
    He smiled at that. I’m not sure why, but I
knew I didn’t want to know.
    We exited the vehicle and made our way to a
group of firefighters standing by a red sedan with NCFD markings
stenciled on the door. I recognized Larry Scorch (real name, I
know) standing among them. Larry is New Castle’s Fire Marshal now,
but I knew him when he was still green, a coyote up from the
Carolinas, skinny as a matchstick and unpredictable as wildfire. He
and the old Tony Marcella were good friends, back when I was still
in uniform. Larry would come by the precinct in the old fire truck
and pick me up for a ride out to Fenway to take in a Sox game. It
was a good racket while it lasted, which was not long. It ended the
day Sally’s Nail Salon burned to the ground because new Castle’s
only fire truck was dispatched elsewhere and unable to respond to
the call. Our respective departments busted us both down a pay
grade.
    A year after the salon fire, Larry married
Sally. That settled him down some. They had a couple of kids and
she opened a new salon, which still stands today. The last time I
talked to Larry was at my retirement–slash–going away party. He
told me to call sometime. I promised I would, like I promised
everyone I would.
    I never did.
    “ Larry.” said Carlos, his
hand outstretched as we approached. The loose huddle of men broke,
leaving Larry open to receive us.
    “ Rodriquez,” he said. They
shook. “Long time no see. What’s up?”
    “ Not a lot. Hey, do you
know Tony’s kid? He’s a detective like his dad. Tony?” he presented
me with a sweep of his hand. “Larry Scorch.”
    “ Marcella’s boy,
huh?”
    “ Pleased to meet you,” I
said.
    “ I don’t believe it.” He
grasped my hand and squeezed it tightly. “Tony’s kid.”
    “ Yes sir.”
    He shook his head, displaying a skepticism I
have come to know well in reacquainting with old acquaintances. “I
didn’t know Tony had a kid.”
    “ Don’t think Tony knew,
either,” said Carlos, and the two laughed. “But here he
is.”
    “ Yes, here he is,” said
Larry. I saw a familiar smile inch across his face. “You know, you
do look like your old man.”
    He peered into my