“Let me see.”
I use my boot to push the trunk in her directi
on.
“Have fun.”
She shakes her head.
“No. You open it.”
“You think I put a bomb in there? Maybe snakes? Maybe a snake bomb?”
“I think I know how your brain works now and I believe that it’s deeply damaged by your time in Hell. Therefore, you open it.”
I look at Sinclair.
“Why don’t you do it?”
He just takes a pill from one of his collection of bottles.
“I have to agree with Eva. It would be better for everyone if you did it.”
I look around for the roaches.
“How are Roger and Sandra doing?”
“Sandra is fine,” says Sandoval. “Roger is in the hospital.”
“Poor guy. You know, I got tagged tonight, too. Shot twice in the chest. It really hurts.”
“I’ll weep for you later. Now, the trunk.”
I say, “Tough room,” and kick the trunk open.
They approach it with caution.
Sandoval says, “Put everything on my desk.”
“I’m not your fucking butler.”
“Just do it.”
I drag the trunk to her desk, sweep everything off it, and dump the remains of the ritual objects. They clatter out in a heap.
“It’s garbage,” says Sandoval.
I look at her.
“I told you there was some breakage.”
“What happened to it?”
“Remember when I said I got shot? That should have been a clue that they didn’t give this stuff up peacefully. There was a firefight, both bullets and hoodoo.”
She and Sinclair go to the desk and look things over.
“These are useless,” Sandoval says.