Kerrigan went on, “He hands the money to the hooligans. He tells them you’re the customer. That keeps his name out of it, just in case there’s a slip-up. Anyway, that’s what he thought. But you know his name and I’m waiting for you to open your mouth.”
“No.” She choked on it. “Don’t make me tell.”
“Come on,” he gritted. His hands put more pressure on her shoulders.
She winced. His fingers burned into her flesh and there were pain and fear in her eyes. Yet it wasn’t at all like physical pain. And it seemed the fear was more for him than for herself.
Then all at once there was nothing in her eyes. Her voice was toneless as she said, “It was Frank.”
Then it was quiet in the parlor. But he had a feeling the room was moving. It was like a chamber on wheels going away from everything, falling off the edge of the world.
He took his hands away from her shoulders. He turned away from her, and heard himself saying, “As if I didn’t know.”
Bella had her head lowered. Her hands covered her face.
“Well,” he said, “it adds up. The twenty dollars was the one thing he needed. He never has a nickel in his pockets.”
She spoke in a broken whisper. “I should have guessed what was in his mind. But I couldn’t think straight. I was half crazy. Or maybe crazy all the way. I just wanted to see you get hurt.”