Part 52 (1/2)

'No, of course not.' I came out from behind the screen. 'Please, Wally ...'

'Get back back,' He screwed up his face, and the lights in the alcove made the wrinkles deep and black.

'I really hate that voice,' he said when I'd retreated.

The elevator clunked again. I was reduced to looking out through a crack between the triptych panels. I could watch the illuminated numbers as the elevator descended to the ground floor.

'No one knows the things I've had to do,' Wally said. 'Not your maman, not anyone.'

'You stole some stuff,' I whispered. 'You never killed killed anyone. I don't want you hurt.' anyone. I don't want you hurt.'

'Murder is much more common than you'd think.'

The elevator made a whirring noise, then stopped on the fifteenth floor.

'You don't know much about me,' Wally repeated. 'For all the time we've spent together, you don't know what I've done. When I'm dead, you won't know,' he said bitterly. 'You'll say good old Wally, but you won't know who ”Wally” was. You don't even know where I was born.'

'You were the Human Ball,' I said.

'I hate that voice,' he said. 'You're like another person.'

'You never wanted to talk about yourself,' I said. 'You can't blame me. Who did you kill? Tell me now.'

'It was a long time ago.'

'It was the person who put the cigarette burns on your arms,' I said.

Wally said nothing.

'It was your father, wasn't it?'

'This is not the first time someone tried to knock you off. It's much more common than you think.'

The elevator creaked and we both heard the doors in the distant lobby close. I could see the lights as it rose towards us: 16, 17 16, 17.

'There were two times in your life,' Wally said as the elevator stopped. 'The first time was when you were born. The doctors wanted to kill you then. They wanted to take you away, but your maman would never let them. They sent the Gardiacivil after you but that made no difference to her. So she saved you the first time. But you knew this.'

'How did she save me?'

'She never let you go,' he said. 'She never let anyone look after you except me and Vincent and Bill and her.'

'When was the other time?'

'You know the other time.'

'No, I don't.'

'Roxanna tried to kill you.'

'I cut myself with the gla.s.s,' I said. 'It wasn't her fault.'

'No, listen to me: Roxanna tried to kill you.'

'I know you loved her, Wally. I'm so sorry about Roxanna.'

'She tried to kill kill you with Thallium, you dope. You were so sick. I told you you had Cuban flu, remember? There was no f.u.c.king Cuban flu. There never was such a thing. You wouldn't leave the Feu Follet, so she began to poison you. She kept feeding you little sweets, chocolates. She was injecting them with Thallium. You were nearly d.a.m.n well dead by the time I got you to the Mater.' you with Thallium, you dope. You were so sick. I told you you had Cuban flu, remember? There was no f.u.c.king Cuban flu. There never was such a thing. You wouldn't leave the Feu Follet, so she began to poison you. She kept feeding you little sweets, chocolates. She was injecting them with Thallium. You were nearly d.a.m.n well dead by the time I got you to the Mater.'

'When I came back she was gone.'

'd.a.m.n right, she was gone. She was gone to d.a.m.n jail is where she was gone. Roxanna was insane, Tristan. She tried to kill you so I'd go away with her.'

'Poor Rox,' I said.

'Yes,' he said, and his voice sounded old and cracked. 'Poor Roxanna.' A moment later he asked, 'You wanted a bath? Is that what you were looking for?'

'I'm OK.'

'Why don't you ask Mrs Kram to give you one?'

'Very funny.'

But then the elevator was travelling again. I watched the numbers, my mouth dry.

'Listen,' Wally said when it had stopped. 'Please, don't flirt with her. It's embarra.s.sing.'

'I'm flirting with who? Mrs Kram? You're embarra.s.sed? Why would you be embarra.s.sed? Don't answer, because I know. I know what's embarra.s.sing.'

'It's not you,' the old man said. 'It's her.'

'It's like in Zeelung. You got in a panic about the flower.'

'She's not a normal woman. What woman flirts with a Mouse?'

'It was just a flower. You think I'm still fourteen years old. You got in a panic, and you rucked everything up. You ruined it. You know that, don't you, Wally? The truth is: we lost our money because of you. You're in a panic any time I like a woman.'

'I'm standing here,' he said, 'protecting your life, and you're blaming blaming me for getting robbed.' me for getting robbed.'

'Forget it,' I said. I was in a pa.s.sion. It was not pretty, not nice. 'If that's your att.i.tude towards me ...'

'You're blaming blaming me?' me?'

I stepped out, out from behind the screen. 'It was just a f.u.c.king flower.'

Wally threw his garrotte on the ground and walked out into the garden. I stood there for a moment, and then the elevator began to move and I went to my room. There was nowhere else to go.

*Diazephene.Anti-inflammatory of Efican manufacture.Enteric-coated aspirin.