Soul Circus

“Talk about it.”

“What you want, a dime?”

“Do I look like a dime-smokin’ motherfucker to you? Gimme a fifty, man.”

Mario looked around and reached into his pocket. He brought out some vials Donut had given him and found one that he had filled with what looked like fifty dollars’ worth of rock. He put it in the hand of the driver while the one in the passenger seat checked the mirrors for any signs of law.

The driver scowled. “Fuck is this shit?”

Mario’s heart beat hard in his chest. “What’s wrong with it?”

“This looks like a hundred dollars’ worth, not fifty. Fuck you tryin’ to pull?”

“I’m new on this strip,” said Mario. “Just tryin’ to be generous so I can get some of that repeat business.”

The driver studied Mario’s face. “This shit better be right.”

“It is,” said Mario, nodding his head quickly.

The driver paid Mario with a ten and two twenties. The bills were damp.

“Pray you ain’t fuckin’ with me, Deion,” said the driver. His friend was laughing as the Toyota pulled away.

Yeah, okay, thought Mario. I’ll fuck with you anytime I want. ’Cause I am gone up out of this piece, soon as things cool down. And you ain’t never go

“Bitch,” he said under his breath.

He puffed out his chest, feeling bold right about then. But soon he began to lose his nerve and he walked back toward the woman’s apartment, his head down low. He could come out later, he wanted to, and sell a little bit more. In the meantime, he’d go and kick back on that girl’s couch. See if there was anything worth watching on the box. Maybe take a shower, he had time.

Chapter 29

QUINN pulled over on Naylor behind a new red Solara, tricked out with gold-accented alloys. He let the car idle as he looked up to the three-story, bunkerlike structure that sat atop a rise of dirt and weeds. The pipes on his Chevelle were sputtering and loud, and the young men on the front stoop all turned their heads at the sound. Qui

Do your job.

He grabbed the manila folder on the seat beside him and got out of the car. He locked it down and walked up the steps to the apartment unit.

There were chuckles and comments as he neared. All of them were staring at him now. He sensed that they hadn’t moved since the afternoon. A halogen light that hung from the building cast a yellow glow on the stoop. The light bled to nothing as the hill graded down. Qui

A couple of them were drinking from brown paper bags. The air smelled of marijuana, but none was going around; a faint fog of smoke hung in the light. The young men’s eyes, pink and hooded, told him they were up.

“Terry Qui

A couple of the young men looked at each other, smiling. He heard someone mimic him, “Terry Qui

“I remember you,” said a heavyset young man with a blown-out Afro, his shirttails out over his jeans. Qui

“I was looking for a girl named Linda Welles,” said Qui

He removed a flyer from the folder and held it out to the heavyset young man. The young man looked at it, and his eyes flared, but just as quickly lost their light. Qui

“Take it,” said Qui

It was quiet now. They were all staring at Qui

“You know where the girl is, don’t you?” said Qui

The young man said nothing.

“You don’t tell me now, I’m go

“Why you go

“I’m go

The heavy young man pulled back the tail of his shirt and let it drop back against his waist. The butt of an automatic, stainless with black grips, rose out of his waistband and lay across the elastic of his boxer shorts. Qui

“You know why I remember you?” said the young man. “Wasn’t because of no girl.”

“What was it, then?” said Qui

“I remember you ’cause you were so little, and so white. Mini-Me, comin’ up here, acting so tough. ’Cause you knew that we wouldn’t hurt no white boy down here, bring all sorts of uniforms to our neighborhood. And you were right, the first time around. I don’t want to do no time over some miniature motherfucker like you, don’t mean shit to me no way. But you keep on standing around here, I might just go ahead and take my chances.”

Qui

“You want somethin’ else?”

“I’m comin’ back,” said Qui

“Yeah, okay. But for now? Walk while you still can.”

Qui

Qui

Qui

THE salon was dark inside when Strange arrived. On the glass door was a hand-painted sign that gave the store hours. That Inez Brown had gone and closed the store up two hours early, but Devra had said she’d be working till closing time.

Strange paced the sidewalk while he phoned Devra from his cell. She wasn’t in, or wasn’t answering. He left a message on her machine.

Strange looked around. Where was that old man, the one who’d given him the information yesterday, when he needed him? The real question was, where the fuck was Qui

Even as he was thinking it, he watched the Chevelle pull into the lot, easing into a space beside the Caprice. Strange dropped off the sidewalk to the asphalt and walked to the driver’s side of the car. He put his palm on the roof as he leaned in the open window.

“Where’s Devra?”

“She’s not in there?” said Qui

“Goddamnit, Terry, I told you to keep an eye on her.”

“You said it was my call,” said Qui

Strange studied Qui

“I found some guys who know where the Welles girl is, but I got nothin’ out of them. Matter of fact, I let myself get punked out.”

“Shit, that’s all this is?” Strange shook his head. “Terry, I let people out here disrespect me every day. It’s part of how we do our job. Let them have their little victory and get what you can.”