Burmon INN
Elaine gripped the hard steering wheel of the red Chevy on her way to the stag party. If she had just turned around, she could have defied her fate. She glanced at Marie in the bucket seat, her eyes fixed on the passenger mirror. She applied her Sheila-red lipstick.
Confronting words rearranged in Elaine’s mind; what exactly would she say to Susie about Thomas Trent’s death? Did she even know? The radio’s static cleared as Marie’s fingers turned the nob, moving the station’s signal into place. Suddenly, the Beatles sang, “She Loves You, yeah yeah yeah.” The familiar chords offered a moment of reprieve from the questions ruminating in Elaine’s mind.
“I’m nervous,” Marie said, closing her lipstick. She turned her head to Elaine.
“Huh?” Elaine shook her head, returning her attention to reality. A muted, forced smile touched her lips just before the car lurched backward.
“Oops, I almost missed it.” The tires screeched as Elaine turned into the parking lot of the Burmon Inn, two large houses connected into a banquet hall opened only to private events. Across the street, a funeral parlor loomed against the tree line, smoke billowing from its chimney. The car rolled past a bevy of women gathered by the back door before parking. A decaying odor, disgusting and familiar, loomed in the air by the dumpster.
“Come on, Marie. Get your coat and your bag. I’ll introduce you to Ruth.” The two friends scurried over to the group, but before they reached the crowd, one of the women, Crystal, broke free from her twin sister and made her way to Elaine.
“Hey, girl,” said Crystal.
“Hey.” Elaine reluctantly replied.
“I heard you have been hanging with Gino.” Crystal inquired.
Elaine’s heart raced. Sweat formed on her neck, though the wind blew on her face.
“Yeah, I mean, we went on a date or two, nothing serious.”
Crystal pulled Elaine’s arm to her, bringing her ear towards her mouth. She whispered, “Did he give you any stuff to carry?”
Elaine, relieved that she didn’t mention the accident, looked into Crystal’s hopeful eyes, barely eighteen. She was just looking for drugs.
“Nah, I dont have anything on me. Sorry.”
The scent of cheap perfume filled the air. Elaine forced her way into the circle. “Sorry, we’re late. What’s going on here?”
Ruth spoke with authority, and her forehead wrinkled in agreement. Ruth’s loyalty and determination persevered her presence in a world of lunatic men.
“They want us to wait for the big guys in this cold.” Ruth’s crow’s feet popped as her teeth and lips smacked on her gum. “Yeah, they should be here any minute. I mean, Jesus, they all live so close. Are you girls excited to make some money tonight?” Ruth shook her hips and threw her hands in the air. “Who’s this?” She pointed to Marie.
“My best friend Marie. I told you about her. We’ve known each other forever.” Elaine looked at Marie to extend the conversation, but they were interrupted.
HONK, HONK, HONK. The women backed up against the building as the three cars careened into the lot, parking wherever they wanted. The mood changed; the girls straightened their spines in attention.
The Bosses poured out of their luxury cars. First, Albert, also known as “Babe,” sixty, pushed his three-hundred-and-fifty-pound body out from the car, praying outright that his knees would not give. He lengthened his body upright. The other guys referred to him as a loan shark’s loan shark.
Nick or “Sonny”, stout and triangular, popped out from the other side. Sonny, a bookmaker, also ran large craps games in the city, and with his help, the downstairs area of the Inn transformed into a casino. You had to go through two locked doors to get into that room. “We got two boxmen and a backup, normal stickman.” His strong voice possessed an unusual cadence.
“Who’s the boxman?” Joe, the “Frenchman,” asked, walking from his Lincoln.
“Ahh, I’m bringing in the usual, Tony and Pat.” Said Sonny.
“Who’s backing them? Asked Joe.
Babe pointed behind him to Dan, “Boots.” They called him Boots because he stole a pair of boots. He was a muscle man—short, stout, and strong. Boots fought his way up the ranks from Enforcer to The Enforcer of the family.
Gino arrived last with Susie in a Black Buick. He needed to finish the arrangements before Sam Johns arrived for the party tonight. But unbeknownst to Gino, he was officially being made part of the organization. Susie slumped forward in the passenger seat. She fumbled with the door handle.
Joe swung the back door open to the hall. “Go ahead, girls.” The young women streamed into the banquet hall, hoping to find money, drugs, or love.
Elaine noticed Susan struggling to get out of the front seat. Her heel caught the car floor before she tripped. Her dress clung to the edge of the door, ripping her spaghetti strap. The absence of fabric exposed her breast, which was only covered by a black bra before she tumbled onto the ground.
The older men noticed the mess and peered down their noses at him. Gino walked to her and pulled her to her feet. He closed and tied her coat with jerking motions, moving her about at his will.
“Get it together,” and then, with the same hand that had killed two days earlier, he smacked her across the face. “Get it together. Or I’ll leave you in that dumpster over there.” He dragged Susan to Elaine.
Elaine trembled and realized Gino could kill again. “I think this is your problem,” Gino said. Throwing Susie at Elaine, he followed the older guys into the establishment.
“It’s too early in the day for that shit, Gino,” said Joe.
“She’ll straighten out.”
Susie fell into Elaine’s arms. She half laughed, half cried, and her pores exuded a peach smell.
“Susie, are you okay? Wow, let’s get you some coffee. You already had a few.” Elaine looked up at Marie for help, and Marie bolstered Susie’s side without hesitation. The three moved forward to the back door together.
