The October List

else’s eye, they resembled a typical couple. Not particularly jovial, not particularly conversational. Harried. A relationship limned by stress, money woes, child woes, sexual woes. Life in Manhattan, professionals. Yet every glance their way seemed tinted with suspicion.
    But no one pointed, no one called out, no one seemed about to rip cell phones from holsters and speed-dial 911.
    No one fled from the homicidal auburn-haired woman and her actor look-alike companion.
    ‘I didn’t think, Daniel. There was the gun. It was just there. I grabbed it! It went off. I’ve never even touched one before. I was just … Oh, Jesus. What’ve I done?’
    A look behind revealed a half-dozen pedestrians, but no police. Still, Gabriela focused on a man in a suit – a rumpled gray one, of thin cloth, which seemed inadequate in the chill. He was walking in their direction. She noticed him because of his yellow shirt. His stride seemed purposeful though he wasn’t paying particular attention to them.
    Gabriela nudged Daniel. ‘That guy? Yellow shirt? Look carefully.’
    ‘Got it.’
    ‘I’ve seen him before, I think. On Madison.’
    ‘He followed us from the shooting?’
    ‘I don’t know—’ Gabriela winced, gasped, then stopped abruptly, her hand on her side.
    ‘It’s bad?’ he asked, gesturing down toward her ribs.
    A nod.
    ‘Can you walk?’
    ‘Yes.’ Though she frowned when they began again.
    They kept their heads down, not looking anywhere but at the sidewalk. Suddenly Daniel took her arm and guided her quickly into a Korean deli, where they paused to examine the fresh-cut flowers and a tub of ice in which nested plastic bottles of orange and mango juice.
    ‘What?’ Gabriela asked in a whisper.
    ‘Cops.’
    A police cruiser sped past, silently, but its lights pierced as harshly as a siren.
    Blue and white …
    A moment later they took to the sidewalk again. They dodged through traffic and bicyclists and joggers and more pedestrians. When they hit the uptown–downtown street, another police car sped past.
    She looked back and said urgently, ‘I thought I saw him again. The yellow shirt guy.’
    When they reached the next intersection, another police car sped past. It didn’t slow, but the officers were looking around. He said, ‘We need to get out of sight. There’s a place we can stay.’
    ‘Where?’
    ‘The Norwalk Fund has an apartment, for out-of-town clients.’
    ‘Norwalk … Oh, your company, right?’
    He nodded. ‘It’s empty now. Off First Avenue in the Fifties.’ He noted the cross street sign: 79th . ‘It’s a long walk,’ he said. ‘But I’m worried about cabs. They have that new video system, the TVs. Your picture might show up on the screen.’
    ‘I can walk, sure.’
    After five minutes, he paused and examined her. ‘You can’t walk.’
    She sucked in a breath, then coughed. ‘Subway, okay.’ She leaned against him again. ‘Is that man behind us, Yellow Shirt?’
    ‘I don’t see him.’
    He took her arm and directed her east.
    She inhaled again and let herself be led down the sidewalk. ‘On Madison Avenue? He wasn’t dead when we left. You saw that, right? He’ll probably be okay, don’t you think? He was so young.’
    Daniel Reardon didn’t speak for a moment. He said, ‘I don’t know, Gabriela. It depends on where you shot him.’
    ‘He was married. He had a wedding ring on. Maybe he has children.’
    ‘Gabriela …’
    ‘I didn’t mean to. I panicked. I didn’t want to hurt anybody. But they were going to stop me and I couldn’t let them. It was for Sarah … You understand. I had to do something.’
    ‘People can get shot and still live.’
    ‘The ambulance would be there soon, right? Probably minutes.’
    At 74th and Lexington they dodged through traffic and paused at a light, next to a pushcart vendor, who called, ‘You want hot dog? Pretzel?’ He glanced at them with some curiosity. When they ignored him he turned to another customer and fished a frankfurter out of the gray frankfurter water.
    The light changed and they crossed.
    She said, ‘People’re looking at us, Daniel.’
    ‘At you, Mac. Not us.’
    ‘What?’
    ‘Because you’re beautiful.’
    She gave a wan smile. She nodded at a souvenir shop. ‘Hats,’ she said, pointing to a rack.
    ‘Good.’
    They stepped inside.
    She grabbed the first one she saw. But Daniel smiled and said, ‘Maybe not.’ It sported a Lady Gaga logo in glitter.
    ‘Oh.’ She picked a plain navy blue