“What do you think? I need to pee.”

Good, Joe thought. Humor. “We’ve got a team on the way right now that’s trained to get those things off safely. Shouldn’t be too long. You been here awhile?”

“I don’t know. I woke up in this thing.”

“How did you know not to stand up?” Willy asked.

“He was here. He told me.”

“Shaw?”

“Of course, fucking Shaw. Who else would it be?”

Joe followed his instincts with his next words. “I thought you two were tight.”

“You’re not the only one.”

Joe was still puzzled. “How did he know we’d be coming? Today? Now?”

Seamus looked stunned. “Really? In this town? You’re kidding me.”

Willy slowly approached Seamus, saying, “I’m not gonna touch anything. I just want a closer look.”

To keep the young man focused, Joe continued, “You have a falling-out? I don’t understand.”

Seamus scowled. “What the fuck you think? Are you supposed to be the smart one?”

That’s where Willy usually would have slapped him. Instead, he silently crouched and began studying the vest.

Joe stayed on track. “Just hoping to save your life. Are you worth the effort?”

That brought Seamus pause. His mouth partly opened in confusion before he asked, “What’re you saying? You can’t leave me here.”

Joe shrugged. “From where I’m standing, you’re hardly a model citizen. We know about Lucy.”

“Like you know a movie from the ads. I don’t think so.”

“Educate me, then,” Joe urged him.

“You’ve got time,” Willy said softly, still scrutinizing the wiring. “Trust me.”

“You think she was just a fat old broad who liked everything white and gold and ate too much chocolate. She was a cold, manipulating bitch. She deserved what she got.”

“What you gave her,” Joe corrected him.

Seamus’s mouth tightened. “Whatever,” he said.

“How did you administer the gas, by the way?” Joe asked, feigning curiosity, when what he truly wanted was an admission of fact, before a witness.

Seamus was dismissive. “Easy. Got her drunk. There was a challenge. Then put the bag over her head, pumped in the gas, and presto. Shaw told me it would be quick, but I was surprised.”

“He knew how to do this?”

“He called it tried-and-true.”

There was a chilling glimpse. Joe kept on track. “She didn’t fight back?”

“A little. I was pinning her down. Lying on her. I always thought that part surprised her, having a man on top of her. I thought about doin’ her, just for laughs. Such an ice queen. But I changed my mind.”

“Sounds like Lemuel’s pretty cold, too.”

Seamus straightened with anger, causing both other men to lean backward in alarm. “Shithead.”

“Easy,” Willy said calmly.

Joe kept going, not seeing many options. “What happened between you two?”

Again ignoring caution, Seamus shook his head. “You people did.”

“How so?”

“You’re here, aren’t you? Suckered in here by me as bait. That son of a bitch doesn’t miss a trick. I shoulda seen it coming when he had me whack Lucy. It’s always take care of number one with him. This way, we all go up in flames and he gets off.”