Dave Zeltserman - Small crimes

I watched as he walked away and got in his car. His two girls were sitting there waiting for him. All three of them looked like ghosts as they drove by. I waited until they were out of sight and then walked a block to a payphone. I then called and left a message for Dan Pleasant, telling him where I would be.

It was ten thirty. After seven years of watching his routine, I knew Morris Smith would be in his office reading the Sunday paper. I headed over to the Bradley county jail. When I got there I found Morris with his feet on his desk, leaning back and doing the Sunday crossword puzzle. He seemed surprised to see me.

'Well, hello there, young fellow,' he croaked. He struggled to pull his feet off his desk and then extended a hand to me. 'To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?'

'L thought I'd swing by and see if I could interest you in a game of checkers.'

'Why, certainly. I'm always up to teaching a youngster like you a lesson or two.'

His soft rubbery face seemed to light up as he took the checkerboard from his desk drawer.. 'How's business been?' I asked. 'Oh, very light,' he said. 'No steady customers since your recent departure. Only a few temporary guests. A few drunks and disorderlies. Nothing too interesting. So, Joe, Sunday's my day off. How'd you know I'd be here?'

'Come on, Morris. Who are you trying to kid? If you're going to read the Sunday paper, you might as well collect overtime while doing so.'

He chuckled at that. We had the pieces set up and his rubbery, jovial face became deadly serious as he made the first move and stared intently at the board.

I was just killing time while I waited for Dan to show. I wasn't paying enough attention and before I knew it I had a sure win. There was no way out of it without making an obvious blunder, so I took the game. Morris's mood seemed to darken with the loss.

'You caught me off guard,' he noted sourly. 'Sooner or later I was bound to get lucky.’

‘Quit gloating and set them up again.' I let him win the next three games and his mood brightened. 'Your luck's left you, young fellow,' he said as he tried to suppress a smile.

'I've got to learn when I've met my match,' I said. Halfway through the next game, I let myself accidentally blunder into a combination that would leave me being double-jumped. Morris spotted it and couldn't keep the smile from his face. He moved quickly, pouncing on the move, and then settled back in his chair, his hands folded across his thick body, a thin Cheshire cat grin playing on his lips.

'So, Joe,' he said, 'have you given any thought about leaving Bradley?'

'I've been thinking about it.'

I pretended to notice the double jump I was being forced into. I winced, swore, and then grudgingly made the move I had to. I could tell Morris appreciated the show. He carefully double-jumped me and picked up my checkers.

'I heard about what happened a couple of nights ago,' he said. His thick eyelids were raised as he watched me. 'With Phil's daughter and those two boys. You almost ended up back here. Or worse.'

'I should have recognized her,' I said. I hadn't seen her since she was fourteen, and she was wearing dark glasses, but I should have recognized her.'

'Maybe so. But I think, Joe, your luck has run out in these parts. You'd be better off with a fresh start someplace else. As much as I'd miss these games and the sterling competition that you offer me, I think that would be the best thing for you.'

There was a knock on the door. As it swung open, Dan Pleasant leaned in.

'I was hoping to catch you here, Morris,' he said, and then he did a double-take as he pretended to be surprised by my presence.

'Speak of the devil,' he said. 'Joe, I was just talking about you.'

He ambled over to me, a pleasant smile stretched across his face. After we exchanged handshakes, he shook his head as if in amazement.

'How long has it been, Joe? Years, huh?' Then to Morris, 'What are you doing letting this miscreant hang around here? He'll set a bad example for our other tenants.'

Morris seemed a bit taken aback by Dan's arrival. 'I've been teaching this young man a lesson in humility,' he croaked out in that gravel voice of his.

Dan pulled up a chair and sat down, leaning back with his hands clasped behind his head. 'I'm glad I found you here, Morris. I need an inventory of the stockroom.'

Morris made a face. 'It's Sunday. Can't it wait until tomorrow when I can put one of my staff on it?'

'I'm sorry. I'm working on a budget proposal and I need this right away. Of course, since you're here putting in overtime, I figured it wouldn't be too much of an imposition.'

'And you need the inventory right this moment?'

'I would like it, yes.'

Morris raised his eyelids as he glanced suspiciously at both of us. With a great deal of effort he pushed himself out of his chair. As he made his way across the office, he stopped to waggle a finger at me.

'Don't go moving those checkers around. I have the position right up here.'

He tapped his skull and gave us both one last suspicious glance before leaving the office and closing the door.

Dan turned to me, smiling as pleasantly as ever.

'I wasn't kidding before about just talking about you,' he said. 'What happened this morning?'

'I ate some powdered doughnuts before church. Some of the powder must've gotten on me and Phil thought it was cocaine residue. He jumped me right there in the church parking lot.'

'You're kidding?'

'Nope.'

Dan chuckled at that. I guess our DA friend is chomping at the bit to nail you any way he can. Let me ask you a question. What the hell were you doing going to church?'

'I don't know.' I looked away. I guess I was trying to fill some spiritual void.'

'Yeah, well, you should've tried filling it last night at Kelley's.' He was still smiling, but it was thinner and less pleasant. I talked with Toni. I don't understand you, Joe. That was all the spiritual enlightenment you needed right there. And an exclusive and expensive one at that. A hell of an expensive one. Here I go out of my way to help you out and what do you do? You walk out on her?'

'I wasn't feeling good last night.'

'You weren't feeling good, huh?' He started laughing, but it came out kind of brittle and harsh. 1 don't know. You've been acting soft in the head ever since you got out of jail. All I asked of you was to keep a low profile, do what needs to be done, and then move the hell away from here. Instead you go to Zeke's just begging for trouble-'

'I didn't go to Zeke's looking for trouble.'

'Of course you did. The same reason you went to church this morning. It's making me wonder whether I can count on you. It's really causing me to think, Joe, especially about your Tuesday deadline.' He paused to study me, his smile now completely gone. 'So what's so important that I had to be dragged here?' he asked.

'I found out something about Phil last night.'

'Yeah?'

I hesitated, feeling a little sick inside thinking about what I was doing.

'Hurry it up. I don't have all day.'

I took a deep breath and told Dan about Phil's weekly trysts. 'No kidding?’

‘No kidding.'

His smile came back. 'Well, it explains why you walked out on Toni.'

'Why's that?'

'Never mind,' he said, chuckling to himself. He seemed to enjoy whatever private joke he was having. He wiped a tear from his eye and asked, 'What girl's he seeing?'

'I'm not sure, but I think it's the redhead.'

'Susie?'

'Yeah, I think so.'

'What do you know,' he said. 'He's got good taste, I'll give him that. So why's this so important?'

I hesitated again as I felt my stomach twist into knots. I waited until the discomfort passed. 'If your boys can catch them in the act, you could have the county bring a morals charge against Phil. That would sideline him for at least a week and buy us some more time.'