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freaks went to the cops probably.
Oh no, Marshall s lip trembled.
Oh grow up, Hal demanded. You re a criminal. There was
bound to be questions sometime. Don t worry about that now. They
have no idea where we are. But, we need money, lots of money so we
can live somewhere else. Going back home wouldn t be such a good
idea.
Marshall nodded, feeling numb with horror.
So, come to me tonight so we can finish this thing.
All right, he breathed. I ll be there when I can, may be after
he s asleep, but I have to be careful.
Sing him a lullaby, and then come down to meet me.
Come half way.
Scared of the dark, Marshall? He murmured.
Yes, Marshall replied. His fear of the dark had a long history.
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Arsenic and Rio
What time? Hal laughed.
Around one, Marshall told him. Now get out of here because he
could see us. He s in the house.
Hal grunted something and walked out of the barn.
Around one o clock in the morning, Marshall began to make his
way down the road in the direction of the bunkhouse.
At one point, Hal stepped out of the shadows and almost scared
him to death.
Jesus, Hal. Okay, make it quick.
Hal handed him a little bottle filled with white powder.
What in hell is this? Marshall asked, examining it under the light
of the moon. It looks like salt.
It has no taste, no colour.
Marshall s jaw dropped, his hand trembled. This will kill him.
Not overnight, it won t. It can take years. By that time, we ll be
long gone. You just do what I tell you. You sprinkle no more than the
tip of your finger in his food or drink once a day.
They kill rats with this, don t they? Marshall blinked. It s
arsenic, isn t it?
Don t worry about it.
When Marshall didn t react, he grabbed his arm and shook him.
Marshall, did you hear me?
Yes, no more than the tip of my finger, he said, as if in a dream.
The effects are cumulative. It weakens the victim by stages before
the fatal dose.
What do you mean by fatal dose? Marshall demanded. I m not
going to kill him.
Don t worry& Hal muttered, just make him sick, that s all and
take him to the brink.
How sick will it make him?
May give him the shits, pains in his gut. Could give him a rash on
his skin, but unlikely at that dose. Probably just make him feel crappy.
And how long do we do this for?
A week or two, Hal muttered, Then we send in the special
doc& and all that jazz. He ll make a fake death certificate and that s
it.
Marshall studied his face. That s the part I m not sure of, Hal.
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Don t worry about it, he waved that away. The buyer is waiting.
We ll unload this place, have the cash and be out of here. Is that
clear?
No, it s not clear, Marshall replied angrily. He could smell
bullshit a mile away. I can t inherit his property if he s still alive. We
already talked about this back home.
Hal ignored his comment.
The air was heavy tonight and, suddenly, he was finding it hard to
breathe. Marshall sucked in some air. Hal, I don t understand how we
can get his property without&
Hal struggled to keep his voice calm. Marshall, this is my
department. Everything is arranged. Just do as I tell you. We ll have a
death certificate. We will have a notary who will validate this certificate.
That s all we need. Before they discover he s alive, we ll have the
money and be out of the country. Now do as I tell you.
What are you planning to do with him? There has to be a body.
Hal, this doesn t make sense to me. I& Marshall shook his head,
trailing off.
Hal grabbed him roughly by the collar. Do you trust me or not?
I& Marshall began, struggling against him.
The only way he s going to end up dead is if you don t follow my
instructions to the letter. Is that clear?
Marshall nodded, licking his lips.
Hal released him and Marshall put the bottle into his pocket.
Then, what happens when we get the money?
Then it s goodbye, Brazil, and hello Easy Street, he sang.
When Marshall didn t smile, Hal came closer to him. Don t fuck
this up, Marshall& You are in as deep as I. This is our shot to get out
of this business. You want that, don t you?
Yes, I do, but& Marshall began.
You don t want to go to prison. You know what they do to pretty
little pieces of used meat like you up there, don t you Marshall?
Marshall shuttered.
Hal smiled.
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Chapter 46
hat night Marshall slept badly. He had a dream about when he
T
was a little boy. He heard his mother screaming at his father. His
father threw a bottle at her. He saw the blood and broken glass all over
the living room.
You bastard! She hurled at him. I hate you. You re a drunk. Get
out of here. Get out of my sight.
Marshall saw himself standing there, a little boy, peering around
the corner of his room. Go to bed, his father told him, Or I ll whip
your ass.
Then they came and took his father away. He was crying in the
dark& He was pounding on the door of the closet. Let me out. Let
me out of here. I m scared. I m scared of the dark. But no one came.
No one came for hours.
His mother told him every day how much she hated him, until she
tried to kill him. Then, they took her away, too.
It ended finally with Angelo gently shaking him. Marshall, he
said.
He opened his eyes. His mother was not trying to kill him. In fact,
she was far away from him now. He looked up at the man hovering
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