Lanny Marcos had been in hiding for three days before he crawled out from under a building, filthy, hungry, and scared. He ran to Markie’s car and climbed into the back seat and hid.
Markie drove off and a few minutes later he parked under the Debose parkway.
“You stink, man” Markie said, “Did you shit yourself?”
“No. Maybe.”
“You shit yourself.”
Markie shook his head.
“If this was my car, I would fuck you up.”
“I’ve got a gun.”
“So do I muther-fucker. Wanna see?” He pointed the gun at Lanny’s head, “Now what you going to do?”
“Laugh my ass off at you,” Lanny said. “You don’t fucking know.”
“Know what?”
“Pull the trigger and you’ll learn.”
“You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Lets go get some money.”
“Everyone we know is dead, Lanny. What’s wrong with you?”
“Nothing I’m fine, except for my shitty draws,” Lanny said.
They drove to a sports wharehouse and went inside.
Lanny grabbed a new wardrobe and went to the dressing room. He came out wearing the new clothes, walked up to the counter and pointed his gun at the clerks head.
“Give me that tag thing,” he said.
The clerk stared at Lanny’s gun and handed over the tag remover.
Lanny unworked the tags and nodded approvingly.
“Now open the cash register.”
The clerk opened the register and handed over the cash.
Lanny looked out the window as a police officer walked up to the front door.
“Thank you,” Lanny said. “Markie kill this bitch or I will shoot you.”
Markie shot the bitch.
“Give me your gun,” Lanny said, “trust me.”
They stepped outside, the police officer pointing the gun at the two of them.
“Fuck you,” Lanny said, “officer dead pig. I am superman.”
Markie charged the officer and the officer shot him in the chest. Markie fell backwards at Lanny’s feet.
Lanny looked down at him.
“I said I was superman. I didn’t say shit about you, fool.”
Lanny walked up to the officer until the gun was pressed into his chest.
The officer looked wide-eyed at Lanny.
“That’s right,” Lanny said, “just like bob Dylan promised, ‘a change is coming.”
Lanny pressed Markie’s gun to the officer’s head and pulled the trigger.
Lanny reached down and put Markie’s gun back in Markie’s hand.
“Never liked you, just so you know.”
Lanny stood up and walked casually around the block and hid behind some trashcans. When he emerged a few moments later he was wearing a different set of clothes. He tossed the original set into the dumpster and walked on.
Lanny walked into a tacaria on mission, ordered a “big-assed burrito,” ate it and left the restaurant just as his face came up on the screen as being wanted for the murder of a police officer.
He walked outside and caught the 22 Filmore, rode to 3rd then took the the 15 out to the point.
Half an hour later he banged on Ted’s door.
Frank, answered, a large, man, who stared stared strangely at Lanny.
Lanny made his way through the door, sat down on the couch and saw himself on the television.
“That’s fucked up,” Lanny said, “I changed my clothes, put a gun in Markie’s hand, but they still know I done it. Shit. Where’s Ted?”
Frank motioned to the back of the house.
“Why didn’t that cop shoot you?” Frank asked.
“I’m Superman.”
Frank nodded and walked to the back of the house and tapped on a door.
“Lanny’s here,” Frank said.
Ted opened the door and wiped his eyes.
“You want me to take care of it?” Frank said, “He says he’s Superman. This ain’t your scene. Nod and we were never here.“
Ted nodded and closed the door.
Frank walked back to the living room.
“Ted is sad. Too much Oprah.”
Lanny nodded.
“He asked me to hide you out. You know you can’t be seen here.”
Lanny nodded.
“Lucky for you, I parked my car in the garage.”
They walked through the kitchen opened a door and went into the garage. Frank opened the trunk to his car.
“Get in,” Frank said, “You can’t be seen in the car.”
Lanny nodded and put one leg in the trunk.
“And the gun,” Frank said, “I need the gun. If it goes off in the trunk it could kill us both. Burned to death. Lanny thought it over and handed he gun to Frank.
“Don’t shoot me,” Lanny said, laughing. He lay in the trunk and Frank closed it.
Ted opened the door to the garage and looked at the trunk.
Frank shrugged and put the gun in his waist band. He pressed the button for the automatic garage door.
“You never saw him,” Frank said, “He was never here, I was just messing with you in your time of grief. Give my condolences to your cousin. I liked her husband, you know, he was fair to me.”
Ted nodded and went back inside.
Frank drove to a wrecking yard and the gate slid open and he drove inside. He parked next to a large steal container with danger written in large red letters on it.
Sonny, a large man with a covering of fat walked beside Frank.
“How do you want to handle this?”
“Just throw him in, I guess.”
“It takes awhile for the bones to go. I got a chassis that needs to be stripped. You can put him in that. My question was more about do you want him alive or dead when he goes in. After my last time in, I found Jesus, was born again, took that “cruel and unusual punishment” to heart. ”
“You’re an American patriot,” Frank said
“Amen, brother,” Sonny said.
Frank opened the trunk and Lenny sat up.
“Stop screwing around, “Lenny said.
Lenny got out of the trunk, stood on the ground, raised his arms over his head and stretched.
“Where’s my gun?” Lenny asked.
“Here,” Frank said, holding the gun. He pointed it at Lenny’s chest and pulled the trigger. Nothing happened.
“Told you,” Lenny said, “ever since I got this medallion, I am superman.”
Sonny swung a metal pipe, smashing it against Lenny’s head. Lenny fell to the ground, barely conscious.
“What you going to shoot him for,” Sonny said, “Spilling his blood all over the place defeats the purpose. Lucky you had the safety on. That’s all I’m saying.”
They dragged to the trunk of the stripped chassie and put him in the trunk. Frank saw the leather string for the medallion and took it off his neck and put it around his.
“Why’d you do that?” Sonny said, “They might be able to trace that thing.”
“I don’t think so,” Frank said, “You’re right it is stupid, but I want it.”
“Whatever, man, “Sonny said, “it’s yours now.”
Frank took his knife from his sheath and stabbed Lenny in the heart. He wiped the handle on Lenny’s shirt and returned the knife to its sheath. Frank stood and stared at the body.
“What are you looking at?” Sonny finally asked.
“I want to see if he comes back, you know, like that Highlander shit.”
“You know how crazy you are right now?” Sonny asked.
“Let me show you something,” Frank said.
He put the gun to Sonny’s shoulder and pulled the trigger. Sonny screamed and fell back into the trunk.
Frank nodded and looked at the gun.
“The safety wasn’t on. It just is.”
Frank slammed the trunk shut.
Frank listened to Sonny pound on the trunk wall, scream and beg. He took the knife off his belt and put in a plastic bag he saw laying on the ground.
“The weed of crime bears bitter fruit,” Sonny said.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Remember when I was away and you and Ted raped my wife? Threatened to kill her and me if you said anything.”
“What the fuck, Frank, you were never married. Who the fuck is Ted? What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know,” Frank said, “Just crazy shit. It sounded good when I said it, though. I’m just waiting for something interesting to happen.”
Frank waited, eventually the trunk went quiet. Frank got bored and went to the crane and hoisted the chassis into the sky. Then something interesting did happen. Sonny started screaming and the chassis swung wildly as something fought to get out. It took a bit of coaxing, but eventually, the chassis sunk into the pit.
Frank drove back to Ted’s house, parked inside the garage and put the wiped gun and the knife under Ted’s driver’s seat.
“Now that, Lanny, “Frank said to the heavens, Is how you frame someone for murder.”
