Breakthroughs

“You do got the wrong attitude,” Lucullus said reproachfully. “If the proletariat ain’t united against the oppressors, it ain’t anything.”

“And what about if the party of the proletariat tries oppressin’ me?” Cinci

He threw his nickel in the trolley fare box and went to the back of the car with something approaching relief. While he rode the trolley, as when he was driving a truck, nobody bothered him. He sometimes thought those were the only times when no one bothered him. Oh, every once in a while at home, but that wasn’t the same.

New graffiti marked several buildings along the trolley route. Some were blue X’s, others three horizontal lines of paint, red-white-red. Only after Cinci

Somehow, Cinci

“Mornin’, Mr. Driver,” he said, irony in his voice at addressing a Negro by his surname. “Hope I won’t take up too much of your precious time today.”

“Mornin’ to you, Mr. Bliss,” Cinci

Bliss gave him a nasty glare. He’d mentioned the Army on purpose; it was the one institution that had more power in Covington than Bliss’ secret police. After a couple of silent strides, the chief said, “I’ll make you a deal-you tell me who punched that bastard Ke

Cinci

He knew a great deal more than that. He also knew Luther Bliss did not know how much he knew. Had the secret policeman known that, Cinci

Bliss did know he wasn’t telling everything. “You only knew Ke

“Damned if I know,” Cinci

“Not right then, I don’t reckon,” Bliss said. “If he was ru

Bliss was undoubtedly right-nobody harassing Cinci

Straubing was waiting outside. “Good morning, Cinci

“Good-bye, friend,” Cinci

Now Bliss laughed at him. “You don’t get rid of me that easy. I have some more questions that need answering.”

“Ask them some other time,” Lieutenant Straubing said. “Nothing interferes with my men when they’re supposed to be working. Nothing. Have you got that?”

“Listen, Junior, I’m Luther Bliss, and I’m looking into a killing,” Bliss said. Maybe the Army didn’t faze him after all. Maybe nothing fazed him. That wouldn’t have surprised Cinci

Straubing wasn’t any older than Cinci

“Why do I reckon he knows something about it?” Bliss asked with a chuckle. “Because the fellow who’s dead got his head blown off right on your little darling’s front stoop, that’s why. Bastard was a Rebel diehard name of Tom Ke

“Oh. Him.” Straubing waved a hand in a careless gesture of dismissal. “You may as well leave Cinci

“And you do?” Luther Bliss asked. Calm as ever, Straubing nodded. Bliss spoke in an exasperated growl: “And how come you know so goddamn much, Lieutenant, if you don’t mind my asking, of course?”

“It’s not very hard, Chief,” Straubing answered, still calm. “I shot that Ke

“ You shot Tom Ke

But Lieutenant Straubing only nodded. “I certainly did. He needed shooting. Cinci

Ke

“I don’t know.” Straubing shrugged. “It never seemed that important. I was only doing my job and making sure one of my men could do his. It’s not like Ke

Cinci

“That’s a fact,” Cinci

“How unfortunate.” Lieutenant Straubing looked as distressed as he ever did, which wasn’t very. “I just thought of him as rubbish who wouldn’t be missed. But if that ends Chief Bliss’ business with you…”