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"He reckon you come," the other man said calmly. "You want I should go back there, tell him he wrong?"

Cinci

"I ain't goin'nowhere," the other man said.

I wish I could tell you the same. Cinci

"Run," his escort said. Since Cinci

They picked their way along the colored quarter's crumbling sidewalks. Cinci

His nose proved a better guide. Even in the darkness of the wee small hours, he had no trouble telling when he was getting close to Lucullus Wood's barbecue place. The man with him laughed softly. "Damn, but that there barbecue smell good," he said. "Make me hungry jus' to git a whiff." Cinci

The other man opened the door. Cinci

All the customers were out after curfew. The policemen didn't get excited about it. They didn't jump up and arrest Cinci

The other black man took Cinci

To his amazement, Lucullus Wood lumbered out and took a place in the booth. It had been cramped before; now it seemed full to overflowing. "What you want that won't keep till mornin'?" Cinci

Lucullus didn't bother. "What you know about trucks?" he asked in turn.

"Trucks?" Whatever Cinci

"Fu

"All right, you ain't jokin'." Cinci

"Here it is," Lucullus said heavily. "You got a Pegasus truck-you know the kind I mean?"

"I've seen 'em," Cinci

"Good enough," Lucullus said, and then, loudly, to a waitress, "You fetch me a cup of coffee, Lucinda sweetie?" Lucinda laughed and waved and went to get it. Lucullus turned back to Cinci

"I reckon I do," Cinci

"Here's what," Lucullus said. "How come you'd take a bunch o' them trucks and take off that whole canvas arrangement and close up the back compartment in a big old iron box?"

"Who's doin' that?" Cinci

Now Lucullus did drop his rumbling bass voice. "Confederate gummint, that's who," he said solemnly. Lucinda set the coffee in front of him. He swatted her on the behind. She just laughed again and sashayed off.

"Confederate government?" Cinci

"Don't reckon so," Lucullus answered. "Ain't heard nothin' 'bout no armor. That'd be special, right?-it ain't no ordinary iron."

"Armor's special, all right. It's extra thick an' extra hard," Cinci

"I know you didn't. Only makes it fu

"Well, my own truck back in Iowa's got an iron cargo box. Keeps the water out better'n canvas when it rains. Keeps thieves out a hell of a lot better, too."

"These here is Army trucks-or trucks the gummint took from the Army," Lucullus said. "Reckon they go

This time, Cinci

Maybe his conviction carried authority. Lucullus pursed his lips in what was almost a parody of deep thought. "Mebbe," he said at last. "But it don't quite feel right, you know what I mean? Like I told you, these here ain't exactly no Army trucks no more. They was took from the Army. I reckon they be doin' somethin' else from here on out."

"Like what?" Cinci

"Don't rightly know." Lucullus Wood didn't sound happy about admitting it. "I was hopin' you could give me a clue."

"Gotta be somethin' the government figures is important." Cinci

He couldn't think of anything. Lucullus did, and right away: "The Freedom Party. Freedom Party is the goddamn gummint, near enough." He was right. As soon as he said it, Cinci

"Beats me." Cinci

"Didn't get you over here for that." Lucullus' face could have illustrated discontented in the dictionary. "I was hopin' you had some answers for me."

"Sorry." Cinci

"I got to tell you, it don't make no sense to me, neither," Lucullus said, "but I reckon it makes sense to somebody, or them Party peckerheads over in Virginia wouldn't be doin' it. They got somethin' on their evil little minds. I don't know what it is. I can't cipher it out. When I can't cipher out what the ofays is go

"Sorry I'm not more help for you," Cinci