Free Everyone's Dirty Little Secrets by Matthew Miles Page A

nd thankful he didn’t snort any when they start twitching next to him. 
     
    And he can’t say the whole episode hasn’t excited more than he imagined the most obvious grift in the world could .  S o when the convuls ions really start, and their bodies collapse and bounce with spasms on top of him , he just lets what’s happening go ahead and happen.
     
    One person’s unhappy ending is another’s happy one.
     
     
     
    *****
     
     
     
    Dodge watches Siobhan standing at the door, dragging her feet, not ringing the doorbel l. 
     
    He wonders when to intervene, if to intervene at all.
     
    As hard as it will be to watch, it won’t change the reality of what’s happening.
     
    He should just suck it up and get proof.
     
    Evidence.
     
    Photos.
     
    The thought of actually taking photos - of what?  Of Dressler making love to his wife?  Or is making love too elegant of a phrase even?
     
    The thought m akes his stomach sick.
     
    He can’t take it – sickness turning to anger, he bursts from the shrubbery even as Siobhan turns away from the door, freezing him in his tracks.  But Dressler opens the door, looking like some gay samurai, spinning her back around before she notices Dodge in the shadows.
     
    S o s he likes role-playing.
     
    Bursting out in a laugh at the sight of Dressler , Siobhan simply turns to leave.  Dodge slips back into the shrubbery, watches Dressler grab her by the wrist, pull her into his arms.
     
    The kimono is not much between him and her.  Dodge stares in sick fascination at her writhing in his embrace , his blood boiling toward rage.
     
    He’s not sure what he’s seeing, to be honest, if this is some lurid game, some weird coincidence or misunder standing.  Or something surprising.  Unsettling .  S inister.
     
    Dressler pulls Siobhan inside, kicking the door closed behind him, and Dodge remains frozen for a second , until Siobhan screams.  A crash resonates in the still air outside the window, something shatters. Siobhan screams again.  Dressler curses.
     
    Dodge charges.
     
    Something is wrong.  Seriously wrong.
     
    The door isn’ t locked when he slams it open, crashing through it and right into a bloody Dressler, his little red silk robe hanging open. 
     
    Dodge sees Siobhan sprawled on the floor, but doesn’t have time to see if she’s okay.
     
    Dressler is bigger than him, and stronger, but he’s in shock, slow moving, even as he lunges toward Dodge with the sword. 
     
    Dodge is no fighter, no athlete, but some lucky grace allows him to just deflect Dressl er’s blow without any effort, and take control of Dressler’s arms and hands - and with them the sword - and drive it back toward him, send ing him stumbling backw ards.
     
    And once he’s falling, Dodge just follows his descent with a quick sword stroke right into his neck.  He’s not thinking, just acting.  And nearly cuts Dressler’s head right off.
     
    The blow severs the jugular, and neck muscles, and tendons - but not the spinal cord - enough to kill him right away , to leave his head dangling like an afterthought off his body on the floor, his hair mopping up the blood as he twitches around in it.   N ot enough to stop all of the blood, though – not enough to keep it from pooling around him, and flowing down the slightly s loped floor of the crooked old c olonial house.
     
    Or from m ixing with Siobhan’s blood, also flowing in th e same directio n, joining to form a crescent-shaped river of blood , taunting Dodge like a cruel red smile before continuing to just flow away from him .
     

Part 2 - No Cure
     
    Jaime sees Mr. Chuck when she slips into the building, but she doesn’t want to be seen.  What he’s doing here on a Saturday afternoon is a mystery to her, but she can tell he’s more strung out than she is, wearing a stupid I Love Amsterdam T-shirt that’s at least a size too small, hustling toward the shelter of his mail room.  Jaime makes sure he doesn’t know