STRAYS

Howard Chafee wandered into the Bar & Grill one afternoon in June and asked for a cup of coffee. Howard lived in a group home for the developmentally disabled a block or so away. He was middle aged and enjoyed walking the streets on sunny days, swiveling his head from side to side, looking downward through thick glasses strapped to his face by an elastic band. He was short and heavy set, his front teeth were missing, and he was never without the suspenders which lifted his baggy blue jeans to an uncomfortable position well above his waistline.

Gennady, who bartended most afternoons, complied, and the friendship began. Gennady was a massive man who invoked fear in most patrons by appearance alone, but he also had a gentle side. He took pride in filling his boss’s bird feeders in the alleyway, and he was always sure there was a bowl of water just outside the front door for any stray dogs roaming the neighborhood.

Howard became a fixture after that day. He basked in the good-natured teasing Gennady offered and appeared oblivious to the true nature of the activities that surrounded him. He was easily overlooked, taken as seriously as an ashtray or the barstool he would perch himself on. Charlie, Gennady’s boss, and Bohdan, Charlie’s other body man, would greet Howard with polite hellos and slaps on the back before continuing their discussions concerning the insurance scams and the other questionable activities they profited from, while Howard remained fixated on the television and sipped his coffee.

At times, Charlie would defer to Howard after issuing an order to a subordinate, or a warning to a debtor.

“Isn’t that right Howard,” he would ask, and Howard would reply, “Right Charlie.”

If it rained, or if Howard was worried he’d be late for dinner, Gennady would drive him home in the boss’s limo. He would turn up the volume on the radio and Howard would shake his head to the music. Gennady would sing along in his native tongue as Howard laughed himself into breathlessness.

But Alvin Bean had been watching Howard from his vantage point at the end of the bar, adjacent to the showcase window, and he had taken it upon himself to follow Howard about town, trailing behind him on his bicycle, a garbage bag full of cans and bottles draped over his shoulder, and the preposterous revelation he shared with Gennady reeked of paranoia, but it couldn’t be ignored.

Alvin approached Gennady in the alleyway as he was filling the bird feeders.

“I need to tell you something,” Alvin whispered, “Howard isn’t who you think he is.”

“Are you off your meds again, who do you think he is, some sort of government spy?”

Alvin looked over his shoulder before answering.

“Exactly, he got in a car with his handlers the other day and I did some lip reading, he’s planted a bug in the pay phone up front.”

Gennady paused a moment before responding. “So, now you’re a lip reader?”

“You better believe it, ask Charlie.”

Alvin mounted his bicycle and adjusted his special forces beret before pedaling away.

Gennady shared the encounter with Charlie. Alvin had been a mainstay in Charlie’s life since childhood. A kid who grew up with him, a kid Charlie and his friends protected out of empathy and neighborhood loyalty.

Gennady motioned for Charlie to meet him in the walk-in cooler, a sure signal there was something important to discuss. Gennady switched on the fluorescent light and eased the cooler door shut, before disclosing Alvin’s assertions.

“Oh yeah, he can read lips,” Charlie responded, “his mother was losing her hearing when we were kids, he learned along with her.”

Gennady dropped his head and leaned against the wire rack shelving along the cooler wall.

“We’ve got a problem then boss, and I’m not sure what to do.”

After the bar closed that evening, the duo inspected the pay phone and found the bug. Another listening device was found in the limo, tucked behind the glove compartment, the cooler and Charlie’s office were clean.

Charlie cleared his throat before devising a solution. “Get hold of Jake at the funeral parlor tomorrow and tell him to prepare for incoming, Howard needs to disappear without a trace, or we’re fucked, the rest is up to you.”

“I’m getting a cake for him on Friday, he says it’s his birthday. I’ll slip something in his coffee and have Jake waiting in the alley, but I need to hear it from him, I just can’t believe all this.”

“You’re no stranger to betrayal Gennady, just off the motherfucker and be done with it before you grow a conscience.”

Gennady nodded his head in approval and lit a cigarette. “Don’t worry boss, it’ll be Jimmy Hoffa time, you can count on it.”

After Howard finished his cake that Friday, Gennady steered him through the rear door and into the alleyway where the hearse was parked. Jake was standing behind it.

A groggy Howard dropped the facade as fate beckoned. His voice was clear, deep, and that of a frightened man. “I’m sorry Gennady, can’t we figure something out?”

Gennady placed his hands on each side of Howard’s face and snapped his neck with a quick jerk.

The hearse crept down the alley as Gennady re-entered the bar. He stopped mid-stride for a long second before continuing to the front door. He shoved it open and kicked the water bowl into the air. Water splashed onto the sidewalk as the bowl ricocheted off a parking meter and spun to a halt against the opposing curb.