“No, don’t have any family. Except for my dad. Red’s my friend.”

“You shouldn’t be down here. This isn’t the place for you. Where’s your dad? Bet he would be glad to come and get you and —”

“Forget that! He ain’t … touchin’ me no more!”

The hooker patted her on the back and said, “Sorry, kid. Been there. Know where you’re comin’ from. Tell you what, after the bars close, me and some other girls meet for pizza. My name’s Crystal. If you’re hungry or need a place to sleep, I’ll help you out.”

“Thanks, Crystal. My name is Marcie, but I already met a friend who —”

The rear door opened again and Red stepped out and stared down at Crystal.

“Fuck off!”

“Hey, I’m just tryin’ to look out for this —”

“I said, fuck off!”

Crystal stood up and headed down the alley. Danny heard Red tell Marcie, “You stay away from her. She’s bad news!”

A silver Acura slowly drove down the alley and stopped. It was too dark for Danny to see the driver or make out the licence plate.

“Get in the car, Marcie. This guy will take ya to your appointment. When you’re done, he’ll bring ya back. Knock on the door again and I’ll meet you.”

Marcie’s voice quavered slightly. “Can’t you come?”

“Sorry, kid. I got business to take care of. This guy is all right. He’ll take good care of you. No need to be afraid.”

Red rejoined Jack at the table. “Sorry, I don’t know where the fuck he is. Too bad you didn’t want a quarter-pound, instead of two.”

“Two is all I can afford.”

“That’s good. At least I know you ain’t a cop. They always have enough money.”

“So what difference would the extra two ounces make?”

“I know the people my friend gets it from. I’m allowed to go to them if my friend isn’t around, but not for less than a quarter. You sure you can’t spring for more bread?”

“Yeah, I’m sure.” Jack let out a sigh. He then thought about Danny hiding in the garbage. “Listen, Red, maybe I better split. I might come back tomorrow.”

“Let me try my friend one more time,” she said and went to the lobby.

She smiled when she returned. “You’re in luck, I connected. It’ll be here in an hour.”

Danny heard footsteps coming down the alley. They stopped beside him.

“It’s going down,” Jack whispered. “Supposed to arrive within the hour. Make damn certain nobody sees you or it will blow everything.”

“Christ! It’s about time! What the hell you been doing in there?”

“Just having a few drinks … a few laughs.”

“What!”

“Take it easy. Red couldn’t connect until now. Keep your eyes peeled for Leonard.”

“Take it easy? You sit on your ass in this filth and see how easy it —”

“Keep it down. Someone might hear.”

Danny listened as Jack’s footsteps faded away. A moment later, another steel door opened close to the Dumpster. Danny heard the sound of a busy kitchen. Moments later, two more bags of garbage were added to the pile. The person went back inside the restaurant and the alley was silent again.

chapter ten

Wizard eyed the girl casually. She probably hadn’t reached puberty yet. She had barely spoken a word in the twenty-five minutes he had been driving. Not unusual. Grown men were usually afraid to speak or make eye contact with him. He spotted The Suit’s car parked two blocks away from the motel. Always cautious, The Suit. Always cautious.

Wizard pulled into the motel unit. It was composed of individual cabins. It was remote, which was why Wizard had chosen it. He had given The Suit the key to the room earlier.

The kid became agitated in her seat. Soon she found the courage to speak.

“What are we doing?” She said it as a question, but Wizard knew that her brain had already told her what she was afraid was going to happen. Her brain was not that experienced. Nothing in her imagination could prepare her for The Suit.

“This isn’t for modelling, is it? There aren’t going to be any pictures taken for —”

Wizard parked in front of one of the cabins and said, “Listen, kid. The guy in there, well he only likes to look. He won’t touch ya. There could be a lot of money in it for you. He does take pictures but keeps ’em for himself. You got nothin’ to worry about.”

“I’ve heard of guys like that. He’ll put them out on the Internet or something!”

Wizard chuckled. “Not this guy. He’s so afraid that someone will find out about his hobby that you won’t even see him.”

“I won’t see him?”

“He wears a mask. He’s probably more afraid of you than you will be of him.”

“No! I think you better drive me —”

“I didn’t bring you here for nothing! Pay me fifty bucks, then I’ll drive you back!”

“I don’t have any money,” she whimpered.

“Then you either get inside that room and have your picture taken, or you can stay in the car with me and I’ll take it out on trade!”

Wizard started to undo his belt but stopped as Marcie quickly reached for the door.

“I’ll wait and give you a ride back after. Don’t try and fuck with me! I’ll be watching! Oh, and give him this,” he said, handing her a small flap of folded paper.

Marcie walked up to the cabin but glanced back at the man in the car. A street light cast shadows on his face, but she could see his goatee and knew he was watching. She knocked on the door.

She noticed the curtains move, and a man’s voice said, “Come in.”

Marcie opened the door and stepped in. The only light in the room was dim and came from a table lamp. She saw the man standing at the back of the room beside the bedroom door. He was wearing a mask of President Bush and had on a jogging suit.

“Lock the door!”

Marcie fumbled with the latch and locked the door.

“You’re late!”

“Sorry, it wasn’t my —”

“Shut up! No talking! I don’t want you to talk at all!”

Marcie swallowed but didn’t speak. From the sound of his voice, she guessed he was slightly older than her own dad.

“Take off all your clothes and sit on the sofa and wait.”

Marcie could feel her body shaking. She glanced toward the locked door but then thought of the man in the car.

“Hurry up! Are you trying to make me angry?” the man yelled.

“No, mister,” Marcie replied.

“I said no talking! Now take ’em off!”

Marcie thought about what the man with the goatee had said. He was the type who only looks. It made sense. He didn’t want her to undress in the bedroom. She placed the paper packet on the coffee table and started to take off her clothes. Her hands were shaking and she had trouble with the buttons on her shirt.

“You are a young one, that’s real gooood.”

She finished undressing and looked back at the man.

“Turn the light off and sit down!”

Marcie flicked off the light, plunging the room into darkness, then sat on the sofa and drew her knees up to her chest. The man grunted something and went into the bedroom.

She could hear him muttering. A few minutes later she heard the bedroom door open and close, then he walked in and turned on a lamp. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open as she gawked up at him.

He was wearing only socks, shoes, and his plastic mask. He was a thin man with wavy black hair. There was no hair on his chest and his skin was creamy white. When she saw what he was carrying in his other hand, she bit her lip and began to tremble.

It was a leather leash attached to a choke-chain collar — the kind used to control large dogs.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to touch you,” he said in a quiet, soothing voice. “Let me move the hair back from your pretty face a bit.” He gently stroked her hair with his fingers.

Marcie quivered and drew her knees tighter to her chest.