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"Traci?"
Her voice came from in there. "I'm not seeing anyone today."
Robert said, "Girl, I don't want you. I need to see my business partner, Mr. Kirkbride. Would you open the door, please?"
It opened a few inches and he saw her face, showing concern, looking out at him.
"What is it you want?"
Robert raised his voice. "Walter, step out here, will you? While I'm still exercising my patience?"
Wesley laid his forearms on the bar and leaned on them, his white skin blue with old tattoos De
"I'm Arlen's uncle on his daddy's side."
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Wesley said, "You don't need to be."
He looked past De
"Where's everybody?"
Wesley said, "Nobody's come in yet."
"Where's the nigger?"
Wesley motioned toward the back. De
Newton saying, "My Lord, I couldn't prayed and expected this. Both of you at once?"
" Newton," Robert said, "you come by for a cold beverage?" Like he didn't see the shotgun pointed at him. "Lemme buy you a beer." Robert started toward the bar.
Newton yelled at him, "Stay where you're at!" Robert stopped and looked puzzled, frowning at Newton.
"What's wrong?"
Newton motioned with the shotgun for Walter and Traci to move away from Robert, saying, "Walter, I don't want you hurt. We go
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Walter was saying, "After what?"
"After I shoot the nigger," Newton said. "We're go
Walter said, "I don't know what you mean."
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Robert, still frowning, was saying to Newton, "Come on, man, tell me what's on your mind."
Newton had already said it, he was going to shoot him, and had the shotgun at his shoulder aimed right at Robert. De
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She said, "Yeah, he shot Newton."
" 'Cause Newton shot at him."
She said, "Yeah, I guess."
"We have the broken bottles," Robert said, "to prove it," and looked at Walter. "Walter, you didn't see nothing, 'cause you aren't here. You understand? You don't frequent this kind of place." He said, "See how good I am to you?" and turned to Wesley. "What happened, Wes?"
"What she said. Newton tried to shoot us."
"Trying for you as well as De
"I was standing right here."
"And the gun was on the bar, huh?"
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"The one you keep back there, Arlen's gun. You were showing it to De
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"You want the credit for it."
"No, I want to keep it simple."
Robert looked at Wesley again. "You know it was Arlen's gun, 'cause he put it there. The sheriff's people, whoever, they'll look at it good and give it back to you and then it's yours. Wesley. You can keep it behind the bar where you had it." Robert said, "Hey, and I can give you some more T-shirts. `Let's see your arm' means you'll arm-wrestle anybody wants to try you. They win they get a free T-shirt."
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Robert said, "Man, I owe you, don't l?"
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Robert said, "Tell me what you want."
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