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"Where are they now?" Greta said.
Robin and Do
Robin suggested it, her apartment was only a few blocks away. Do
She said, "I hope you have more to say than the last time we were together. Remember, in the bathroom? You watched yourself in the mirror… I suppose to see what a good time you were having." She said, "When I called today, the first time, did you have any idea who it was?"
"Yeah, I knew."
"You did not."
Do
Woody wakes up in the dark and don't know where he's at."
Robin said, "Yeah, but have you done it in a bathroom since then?"
Do
"Let's get to it. Tell me you setting the bombs or somebody else?"
"You remember Skip?"
"Which one was he?"
"Kind of a biker type with a ponytail."
"Look like a bum. Huey P. Newton's lawyer had a ponytail and that man was wealthy. Yeah, I remember Skip.
He's the one done the bombs, huh?"
Robin gave him a nod.
"What happened to the one today?"
"We'll get to that. First I want to know about Skippy.
Where's he at, hiding someplace?"
"We'll have to get to that, too," Robin said.
"After I called this morning, did you present my demands to Woody?"
Do
"Yeah, I presented your demands. I'm trying to think of what Mr. Woody said. I think he said, "Oh, really?" Something like that."
He watched Robin draw on her cigarette and blow the smoke out hard and then flick ash.
She said, "Well, obviously the bomb didn't go off."
Do
"If it did it would've been on the news." She drew on her cigarette again.
"We have to trust each other. Look, I know you're cool, okay? So don't overdo it."
"Girl, you the one called the meeting."
"I want to hear you say something, that's all. I want to be sure."
Do
She was shaking her head saying, "No, uh-unh," even before he finished.
"I never thought that for a minute."
"You didn't have to think it, you knew it. You send me a bag of dynamite, leave it by the door, and you want to know can you trust me.
I have to think on that one, see if it makes any sense."
He listened to Robin say his name, "Do
"We haven't seen each other in sixteen years. That's a long time, isn't it?"
Do
That jerked her line.
"Don't do that. Don't fuck with me, okay? I'm saying it's been a long time, I wasn't thinking of you one way or the other. I wasn't even sure you worked for him. I saw you only once and thought, Is that Do
"Except there was a bomb go
Robin waited a moment, staring at him.
"It didn't go off, did it?"
"Let me tell you what I feel about this, kind of vibes 7 get," Do
"A person that sends bombs, they into heavy shit. What I see you doing, you're thinking how you can use me, being on the inside. See, I understand that.
You're not thinking to favor me none 'less it helps you."
"We both make out," Robin said.
"You've been with Woody how long, three years? And you're still driving him around. What else-cleaning up after him? You need somebody on the outside."
"I'm looking at that," Do
"They already have. It was all show, nothing to it."
The woman wanting him to think it was nothing. Do
"They got on you quick, didn't they?"
She said to him, "They use computers now, Do
He didn't care for that shitty tone of voice.
"They feed in names and if you know either one of the Ricks brothers and you happen to have a sheet, there it is.
The cops talked to you, didn't they? What's the difference?"
"Man, we cool, huh?"
She said, "I'm not worried. Are you?"
Do
"They talk to Skippy?"
"Skippy's well hidden."
"Bet you thought you were, too, but they come knocking at your door."
Do
"I'm go
The dude even guessed close to what I'm doing. I mean it was barely in my head what I'm doing and the dude knew it."
She wasn't cool now, unh-unh, staring at him.
"You hear what I'm saying? This dude is on us."
"Who is he?"
"Name Mankowski."
That poked her.
She said, "I know him-he's a cop. " And stubbed her cigarette out, hard.
"Used to be. They suspended his ass, threw him out.
But he keeps coming around like this." Do
"You know what I'm saying? Comes by with his hand out.
The dude's looking to score."
She was still on the edge of her seat.
"But I met him. He was one of the cops."
"He show you I.D.?"
"I don't remember."
"
"Cause he don't have none."
Confusing the poor woman.
"Then what's he up to?"
"What I'm telling you, girl, the dude's Mr. Shakedown.
Was on their rape squad when they threw him out. And before that, guess what he was?"
You know, at first," Greta said, "he doesn't seem like a bad guy. I mean getting arrested for creating an improper diversion… But here's something else." She turned her head on the pillow to look at Chris.
"You awake?"
"Yeah, I'm reading."
"Anything good?"
"I think I've found it. The part Robin doesn't want anybody to read."
"Go ahead, I'll wait."
"No, tell me about Do
"Well, he and some other Black Panthers…" Greta looked at the sheet resting against her raised knees.
"Here it is… were arrested and charged with kidnapping and beating a fellow member of the party. Young guy, eighteen years old. He said they beat him with, quote, blunt instruments and then burned him with cigarette lighters and poured scalding water on him mixed with grease.
The victim admitted himself to New Grace and the hospital called the police. Upon being questioned he told them the names of his assailants, including Do