Page 109 of Fifty-Fifty

On the kitchen counter, beside a bottle of tomato ketchup, lay one of Bloch’s personal firearms. A Magnum 500. Earlier that evening, before the pizza arrived, Kate had felt the weight of the gun, and wondered how the hell Bloch carried it around all day. The Magnum held five rounds in its cylinder. Each round looked

the same size as a cigarette lighter and cost two and a half bucks.

No matter what kind of problem you had, as long as you were carrying that gun, two dollars fifty was probably all you needed to spend in order to solve it.

‘What’s it for? A gun that size?’ Kate had asked.

‘Wildlife rangers carry them. It’s one of the few handguns that can stop a bear.’

‘We don’t get many bears in Central Park.’

‘It works real good on people, too.’

Kate picked it up, in a two-handed grip, careful not to let her finger stray to the trigger.

‘Don’t worry. You have to really pull that sucker to fire it.’

‘How’d you even get a carry permit for this? In New York?’

Bloch took the gun from Kate, set it back down on the counter.

‘Who said I had a permit?’

Kate glanced over at the weapon now, her stomach full of pizza, and an uneasy feeling spread. It would be good for Bloch to have it if they were attacked. And at the same time, Kate knew she never wanted Bloch to use it.

‘Seriously, why the heavy artillery?’ asked Kate.

It took a while for a response. Bloch liked to chew on things for a while. Like there was only a certain amount of words she could use before they all dried up.

Bloch didn’t talk about her feelings, or her fears. They were spending more and more time together, and Bloch was slowly opening up.

‘I took a couple rounds in the vest a while back. It scared me. I bought the Magnum when I quit the force. Had to put on eight pounds of muscle before I could shoot it straight, but it was worth it. Sometimes you only get one shot.

With that thing, one shot to the center mass is all I need.’

Kate wanted to probe further, ask how such a terrifying experience affected her friend, make sure she was okay, ask her if she wanted to talk about it. But she knew from the look on Bloch’s face that this tiny piece of information was all she was going to get. Bloch was staring at the bookcase. There was only one book placed face out. A novel – Twisted, by J. T. LeBeau.

Glancing at the trial papers on the table, Kate said, ‘I think I’ve got a shot at destroying the prosecution case tomorrow.’

‘You got some questions for Tyler?’

‘A couple. I need to speak to Alexandra in the morning.’

‘Do you really think she’s the innocent one?’

Draining the last of the diet soda, Kate crushed the can, tossed it into the lid of the pizza box.

‘I do. I think her sister could be setting her up.’

‘Strange way to frame somebody – putting yourself on trial for murder,’ said Bloch.

‘I have a feeling we haven’t seen everything this trial will throw at us.

Alexandra is innocent. I can feel it.’

THIRTY-EIGHT

EDDIE