برونو حاضر می شود

Chapter 4 Bruno Gets Ready

Bruno sat in his mother’s room at the Hotel La Fonda in Sante Fe and watched her put cream on her face.

‘Charley,’ she said, ‘you won’t do anything stupid when I’m in California, will you?’

‘No, Ma,’ Bruno said. He felt sick and his hands were shaking, but the idea was growing stronger and stronger: ‘I must kill Miriam soon,’ he thought, ‘in the next few days or it’ll be too late. Guy’s in Mexico, Mother’s going to California tomorrow, nobody in Metcalf knows me. If Miriam died now, Guy could get the Florida job back.’

‘I need some money for tomorrow,’ Bruno’s mother said. ‘I hope your father sends some soon.’

‘That’s all he’s good for,’ Bruno said. ‘We don’t need him.’

She put her hand against his cheek. ‘My dear,’ she said, ‘I’ll miss you.’

Bruno watched his mother walk into the bathroom. She had great legs; he really liked them.

He started thinking about the murder again. It would be perfect, a pure, clean act. He wanted to enjoy it. Perhaps Guy didn’t want to kill his father, but that wasn’t important now. Guy might do it when Miriam was dead.

Suddenly Bruno felt very unhappy. He could never tell his mother. (‘Hey, Ma, I murdered this man’s wife and then he killed Father. It was my idea, too. Aren’t I clever? We’re both free now!’) No, he could never tell anyone, except Guy.

♦

Bruno tried to remember what day it was. Sunday, that was it.

The time was 8.10 in the morning. He had plenty of time to get to Metcalf. He still felt drunk after last night and he wanted a clear head. He read the notes where he had written every thing he knew about Miriam. He got out of bed slowly and walked very carefully around the room. There was one way to get better.

‘I need a drink,’ he said.

Outside the railway station Bruno went into a bar and bought a small bottle of whisky.

‘Bruno!’ a man called. It was Wilson and his friends. They were drunk, too.

‘Hi, Wilson,’ Bruno said. ‘I can’t talk. I have to catch a train.’

‘Where are you going?’ Wilson asked.

‘Tulsa. I’m going to Tulsa. I’ve got some friends . . .’

Wilson wasn’t listening. ‘This is Joe,’ he said. ‘And this is. . .’

‘I’ve got to go,’ Bruno said. ‘Bye!’

Bruno got on the train quickly. Did they know where he was going? No, they couldn’t. The train started towards Metcalf and Bruno fell asleep before he could plan Miriam’s murder.