Death by Jury (Alo Nudger Series Book 9)

Author:Lutz, John [Lutz, John]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Speaking Volumes
Published: 2012-10-29T16:00:00+00:00

No one answered when Nudger rang Ray’s doorbell. Nudger had heard a snatch of a Cubs game broadcast on WGNU cable. The TV’s volume had fallen silent after the ring of the doorbell.

Nudger knocked hard on the door. “It’s Nudger, Ray!”

No answer.

“I’ve got great news for you!” Nudger lied.

There was a faint sound from inside the apartment, then the door opened.

Ray was wearing pajamas and still had some sort of bulky wrapping around his waist, ostensibly for his back. His pajama tops, which had gray and black vertical stripes like a football referee’s uniform, bulged and made him appear misshapen. Nudger remembered that his own torso was wrapped; he didn’t like having even that in common with Ray.

“I was afraid you might be Heidran,” Ray said.

“I’ll bet.”

“What’s this great news, Nudge?”

“There is none.”

“What? Then why’d you—”

“You wouldn’t have answered my knock if I hadn’t lied to you, Ray.”

Ray put on his hurt expression. “That’s not true, Nudge. I was on my way to answer it.”

“Like the check is in the mail.”

“Huh? Listen, the real reason I didn’t want to come to the door right away—”

“Never mind. I talked to Heidran a little while ago at Shag’s. She said she doesn’t believe you have a sore back. You have one more chance, she said. She expects you to report for work tomorrow.”

Ray widened his eyes in indignation and disbelief. The whites showed all around the pupils. “There’s no way I can even get out of bed tomorrow morning with this back. It’s been like this before, so I know how much pain I’m gonna be in after laying in bed all those hours. It’s always worse the morning after it gets hurt.”

“I think she’ll fire you if you don’t show up,” Nudger said.

Ray made a show of pacing nervously, trying to keep himself between Nudger and the Cubs game on the silent TV visible inside the apartment.

“They winning?” Nudger asked.

Ray stopped pacing. “Who?” Then he feigned sudden comprehension. “Oh, the Cubs, you mean. I don’t even know the score. Damned television’s been on for hours because I didn’t wanna go through the pain of getting up and turning it off.”

“Don’t you have a remote?”

“Sure. I keep it on top of the television.” He absently inserted his hand inside his pajama tops and scratched beneath whatever was wound around his midsection. “Nudge, you sure Heidran won’t change her mind and just pretend I never even worked at that hellish place?”

“I’m sure, Ray. She wants to do you a favor and break your cycle of welfare dependence.”

“Ohhhhh!” Ray hugged himself as if he were cold.

If it weren’t for the fact that Ray was Danny’s cousin, and Nudger had promised to try to intercede on Ray’s behalf, Nudger would have run fast away from Ray and never thought about him again. Nudger knew he could still do that, and for a second or two considered it. He could almost see himself bolting toward his car, leaving Ray’s puzzled, self-pitying face to become part of the past.

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