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"I'm keeping it simple, so neither one of us sticks our neck out."
"What if somebody was looking out the window? They see me up on the ladder, and the two guys?" De
"People come here to gamble," Charlie said, "not look out the window. Anybody happened to, what would they see? Nothing. It was dark."
"It wasn't that dark."
Charlie put his hand on De
Not sounding worried himself, talking Southern in his way. It didn't help De
"I meant their hanging around here. I know 'em as the kind you don't want to be associated with. Understand, I did not know they shot Floyd till they told me. I come out, I thought they mighta stopped by to scare him, remind Floyd to keep his mouth shut is all."
"About what?"
"Anything. Hell, I don't know." Charlie let his breath out sounding tired of this.
De
They stopped at the edge of the patio.
"I was talking about the kind of person Floyd is, or was. I told you he went to Parchman on a burglary charge. Floyd sucked up to some cons there, but they had no use for him, beat him up when they felt like it. I thought, well, since you didn't know anything about that, the kind of people he tried to associate with, there's nothing to worry about."
"Charlie, the police, the sheriff, they're go
"He ever talk about his life? Tell you the kind of snake he was, ready to give up people to get his sentence reduced?"
"Why would you get me a guy like that?"
"You wanted a rigger-you think you find riggers walking down the goddamn street? Did he talk about himself or not?"
"He hardly opened his mouth."
"So you won't have nothing to tell, will you?"
"Except what I saw. They start asking questions-what if I slip up, say the wrong thing?" He could tell Charlie wanted this over with and was losing his patience.
Charlie saying, "Listen to me. I'm go
"They would've shot me, too," De
"What I heard, it sounded like they were playing with you, having some fun."
"You weren't up there, no place to hide. Charlie, I saw 'em kill a man. I can pick 'em both out of a crowd and they know it."
Charlie was shaking his head, the best he could do.
"Look, I told 'em you're okay, you work for me. I told 'em you and I'll have a talk and there won't be nothing to worry about. Listen," Charlie said, "you go on home. I'll give you my keys and get a ride from somebody after."
"What'd they say?"
"They know I'm good for my word."
"But what'd they say?"
"That you better keep your mouth shut."
"Or what?"
"You want their exact words?" Charlie showing his irritation now. "Or they'd shoot you in the goddamn head. You know that. What're you asking me for?"
"But I'm not suppose to worry about it. Jesus Christ, Charlie."
Now De
De
"I won't say all, no."
"Who are those guys?"
"I'll tell you in two words," Charlie said, "why ['m not go
"Yeah. Dixie Mafia."
Charlie said come on, he was going to tell Billy Darwin and then make the call. De
De
His clothes, his jeans, T-shirt and undershorts, hung from a bar of the scaffolding head high, but not in the way of seeing Floyd Showers lying face up in his suitcoat, a dirty brown wool herringbone, Jesus, the poor guy. De
That's why he had trouble talking to cops, they always had the advantage.
Getting dressed he turned away from Floyd lying dead but kept seeing the two guys looking up at him on the perch. Then seeing the one holding a sword as he remembered what Charlie had said, Charlie 's tone, just for a second there, making fun of the guy. You oughta see him with his sword. And something about them dressing up as Confederates and refighting the Civil War. It reminded De
The lights were still on in the pitching cage.