Smooth Operator (4/4) By Edward C. Lynskey

(1/4), (2/4), (3/4), (4/4).

A raspy croak from Josh's throat articulated no words. "His name was, well, never mind," Kenny explained. "I buried him behind a sawdust mound a few miles on the other side of Joppy." "D-d-did you kill him, saw off his finger?" I dared to ask. "At this point, does that matter? Thing is, I want to transfer him to the old phosphate quarry. Too many people shift in and out of that sawmill. Bury him under a ton of rocks. It's the perfect place to stash a corpse."

Andy slapped the lid back on the Tupperware. "I'm starting to freak," he said. "You're insane," Josh blurted out. My adrenaline was spreading a numbness that began calming me. My head rang bell-clear; my thinking grew sharp-edged. "All right, Kenny," I said at last. "All right. We'll do it tonight." Andy: "Count me out."

"Don't think so," I said. My hand clamped on Andy's shoulder; he peered up at me wincing. "We're in this together." "This is too radical," Andy said. "I sketched you a map." Kenny thrust a folded up paper at me. "Look, do me this one last favour. I messed up big time. But all that is behind me. I swear on skin." "Can the crap, Kenny. See you later." I herded Andy and Josh off the picnic table. A disgust and rage like I'd never felt before boiled over in me. On the fly, my brain spliced together a plan to be free of Kenny for a long, long time.

"Walk like you're straight." I slugged Andy. At the door, we encountered that bull-necked guard. Sadistic hands hooked in his thick gun belt, he was perfect for what I had in mind. "What were you jawboning about?" he asked Josh. "Nothing," Josh replied. "Just the regular stuff."

"May I have a word with you, please?" Steering the guard out of earshot from the others, I played it earnest and dumb. "I'm worried, sir. Kenny, you see, is my kid brother." "That's your shit," said the guard. "Not mine." "Yes, right. I understand. The thing is Kenny has done something illegal. It can only get him in further trouble." The guard's pocked face brightened. "We wouldn't want that now. Kenny in more trouble. What I mean is here near the end of his rehabilitation."

"Exactly. Under his prison suit, he's toting a Tupperware container about yay big." My hands indicated the size. "Inside it you'll find, er, a dead man's finger."

The guard whistled between jagged teeth. "That a fact? Tell you what. You three gentleman head on out. Leave Kenny to me." "Thanks." I handed him Kenny's map. "This leads to the dead man." "What was up with that?" Andy jerked his head behind us. The parking lot's gravel crunched underfoot. "Something that's way overdue for fixing," I said. We were climbing into the van when a piercing howl rolled over the cinderblock building we'd vacated.

I slotted in the key, cranked over the engine. "Poor Kenny," said Josh.

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