The Night Gardener

'Stay in touch,' said Ramone.

Bill Wilkins and Ramone split up in the lot, agreeing to keep in contact during the day. Ramone found a blue Taurus that he knew ran reasonably well, then drove to a Starbucks at 8th and Pe

He phoned Cynthia Best, the principal of Asa's middle school, on his way uptown.

'Ronald and Richard Spriggs,' said Ramone.

'The twins,' said Best. 'I know them well.'

'I was hoping to pull them out of class for a few minutes, with your permission. I'd like to speak with them if I can.'

'Just a minute.' Principal Best put him on hold and soon came back on the line. 'They took a long weekend, apparently.'

'Sick?'

'Don't know. We called their mother at work when they didn't show up for first period and informed her of their absence. It's standard procedure. We've found it's the best deterrent to truancy.'

'Do the twins miss much school?'

'I wouldn't describe them as model students, Detective.'

'I know where they live, but I need an apartment number. Could you give it to me?'

'I'll transfer you to someone who can.'

The Spriggs twins lived on 9th, between Peabody and Missouri, in a group of brick apartments surrounded by a black iron, spear-topped fence. Across the street was another community garden, and in sight was the former Paul Junior High, now a charter school still carrying the name. An Eiffel-like radio tower behind the 4th District police station, and a smaller one beside it on the same side of 9th as the apartment house, were the neighborhood landmarks.

Ramone found the Spriggs unit and knocked on the door. Ronald Spriggs opened it, wearing a T-shirt with a character drawn on it in permanent glitter, a guy in a sideways baseball cap holding what looked to be a ray gun. The sleeves had been cut into thin strips at the shoulder and braided tightly, ending in tiny balls, the kind of ornamental touch found on a lampshade. Ronald had talent as an artist and an eye for design, and Diego owned a few of his custom T-shirts. It was Ronald's hand that had drawn the 'Dago' logo on Diego's caps.

'What I do, Mr Gus? Jaywalk or somethin?'

'Nothing that serious. I just wanted to talk with you and your brother about Asa.'

'Come on in,' said Ronald.

They went down the hall. In the living room, the blinds had been drawn and the air was still. Richard was sitting on a worn couch in the dim light, playing Madden 2006 on Xbox. Ramone recognized the game, as the sound track was often ru

'Richard, Mr Gus is here.'

Richard Spriggs didn't turn his head. 'Hold up.' His finger worked the controller with dexterity.

'Put it on pause,' said Ronald. 'So I can come back and punish you later on.'

Richard continued to play. They had programmed a Broncos-Eagles matchup. An animated version of Champ Bailey intercepted a Donovan McNabb toss intended for TO.

'Shit,' said Richard.

'That's a blower,' said Ronald mockingly.

'I'm 'a smash you, Ronald.'

'Yeah?' said Ronald. 'When?'

Richard locked the game on pause, and the television screen went blue. Ramone had a seat on an armchair facing a coffee table where the Xbox unit and controllers were, along with an empty Doritos bag and several open cans of soda. Ronald sat on the couch beside his brother. Richard wore long shorts fray-cut at the bottom, something like Dogpatch by way of D.C. Ramone guessed that these were another of Ronald's creations.

'What, both of you guys caught the bug or somethin?' said Ramone.

'Half day,' said Ronald.

'They had those teachers' meetings,' said Richard with a smile.

'They transfer you to truant squad, Mr Gus?'

'Not my department. I'll let your mother deal with it.'

'She was tweakin after the school called,' said Ronald.

'We told her we were sick,' said Richard. 'Musta ate somethin bad, 'cause both of us got a stomach thing.'

Ramone just nodded his head. He'd known these two most of their lives. They weren't bad kids. They could handle themselves if they had to, but they weren't into violence or provocation. They lived with their mother, who was busy with both a full-time and a part-time job, working to support them and also to give them electronics, games, and things with labels that other boys had. It was a struggle to earn the money needed to buy Nike, North Face, and Lacoste products for her sons, and it kept her away from the apartment and further from their lives. Ramone and Regina, capable of making the same mistakes as anyone else, felt the pressure to do the same for their kids, and often succumbed to it, knowing it was wrong.

In their mother's absence, and in the complete absence of a father, the Spriggs twins were begi

The Spriggs twins knew things, as they spent a lot of time out on the street. When Diego's bike had been stolen out of their yard, Ramone had turned to Ronald and Richard, who had returned it without comment that night. Ramone hadn't asked them how they had retrieved the bicycle, nor had he forgotten what they'd done. This past winter, Richard and Ronald had been taken into the 4D station for boosting items off the porches of nearby homes. Ramone had gone there with their mother and got them off without charges.

He worried about them, but only passively, because they were not his sons. Richard, who lacked motivation and direction, was the one who would probably find himself in deeper water as the years went on. It would be a shame if Ronald, who had the tools to do something special with his life, followed Richard out of loyalty and blood.

'So, about Asa,' said Ramone.

'We don't know nothin about Asa,' said Ronald. 'We sorry for what happened to him and all, but you know…'

'You guys hung with him, right?'

'Not so much anymore.'

'Why not?' said Ramone. 'Something happen between you all?'

'Not really,' said Ronald.

'Why'd you stop hanging out, then?'

Roland and Richard exchanged glances.

'Why?' said Ramone.

'He ain't like to do the stuff we do,' said Ronald.

'Like what, knockin down old ladies and taking their purses?'

'We ain't never did that,' said Richard with an embarrassed smile.

'I'm playin with you,' said Ramone.

'I'm talking about regular stuff, like ballin,' said Ronald. 'Goin to house parties and band shows.'

'Gettin with girls,' said Richard.

'His father wouldn't let Asa come out, anyhow,' said Ronald. 'I don't know, we just kinda stopped seein him around.'

'What else?' said Ramone.

Richard, the cockier of the two, clucked his tongue in his mouth. 'He got soft.'

'In what way?'

'He changed from how he was. Asa got to be all about books and shit.'

'You think there's something wrong with that?' said Ramone.

'Sayin, I ain't about to spend all my time at a library.'

'He was carryin a book the day we saw him, matter of fact,' said Ronald.

'What day?' said Ramone.

'The day he was killed. Me and Richard was headin towards home. We had just come from playin ball with Diego and Shaka.'

'Where were you, exactly?'

'We were a couple of blocks behind Coolidge. I guess we were on Underwood.'

'And which way was Asa headed?'

'Towards Piney Branch Road.'

'Did you guys talk?'

Ronald thought about it. 'We said hey, but he kept goin. I asked him, 'Where you off to, son?' He answered me, but he didn't stop.'

'What was his answer?' said Ramone.

'The Lincoln-Ke