Free All Gone by Stephen Dixon

elsewhere for your crusade.”
    I call Max and tell him I was told by Larry’s office to say I was lying about its rental policies. “But what it really means is that I’m afraid of him and that whatever you told the league I said I’m going to say isn’t so or was just drunk talk or something when I told you it.”
    â€œThen I’ll call the league and tell them my friend was mistaken and they have no case. But about you and me, Mort, I don’t see how I’ll ever be able to see you again,” and hangs up.
    Doris calls later and says “For the first time since I’ve known you you can do something for people actively, not just verbally, and you give that up and Max’s friendship just to protect yourself over some punk’s probably baseless threat?”
    â€œIt wasn’t baseless.”
    â€œThey actually threatened your life?”
    â€œThey intimated.”
    â€œThat isn’t the same thing.”
    â€œTrying to find out if they’ll go through with it could be. But I didn’t want you to know and still don’t because that could put you in danger too.”
    â€œI’m not worried about myself when it comes to this matter and certainly Max isn’t worried about him, so why should you be about you?”
    â€œI’m worried about Max and you.”
    â€œJust answer me.”
    â€œI’m worried about me, Max and you.”
    â€œThat still doesn’t answer it.”
    â€œI’m more involved with it than either of you, can’t you see?”
    â€œNo, you’ve no guts. Nothing to back up your big principles. Hell with it. I’ve lost all my respect for you just as Max has,” and hangs up.
    I call back and say “Please understand what I’m up against, Doris,” and she says “And you try and understand me. If I can’t respect you, how can I still see you? Bye.”
    Next day Penny calls and says “How’d it work out?” and I tell her and she says she’s sorry and tells me to hold on and she comes back to the phone and says “I just spoke to Larry and it’s all right with him, if it is with you, since he feels you’ve nothing to lose now and he’s already put the time in to show you how, to work for us at the same job if you adapt to our policy about those asterisks and things.”
    â€œI don’t think I can.”
    â€œHe has no hard feelings for you anymore.”
    â€œNeither do I much for him, I think, but I still can’t go along with it.”
    â€œGood enough, but the word from here is to still keep your trap shut.”
    â€œAnd if I don’t?”
    â€œYou acting stupid again?”
    â€œDon’t you even have the slightest regret about what you do?”
    â€œRight now no, goddamnit, no. Now what do you have to say to me but your acting stupid again?”
    â€œI understand. I’ll keep my mouth shut. And as for all the problems you caused me and your own ethics: fuck you,” and I hang up.
    Larry calls me a minute later and yells into the phone “Don’t you ever speak to Penny like that again, don’t ever, I’m warning you, don’t.”
    â€œAll right, take it easy, I won’t,” and he hangs up.

JACKIE
    Â 
    The badly decomposed body of an unidentified man was found floating in Billowy Bay off Motorboro Airport at 4:15 P.M. by a Port Authority police officer.
    So?
    Know who it is? No.
    Jackie. Jackie?
    Jackie, Jackie. Jackie Schmidt.
    I see. Jackie Schmidt. Floating in Billowy Bay. What’s that, a little article?
    Under Area News.
    And you can tell who it is just by reading this little thing in the paper?
    I’d known he was thrown in there. First shot, then thrown.
    Does it say anything about the man being shot?
    Doesn’t have to. I know.
    But if he was shot, wouldn’t they also say it?
    They haven’t found where yet, but they will.
    And there can’t be