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Charlie seemed to give it some thought before he said, "You saw Arlen. You sure he didn't see you, in Robert's car?"
"He couldn't have."
"But you recognized him?"
"I see the Lone Ranger coming out of the house-shit yeah, I recognized him. Vernice told you, didn't she? He wanted to talk to you about uniforms? Doesn't like you going Yankee on him."
"That's what he told her."
"You dress up and play war with those guys? Pretend to shoot each other? It's hard for me to imagine."
" 'Cause you don't know anything about it."
"I remember you saying-I told you I thought the one looked like a deputy or a state trooper? And you said, `You oughta see him with his sword'? I didn't know what you were talking about. Then Vernice tells me Arlen and his gang all get into it, playing war." He could tell Charlie didn't like the way he was talking, but didn't care. He said, "You go
Charlie said, "You're sure a lot spunkier'n the last time I saw you."
"I'm trying to forget what happened. Since I wasn't there."
"That's good, 'cause Arlen just phoned." "About the uniform?"
"Will you forget the goddamn uniform?" Charlie's voice rising now, irritated. "He wanted me to know they killed Floyd because he might talk, not 'cause he did. Arlen says we ever put him at that scene we'd end up in a ditch."
"What did you say?"
"I told him to stay away from us. And had another drink."
"What're you go
"Watch my goddamn back. What you think I'm go
De
"They couldn't miss seeing you."
"So they don't care I'm a witness. It wasn't go
Charlie said, "You're just some squirt stuck up there on the ladder. They might've wished they brought a rifle."
De
"I heard 'em," Charlie said, "but couldn't tell what they were saying."
"I think about it now," De
"Sure it did."
De
"You bet I was pissed."
De
"Yes, I am," Charlie said, looking up. "I use to buy him cheap when he was a two-bit deputy and I was ru
De
"I suspected it," Charlie said, "but wasn't ever sure. You want a beer?"
6
ROBERT OPENED THE DOOR in a hotel terry-cloth robe smoking weed, knowing who it was and what happened, curious to see how De
"What it means every place they have it," Robert said, watching De
De
Robert said, "You got the ear." De
He watched De
"It's all right. I scored it last night."
"After you dropped me off?"
"Way after, with my friend the security brother use to be a Memphis policeman? He took me to a place called Junebug's, a white man's idea of a juke joint, full of ugly people giving us dirty looks, except some young ladies and the management. The young ladies wanted to show us their trailers and the management wanted to sell us uppers. I said I go the other way, chief, and scored a bag, three bills the local rate for a half. We leave, some of the uglies come outside, their intention I'm feeling to kick our heads in. But they see the gleaming black Jag-u-ar and their minds go, shit, who is this nigga owns a car like that? We drive off I give 'em a toot."
He could see De
De
"The ones shot your man Floyd."
"They own Junebug's."
"Hey, shit, you don't mean to tell me." It brought a grin. "The one being Junebug himself and the other one was Arlen… Novis?"
"The one we thought was the Lone Ranger," De
"I told you, I do my homework. And Junebug and Mr. Novis musta done Floyd before I started watching, huh?" De
He offered De
"Don't want to go off the perch baked."
"I have. It's not a good idea."
"So they saw you and they know you saw them."
"I have to meet the CIB guy," De
"Tell him I wasn't there. Tell him I'm just a dumb white boy dives offa eighty-foot ladders. Why didn't they shoot you?"
"Charlie came out."
"That's right. Why didn't they shoot him, too?" "He knows those guys. Charlie use to run whiskey."
"They friends of his?"
"He knows 'em, that's all."
"Tells 'em you won't say nothing, but you not sure they believe it. They know if you point 'em out they gone."
"That's where I am," De
"Saying to yourself, what the fuck am I doing here? Thinking it might be best to take off."
He watched De
Good. He was cool, go
"Let's me and you," Robert said, "stay close. You know what I'm saying? Help each other out. Like I wouldn't mind you coming with me to see Mr. Kirkbride." It got De
"You want an audience," De
"I watch you perform, you watch me. Listen, I phoned, the man's over at his Southern Living place today."
"And you know who works there?" De
"I heard that," Robert said. "Understand he did some time, too. See, the security brother still has friends on the Memphis Police. They look up sheets, tell him, and he tells me what I need to know."